A large phase III study, the SHAPE trial, has shown pelvic node dissection and simple hysterectomy to be non-inferior to radical hysterectomy at three years, and resulted in improved quality of life and sexual function for early-stage, low-risk cervical cancer patients. The research, which was presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting, points to simple hysterectomy becoming the new standard of care for such patients, making the procedure easier to perform and a safe treatment option for certain women in low-resource countries. There were no significant surgical complications between the two groups, but the radical hysterectomy group had a higher incidence of bladder and ureteral injuries and urinary incontinence. Sexual function and quality of life were better in the simple hysterectomy group.
