Therapeutic role of lymphadenectomy for cervical cancer.

BACKGROUND: Despite the diagnostic value of lymphadenectomy for early-stage cervical cancer, its therapeutic role is unknown. We examined the therapeutic potential of extensive lymphadenectomy in women with early-stage cervical cancer.

METHODS: Women with stage IA2-IIA cervical cancer who underwent radical hysterectomy with lymphadenectomy in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were analyzed. Patients were stratified according to the number of nodes removed. The effect of the extent of lymphadenectomy on overall and cancer-specific survival was examined using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. Separate analyses were performed for node positive and node negative patients.

RESULTS: Among 5522 women, 893 (16%) had <10 nodes, 2030 (37%) had 11-20, 1487 (27%) had 21-30 nodes, and 1112 (20%) had >30 nodes removed. Black women, those >65 years of age and those diagnosed later in the study, were less likely to have 10 or more nodes removed (P < .05 for all). Among women with positive lymph nodes, a more extensive lymphadenectomy had no effect on survival (HR = 0.75; 95% CI, 0.47-1.22). For women with negative lymph nodes, a more extensive lymphadenectomy was associated with improved survival. Compared with node negative patients with less than 10 nodes removed, patients with 21-30 nodes removed were 24% (HR = 0.76; 95% CI, 0.53-1.09) less likely to die, whereas those with >30 nodes removed were 37% (HR = 0.64; 95% CI, 0.43-0.96) less likely to die from their tumors.

CONCLUSIONS: Node negative, early-stage cervical cancer patients who undergo a more extensive lymphadenectomy have an improved survival.