Study objective: To describe the feasibility and outcome of total laparoscopic radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy in early cervical cancer.
Design: Retrospective, nonrandomized study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2).
Setting: Acute-care, teaching hospital.
Patients: Twenty-seven nonconsecutive patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IA2 (n = 4) or IB1 (n = 23) cancer of the cervix.
Intervention: Laparoscopic type II (n = 9) or type III (n = 18) hysterectomy with systematic bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy. Monopolar coagulation, vascular clips, and harmonic scalpel were used. Resection of the cardinal and uterosacral ligaments was performed with Endo GIA stapling and the harmonic scalpel.
Measurements and main results: Histopathologically, there were 20 cases of squamous carcinoma, 6 adenocarcinomas, and 1 adenosquamous carcinoma. The operation was performed entirely by laparoscopy in 26 patients. One patient underwent laparotomy because of equipment failure. The patients' mean age was 45.1 years (95% CI 41.7-48.4), with a median body mass index of 26.0 kg/m2. The mean number of resected pelvic nodes was 19.1 (95% CI 17.02-21.2). Three patients had microscopic metastatic nodal disease. The surgical margins were free of disease in all cases. The median blood loss was 400 mL (range 250-700 mL). The median length of stay was 5 days. Major intraoperative complications did not occur. All patients are free of disease after a median follow-up of 32 months (range 4-52 months).
Conclusion: Radical hysterectomy can be successfully completed by laparoscopy in patients with early cervical cancer. This procedure may reduce the morbidity associated with abdominal or transvaginal radical hysterectomy.