Multivariate analysis of the morphometric characteristics of tumours as prognostic factors in the survival of patients with uterine cervix cancer treated with radical surgery

Objectives: To analyse the influence of tumour size and anatomopathological characteristics in the prognosis of patients with early-stage cancer of the uterine cervix treated with radical surgery. Study design: A historical study of 114 patients treated at the Maternity Hospital "La Fe" in Valencia was undertaken during the period 1971-1989. The influence of the principal risk factors on prognosis were studied and their effect adjusted using a multivariate analysis based on the Cox proportional hazards model. Results: A greater dimension of the tumour, tumour area, tumour volume, tumour-cervix quotient and stromal invasion depth all have a highly significant and negative correlation with survival and disease-free survival intervals. In the multivariate analysis, tumour volume and stromal invasion depth maintained their significance as indicators of an adverse prognosis regarding the disease-free survival interval, as did the stromal invasion depth in the case of survival. Conclusions: The most important prognostic factor in the evolution of patients with a cervical carcinoma is the stromal invasion depth followed by tumour size. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.