Radical abdominal trachelectomy for stage IB1 cervical cancer in Singapore

Abstract

We report the first case of radical abdominal trachelectomy (RAT) and bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy performed in Singapore, which was performed for a 35-year-old woman with stage IB1 cervical cancer, and review the current literature on this novel fertility-sparing surgery. Radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy are the conventional treatment for stage IB1 cervical cancer, but this results in the loss of fertility. However, the last 20 years have seen the development of fertility-sparing surgeries for young women with early-stage cervical cancer. Among these, laparoscopy-assisted radical vaginal trachelectomy (i.e. Dargent's procedure) is the most established technique, with good, documented long-term oncological and pregnancy outcomes. RAT, an alternative technique, was developed in the last decade. Although less than 200 reported cases worldwide have reported on the use of RAT, early data suggests good oncological outcome.