Is lymph vascular space involvement an independent prognostic factor in early cervical cancer?

Objective: To determine whether lymph vascular space involvement (LVSI) in women with early cervical carcinoma is an independent prognostic factor.

Methods: The literature was reviewed using Medline and known literature to determine if LVSI is an independent risk factor as determined by multivariant analysis with survival being the end point in patients undergoing radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenopathy.

Results: A total of 25 articles were identified that satisfied the evaluation criteria. Only three (12%) identified LVSI as an independent risk factor while 88% and 61% of those evaluated, noted lymph node metastasis and tumor size/depth of invasion to be significant risk factors for survival.

Conclusions: Using LVSI as the sole determining factor for consideration of post radical hysterectomy radiotherapy appears questionable.