Early cervical cancer treated with definitive or adjuvant radiotherapy: improved survival with adjuvant radiotherapy attributable to patient selection.
The optimum management of patients with early cervical cancer (Federation Internationale de Gynécologie Stages IB and IIA) remains controversial. We reviewed our radiotherapy practise and compared patients with early stage cervical cancer who had surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy (ART) to those that had definitive radiotherapy (DRT). One hundred and twenty-seven patients were identified, 81 of these underwent ART and 46 underwent DRT. Patients who underwent DRT were significantly older and of poorer performance status than those who underwent ART. The 5-year relapse-free survival in the ART and DRT groups were 79 and 72%, respectively (P = 0.70). The corresponding 5-year overall survival figures were 86 and 58% (P = 0.006). The difference was due to increased deaths from other causes in the DRT arm, 37 versus 7% (P = 0.0007.) The poorer overall survival of DRT patients was due to patient selection.
MacLeod
Craig A
CA
Department of Radiation Oncology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia. cmacleod@radoncvic.com.au
Vinod
Shalini K
SK
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery