Five-year disease-free survival in FIGO IA stage endometrial cancer patients: Tertiary institution experience in a developing country

PURPOSE: Endometrial cancer is characterized as histopathological, molecular, genetic, biological, and very diverse group of malignancies. Due to the need to precisely define the indications for adjuvant treatment in recent years, there has been a division made according to risk groups based on prognostic factors, which identify patients at risk for disease relapse, who may benefit from adjuvant therapy. The aim of this research was to examine the clinical and morphological factors that influence disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with FIGO IA stage endometrial cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective clinical study was conducted, primarily based on the identification of factors that influence five-year DFS and OS. The study integrated data of FIGO IA stage endometrial cancer patients, who presented to gynecological oncology board for the first time after operative treatment, from January 1, 2016 to January 1, 2022. Adjuvant radiotherapy was applied to patients with an initially higher risk of disease progression. Length of survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier method, while log-rank test was used to assess differences between groups. RESULTS: The results show that 5-year OS for 93 patients was 89.2% and DFS was 88.2%. Application of adjuvant brachytherapy, number of deliveries, MRI staging, type of institution where the surgery was performed influenced DFS. Pathohistological characteristics of tumor indicated a statistically significant impact on DFS. CONCLUSIONS: Application of adjuvant brachytherapy in high-intermediate and high-risk patients contributes to DFS increase. Moreover, the existence of a pre-operative MRI assessment of the stage of disease as well as the type of healthcare provided by an institution where the surgery was performed, significantly affect DFS.