Carcinoma of the uterine cervix.A study of 864 patients

Abstract

From 1937 through June 1964, 864 patients received primary therapy for cervix cancer at Emory University Hospital. Fifty‐three patients with adenocarcinoma, 118 with in situ squamous cancer, and 693 with invasive squamous cancer have been studied with respect to age, stage of disease and mode of therapy employed. Where radiation was the treatment mode, patients were categorized according to dosage received. These factors then were correlated with survival. No correlation could be made with regard to age. The majority of patients treated were those with squamous cancer. The annual incidence of invasive squamous cancer declined progressively while that of in situ disease increased, not only when compared to all new tumors added to the registry but also where cervix cancer alone was considered. The annual incidence of stages I and II disease increased while that of the later stages III and IV decreased progressively during the period of the study. Among the small group of patients with adenocarcinoma the 5‐year survival was slightly lower than that for invasive squamous cancer. No patient with in situ squamous cancer has experienced recurrence or has died as a result of the disease. Among those with invasive squamous cancer, the over‐all 5‐year survival was 68% while the more significant survival as determined by stage was 87%, 60%, 17% and 4% for stage I through IV disease respectively. The incidence of major complications of treatment was low (approximately 1%) while treatment failures as evidenced by local recurrence occurred in 16.8% of the total number of patients treated.

Radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy for carcinoma of the uterine cervix

“…This pessimistic philosophy must be avoided in view of the survival that can be obtained in this otherwise dismal category of patients. 9 In this series, the preoperative findings of obesity, anemia, and concurrent cardiopulmonary disease did not adversely affect survival. However, these factors did affect morbidity.…”