A critical evaluation of follow-up of women treated for endometrial adenocarcinoma.

A retrospective review of all women diagnosed with endometrial adenocarcinoma over a 5-year period was performed. One hundred and eleven women had not defaulted from follow-up and were thought to be disease-free following primary treatment. Seventeen (15.3%) of this group of women developed recurrent disease; four of these being detected in asymptomatic patients at routine follow-up visits. Women with asymptomatic recurrences had a significantly better survival than those presenting with symptoms (25% vs. 8%, P = 0.048). On the basis of previous findings, a limited hospital surveillance protocol was applied retrospectively to these patients with an estimated financial saving of over 2500 per annum. However, as one asymptomatic recurrence was detected by vault cytology during the 2 years after primary treatment, it may be worthwhile continuing to perform vault cytology during this period.