IntroductionThe vanishing cancer phenomenon was first described by Goldstein in 1995 (1), who described two cases in which no residual carcinoma was present in radical prostatectomy specimens. Both cases involved low-grade and early stage disease with low-volume tumors in the biopsy specimens. The authors proposed that the possible reasons for vanishing cancer in biopsy proven specimens as early detection of prostate cancer in asymptomatic men (2,3) and a larger number of low-stage cancers being treated by prostatectomy. In early stage and low volume tumors (<0.01 cc), determining the residual microscopic tumor in the radical prostatectomy specimen is challenging for the pathologist. After 1995, more researchers reported increasing numbers of vanishing cancers in radical prostatectomy specimens with a prevalence of 0.07%-0.67% (1-5).Background/aim: The vanishing cancer phenomenon was first reported in radical prostatectomy specimens in the absence of neoadjuvant treatment. Reported cases are mostly well-differentiated and low-volume tumors. A similar entity was described for hysterectomy specimens of patients with biopsy proven endometrial cancer (EC). In this study, we discuss the probable reasons for vanishing EC and long-term follow-up results of EC patients without residual tumors in hysterectomy specimens. Materials and methods:This study was carried at two institutions in Ankara, Turkey, in a retrospective design. The computerized databases of both institutions were searched for endometrioid type EC patients whose final pathological specimens failed to show any residual tumor. Results:We evaluated 38 endometrial biopsy confirmed EC patients with no residual tumor detected in the hysterectomy specimens among a total of 224 women (17%) with the disease confined to the endometrium. During the follow-up period, no recurrences were noted among the patients. Conclusion:It can be suggested that premenopausal women with FIGO grade 1 endometrioid type EC with MRI proven "absent myometrial invasion" would have a significant probability of having no residual tumor after endometrial biopsy without any further medical treatment.

Background/aim: We aimed to define the effect of tumor size on recurrence and survival rates in patients with stage I-II endometrioidtype endometrial cancer. Materials and methods: A total of 550 patients who had total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and pelvicparaaortic lymphadenectomy were included. Patients with extrauterine spread, sarcomatous components, or synchronized tumor and those who did not undergo lymphadenectomy or did not have data on tumor size were excluded. Results: The median tumor size was 35 mm (range: 3-335 mm). According to the 2009 International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology (FIGO) criteria, 245 cases were defined as stage IA, 271 as stage IB, and 34 as stage II. The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 92% and the 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) rate was 99%. The effects of prognostic factors on DFS were evaluated. Older age, stage II disease, deep myometrial invasion, and receiving adjuvant radiotherapy were associated with decreased DFS. There was no statistically significant association between tumor size and DFS. The 5-year DFS for patients with a tumor diameter of <35 mm, which was the median tumor size of the entire group, was 94%, while it was 89% for patients having a tumor diameter of >35 mm (P = 0.128). Conclusion: Tumor size was not a risk factor predicting recurrence in patients with stage I or II endometrioid-type endometrial cancer who had lymphadenectomy.

IntroductionCarcinoma of the cervix uteri is the second most common cancer and the third most common cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide (1,2). The definitive primary treatment for patients with early-stage disease consists of radiation therapy or radical hysterectomy with pelvic and/ or paraaortic lymph node dissection (3). Knowledge about prognosis and recurrence is critical for the management of early-stage cervical cancer. Lymph node involvement is an important risk factor for recurrence in patients with earlystage cervical cancer. The recurrence rate in lymph nodenegative patients was 10% and the 5-year survival rate ranged from 85%-90%. In contrast, the recurrence rate in lymph node-positive patients was 27% and the 5-year survival rate ranged from 20% to 74% depending on the number of nodes that were involved and the location and size of the metastases (4-6).In this retrospective study, we analyzed the variations in the recurrence patterns of stage IB cervical cancer according to lymph node involvement. These data may improve the management of early-stage cervical cancer to reduce the risk of recurrence and predict the recurrence patterns of early-stage cervical cancer. Materials and methodsThe medical records of patients diagnosed with stage IB cervical cancer and who were treated with type III radical hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, or systemic pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy from January 1993 to December 2007 were evaluated retrospectively. The complete pathological data of 170 patients were evaluated. Patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy were excluded because chemotherapy is known to improve surgical pathological results (7).All of the patients were evaluated by rectovaginal examination under general anesthesia, computerized tomography of the upper abdomen and pelvic magnetic resonance imaging, or intravenous pyelography. Clinical Background/aim: To investigate the variations in the recurrence patterns of stage IB cervical cancer according to lymph node involvement. Materials and methods:We reviewed the medical records of 170 patients who had undergone type III radical hysterectomy and systematic lymphadenectomy from 1993 to 2007.Results: Among the patients in the study group, 115 did not have lymph node metastases, whereas 55 did. A total of 27 patients developed recurrences. Twelve were in the lymph node-negative group, and 15 were in the lymph node-positive group. The recurrence rate was higher in lymph node-positive group (27.3% versus 10.4%, P = 0.011). The recurrence pattern was not affected by lymph node involvement. However, distant recurrence was more common in the lymph node-positive group (53.3% versus 25%, P = 0.137). Additionally, distant failure was observed only in the patients in the lymph node-negative group who received adjuvant radiotherapy. In this group, 3 patients who did not receive adjuvant radiotherapy developed recurrences only in the pelvic region. Conclusion:The presence of lymph node involvement in stage IB cervical cancer does not affec...

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