Comments on the debate about laparoscopic surgery for early-stage cervical cancer

Abstract

In the past two decades, laparoscopic surgery has been increasingly used in the treatment of early-stage cervical cancer because of equal survival and faster recovery compared to abdominal surgery. Recently, a phase III randomized controlled clinical trial revealed unexpected results that minimally invasive surgery was associated with significantly increased risks for tumor recurrence and death in patients with early-stage cervical cancer, causing a great debate worldwide. Herein, we highlighted the key points in the debate and tossed out several ideas on how to face and deal with the controversy. Key words: Uterine cervical neoplasms; Early-stage tumor; Laparoscopy