Objective: The selection criteria for secondary cytoreductive surgery (SCS) for recurrent endometrial cancer (EC) remain to be defined. The present study aimed to identify predictors for favorable survival after SCS for the disease.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 112 patients who relapsed by 2016 among 1052 who were diagnosed with primary EC between 1985 and 2014. Characteristics associated with overall survival (OS) after SCS were identified using univariate and multivariate analyses.
Results: Twenty-nine of the 112 patients who relapsed underwent SCS. Complete resection was achieved in 18 (62%) patients, whose OS after SCS was significantly better than that of patients receiving incomplete resection (68 vs. 20 months; p = 0.001). Endometrioid histology and performance status (PS) 0 were significant and independent factors for a favorable OS (p = 0.005, and 0.049). The OS of patients with both factors was better than patients with one or no factors (median 75, 19 and 4 months; p = 0.001 and 0.00001). The number of predictors was associated with the rate of complete resection (p = 0.001).
Conclusions: Patients with endometrioid histology and PS 0 should be offered SCS for recurrent EC. Prospective trials are warranted to verify this proposal.
Keywords: Recurrent endometrial cancer; Secondary cytoreductive surgery; Survival.