BACKGROUND:In the management of early stage cervical cancer, knowledge about the prognosis is critical. Although many factors have an impact on survival, their relative importance remains controversial. This study aims to develop a prognostic model for survival in early stage cervical cancer patients and to reconsider grounds for adjuvant treatment. METHODS: A multivariate Cox regression model was used to identify the prognostic weight of clinical and histological factors for disease-specific survival (DSS) in 710 consecutive patients who had surgery for early stage cervical cancer (FIGO [International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics] stage IA2-IIA). Prognostic scores were derived by converting the regression coefficients for each prognostic marker and used in a score chart. The discriminative capacity was expressed as the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic. RESULTS:The 5-year DSS was 92%. Tumor diameter, histological type, lymph node metastasis, depth of stromal invasion, lymph vascular space invasion, and parametrial extension were independently associated with DSS and were included in a Cox regression model. This prognostic model, corrected for the 9% overfit shown by internal validation, showed a fair discriminative capacity (AUC, 0.73). The derived score chart predicting 5-year DSS showed a good discriminative capacity (AUC, 0.85). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with early stage cervical cancer, DSS can be predicted with a statistical model. Models, such as that presented here, should be used in clinical trials on the effects of adjuvant treatments in high-risk early cervical cancer patients, both to stratify and to include patients. Cancer 2011;117:768-76.

In early-stage cervical cancer, determination of serum SCC-ag levels allows more refined preoperative estimation of the likelihood for adjuvant radiotherapy than current clinical parameters, and simultaneously identifies patients at high risk for recurrence when treated with surgery only. The role of preoperative serum SCC-ag in the management of patients with early-stage cervical cancer deserves further investigation.

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A retrospective analysis of the management of intestinal obstruction in 31 patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma is described. Between 1981 and 1992 31 patients developed intestinal obstruction after their initial treatment. Nineteen patients underwent surgery, while the remaining 12 were treated conservatively. Careful evaluation with contrast studies of both the small intestine and colon is recommended to improve the prediction of site(s) of obstruction, and may reduce the number of unsuccessful operative procedures. Fifteen of the surgically treated patients survived for a period of 60 days or more. The majority, 13, were discharged to their homes after an average hospital stay of 24 days. Major postoperative complications occurred in three of the 19 patients. There was no surgical-related mortality. Two patients died within 30 days postoperatively (urosepsis and advanced tumor). While the median survival in the 19 surgical treated patients was 109 days (range 15-775), the conservatively treated 12 patients survived for a mean of 37 days (range 6-260). Surgical management of intestinal obstruction in selected cases is feasible and improves quality of life substantially.