Prognostic features and treatment of endocervical adenocarcinoma of the cervix

Adenocarcinoma of the cervix represents an increasing percentage of cervical cancers as well as a controversial clinical problem. One hundred seventy-two cases of adenocarcinoma were treated at The University of Michigan Medical Center from 1970 to 1984, representing 16.8% of cervical cancers. Of this group 84 patients were diagnosed with endocervical columnar cell type and form the study population for this report. Survival was influenced by stage, grade, and nodal metastases. Age did not influence survival. Survival in stage I disease was not influenced by treatment modality. Radical surgery or radiation therapy provided equal survival and ovarian conservation did not adversely influence survival. Radical surgery can be considered a primary means of therapy in young women and offers the same advantages over radiation therapy as those offered for squamous cell disease.