OBJECTIVE: Despite the rarity of uterine papillary serous carcinoma (UPSC) and uterine clear cell carcinoma (UCCC), they contribute disproportionately to endometrial cancer deaths. Sufficient clinical information regarding treatment and prognosis is lacking. The aim of this study is to evaluate treatment outcomes in a rare cancer cohort based on the experience at two tertiary care cancer centers. METHODS: Clinicopathologic data were retrospectively collected on 279 patients with UPSC and UCCC treated between 1995 to 2011. Mode of surgery, use of adjuvant treatment, and dissection of paraaoritc lymph nodes were evaluated for their association with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: 40.9% of patients presented with stage I disease, 6.8% of patients presented with stage II disease and 52.3% of patients presented with stages III and IV. Median follow-up was 31 months (range, 1 to 194 months). OS and PFS at 5 years were 63.0% and 51.9%, respectively. OS and PFS were not affected by mode of surgery (open vs. robotic approach; OS: hazard ratio [HR], 0.68; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.28 to 1.62; PFS: HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.40 to 1.56). Adjuvant treatment was associated with improved OS in stages IB-II (HR, 0.14; 95% CI, 0.02 to 0.78; p=0.026) but not in stage IA disease. There was no difference in OS or PFS based on the performance of a paraaoritc lymph node dissection. CONCLUSION: Minimally invasive surgical staging appears a reasonable strategy for patients with non-bulky UPSC and UCCC and was not associated with diminished survival. Adjuvant treatment improved 5-year survival in stages IB-II disease.
Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell/pathology/secondary/*therapy ; Aged ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Cystadenocarcinoma, Papillary/pathology/secondary/*therapy ; Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous/pathology/secondary/*therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Professional Practice ; Radiotherapy, Adjuvant ; Retrospective Studies ; Robotic Surgical Procedures ; Survival Analysis ; Treatment Outcome ; Uterine Neoplasms/pathology/*therapy

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the patterns of failure, overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS) and factors influencing outcome in endometrial cancer patients who presented with metastatic lymph nodes and were treated with curative intent. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-six patients treated between January 1996 to December 2008 with surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy were identified from our service's prospective database. Radiotherapy consisted of 45 Gy in 1.8 Gy fractions to the whole pelvis. The involved nodal sites were boosted to a total dose of 50.4 to 54 Gy. RESULTS: The 5-year OS rate was 61% and the 5-year DFS rate was 59%. Grade 3 endometrioid, serous, and clear cell histologies and involvement of upper para-aortic nodes had lower OS and DFS. The number of positive nodes did not influence survival. Among the histological groups, serous histology had the worst survival. Among the 54 patients relapsed, only three (6%) failed exclusively in the pelvis and the rest of the 94% failed in extrapelvic nodal or distant sites. Patients with grade 3 endometrioid, serous and clear cell histologies did not influence pelvic failure but had significant extrapelvic failures (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Majority of node positive endometrial cancer patients fail at extrapelvic sites. The most important factors influencing survival and extrapelvic failure are grade 3 endometrioid, clear cell and serous histologies and involvement of upper para-aortic nodes.
Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell/pathology/radiotherapy/*secondary/surgery ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma, Endometrioid/pathology/radiotherapy/*secondary/surgery ; Cystadenocarcinoma, Papillary/pathology/radiotherapy/*secondary/surgery ; Endometrial Neoplasms/pathology/radiotherapy/*surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Prospective Studies ; Radiotherapy, Adjuvant ; Salvage Therapy/methods ; Survival Analysis ; Treatment Failure ; Treatment Outcome