[Cervical carcinoma in the T1b stage. Therapy, complications and prognosis]

Records of 256 patients with carcinoma of the cervix uteri stage T1b from the years 1965-1979 were reviewed retrospectively. By screening programs only 21% were detected. Most of the neoplasms were squamous cell carcinoma (81%). The majority of the patients was treated surgically most frequently by radical hysterectomy (Wertheim-Meigs). If the carcinoma was poorly differentiated and/or lymphonodi were positive postoperative radiotherapy was added. Thus only 43 patients had no radiotherapy. 5 year survival rate could be studied in 151 patients. 89% survived 5 years or more following primary treatment. Older women (over 40 years old) showed a better prognosis than those below 40. Patients treated by radiotherapy alone survived 5 years in 88 per cent. Patients treated by radical hysterectomy had a five year survival rate of 94.6%. No difference in prognosis was observed, if radiotherapy was added. There was no significant difference in the frequency of severe complications in both kinds of treatment. The rate of recurrencies was 9.4 per cent.