Prognosis of Adenosquamous Carcinoma Compared With Adenocarcinoma in Uterine Cervical Cancer A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

Objective The aim of this study was to compare the survival outcomes of adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC) and adenocarcinoma (AC) of the cervix. Methods We searched PubMed and Embase for observational studies that compared the outcomes of 2 histologic subtypes. Hazards ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated with a fixed effects model. Results A total of 17 studies were included in the analyses. Patients with ASC were associated significantly with poorer overall survival (death HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.12-1.43; I-2 = 0%) and recurrence-free survival (recurrence HR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.05-1.95; I-2 = 19.4%) than those with AC. For clinical stages I and II in particular, ASC predicted significantly poorer outcomes compared with AC (death HR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.17-1.70; I-2 = 0%). Conclusions This meta-analysis suggests that ASC may have poorer outcomes compared with AC of the cervix.