Revaluating the survival effects of International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics 1988 stage IIIA criteria for endometrial cancer

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to define factors that affected survival in the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 1988 stage IIIA endometrial cancer (EC). MATERIAL AND METHODS The study included patients with EC who underwent surgery between 1992 and 2013. Patients with adnexal metastases, uterine serosal involvement or positive peritoneal cytology (stage IIIA disease according to the former 1988 FIGO staging system) were selected for further analysis. Clinical and pathologic factors associated with progression-free survival (PFS) were evaluated using univariate and multivariate statistical tests. RESULTS Seventy-seven patients with stage IIIA disease according to the 1988 FIGO staging system were included. The median follow-up was 37 months (range, 1-175 months) and recurrence was detected in 19 patients. Univariate analysis revealed that the presence of uterine serosal invasion and advanced histologic grade (grade 1-2 vs. grade 3) were associated with diminished PFS (p=0.001, p=0.047). The presence of adnexal involvement and positive peritoneal cytology had no statistically significant influence on PFS (p=0.643 and p=0.795, respectively). CONCLUSION In patients with stage IIIA EC according to the FIGO 1988 staging system, only uterine serosal involvement was related with adverse oncologic outcomes, not adnexal involvement or presence of positive cytology.