After the publication of the Laparoscopic Approach to Cervical Cancer (LACC) trial, open surgery has become the standard approach for radical hysterectomy in early stage cervical cancer. Recent studies assessed the role of a non-radical approach in low risk cervical cancer and showed no survival difference compared with radical hysterectomy. However, there is a gap in knowledge regarding the oncologic outcomes of minimally invasive simple hysterectomy in low risk cervical cancer. This review offers an overview of the current evidence on the role of the minimally invasive approach in low risk cervical cancer and raises the need for a new clinical trial in this setting.

• Keywords
• Cervix Uteri, Hysterectomy, Laparoscopes, Laparotomy, Robotic Surgical Procedures,
• MeSH
• Hysterectomy * methods   MeSH
• Laparoscopy methods   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures * methods   MeSH
• Uterine Cervical Neoplasms * surgery   pathology   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH

OBJECTIVE: The etiology of inferior oncologic outcomes associated with minimally invasive surgery for early-stage cervical cancer remains unknown. Manipulation of lymph nodes with previously unrecognized low-volume disease might explain this finding. We re-analyzed lymph nodes by pathologic ultrastaging in node-negative patients who recurred in the LACC (Laparoscopic Approach to Cervical Cancer) trial. METHODS: Included patients were drawn from the LACC trial database, had negative lymph nodes on routine pathologic evaluation, and recurred to the abdomen and/or pelvis. Patients without recurrence or without available lymph node tissue were excluded. Paraffin tissue blocks and slides from all lymph nodes removed by lymphadenectomy were re-analyzed per standard ultrastaging protocol aimed at the detection of micrometastases (>0.2 mm and ≤2 mm) and isolated tumor cells (clusters up to 0.2 mm or <200 cells). RESULTS: The study included 20 patients with median age of 42 (range 30-68) years. Most patients were randomized to minimally invasive surgery (90%), had squamous cell carcinoma (65%), FIGO 2009 stage 1B1 (95%), grade 2 (60%) disease, had no adjuvant treatment (75%), and had a single site of recurrence (55%), most commonly at the vaginal cuff (45%). Only one patient had pelvic sidewall recurrence in the absence of other disease sites. The median number of lymph nodes analyzed per patient was 18.5 (range 4-32) for a total of 412 lymph nodes. A total of 621 series and 1242 slides were reviewed centrally by the ultrastaging protocol. No metastatic disease of any size was found in any lymph node. CONCLUSIONS: There were no lymph node low-volume metastases among patients with initially negative lymph nodes who recurred in the LACC trial. Therefore, it is unlikely that manipulation of lymph nodes containing clinically undetected metastases is the underlying cause of the higher local recurrence risk in the minimally invasive arm of the LACC trial.

• Keywords
• lymph nodes, lymphatic metastasis, neoplasm micrometastasis, pathology, uterine cervical neoplasms,
• MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Lymph Node Excision MeSH
• Lymphatic Metastasis pathology   MeSH
• Lymph Nodes pathology   MeSH
• Neoplasm Micrometastasis pathology   MeSH
• Uterine Cervical Neoplasms * pathology   MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Neoplasm Staging MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Randomized Controlled Trial MeSH
• Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH