[Pelvic exenteration, morbidity and survival]

Between 1985 and 1990, 17 patients have undergone pelvic exenteration at the Obstetric and Gynecology Hospital 4, Mexican Social Security Institute, Mexico City. Sixteen patients had undergone radiation therapy previously. Most operative procedures were performed for cancer of the cervix, recurrent or persistent. The major type of pelvic neoplasm was epidermoid carcinoma, occurring in 15 patients. No exenterations were performed in presence of pelvic lymph nodes. Operative mortality was 5.8%. One or more major surgical complications occurred in nine patients, three patients required one or more surgical procedures to correct these complications. There was no mortality in patients undergoing reoperation. Nonsurgical complications were encountered in five patients. All patients were followed for at least 2 years or until time of death. The cumulative 5-year survival was significantly related to type of tumor. All patients with recurrent tumor were alive and disease free in the last follow-up compared to only 33% of patients with persistent tumor. Four patients underwent anterior surgical procedure, all with persistent tumour. Three had documented recurrence and none survived beyond 14 months.