Isolated recurrence at the residual uterine cervix after abdominal radical trachelectomy for early cervical cancer

Background. We report an isolated recurrence at the residual cervix shortly after abdominal radical trachelectomy for cervical cancer. Case. A 34-year-old woman underwent radical abdominal trachelectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy for FIGO stage IBI squamous cell cervical cancer. The tumor measured 10 mm in maximum diameter with 4 mm of invasion. Histology showed lymph vascular space involvement with no infiltration of adjacent structures and no pelvic lymph node metastases. Tumor-free resection margins exceeded 15 mm. At the 6-month follow-up examination, cervical cytology showed cells suspicious for recurrent cervical cancer. Abdominal hysterectomy was performed and histology showed an isolated 3-mm recurrence in the residual cervix. The patient is free of disease 8 months after hysterectomy. Conclusion. Recurrence at the residual cervix is a potential risk of abdominal trachelectomy for early cervical cancer. Patients should be counseled accordingly and followed closely. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.