Clinical significance of tumor size in stage IB and II carcinoma of the uterine cervix

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the correlation between tumor size and prognosis in stage IB and II cervical cancer and to elucidate the adequacy of new FIGO staging system for cervical cancer. The subjects included 128 patients with cervical cancer (stage IB = 86, IIA = 18, and IIB = 24) who had undergone radical hysterectomy. The largest tumor size of the pathology specimen was measured in two dimensions, and the correlation between tumor size and prognosis was investigated. In addition, tumor size of the pathology specimen was compared with the largest tumor diameter measured by MRI in stage IB cancers. Patients with a tumor size greater than 3 cm(2) had a significantly worse 5-year survival rate (63%) when compared to those with tumor size no greater than 3 cm2 (96%) (P < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis revealed that independent prognostic factors were tumor size (P = 0.003) and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.015). By regression analysis, the largest tumor size of the pathology specimen was relatively well correlated with the largest tumor diameter by MRI in stage IB cancers; 3 cm(2) of tumor size in the pathology specimen corresponded to 3.4 cm of tumor diameter by MRI. The adequacy of new FIGO staging system was considered relatively acceptable.