Adoption of minimally invasive surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in women with metastatic uterine cancer.

OBJECTIVE

Utilization of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for advanced stage uterine cancer is increasing. We analyzed the use and outcomes of open versus minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for women with stage IV uterine cancer who received NACT and underwent IDS.

METHODS

The National Cancer Database was used to identify women with stage IV uterine cancer diagnosed from 2010 to 2017 and treated with NACT. Among women who underwent IDS, overall survival (OS) was compared between those who underwent laparotomy vs a minimally invasive approach. To account for imbalances in confounders, a propensity score analysis using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was performed.

RESULTS

A total of 1618 women were identified. Minimally invasive IDS was performed in 31.1% and increased from 16.2% in 2010 to 40.4% in 2017 (P < 0.001). More recent year of diagnosis and performance of surgery at a comprehensive cancer center were associated with increased use of MIS (P < 0.05). Women with serous and clear cell tumors, and carcinosarcomas (compared to endometrioid tumors), as well as Medicaid coverage (compared to commercial insurance) were less likely to undergo an MIS approach (P < 0.05). The median OS was 28 months (95% CI 23.7-30.7) and 24.3 months (95% CI 22.3-26.1) for MIS and laparotomy, respectively. After propensity score balancing, there was no association between the use of MIS and survival (HR = 0.90, 95% CI 0.71-1.14).

CONCLUSIONS

Among women with stage IV uterine cancer treated with NACT performance of minimally invasive debulking surgery is increasing. Compared to laparotomy, MIS does not appear to negatively impact survival.