Endometrial Cancer: Laparoscopic Staging in Obese Patients

Abstract

Introduction: Obesity is one of the most important risk factors for endometrial cancer. There is no consensus as to an upper limit above which laparoscopic staging should not be considered. The decision is almost entirely up to the surgeon depending on and in relation to the experience acquired over the years.
Objective: To describe the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic staging in endometrial cancer.
Methods: A descriptive, prospective, observational study was conducted in obese patients (n = 34) with endometrial cancer who were staged by laparoscopic surgery from February 2012 to November 2017 at the National Center for Minimal Invasive Surgery in Havana, Cuba.
Results: The mean age was 63 years. The mean body mass index was 38.6. The mean surgical time and blood loss was 215 minutes and 90.5 milliliters. The mean number of pelvic and para-aortic nodes removed was 18.0 and 3.2, respectively. No patient had complications and there was no need to convert to laparotomy. The hospital stay was 48.7 hours.
Conclusions: Laparoscopic staging of endometrial cancer in obese patients is a feasible and safe technique that reduces intraoperative and postoperative complications and hospital stay without compromising oncological results.