Safety of laparoscopic surgery in the management of endometrioid endometrial cancer.

Background: Laparoscopic surgery has increasingly been preferred in recent years. However, data regarding the safety of laparoscopy in endometrial cancer are not sufficient. The aim of this study was to compare perioperative and oncologic outcomes of laparoscopic and laparotomic staging surgery in patients with endometrioid endometrial cancer and to evaluate the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic surgery in this population.

Methods: Data of 278 patients, who underwent surgical staging for endometrioid endometrial cancer at the gynecologic oncology department of a university hospital between 2012 and 2019, were analyzed retrospectively. Demographic, histopathologic, perioperative, and oncologic characteristics were compared between laparoscopy and laparotomy groups. A subgroup of patients with a body mass index (BMI) >30 was further evaluated.

Results: Demographic and histopathologic characteristics were similar between the two groups, while laparoscopic surgery was seen to be significantly superior in terms of perioperative outcomes. The number of removed and metastatic lymph nodes was significantly higher in the laparotomy group; however, this difference did not affect the oncologic outcomes, including recurrence and survival rates, and the two groups had similar results in this aspect. The outcomes of the subgroup with BMI >30 were also in accordance with the whole population. Intraoperative complications in laparoscopy were managed successfully.

Conclusions: Laparoscopic surgery appears to be advantageous over laparotomy, and depending on the surgical experience, it may be performed safely for surgical staging of endometrioid endometrial cancer.