Objectives To describe the incidence of lymph node metastasis in patients with surgically staged endometrioid-type endometrial cancer in Donostia University Hospital and evaluate the presence of isolated aortic metastasis.

Methods Using a prospectively maintained database, we recorded all cases of endometrioid endometrial cancer that underwent lymph node dissection and determined the rate and location (pelvic or para-aortic) of lymph node metastasis.

Results A total of 212 patients with endometrioid type endometrial cancer were surgically treated at our institution from May 2008 to June 2013. Ninety underwent pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy. Thirteen had positive nodes upon pathological examination. Six (6.6%) of 90 patients had positive para-aortic nodes with negative pelvic nodes.

Conclusions In our series, the incidence of isolated aortic nodal metastasis is high compared with other published reports. Performing aortic lymphadenectomy only in case of positive pelvic nodes would have underdiagnosed 6 (46%) of 13 stage IIIC cancers.