Journal of Reproduction & Infertility

Journal of Reproduction & Infertility

Sexual and Reproductive Outcomes in Early Stage Cervical Cancer Patients after Excisional Cone as a Fertility-sparing Surgery: An Italian Experience

Authors
1 Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS "Burlo Garofolo", Trieste, Italy
2 Division of Gynecology, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy
3 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy
4 Division of Minimally Invasive Gynecological Surgery, Maria Hospital-University of Perugia, Terni, Italy
Abstract
Background: The purpose of this study was to analyze the quality of life in terms of sexual and reproductive outcome in patients suffering from early stage cervical cancer, submitted to an excisional cone as fertility-sparing treatment. Methods: A multicenter retrospective analysis about specific dimensions of physical, psychological, reproductive and sexual functions after a cold-knife conization plus pelvic laparoscopic lymphadenectomy was conducted at Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome-Italy and at Division of Gynecology, European Institute of Oncology, Milan-Italy. The aim of this study was twofold. It aimed to analyze the quality of life in patients submitted to minimally invasive surgery and to compare these data with radical trachelectomy. Results: Twenty-three patients with an average age of 30 years decided to participate in this study. After the treatment, all women (100%) had regular menstruation, 7 (30.4%) had increased not invalidating dysmenorrhea; 1 (4.4%) experienced a cervical stenosis; 6 among 10 patients that tried to conceive (60%) obtained one spontaneous pregnancy; 4 more (40%) underwent in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer and only 1 of them (25%) was successful. About sexual assessment, 1 patient (4.4%) had trouble in lubricating, 3 (13%) had anxiety about performance, 6 (26.1%) complained of dyspareunia which was resolved within 3 subsequent months. All patients (100%) obtained a complete psychological and physical recovery. Conclusion: This study demonstrated preliminary encouraging data about sexual and reproductive outcome after excisional conization. A comparison with trachelectomy surely needs longer follow-ups, more cases and prospective analyses.
Keywords

  1. Dargent D, Brun JL, Roy M, Mathevet P, Remy I. La trachelectomie elargie (te), une alternative a l’hysterectomie radicale dans le traitement des cancers infiltrants developp_es sur la face externe du col uterin. J Obstet Gynecol. 1994;2:285-92.
  2. Dursun P, LeBlanc E, Nogueira MC. Radical vaginal trachelectomy (Dargent's operation): a critical review of the literature. Eur J Surg Oncol. 2007;33(8):933-41.
  3. Gien LT, Covens A. Fertility-sparing options for early stage cervical cancer. Gynecol Oncol. 2010;117(2):350-7.
  4. Burnett AF. Radical trachelectomy with laparoscopic lymphadenectomy: review of oncologic and obstetrical outcomes. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2006;18(1):8-13.
  5. Beiner ME, Covens A. Surgery insight: radical vaginal trachelectomy as a method of fertility preservation for cervical cancer. Nat Clin Pract Oncol. 2007;4(6):353-61.
  6. Maneo A, Chiari S, Bonazzi C, Mangioni C. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and conservative surgery for stage IB1 cervical cancer. Gynecol Oncol. 2008;111(3):438-43.
  7. Landoni F, Parma G, Peiretti M, Zanagnolo V, Sideri M, Colombo N, et al. Chemo-conization in early cervical cancer. Gynecol Oncol. 2007;107(1 Suppl 1):S125-6.
  8. Fagotti A, Gagliardi ML, Moruzzi C, Carone V, Scambia G, Fanfani F. Excisional cone as fertility-sparing treatment in early-stage cervical cancer. Fertil Steril. 2011;95(3):1109-12.
  9. Wenzel L, DeAlba I, Habbal R, Kluhsman BC, Fairclough D, Krebs LU, et al. Quality of life in long-term cervical cancer survivors. Gynecol Oncol. 2005;97(2):310-7.
  10. Moinpour CM, Lyons B, Grevstad PK, Lovato LC, Crowley J, Czaplicki K, et al. Quality of life in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: results of a Southwest Oncology Group randomized trial. Qual Life Res. 2002;11(2):115-26.
  11. Beitz J, Gnecco C, Justice R. Quality-of-life end points in cancer clinical trials: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration perspective. J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr. 1996;(20):7-9.
  12. Kiebert GM, Kaasa S. Quality of life in clinical cancer trials: experience and perspective of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr. 1996;(20):91-5.
  13. Distefano M, Riccardi S, Capelli G, Costantini B, Petrillo M, Ricci C, et al. Quality of life and psychological distress in locally advanced cervical cancer patients administered pre-operative chemoradiotherapy. Gynecol Oncol. 2008;111(1):144-50.
  14. Carter J, Sonoda Y, Abu-Rustum NR. Reproductive concerns of women treated with radical trachelectomy for cervical cancer. Gynecol Oncol. 2007;105(1):13-6.
  15. Carter J, Sonoda Y, Chi DS, Raviv L, Abu-Rustum NR. Radical trachelectomy for cervical cancer: postoperative physical and emotional adjustment concerns. Gynecol Oncol. 2008;111(1):151-7.
  16. Carter J, Sonoda Y, Baser RE, Raviv L, Chi DS, Barakat RR, et al. A 2-year prospective study assessing the emotional, sexual, and quality of life concerns of women undergoing radical trachelectomy versus radical hysterectomy for treatment of early-stage cervical cancer. Gynecol Oncol. 2010;119(2):358-65.
  17. Meeting report. The new FIGO staging system for cancers of the vulva, cervix, endometrium and sarcomas. Gynecol Oncol. 2009;115:325-8.
  18. Kobayashi Y, Akiyama F, Hasumi K. A case of successful pregnancy after treatment of invasive cervical cancer with systemic chemotherapy and conization. Gynecol Oncol. 2006;100(1):213-5.
  19. Rob L, Pluta M, Strnad P, Hrehorcak M, Chmel R, Skapa P, et al. A less radical treatment option to the fertility-sparing radical trachelectomy in patients with stage I cervical cancer. Gynecol Oncol. 2008;111(2 Suppl):S116-20.
  20. Ferrandina G, Salutari V, Petrillo M, Carbone A, Scambia G. Conservatively treated glassy cell carcinoma of the cervix. World J Surg Oncol. 2008;6:92.
  21. Plante M, Renaud MC, Francois H, Roy M. Vaginal radical trachelectomy: an oncologically safe fertility-preserving surgery. An updated series of 72 cases and review of the literature. Gynecol Oncol. 2004;94(3):614-23.
  22. Maneo A, Sideri M, Scambia G, Boveri S, Dell'anna T, Villa M, et al. Simple conization and lymphadenectomy for the conservative treatment of stage IB1 cervical cancer. An Italian experience. Gynecol Oncol. 2011;123(3):557-60.
  23. Finnstrom O, Kallen B, Lindam A, Nilsson E, Nygren KG, Olausson PO. Maternal and child outcome after in vitro fertilization--a review of 25 years of population-based data from Sweden. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2011;90(5):494-500.