Background: The effectiveness of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy for surgically staged grade 3 endometrial cancer was investigated.
Patients and methods: Sixty-three consecutive patients with grade 3 endometrial cancer (49 with surgical stage I-II disease and 14 with stage III disease) were treated surgically. Postoperatively, 40 patients (63.5%) were treated with a chemotherapy regimen consisting of ifosfamide, epiadriamycin, and cisplatin scheduled for 3-5 cycles. No patient underwent radiotherapy.
Results: Recurrence developed in 8 out of the 63 patients, all within two years. Six of the 8 recurrences were found to be extrapelvic lesions. Recurrences occurred predominantly at distant sites in the absence of pelvic radiation. Estimated 5-year disease-free survival rates were 89.8% for patients with surgical stage I-II disease, 78.6% for those with surgical stage III disease, and 87.3% overall.
Conclusion: The current study suggests the potential role of adjuvant chemotherapy alone in grade 3 endometrial cancer.