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Role of radical hysterectomy in patients with early-stage high-grade neuroendocrine cervical carcinoma: a NeCTuR study
  1. Gloria Salvo1,
  2. Preetha Ramalingam2,
  3. Alejandra Flores Legarreta1,
  4. Anuja Jhingran3,
  5. Naomi R Gonzales1,
  6. Gary B Chisholm1 and
  7. Michael Frumovitz1
  1. 1Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
  2. 2Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
  3. 3Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Gloria Salvo, Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; gsalvo{at}mdanderson.org

Abstract

Objective Patients with early-stage, high-grade neuroendocrine cervical carcinoma typically undergo radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy followed by adjuvant radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. To explore the role of radical surgery in patients with this disease, who have a high likelihood of undergoing postoperative adjuvant therapy, we aimed to determine the rate of parametrial involvement and the rate of parametrial involvement without other indications for adjuvant treatment in these patients.

Methods We retrospectively studied patients in the Neuroendocrine Cervical Tumor Registry (NeCTuR) at our institution to identify those with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2018 stage IA1-IB2, high-grade neuroendocrine cervical carcinoma who underwent up-front radical surgery with or without adjuvant therapy.

Results One hundred patients met the inclusion criteria. The median age was 35 years (range 22–65), and 51% (51/100) had pure high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma. No patient had a tumor >4 cm or suspected parametrial or nodal disease before surgery. Ten patients (10%) had microscopic parametrial compromise in the final surgical specimens. Ninety-four (94%) patients underwent nodal assessment, and 19 (19%) had positive nodes. Ten patients underwent both sentinel lymph node biopsy and pelvic lymphadenectomy, and none had false-negative findings. Patients with parametrial compromise were more likely to have positive pelvic nodes (80% vs 12%, p<0.0001), and a positive vaginal margin (20% vs 1%, p=0.03). All patients with parametrial compromise had lymphovascular space invasion (100% vs 73%, p=0.10). Of the 100 patients, 95 (95%) were recommended adjuvant therapy and 89 (89%) were known to have received it. Adjuvant pelvic radiotherapy reduced the likelihood of local recurrence by 62%.

Conclusions In carefully selected patients with high-grade neuroendocrine cervical carcinoma, the rate of microscopic parametrial involvement is 10%. As most patients receive adjuvant treatment, we hypothesize that simple hysterectomy may be adequate when followed by adjuvant radiotherapy with concurrent cisplatin and etoposide followed by additional chemotherapy.

  • cervical cancer
  • cervix uteri
  • sentinel lymph node
  • surgical procedures
  • operative
  • neuroendocrine tumors

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Footnotes

  • Twitter @ajhingra@mdanderson.org, @frumovitz

  • Contributors All authors contributed to the writing, drafting, and critical revision of this manuscript. All authors have given final approval of this version to be published, and all authors accept responsibility for its contents.

  • Funding This study was supported by the National Cancer Institute under award number P30CA016672, which supports the MD Anderson Cancer Center Clinical Trials Office and Small/Large Cell Carcinoma of the Cervix: Sisters United.

  • Competing interests MF has research support from AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline and is a speaker/consultant for Stryker.

  • Patient consent for publication Not required.

  • Data availability statement Data are available upon reasonable request. Deidentified participant data.

  • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.

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