When Less Is More — The Importance of Patient Selection

The field of gynecologic oncology is rapidly evolving with the increasing availability of new therapeutics, including targeted therapies. In parallel, the field of surgery is shifting from the use of radical procedures to more-conservative approaches with fewer risks of complications. For patients with early-stage cervical cancer, the current recommendation according to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines is open radical hysterectomy with bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy (with or without sentinel lymph-node mapping) when fertility preservation is not desired.1 However, prospective data have shown that radical hysterectomy is associated with high rates of perioperative complications (e.g., urinary and bowel dysfunction).2 Numerous retrospective . . .