RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Approximately 25% of endometrial cancer patients present with high-grade tumors. Unlike the clearly defined work-up for non-endometrioid endometrial cancer, no consensus exists for surgical staging and adjuvant therapy in high-grade endometrioid endometrial cancer. We compared the recurrence rate and disease-related mortality (DRM) after treatment between endometrioid and non-endometrioid endometrial cancer. METHODS: A total of 123 patients diagnosed with early-stage high-grade endometrial cancer at the Dutch Comprehensive Cancer Centre South (CCCS) between January 2005 and December 2011 were included. All patients underwent abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Patient and tumor characteristics, primary and adjuvant treatment, and outcome were analyzed. RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 27.9 months, 27.6% (n = 34) of patients had recurrent disease. Distant recurrence rate was equal among endometrioid (14.5%), papillary serous (14.8%), and clear cell (15.4%) types. The total DRM was 15.4% (n = 19). The 5 year recurrence-free survival was not significantly different between early-stage high-grade endometrioid versus non-endometrioid endometrial cancer (P = 0.72). CONCLUSION: Distant recurrence and DRM was high in patients with endometrial cancer regardless of histological type, suggesting the need for different therapies in early-stage high-grade non-endometrioid and endometrioid tumors.