title: Chemoradiation for carcinoma of the cervix: advances and opportunities.
abstract: Although it is possible to cure many patients with locally advanced cervical cancer using radiation therapy alone, loco-regional relapse continues to be a component of most recurrences. To improve control rates, clinicians have investigated ways of combining chemotherapy and radiation for more than 30 years. Despite encouraging results from phase II trials of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, randomized trials failed to improve on the results with radiation therapy alone. For a number of reasons, early trials of concurrent chemoradiation were inconclusive. However, recent reports of five large prospective randomized trials demonstrated dramatic improvements in survival and local control rates when cisplatin-containing chemotherapy was given during radiation therapy. These results also suggest a number of avenues for future research.
authors.affiliation: Division of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030, USA.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Eifel
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy; D006801:Humans; D006918:Hydroxyurea / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007044:Hysterectomy; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy; D016685:Mitomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011836:Radiation Tolerance; D011838:Radiation-Sensitizing Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D011838:Radiation-Sensitizing Agents; D001761:Bleomycin; D016685:Mitomycin; D014750:Vincristine; D002945:Cisplatin; D005472:Fluorouracil; D006918:Hydroxyurea