Objective We aimed to define the factors that are related to recurrence and survival in patients with stage IIIC endometrial carcinoma in this study.

Materials and Methods A total of 147 patients who underwent staging surgery and had a diagnosis of stage IIIC1 to IIIC2 endometrial cancer according to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics 2009 were included. Patients whose data could not be obtained and patients with a diagnosis of uterine sarcoma and with synchronous tumors were excluded.

Results Mean age of the patients was 58.6 years. Among these patients, 63 had stage IIIC1 and 84 had stage IIIC2 disease. Extrauterine spread was detected in 22% of the patients. Median number of paraaortic (PA) and pelvic lymph nodes removed were 16.5 and 38, respectively. Paraaortic and pelvic nodal involvements were detected in 84 patients and 125 patients, respectively. Radiotherapy was applied more commonly as an adjuvant therapy. Three-year progression-free survival (PFS) and 3-year disease-specific survival (DSS) were 65% and 84%, respectively. Seventy percent of the recurrences were outside the pelvis. Site of metastatic lymph nodes and the number of metastatic PA lymph nodes were associated with 3-year PFS and lymphovascular space invasion; site of metastatic lymph nodes and the presence of recurrence were associated with 3-year DSS in the univariate analysis. Although any surgicopathological factor was not related to 3-year PFS, only the presence of recurrence was an independent prognostic factor for a 3-year DSS in the multivariate analysis (hazard ratio, 0.017; 95% confidence interval, 0.002–0.183).

Conclusions The number of debulked metastatic lymph nodes and PA involvement were associated with recurrence in the univariate analysis. The presence of recurrence was the only independent prognostic factor detecting survival. Therefore, systematic lymphadenectomy involving PA lymph nodes instead of sampling should be performed in patients with high risk for nodal involvement in endometrial cancer.