ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical characteristics of pelvic lymph node metastases in patients with early-stage cervical carcinoma. METHODS: The clinical, pathologic and follow-up data of patients with cervical carcinoma treated at our hospital from June 2006 to May 2008 were collected and analyzed retrospectively. The relevant literature was reviewed. RESULTS: The median age at diagnosis was (45.6 ± 3.8) years old. Among these patients, 587 patients (92.3%) were of squamous cell cervical carcinoma while 49 patients (7.7%) cervical adenocarcinoma.But the differences of pelvic lymph node metastases were not significant(P > 0.05). The overall prevalence of lymph node metastasis was 10.9% (69/636). The rate of pelvic lymph node metastases became significantly high up from the clinical stage I(b1). When the pelvic nodes were positive, the obturator group was involved in 69 cases (69/120). CONCLUSION: There is an increased rate of pelvic lymph node metastasis in the patient groups of clinical stage I(b1)-II. And the obturator group is predominantly involved. Thus a routine pelvic lymphadenectomy is essential.
