Total Laparoscopic Resection Surgery for a Cervical Carcinoma that Recurred in the Pelvic Sidewall After Radical Hysterectomy and Adjuvant Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy

Abstract

Study objective: To show total laparoscopic resection of a cervical carcinoma that recurred at the left pelvic sidewall after radical hysterectomy and concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT).

Design: A step-by-step demonstration of the technique in a surgical video, including the strategy for achieving complete surgical resection with negative margins (R0 resection) (Canadian Task Force Classification III).

Setting: For high-risk cervical carcinoma, radical hysterectomy and adjuvant CCRT is the standard treatment, but even this multimodal therapy cannot prevent recurrence. When the recurrent mass is localized in the pelvic cavity, R0 resection offers the most promise; however, for laterally recurring cervical carcinoma, the resectability rate is low, owing mainly to severe adhesion and fibrosis, and thus the morbidity and mortality rates are high. Because laparoscopy optimizes visualization and provides for meticulous dissection, laparoscopic surgery can be advantageous over open surgery for resection of cervical carcinoma recurring at the pelvic sidewall after radical hysterectomy and adjuvant CCRT.

Interventions: A 48-year-old woman with stage IB2 cervical adenocarcinoma had undergone radical hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, pelvic lymphadenectomy, and, because lymph node metastasis was found in the removed lymph nodes, adjuvant CCRT. At 6 months after completion of this multimodal therapy, a recurrent mass was detected at the left pelvic sidewall. The mass involved the left ureter, bladder, left internal iliac vessels, and endopelvic fascia, and left renal function was unrecoverable. Tumor excision and left nephroureterectomy were performed laparoscopically. The total operating time was 608 minutes, blood loss volume was 250 mL, and blood transfusion was not required. Complete tumor clearance (R0 resection) was achieved by resection of the left internal iliac vessels, left internal obturator muscle, left pubococcygeal muscle, left ureter, and bladder. There were no postoperative complications. Institutional Review Board approval was obtained through our local Ethics Committee in Cancer Institute hospital.

Conclusion: Complete laparoscopic resection surgery for recurrent cervical carcinoma at the pelvic sidewall after radical hysterectomy and adjuvant CCRT is technically feasible. The good visualization and meticulous dissection provided during laparoscopic surgery make the approach advantageous for the management of laterally recurrent cervical carcinoma.

Keywords: Pelvic sidewall; Recurrent cervical carcinoma; Total laparoscopic resection.