Utilization of laparoscopy in the treatment of early-stage endometrial cancer: A single center experience

Objective: The present study aims to report about the five-year-long experience of a tertiary healthcare center on the use of laparoscopic surgery in the treatment of early-stage endometrial cancer. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective review of 74 women who underwent either laparotomy or laparoscopy and eventually had a diagnosis of surgical Stage I endometrial cancer at the study center during a five-year-long period (from January 2010 to January 2015). Results: The study cohort consisted of 40 patients who underwent laparotomy and 34 women who had laparoscopy for surgical staging. Thirty-five obese women who underwent laparotomy and 23 women who had laparoscopy were found to be statistically similar with respect to the number of lymph nodes obtained (p = 0.78) and operative time (p = 0.22). Five non-obese women who had laparotomy and 11 non-obese women who underwent laparoscopy had also statistically similar counts of lymph nodes obtained (p = 0.37) and operative time (p = 0.63). When compared to the obese women who had laparotomy, the obese women who underwent laparoscopy had significantly lower amount of blood loss (p = 0.03) and shorter hospital stay (p = 0.01). However, the non-obese women who underwent laparoscopy had significantly higher amount of blood loss (p = 0.02) and longer hospital stay (p = 0.04) than those who had laparoscopy. The laparotomy and laparoscopy groups were statistically similar in aspect of perioperative complications. Conclusion: Laparoscopic surgery is a safe and efficient procedure for the management of early-stage endometrial cancer in both obese and non-obese Turkish women.