ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: In this study we utilized the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End-Results (SEER) registry to identify risk factors for lymphatic spread and determine the incidence of pelvic and para-aortic lymph node metastases in patients with uterine papillary serous carcinoma (UPSC) and uterine clear cell carcinoma (UCCC) who underwent complete surgical staging and lymph node dissection. METHODS: Nine hundred seventy-two eligible patients diagnosed between 1998 to 2009 with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 1988 stage IA-IVA UPSC (n=685) or UCCC (n=287) were identified for analysis. Binomial logistic regression was used to determine risk factors for lymph node metastasis, with the incidence of pelvic and para-aortic lymph node metastases reported for each FIGO primary tumor stage. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to determine factors associated with overall survival. RESULTS: FIGO primary tumor stage was the only independent risk factor for lymph node metastasis (p60 years (HR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.21 to 2.41; p<0.01), and advanced FIGO primary tumor stage (p<0.01). Tumor grade, histologic subtype, and patient race did not predict for either lymph node metastasis or overall survival. CONCLUSION: There is a high incidence of both pelvic and para-aortic lymph node metastases for FIGO stages IC and above uterine papillary serous and clear cell carcinomas, suggesting a potential role for lymph node-directed therapy for these patients.