Change in the trend of surgical treatment and staging of lymph nodes in endometrial cancer – results of the Oncogynecology Center, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Brnoand Masaryk University in the years 2012–2021

Introduction: In the last decade, the view of endometrial cancer has shifted enormously, and the surgical approach or lymph node staging has changed significantly. We are presenting these changes with the University Hospital Brno Oncogynecology center’s results in the years 2012–2021 in the actual national and European guidelines context. Methods: The retrospective unicentric observational study, national and European guidelines review. Results: In the observation period, 715 endometrial cancer patients were treated in our clinic, and 636 of them underwent surgical treatment (89%). Concerning lymph node staging, firstly, there is a clear trend of expanding lymphadenectomy to the paraaortic area, followed by the sentinel node biopsy introduction in the years 2018–2019, and finally, the complete transition to this method as the main staging procedure in 2021, when this examination was performed in 73% of surgeries, even with high-risk cancers limited to the uterus. Within the sentinel node biopsy expansion, a gradual decrease in laparotomy approach (maximum 41% in 2016, 18% in 2021), and blood loss (2012–2019 median 100 mL, with a decrease to 50 mL in 2020–2021) was evident. A hospitalization length stabilized at a median of 5–6 days. Conclusions: Surgical treatment of endometrial cancer has become a minimally invasive procedure for the majority of patients, the average blood loss and hospitalization length have decreased. Sentinel node biopsy has become the preferred lymph node staging method. Key words: endometrial cancer – lymphadenectomy – sentinel lymph node – total laparoscopic hysterectomy – uterine manipulator