Treatment with laparoscopic hysterectomy for cervical cancer has a lower rate of survival than more invasive surgical solutions, according to a recent study.

Research suggests that laparoscopic hysterectomy for cervical cancer—often referred to as keyhole surgery because of how small the incision is—can exacerbate cervical cancer rather than cure it over the long haul.

When surgery is needed, it would be logical to assume that the less invasive choice would be better by lessening time in the hospital where the likelihood of infection is greater. Less invasive, often robot-assisted treatments like laparoscopic hysterectomy for cervical cancer come with a recovery period half that of traditional open surgeries of the same variety.

For a woman diagnosed with early stage cervical cancer, this procedure would appear to be the better choice until pointed research indicated that this method has a higher mortality rate and may increase the risk that cancer will recur.

These results were unexpected and counterintuitive. While they have made physicians less likely to recommend laparoscopic surgery for cervical cancer, they do nothing to comfort those that had the treatment and whose cancer recurred.

Laparoscopic Hysterectomy

According to results published by the New England Journal of Medicine, two studies were undertaken to compare survival rates between stage 1 patients who chose laparoscopic radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer and stage 1 patients that chose open hysterectomy surgeries.

A total of 631 female patients in stage 1 cervical cancer were enrolled in the first study; approximately half were treated with laparoscopic hysterectomy for cervical cancer while the other half had open surgeries.

At the five-year mark, researchers were shocked to discover that cervical cancer recurrence rates were higher and survival rates were several percentage points lower after minimally-invasive surgical efforts.

Specifically, there was nearly a ten percentage point gap with the minimally-invasive group survival rate hovering around 86 percent and open surgery group survival rate coming in at about 96.5 percent.

A double-check of these results by the researchers involved revealed no anomalies in the study that would otherwise account for the gap. The researchers decided not to add another 100 patients to the study in progress.

The three-year survival rate was less pronounced in its spread but still significant at 93.8 and 99 percent, respectively.

The second cervical cancer recurrence study whose data was published in October was based upon statistics gleaned from database analysis. This analysis focused on female patients that underwent the two types of surgeries between the years of 2010 and 2013.

Nearly four years after surgery, the percentage of women succumbing to their disease after laparoscopic hysterectomy for cervical cancer was 9.1 percent compared to 5.3 percent of women who had more invasive procedures.

The choice for minimally invasive laparoscopic radical hysterectomies is still available in many places, but oncologists are becoming more hesitant to offer it as an option.

Join a Free Cervical Cancer after Hysterectomy Lawsuit Investigation

If your cervical cancer progressed after laparoscopic radical hysterectomy, or if your loved one died after such surgery, you may have a legal claim. See if you qualify to file a cervical cancer after hysterectomy lawsuit by filling out the form on this page now.

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