Recurrent endometrial adenocarcinoma after surgery alone: prognostic factors and treatment

Twenty-six patients with a local and/or regional relapse of a previously surgically treated adenocarcinoma of the endometrium were referred to the Dr. Daniel den Hoed Cancer Center (DDHCC) in Rotterdam, The Netherlands between 1965 and 1985 for external radiotherapy (ERT) and/or brachytherapy (BT). The 5-year overall survival was 44%. Tumour volume seemed to be an important prognostic factor in locoregional control; 1 out of 17 patients with tumour sizes smaller than or equal to 4 cm relapsed locoregionally, while in 3 out of 9 patients with tumour sizes of more than 4 cm a locoregional recurrence developed. Another important finding is the impact of RT on treatment outcome: none of the 16 patients treated with a combination of ERT and BT failed locoregionally, while 4 out of 10 patients treated with either ERT or BT relapsed.