Stage III carcinoma of cervix. The importance of increasing age and extent of parametrial infiltration.

Abstract

The relative importance of a number of potential prognostic factors was analysed for a sequential group of 296 patients with stage III carcinoma of the cervix who had been treated in a mature prospective clinical trial. Using a log-rank analysis of survival curves generated by the life-table method increasing age (p = 0.05) and extent of parametrial infiltration (p = 0.001) were found to be significantly related to prognosis. These two factors were further demonstrated to be independent variables and, of the two, parametrial extension (p = 0.002) was more significant than increased age (p = 0.035). Involvement of the lower third of the vagina, the presence of bullous oedema and the histological differentiation of the disease were not prognostically significant in this study. It is suggested that tumour volume as defined by extent of parametrial infiltration is a sufficiently good prognostic factor to be incorporated into a revised staging system.