Which is the best surgical approach for endometrial cancer treatment in elderly women? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the surgical outcomes between laparoscopy, laparotomy and robotic surgery in young (<65 years) and elderly (≥65 years) women for treatment of endometrial cancer (EC). In addition, the secondary outcomes included a comparison of these surgical methods for EC management in patients aged <70 years and ≥70 years. Operative time, blood loss, requirement for blood transfusion, intra-operative and postoperative complications, and length of hospital stay were evaluated in the two groups of patients.

METHODS

The meta-analysis included 10 trials between 2000 and 2024. Quantitative variables were meta-analysed using the mean difference (MD), while qualitative variables were analysed using the risk ratio (RR). The Dersimonian-Laird random effects models included a point estimate with 95 % confidence intervals (CI). The Cochran Q test and I2 were used to assess heterogeneity. The risk of bias was evaluated using the OSQE method. The protocol for this study was recorded in PROSPERO (CRD42025633382).

RESULTS

Regarding women aged <65 years, for total operative time, overall heterogeneity was 38.96 % and overall MD was -7.48 (95 % CI -23.67 to 8.71; p = 0.16). For length of stay, overall heterogeneity was 72.21 % and overall MD was 0.65 (95 % CI 0.36-0.94; p < 0.001). For blood loss, overall heterogeneity was 0 % and overall RR was -6.75 (95 % CI -35.72 to 22.22; p = 0.30). Moreover, for the requirement for blood transfusion, overall heterogeneity was 59.36 % and overall RR was 1.39 (95 % CI 0.96-2.01; p = 0.04). For intra-operative complications, overall heterogeneity was 56.93 % and overall RR was 1.61 (95 % CI 1.31-1.98; p = 0.02). Finally, for postoperative complications, overall heterogeneity was 15.48 % and overall RR was 1.03 (95 % CI 0.84-1.27; p = 0.35). No significant differences in these surgical outcomes were found between the three surgical approaches (p = 0.16, 0.31, 0.36, 0.79, 0.28 and 0.18, respectively). In women aged < 70 years, for total operative time, overall heterogeneity was 13.07 % and overall MD was 1.19 (95 % CI -11.16 to 13.54; p = 0.43). For length of stay, overall heterogeneity was 53.73 % and overall MD was 0.98 (95 % CI 0.32-1.65; p = 0.09). For blood loss, overall heterogeneity was 0 % and overall MD was 1.22 (95 % CI 0.78-1.91; p = 0.0.98). For intra-operative complications, overall heterogeneity was 0 % and overall MD was 1.00 (95 % CI 0.77-1.30; p = 0.96). Finally, for postoperative complications, overall heterogeneity was 43.36 % and overall MD was 1.21 (95 % CI 0.89-1.64; p = 0.13). No significant differences in these surgical outcomes were found between the three surgical approaches (p = 0.12, 0.08, 0.28, 0.91 and 0.81, respectively).

CONCLUSION

This systematic review and meta-analysis on different surgical approaches to treat EC found no significant differences in operative outcomes between minimally invasive surgery and laparotomy. Efforts to reduce related morbidity are crucial, and a multidisciplinary strategy is the optimal treatment pathway in elderly women.