The role of lymph node dissection in the surgical treatment of endometrial cancer patients (retrospective analysis)

Purpose Endometrial cancer in recent years has taken the lead among cancer processes of the female reproductive system. The feasibility of pelvic and para-aortic lymph node dissection in patients with endometrial cancer has always been a controversial issue. The aim of the presented paper is to evaluate the feasibility of pelvic and para-aortic lymph node dissection in patients with endometrial cancer, depending on the stage of the disease, postoperative complications, and patient survival, depending on the volume of surgical intervention. Methods The study involved 285 patients with stages of I-IV endometrioid endometrial cancer of the Pre-graduate Department of Oncogynecology of the National Cancer Institute. The average age of patients was 55 +/- 5.7 years. In 74.5%, the disease was detected at stage I and uterine extirpation was performed with/without appendages. Results The duration of the operation varies depending on the volume of intervention-from 1 h 30 min +/- 10 min for panhysterectomy, up to 3 h 20 min +/- 10 min when performing para-aortic lymph node dissection. The average number of lymph nodes removed was-7 +/- 1.1 pelvic and 12 +/- 1.5 para-aortic. Conclusion The basic principles of surgical treatment consist in individual choice of the scope of surgical intervention, performing adequate lymph node dissection, and preventing relapse and metastasis of the disease.