Trends and predictors of survival for small cell carcinoma of the cervix uteri: A SEER population study.

Objective: Small cell carcinoma of the cervix uteri (SCCC) is an uncommon cancer associated with unsatisfactory survival outcomes. We aimed to investigate the incidence and prognostic factors of survival in SCCC patients using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database.

Methods: Eligible patients with histopathologic diagnoses of SCCC were identified between 2004 and 2015. Overall survival (OS) and cause-specific survival (CSS) for the included patients were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariate analyses of clinical factors were performed using Cox proportional hazard regression models.

Results: We identified 272 SCCC patients based on predefined criteria. The average incidence of SCCC was 1.01 % per year between 2004 and 2015. The median OS and CSS were 17.0 and 19.0 months, respectively, accompanying with 5-year OS rate was 26.3 % and 5-year CSS rate was 30.1 %. In the multivariate analysis, advanced age (age ≥ 65 years old), late FIGO stage, surgery at the primary site, radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy (CT) were strong prognostic factors for OS. The corresponding variables for CSS were: advanced age, late FIGO stage, RT and CT. In the subgroup analysis for nonsurgical management of SCCC, the combination of RT and CT provided the best survival outcomes when compared with other therapeutic modalities. Again, advanced age was interrelated to worse survival outcomes for both OS and CSS.

Conclusions: SCCC is an infrequent disease with aggressive nature, which lead to poor survival outcomes. In addition to other known parameters, advanced age is a strong predictive factor for OS and CSS. The combination of RT and CT was the best therapeutic strategy for patients who received nonsurgical management.