Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIM: Endometrial cancer is one of the most commonly encountered malignancies among obese women worldwide, a strong causality relationship being established between the two entities. Furthermore, obesity is also associated with metabolic syndrome; the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of metabolic syndrome on the postoperative outcomes of patients with endometrial cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data of 23 patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer and metabolic syndrome were retrospectively reviewed and compared to the those of a control group of patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer in the absence of metabolic syndrome. RESULTS: Patients in the first group presented significantly higher values of body mass index when compared to the control group. There were no significant differences in terms of stage, histopathological subtype or degree of differentiation between the two groups. The completeness of cytoreduction was lower among patients with metabolic syndrome, however, this did not reach statistical significance (p=0.08). Although the rate of complete debulking was lower among those with metabolic syndrome, the rates of postoperative complications were significantly higher. CONCLUSION: The association of metabolic syndrome significantly influences the risk of postoperative complications in patients with endometrial cancer; moreover, in certain cases, it might preclude the achievement of freedom from residual disease.