A retrospective assessment of the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic radical hysterectomy in Japan during the early years following its introduction: a Japanese Gynecologic Oncology Group study (JGOG1081S)

• Published in: International journal of clinical oncology 2021-02, Vol.26 (2), p.417-428
• Main Authors: Kobayashi, Eiji, Kanao, Hiroyuki, Takekuma, Munetaka, Nishio, Shin, Kojima-Chiba, Atsumi, Tozawa, Akiko, Yamaguchi, Satoshi, Takeshima, Nobuhiro, Nakatani, Eiji, Mikami, Mikio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cancer Research; Cervical cancer; Female; Humans; Hysterectomy; Hysterectomy - adverse effects; Hysterectomy - methods; Hysterectomy - statistics & numerical data; Japan - epidemiology; Laparoscopy; Lymph Node Excision; Lymph nodes; Lymphatic system; Medical prognosis; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Morbidity; Multivariate analysis; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local - pathology; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local - surgery; Neoplasm Staging; Oncology; Original Article; Retrospective Studies; Surgical Oncology; Survival; Treatment Outcome; Tumors; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms - epidemiology; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms - pathology; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms - surgery
• ISSN: 1341-9625; 1437-7772
• DOI: 10.1007/s10147-020-01799-3

Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic radical hysterectomy (LRH) for cervical cancer, in terms of morbidity and short-term oncologic outcome following LRH’s introduction into Japan. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with early-stage cervical cancer (FIGO staging IA2, IB1, and IIA1) who underwent LRH from Dec 2014 to Dec 2016. We assessed the morbidity, overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS), and prognostic factors for RFS. Results A total of 251 patients were included from 22 facilities across Japan. There were 8 cases of stage IA2 cervical cancer, 226 of IB1, and 17 of IIA1. The median operating time was 343 min and the median blood loss was 190 ml. Two patients (0.8%) had a postoperative complication with a Clavien–Dindo classification of grade 3 or higher. After a median follow-up time of 15.6 months, the 2-year RFS was 87.4%, and the 2-year OS was 97.8%. When the 2-year RFS rate was compared with whether the patient pathologically had tumors of less than 2 cm, versus 2 cm or more, the RFS was 95.8% and 80.4%, respectively. Multivariate analysis found that tumor size and the route of lymph node removal were independent prognostic factors for recurrence. Conclusion When LRH was first introduced into Japan, we found that the route of lymph node removal was an independent prognostic factor for recurrence in addition to large tumors (≥ 2 cm). Our results suggest that prognosis may be secured by paying attention to the lymph node removal route.