Unravelling the mystique of recurrence: A comparative analysis of surgical approaches for early-stage endometrial cancer
This study aims to compare long-term survival differences and recurrence patterns between robotic and open surgery for early-stage endometrial cancer (EC). This study was conducted retrospectively from 1st January 2015 to 30th June 2021 on all patients with stage I or stage II EC (FIGO 2023 Staging), irrespective of histology. The primary objective was to compare 3-year Recurrence-Free Survival (RFS) rates between robotic and laparotomy surgical approaches in patients with early-stage endometrial cancer. In a study of 297 patients, 81.5 % underwent robotic surgeries and 18.5 % underwent open surgeries. Median age was 47.5 years. After a median follow-up period of 36 months, RFS rates of 92.5 % and 86.1 % in robotic and laparotomy groups, respectively (p = 0.6). Most recurrences were found at distant sites (77 %). No significant differences in recurrence sites between surgical groups (p > 0.05), but vaginal vault and para-aortic lymph node recurrences were exclusive to the robotic group. Median time to recurrence was significantly shorter in open group than robotic group (p = 0.01). Patients with focal LVSI (lymphovascular space invasion) had significantly higher recurrence rates compared to THOSE without LVSI (p = 0.04). No significant difference in RFS rates between two surgical approaches. However, robot-assisted surgery leads to a longer median time before recurrence. Most recurrences are distant, and focal LVSI is significantly associated with these recurrences. It's important to consider focal LVSI in histopathology reports, and patients with early-stage endometrial cancer should be monitored for potential recurrences.