Revisiting Querleu–Morrow Radical Hysterectomy: How to Apply the Anatomy of Parametrium and Pelvic Autonomic Nerves to Cervical Cancer Surgery?

Abstract

In 2008, Querleu and Morrow proposed a novel classification of radical hysterectomy, which was quickly accepted by the professional oncogynecological community. The Querleu and Morrow (Q–M) classification of radical hysterectomy has provided a unique opportunity for uniform surgical and anatomical terminology. The classification offers detailed explanations of anatomical landmarks and resection margins for the three parametria of the uterus. However, there are still some disagreements and misconceptions regarding the terminology and anatomical landmarks of the Q–M classification. This article aims to highlight the surgical anatomy of all radical hysterectomy types within the Q–M classification. It discusses and illustrates the importance of anatomical landmarks for defining resection margins of the Q–M classification and reviews the differences between Q–M and other radical hysterectomy classifications. Additionally, we propose an update of the Q–M classification, which includes the implementation of parauterine lymphovascular tissue, paracervical lymph node dissection, and Selective-Systematic Nerve-Sparing type C2 radical hysterectomy. Type D was modified according to current guidelines for the management of patients with cervical cancer. The detailed explanation of the surgical anatomy of radical hysterectomy and the proposed update may help achieve surgical harmonization and precise standardization among oncogynecologists, which can further facilitate accurate and comparable results of multi-institutional surgical clinical trials.