Effect of Cervical Conization with Positive Margins on Lymph Node Metastasis in Cervical Cancer

Radical surgery after cervical conization is a common approach for the treatment of cervical cancer. Clinically, rapid disease progression is sometimes observed in patients with positive margins at conization, but the details are unclear. This study aimed to investigate the clinical impact of positive margins at conization in cervical cancer. The medical records of patients with cervical cancer between 2010 and 2020 were reviewed retrospectively and we identified 101 eligible patients who underwent radical hysterectomy, including pelvic lymph node dissection. The association between the positive margins of the conization samples and outcomes, including subsequent lymph node metastasis, was evaluated. The rate of lymphovascular space invasion positivity at radical surgery was significantly higher in patients with positive margins (p = 0.017) than in those with negative margins, although there was no significant difference in the rate of pelvic lymph node metastasis (p = 0.155). Moreover, Kaplan–Meier curves showed that there were no significant difference in overall survival or progression-free survival between the two groups (p = 0.332 and p = 0.200, respectively). A positive margin at conization presented no significant prognostic disadvantage, and therefore, diagnostic conization is one of the reasonable options for locally advanced cervical cancer.