Laparoscopic versus open hysterectomy in type I endometrial cancer – a tertiary referral center experience

Background: Surgery has been considered the cornerstone in the management of endometrial cancer, especially in its early stages. The use of minimally invasive surgeries in patients with endometrial cancers has been widely adopted worldwide. In this study, we discuss the outcomes of type I endometrial cancer patients who underwent laparoscopic hysterectomy at our center. Results: The patients were categorized into two groups: open surgery group (59 patients) and laparoscopy group (60 patients). There was no significant difference between both groups as regards the epidemiologic and clinicopathologic parameters. There was no statistical difference between the two groups in the FIGO stage (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics). Operative time was significantly longer in the laparoscopy group compared to the open surgery group (p < 0.0001). No significant difference was found between both groups as regards the type of operation and blood loss. The rate of intraoperative complications was nearly similar in both groups. There was no significant statistical difference between the numbers of lymph node yield in both groups. Conclusion: The results in this study support the use of laparoscopy in early stage type I endometrial cancers without compromising the oncological outcomes regarding the disease-free and overall survival. We encourage further prospective multicenter randomized trials to consolidate these results.