Novel technique for the complete staging of endometrial cancer by single-port laparoscopy

Objective. Our aim was to evaluate the feasibility of a novel technique using single-port laparoscopy for the complete surgical staging of endometrial cancer. Methods. Total hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, pelvic lymphadenectomy and para-aortic lymphadenectomy was performed using a single-port device in two steps: first, a retroperitoneal para-aortic dissection was conducted, followed by a transperitoneal pelvic lymphadenectomy and a total hysterectomy. Conventional laparoscopic instruments were used in all cases. Perioperative details were collected. Results. Four consecutive patients with endometrial cancer underwent single-port laparoscopic staging procedure. All cases were high-risk endometrial cancers (two FIGO stage IA and two IB). Histologic types included three adenocarcinomas and one carcinosarcoma. The median operating time was 280 min (ranged 240-320 min), and the median length of stay was 3.5 days (ranged 3-6 days). No complications or conversion to conventional multiport laparoscopy were reported. Conclusions. Single-port laparoscopic surgical staging for endometrial cancer is a feasible procedure, even when the procedure included a para-aortic lymph node dissection. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.