Relationship between lymph node metastases and prognosis in patients irradiated postoperatively for carcinoma of the uterine cervix.

Three hundred and ten patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix received postoperative radiation therapy and the relationship between the extent of lymph node metastases and the prognosis was analysed. Patients with lymph node metastases showed a markedly lower five-year survival rate (42.1%) than those without such metastases (91.9%). The prognosis for patients with lymph node metastases was inversely correlated to the number of nodes involved. Bilateral lymph node involvement or lymph node involvement above the bifurcation of the iliac artery gave a much poorer prognosis than unilateral involvement or involvement only below the bifurcation.