Pelvic exenteration in gynecologic oncology. Review

Pelvic exenteration is still indicated in the treatment of gynecological cancer, in patients with pelvic resectable disease, after the failure of standard treatment. The reported survival ranges from 20 to 60% and has been increasing in the last 15 years; the prognostic factors more frequently described are margin status, time from diagnosis or radiotherapy, lesion size, preoperative side-wall fixation. The role of palliative exenteration in patients with non-resectable disease and/or nodal metastases is discussed. Survival and morbidity in elderly patients are comparable to the younger group and age cannot be considered as an exclusion criteria. Gastrointestinal, urinary and infectious complications are still considerable, but morbidity and mortality have been reduced by surgical and intensive care developments. New surgical techniques, i.e. vaginal reconstruction and continent urinary diversions, have improved quality of life, especially in younger patients, with longer expected survival.