The prognostic significance of lymphatic vascular space invasion in endometrial adenocarcinoma

In a histopathological review of 171 cases of endometrial adenocarcinoma, 42 neoplasms demonstrated lymphatic and/or vascular invasion. This finding was significantly correlated with depth of myometrial involvement and stage of disease at operation. Tumour cell type, and histological grade were correlated to a much lesser extent, whilst the patient's age bore no relation. Prognosis was significantly poorer in patients whose adenocarcinomas had invaded lymphatic and/or vascular spaces compared to those whose neoplasms had not. These observations emphasize the importance of considering lymphatic/vascular invasion in staging endometrial adenocarcinomas.