Abstract: BACKGROUND AND AIM: Surgery is the main choice in treating early cervix cancer, and preoperative radiotherapy or chemotherapy can increase surgical resection rate.We analyzed the postoperative complications of radical hysterectomy, and further explored its prevention and control measures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data of 247 patients with cervical cancer confirmed by pathology were collected from the Affiliated Tumor Hospital, Shantou University Medical College in China, during Jan. 2000 to Dec. 2006. All patients were treated by radical hysterectomy. 130 patients were treated by preoperative brachytherapy, among them 52 patients received a course of preoperative chemotherapy simultaneously. RESULTS: The major complications of radical hysterectomy were urinary retention, lymphocele, and urinary tract infection with rates of 24.7％, 7.69％ and 8.50％, respectively. The incidences of three complications in the 130 patients treated with preoperative radiotherapy or chemotherapy compared to the 117 patients treated only by radical hysterectomy were 23.1％/26.5％，6.93％/8.55％ and 10.77％/5.99％, respectively, without significant differences(P> 0.05). The amount of average intra_operative hemorrhage in former group was higher than that of latter group [(490.74±47.67) ml VS (438±61.38) ml], but the difference between two groups was not statistically significant (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The main postoperative complications were urinary retention, lymphocele and urinary tract infection. The preoperative radiotherapy or chemotherapy did not increase the complications and the amount of intra_operative bleeding.

Key words: radical hysterectomy, postoperative complications, neoadjuvant therapy