The prognostic significance of histologic type in early stage cervical cancer - A multi-institutional study.

BACKGROUND: Cervical adenocarcinomas (ADC) have been viewed as more aggressive than squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). We analyzed an international cohort of early stage cervical cancer to determine the impact of histologic type. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of patients with SCC (148 patients) and ADC (130 patients) stages IA1-IB2 who underwent surgery at our three institutions (two from Detroit, one from Mexico) from 2000-2010 was performed for: age, stage, tumor size, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), invasion depth, lymph node status (LN), recurrence and survival. Pathologic review proceeded inclusion. RESULTS: In the Latino population, ADC's tended to be higher grade (p=0.01), while SCC's were larger with deeper invasion (p<0.001). LVI and LN were not significantly different. Recurrence rate (RR) was 8% (8/101) in ADC and 11.8% (9/76) in SCCs. 5 year survival (OS) was equivalent (98.2% and 95.2% for ADC and SCC respectively, p=0.369). In the Detroit cohort, we noted no difference in size, grade, depth of invasion, LVI, LN. RR was 8/72 (13.7%) for SCC and 4/29 (13.7%) but not statistically different between the tumor types (p=0.5). 5 year survival was 91% and 92% for ADC and SCC, respectively. In this population 33% of the patients with SCC and 34% of the patients with ADC received adjuvant chemo-radiation (p=0.4). Histologic type demonstrated no significant outcome difference for any type of adjuvant therapy. CONCLUSION: Comparing early stage disease cervical ADC and SCC suggests equivalent recurrence and survival. Therefore, the paradigm of more aggressive management of early stage cervical ADC warrants further investigation.

Significance of lymphovascular space invasion in uterine serous carcinoma: what matters more; extent or presence?

To analyze the clinical significance of the extent of lymphovascular space invasion (LVI) in patients with uterine serous carcinoma. After IRB approval, 232 patients with uterine serous carcinoma from the pathology databases of 4 large academic institutions were included. Patients were divided into 3 groups based on extent of LVI. Extensive LVI (E-LVI) was defined as ≥3 vessel involvement; low LVI (L-LVI) was defined <3 vessel involvement; and the third group consisted of tumors with no LVI (A-LVI). The association between LVI and myometrial invasion, cervical involvement, lower uterine segment involvement, positive peritoneal washings, lymph node involvement, stage, and survival were analyzed. Of 232 patients, 47 had E-LVI (20.3%), 83 had L-LVI (35.8%), and 102 had A-LVI (44%). A total of 9.8% of the patients with A-LVI had lymph node involvement as compared with 18.1% in the L-LVI group and 55.4% in the E-LVI group (P<0.0001). Fifty-nine percent of the patients in A-LVI, 85% in L-LVI, and 100% in the E-LVI group demonstrated myometrial invasion (P<0.0001). Cervical involvement was noted in 23%, 43%, 66% (P<0.0001) and lower uterine segment involvement involvement in 31%, 43%, and 42% of A-LVI, L-LVI, and E-LVI (P<0.0001), respectively. Stage III and IV disease were seen in 29%, 38%, and 79% of the patients with A-LVI, L-LVI, and E-LVI, respectively (P<0.0001). The median overall survival was 172, 95, and 39 mo for the A-LVI, L-LVI, and E-LVI groups, respectively (P<0.0001). The racial distribution was significant with African American patients demonstrating significantly more L-LVI (27.8%) and E-LVI (40.4%) when compared with A-LVI (19.6%) (P=0.040). In a subgroup analysis including patients with Stage I and II (n=123) revealed median survivals of 172, 169, and 38 mo in the A-LVI, L-LVI, and E-LVI groups, respectively (P<0.0001). Fifty percent of these patients with E-LVI, 20% in L-LVI group, and 15% in A-LVI group had disease recurrence (P=0.040). The extent of LVI was associated with multiple pathologic factors and was found to be a negative prognostic factor for overall survival and disease recurrence.

Vanishing endometrial cancer in hysterectomy specimens: a myth or a fact.

The incidence of endometrial cancers diagnosed on biopsy that have no residual cancer identified at hysterectomy is not well studied. The aim of our study was to determine the incidence and long-term follow-up of this "vanishing cancer" phenomenon. All slides from the initial biopsy/curettage and hysterectomy specimens were reviewed and the diagnosis confirmed by a gynecologic pathologist. The entire endometrium was serially sectioned and submitted for histologic examination. Clinical and pathologic variables were analyzed, including patient demographics, tumor histologic type and grade, stage, biopsy method, adjuvant therapy, surgical procedure, recurrence, and disease-specific survival. We identified 23 biopsy-proven cases of endometrial cancer with no residual disease on hysterectomy specimen. Of the 23 patients, 15 (65.2%) were diagnosed as endometrioid, 6 (26%) serous, 1 clear cell (4.3%), and 1 (4.3%) serous intraepithelial carcinoma. Seventeen underwent dilatation and curettage, and 6 had endometrial biopsy as the primary procedure. The median follow-up was 8.8 years (range, 1.2 to 17 y). Only 2 cases with serous carcinoma underwent adjuvant chemotherapy, and none received radiation therapy. Only 1 patient died of disease after 27 months and was diagnosed as FIGO grade II endometrioid carcinoma on dilatation and curettage. The inability to identify cancer in a hysterectomy specimen for biopsy-confirmed carcinoma does not indicate technical failure. Although there is no specific standard treatment for patients with "vanishing endometrial cancer," the prognosis is excellent; however, close follow-up is suggested.