Surgical and oncological outcome of laparoscopic surgery, compared to laparotomy, for Japanese patients with endometrial cancer

Study objectiveThe purpose of this study was to elucidate the surgical and oncological outcomes after laparoscopic surgery for endometrial cancer at our hospital.Materials and methodsSurgical outcomes, complications rates, 2-year survival rates, and recurrence rates were evaluated in 44 patients who underwent total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) and 57 patients who underwent total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) for endometrial cancer at our hospital between August 2010 and November 2013.ResultsThere was no significant difference between the two groups with respect to age or body mass index. More than 80% of patients in both groups had stage I cancer. In the TLH group, the histological types were endometrioid adenocarcinoma in 42 of 44 patients, carcinosarcoma in one patient, and serous adenocarcinoma in one patient. Operative times were significantly longer in the TLH group, but patients in this group had less intraoperative blood loss, shorter hospital stays, and reduced levels of postoperative pain, compared to patients in the TAH group. There were four cases of postoperative infection and one case of vessel injury in the TLH group. No patient in this group required blood transfusion or conversion to open surgery. There were recurrences in two (4.7%) patients in the TLH group (i.e., carcinosarcoma and serous adenocarcinoma) and in five (8.6%) patients in the TAH group.ConclusionLaparoscopic surgery is safe and feasible for patients with early-stage endometrial cancer. However, patients with carcinosarcoma and other histologic types of endometrioid adenocarcinoma require special attention because of the high risk of recurrence and poor prognosis.