Cervical cancer treatment for operable lesions in a low-resource contemporary setting

Document Type

Article

Department

Obstetrics and Gynaecology (East Africa)

Abstract

Background: To compare HIV+ and HIV- women with operable cervical cancer in a low resource contemporary setting.

Methods: A retrospective study using well-matched controls from a Kenyan teaching and referral hospital.

Results: 183 women were treated for cervical cancer between October 2007 and June 2011. The histologic subtype was squamous cell in all but one case. At presentation, 28 had operable lesions (Stage IA1–IIB1); 7 more received neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to surgery. HIV seroprevalence was 54% (18/33) among initial operative cases and 57% among the neoadjuvant group (p=ns). Mean age was 42 (HIV+), and 43 (HIV-), (range 25-64). HIV- vs. HIV+ cervical cancer patients (mean CD4 count 373, 50%<200) were detected by visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) (18% (2/11)vs 68% (15/22) p=.099), symptoms (27%(3/11) vs 14%(3/22) p=.43), or Pap smear (45% (5/11) vs .09% (2/22) p=.06), respectively.HIV+ patients (two Stage IB1, two Stage IB2) did not require more downstaging than HIV- patients (two stage IIB, one stage IIIA) before surgery (18% (4/22) vs 27% (3/11) p=.63). Surgical treatments were not statistically different in either group and included radical hysterectomy(25), total abdominal hysterectomy(2), cesarean hysterectomy(1), and total vaginal hysterectomy(5). Postoperative complications included fever, dehiscence, DVT, ileus, fistula, and infectious complications (chest, urinary tract, wound). One HIV- patient suffered postoperative fever, vesicovaginal fistula, and wound dehiscence (overall complications .06%).Lymph node involvement was noted in 7 HIV+ and 3 HIV- patients who underwent full staging procedures (p=.004).

Conclusions: In patients with operable cervical cancer, HIV serostatus does not affect complication rate or influence need for downstaging prior to surgery compared to a well-matched control group. HIV+ patients were not more likely to receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy but were more likely to have positive lymph nodes. VIA detected the majority of cervical cancers HIV+ patients.

Comments

This work was published before the author joined Aga Khan University.

Publication (Name of Journal)

Journal of Clinical Oncology

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1200/jco.2012.30.15_suppl.5107

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