Radical abdominal trachelectomy is a safe and fertility preserving option for women with early stage cervical cancer

Purpose of investigation: To present the surgical, oncological and obstetrical outcomes gained from patients who underwent radical abdominal trachelectomy (RAT) in Zeynep Kamil Women and Children Diseases Education and Research Hospital and radical Yeditepe University Hospital. Methods: A total of eight RATs were performed between 2003-2010. Data were obtained from medical and pathological records of the patients. Results: The mean age of the patients was 27.37 +/- 6.39 years. The mean follow-up time of the patients was 33.62 +/- 27.47 months. Three (37.5%) patients had a tumor size smaller than 2 cm, and five (62.5%) patients had a tumor size larger than 2 cm. Seven (87.5%) patients had Stage IB1 and one (12.5%) patient had Stage HA tumor. Three (37.5%) patients had late postoperative complications: uterotubal abscess, severe lymphedema and lymphocyst. There were no recurrences. Three patients became pregnant which resulted in two live births and one abortus. The spontaneous pregnancy rate was 50%. Conclusion: We think that RAT is a reliable surgical option for a patient with early stage cervical cancer who wants to preserve fertility.