Hysterectomy for cervical cancer feasible in obese women

	Tweet

Obesity alone should not be a barrier to complete or “radical” hysterectomy for cervical cancer, according to a study reported in the journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

“Obese women are often considered poor candidates for radical surgery,” the authors explain. Many surgeons believe obese women have greater rates of blood loss and post-operative complications.

However, aside from greater estimated blood loss during surgery, the surgeons report that obese women had surgical, postoperative and recurrence outcomes that were comparable to their normal-weight peers.

Base on the study findings, radical hysterectomy with lymph node removal can be a definitive treatment for early-stage cervical cancer in women who are morbidly obese and have no other significant conditions, lead author Dr. Michael Frumovitz, from the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and colleagues conclude.

The findings are based on a review of 408 women who underwent radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer at Frumovitz’s center from 1990 to 2006.

Based on standard body mass index criteria, 155 (38 percent) women were normal weight, 126 (31 percent) were overweight, 77 (19 percent) were obese, and 50 (12 percent) were morbidly obese, the authors note.

No significant differences in age, other illness, smoking status, cancer stage, grade, tumor size, or depth of invasion were noted among the groups. Likewise, no weight-based differences in operative time or complications were seen.

The average estimated blood loss increased with weight, ranging from 500 milliliters for normal-weight women to 850 milliliters for the heaviest women, a difference that was statistically significant. This difference, however, did not appear to affect the outcome of surgery; the groups were comparable in terms of length of hospital stay, complications, and readmission rates.

Women in the different weight groups also had similar pathologic findings and rates of cervical cancer-related death over an average follow-up period of 64 months.

These results indicate that radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymph node removal is feasible in overweight, obese, and even morbidly obese women with early-stage cervical cancer and these women have outcomes that are just as good as their normal-weight counterparts, the authors conclude.

SOURCE: Obstetrics and Gynecology, October 2008.

RELATED STORIES:
Higher rates of cervical cancer amongst immigrants   Cervical cancer screening: Too many are left unprotected   Newly Created Cancer Stem Cells Could Aid Breast Cancer Research   How Medical Center Research Led to New Cervical Cancer Vaccine   Study determines costs of breast and cervical cancer detection among low-income women   Optimal Treatment and Minimal Complications in Cervical Cancer Patients   HIV drug stops cervical cancer in laboratory test   Cervical cancer vaccine can protect men from HPV   Cervical disease sufferers could benefit from HPV vaccine   Fewer than 3 doses of cervical cancer vaccine effective   Vaccines alliance nears deal on cervical cancer shots   $11.5 Million Cervical Cancer Grant Awarded to UAB Cancer Center, Partners   Health Groups Issue Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines   Good results with cervical cancer vaccine in young girls   Screening for cervical cancer low for immigrant women   Higher Risk for Cervical Cancer Seen Among Women Infected with Multiple HPV Types   Obese women in Canada are less likely to be screened for cervical cancer   A Cervical Cancer Screening Month Resolution   Gates backs cervical cancer vaccines for poor   HPV screen-and treat-intervention effective in cervical cancer prevention   Aspirin Merits Testing for Prevention of Cervical Cancer in HIV-Infected Women   Doctors say HPV vaccine should be given to everyone

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]