Stage III carcinoma of the endometrium: a review of 41 cases

Forty-one patients with clinical-pathological stage III carcinoma of the endometrium treated between January 1958 and December 1983 at the Ottawa General Hospital were analyzed. Twenty-three patients (56%) presented with clinical stage III and 18 (44%) with pathological stage III. The 5-year survival of all stage III patients was 35%. Patients with clinical stage III had a 5-year survival of 8% compared to 70% for patients with pathological stage III (P less than 0.01). Twenty-nine patients (71%) failed. The site of first recurrence was limited to the abdominal cavity in all but 6 patients (79%). The role of whole abdominal radiation is discussed.