Radiation therapy of the para-aortic lymph nodes in carcinoma of the uterine cervix: the concurrent use of cimetidine to reduce acute and subacute side effects from radiation.
A prospective study of the effects of radiation therapy (RT) on para-aortic lymph nodes in uterine cervical cancer was conducted. As part of the study, cimetidine (800 mg daily) was administered during RT to relieve and prevent adverse reactions of the gastrointestinal tract caused by RT. In half of the patients, cimetidine (400 mg daily) was continued after RT was finished. The RT field was 7 to 8 cm wide and covered the area from the 4th lumbar to 11th thoracic vertebrae. The total dose administered was 45 Gy in 25 fractions over a five-week period. From September 1986 through October 1987, 89 patients were entered in this study. During RT, only slight gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, appetite loss, fatigue, and epigastralgia, were observed. These symptoms increased when cimetidine was withdrawn, but not in the patients who continued to receive cimetidine. It is concluded that cimetidine during and after RT can reduce the acute and subacute side effects of RT.
Teshima
T
T
Department of Radiation Therapy, Center for Adult Diseases, Osaka, Japan.
Inoue
T
T
Chatani
M
M
Ikeda
H
H
Nishiyama
K
K
Inoue
T
T
Matayoshi
Y
Y
Hishikawa
Y
Y
Tanaka
S
S
Kamikonya
N
N
D000208:Acute Disease; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal; D002927:Cimetidine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*
D002927:Cimetidine