[Extent of treatment of early carcinoma of the uterine cervix--local treatment of 198 stage I patients].

The extent of treatment of early carcinoma of the uterine cervix is still controversial. 198 patients with Stage I carcinoma of the uterine cervix who received local treatment for the primary tumor are summarized, 107 with early invasive carcinoma and 91 with invasive cancer. Microscopic examination showed that 62.2% of the patients had lesions less than 1 cm in diameter. In 82.8% of the patients, the invasion was confined to the cervical ring by pathological examination. The accuracy of multiple biopsies was 79.3%. Of 198 patients, 124 received intracavitary radiotherapy only, 73 hysterectomy and 1 cone resection of the uterine cervix. All of them were followed for 5 years or more. The 5-year survival rate was 98% and none of them died of cancer. The author considers that the extent of treatment of early invasive carcinoma can be localized. For localized invasive carcinoma (stage Ib) with lesion less than 1 cm and extent of invasion less than half of the uterine cervix ring as confirmed by biopsy, the treatment of regional lymph nodes can be omitted. Multiple biopsies may replace diagnostic cone resection in most instances.