title: [Treatment of inoperable endometrial carcinoma with intracavitary high-dose rate iridium irradiation].
abstract: Surgery should be an integral part of the management of the patient with endometrial cancer. Only patients with severe medical conditions should be treated with radiation therapy alone. Although radiation therapy alone often can cure endometrial cancer, five-year-survival figures are poorer than for operation. At the University of Vienna, I. Department of Gynecology, 198 patients with endometrial cancer were treated by radiation therapy alone. Using the afterloading-iridium-192-technique, the three-year-survival-rate was 76%, five-year-survival 60%. A comparable group of 185 cases treated by intracavitary radium-226 had five-year-survival of only 40% (p less than 0.001). With afterloading high-dose irradiation younger patients had five-year-survival of 75%, older patients (70 years and more) 51%; when tumor grading was one survival figures reached 76%, with tumor grading 2 and 3 only 41%. Severe radiation side effects did not occur with the optimal intrauterine single dose of 850 cGy (four times) and 700 cGy intravaginal (once), nor could any severe complications be observed when the total rectal dose did not exceed 500 cGy. In only 8% of the cases the treatment was combined with external irradiation (Cobalt-60). Intrauterine and intravaginal applications were performed without anaesthesia and the hospitalisation time was very short.
authors.affiliation: Ordinariat für gynäkologische Strahlentherapie der Universität Wien.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kucera
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Weghaupt
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007496:Iridium Radioisotopes / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000209:etiology; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D011883:Radium / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*
chemical_list: D007496:Iridium Radioisotopes; D011883:Radium
vernacular_title: Die Behandlung des inoperablen Endometriumkarzinoms mittels intrakavitärer High-dose-rate-Iridium-Bestrahlung.