[Wertheim hysterectomy as a baseline surgical treatment for patients with FIGO stage 1a2-2a cervical cancer was introduced in 1989 at the National Institute of Oncology, Budapest, Hungary. From then until 2002 when the results were first evaluated 308 such operations were performed. The average 5- and 10-year survival rates were 80% and 75%, respectively. Although these results are comparable to literature data, several issues concerning this group of patients remain to be solved. The participation rate in the Pap test screening programme covered by the national health insurance is only 30%. There is no national database on the current treatment of these patients that could help identify the necessary steps to be taken in order to improve the results. The number of radical hysterectomies performed a year in Hungary, or their outcome, is not known. The treatment scheme varies among the institutes and so does surgical experience. There is no consent regarding treatment policy, preoperative irradiation or chemotherapy, surgical technique, or postoperative management. The improvement of the participation rate in the screening programme, the use of prognostic factors to determine the most appropriate treatment, the role of minimally invasive and fertility-preserving surgery, the preservation of ovaries and the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy are some of the further issues that need to be discussed. The first step should be data acquisition from all institutes in the country in order to develop and apply uniform treatment guidelines.]
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