Data collection
Parameters were extracted from the institutional medical records. The clinical, surgical, histopathological and follow-up data collected from medical records included: age at diagnosis, body mass index (BMI, in kg/m2), history of abdominal surgery, ASA classification (American Society of Anaesthesiologists), FIGO stage (2009), type of procedure, tumour histology and size, lymph vascular space invasion (LVSI), nodal count and status, parametrial involvement, vaginal involvement, positive resection margins, adjuvant or adjusted treatment (the latter due to intraoperative finding of positive lymph nodes), disease recurrence, time and sites of recurrence and survival information. Disease recurrence was defined as the local and/or distant (outside the inner pelvis) presence of malignant tissue originating from the primary tumour, determined clinically, radiographically and/or histopathologically. Death records were verified using the municipal Personal Records Database.
Oncological follow-up was performed for a total of five years according to national guidelines consisting of ambulant visits to a gynaecological oncologist at intermissions of three months (first year), four months (second year) and six months up to five years of follow-up.