Laparoscopic‐assisted vaginal hysterectomy versus abdominal hysterectomy in endometrial cancer

Objective : To see whether laparoscopy provides exact staging and effective treatment of endometrial cancer patients, compared with total abdominal hysterectomy, with shorter hospital stay, prompter recovery, and better quality of life. Method : This retrospective study identified 110 patients scheduled for surgery for early‐stage endometrial cancer. Fifty‐five (50%) were treated by laparoscopic‐assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) and 55 (50%) by total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH). All patients underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy. The majority of patients (79%) had stage I disease. Results : The mean number of lymph nodes removed was 17 for the LAVH group and 18.5 for the TAH group ( p = 0.294). Compared with TAH, LAVH required a significantly longer operating time (220 vs. 175 min; p < 0.01); but shorter hospital stay (4 vs. 8.5 days; p < 0.001) and less estimated blood loss (177 cm 3 vs. 285 cm 3 ; p = 0.02). Overall, there were fewer post‐operative complications in the LAVH group (6 vs. 11 cases; p < 0.001). Three TAH patients (5.4%) had recurrence of disease. No LAVH patients had recurrences and all are currently disease‐free. Conclusion : These findings suggest LAVH gives correct staging of endometrial disease, like TAH, but with fewer complications and a slightly longer operating time.