Use of progestogens as an adjuvant to surgery in the treatment of stage I adenocarcinoma of the uterine corpus

Abstract

Summary. Fifty‐nine patients with proven stage I adenocarcinoma of the uterine corpus were treated by total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo‐oophorectomy, followed by gestronal hexanoate intramuscularly for 3 months and then medroxyprogesterone acetate orally for a prolonged period. In the 7‐year period of study, there were no vaginal recurrences, but one patient suffered a recurrence in the inguinal lymph nodes and pelvis. Undesirable side effects did not occur. These results compare favourably with other reported studies in which surgery and radiotherapy were used.

Carcinoma of the endometrium; 300 patients managed in a District General Hospital

“…Additional postoperative treatment with progestagens was used quite widely but in a number of patients recurrence still occurred and this is consistent with other series (Quinn et al, 1981;Kauppila et al, 1982;Moazzami et al, 1983). This may be because the drug was not given in adequate doses or for long enough or the patients were not compliant.…”