OBJECTIVE: To report hysteroscopic treatment combined with levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device (LNG-IUD) to treat women with early well differentiated endometrial cancer (EC) at high surgical risk. METHODS: Nine women diagnosed with stage IA, grade 1 endometrioid EC which was contraindicated or refused standard treatment with external beam radiation therapy with or without brachytherapy were enrolled in our prospective study. Endo-myometrial hysteroscopic resection of the whole uterine cavity and the placement of LNG-IUD for 5 years was performed. Response rate, perioperative complications, and recurrence of disease were evaluated. RESULTS: None had intra or post-operative complications and all were discharged no later than the third day of hospitalization. After 6 months from surgery, all the women showed a complete regression of the lesion. All the women completed the 5 years follow-up and in no case was detected sign of recurrence. Two women died for causes unrelated to the tumor or the ongoing therapy. CONCLUSION: The alternative treatment with endo-myometrial hysteroscopic resection and LNG-IUD in women with stage IA, grade 1 endometrioid EC showed initial encouraging outcomes in terms of effectiveness and safety.
Brachytherapy ; Endometrial Neoplasms ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Hysteroscopy ; Intrauterine Devices ; Obesity ; Pilot Projects ; Prospective Studies ; Recurrence

Objective: ‘The Endometrial Cancer Conservative Treatment (E.C.Co.). A multicentre archive’ is a worldwide project endorsed by the Gynecologic Cancer Inter-Group, aimed at registering conservatively treated endometrial cancer (EC) patients. This paper reports the oncological and reproductive outcomes of intramucous, G2, endometrioid EC patients from this archive. Methods: Twenty-three patients (Stage IA, G2, endometrioid EC) were enrolled between January 2004 and March 2019. Primary and secondary endpoints were, respectively, complete regression (CR) and recurrence rates, and pregnancy and live birth rates. Results: A median follow-up of 35 months (9–148) was achieved. Hysteroscopic resection (HR) plus progestin was adopted in 74% (17/23) of cases. Seventeen patients showed CR (median time to CR, 6 months; 3-13). Among the 6 non-responders, one showed persistence and 5 progressed, all submitted to definitive surgery, with an unfavorauble outcome in one.The recurrence rate was 41.1%. Ten (58.8%) complete responders attempted to conceive, of whom 3 achieved at least one pregnancy with a live-birth. Two out of the 11 candidate patients underwent definitive surgery, while the remaining 9 have so far refused. To date, 22 patients show no evidence of disease, and one is still alive with disease. Conclusions Fertility-sparing treatment seems to be feasible even in G2 EC, although caution should be kept considering the potential pathological undergrading or non-endometrioidhistology misdiagnosis. The low rate of attempt to conceive and of compliance to definitive surgery underline the need for a ‘global’ counselling extended to the follow-up period.

Objective: Total laparoscopic nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy (TL-NSRH) has been considered a promising approach, however, surgical, clinical, oncological and functional outcomes have not been systematically addressed. We present a large retrospective multicenter experience comparing TL-NSRH vs. open abdominal NSRH (OA-NSRH) for early and locally-advanced cervical cancer, with particular emphasis on post-surgical pelvic function. Methods: All consecutive patients who underwent class C1-NSRH plus bilateral pelvic + paraaortic lymphadenectomy for stage IA2–IIB cervical cancer at 4 Italian gynecologic oncologic centers (Negrar, Varese, Bologna, Avellino) were enrolled. Patients were divided into TLNSRH and OA-NSRH groups and were investigated with preoperative questionnaires on urinary, rectal and sexual function. Postoperatively, patients filled a questionnaire assessing quality of life, taking into account sexual function and psychological status. Oncological outcomes were analyzed using Kaplan-Meyer method. Results: 301 consecutive patients were included in this study: 170 in the TL-NSRH group and 131 in the OA-NSRH group. Patients in the OA-NSRH group were more likely to experience urinary incontinence and (after 12-months follow-up) urinary retention. No patient in the TL-NSRH group vs. 5 (5.5%) in the OA-NSRH group had complete urinary retention (at the >24-month follow-up [p=0.02]). A total of 20 (11.8%) in the TL-NSRH and 11 (8.4%) patients in the OA-NSRH had recurrence of disease (p=0.44) and 14 (8.2%) and 9 (6.9%) died of disease during follow-up, respectively (p=0.83). Conclusion Our study shows that TL-NSRH is feasible, safe and effective and conjugates adequate radicality and improvement in post-operative functional outcomes. Oncological outcomes of laparoscopic procedures deserve further investigation.