Total laparoscopic Wertheim’s radical hysterectomy versus Wertheim’s radical abdominal hysterectomy in the management of stage I cervical cancer in Singapore: a pilot study

METHODSThis was a prospective pilot study comparing TLRH with RAH in a single large tertiary institution in Singapore.Inclusion criteria included surgically fit patients with early cervical cancer and no radiological evidence of regional or distant metastases. RESUlTSFrom November 2009 to February 2011, a total of 18 TLRHs and 30 RAHs were performed.The median blood loss in the TLRH group was significantly lower than that in the RAH group (300 mL vs. 500 mL; p = 0.04).However, there was no statistically significant difference found between the two techniques in terms of operative time, hospital stay, bladder recovery, total lymph node yield or adjuvant treatment.No intraoperative bladder, ureteric or bowel complications were observed in the two groups.Postoperative complications occurred in 2 (11.1%)TLRH patients and 4 (13.3%)RAH patients.With a median follow-up of 37.3 (range 10-68) weeks, the rate of recurrence was found to be 5.6% for the TLRH group and 10.0% for the RAH group. CONClUSIONThe results of our study suggest that with appropriate patient selection and increased experience, TLRH can be a safe and effective procedure for the management of early cervical cancer in Singapore.