Study Reveals Comparable Survival Rates for Simple and Radical Hysterectomy in Early-Stage Cervical Cancer

A recent study published in JAMA Network Open has found that women with low-risk cervical cancer experience similar long-term survival rates following simple hysterectomy (SH) compared to modified radical hysterectomy (MRH) or traditional radical hysterectomy (RH).

Conducted by a team at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the research focused on women diagnosed with early-stage cervical cancer, specifically those with stage IA2 or IB1 squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, or adenosquamous carcinoma of the cervix, all measuring 2 cm or less and with clinically negative lymph nodes. The study analyzed data from 2,636 women, categorizing them into four groups: 982 underwent SH, 300 received MRH, 927 underwent traditional RH, and the remaining 427 were classified as having unspecified MRH or RH.

The findings indicated that the seven-year survival rates were quite similar across the different surgical approaches, with SH showing a survival rate of 93.9% versus 95.3% for MRH and 95.4% for RH. Even when adjusted for various baseline and clinical factors, the risk of death remained comparable among the surgical options.

Further analysis by subsets, including age, comorbidity score, race and ethnicity, facility type, cancer stage, histological subtype, tumor grade, surgical approach, and year of diagnosis, also revealed consistent survival rates. After adjusting for baseline covariates through propensity score balancing, the survival outcomes remained similar across SH, MRH, and RH, affecting three-, five-, seven-, and ten-year survival rates.

The authors of the study emphasized the significance of their findings, stating that their large observational research adds to a growing body of data supporting the safety and efficacy of conservative surgical options for patients with low-risk, early-stage cervical cancer.