title: The role of chemotherapy in locally advanced, metastatic and recurrent cervical cancer.
abstract: Cervical cancer is among the major health problems world-wide although advances in screening programs. Surgery and radiotherapy are the treatment modalities of choice for early and locally advanced cervical cancer. However, the role of chemotherapy in this setting has been better investigated in the latest years. To improve loco-regional control in locally advanced disease, authors have tested both neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and concurrent chemoradiotherapy. From 1999 NCI clinical announcement, concurrent cisplatin-based chemoradiation is considered the treatment of choice for cervical cancer patients requiring radiation therapy. Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy is reaching encouraging results in IB bulky-IIA cervical cancer, but further investigation are ongoing in locally advanced cervical setting. The optimal treatment for patients with metastatic or recurrent cervical cancer is still undefined and chemotherapy is used with palliation intent. Cisplatin remains the most active cytotoxic agents, although combinations of cisplatin with paclitaxel, topotecan, vinorelbine, have shown encouraging results in phase II and in early phase III studies. This paper reviews the role of chemotherapy in the management of patients with locally advanced, metastatic and recurrent cervical cancer. Studies discussed in this paper were selected trough a search in the med-line database performed in October 2003.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart-Campobasso, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tambaro
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scambia
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Maio
authors.forename: Carmela
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pisano
authors.forename: Emiddio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Barletta
authors.forename: Vincenzo Rosario
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Iaffaioli
authors.forename: Sandro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pignata
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000188:drug therapy; D012008:Recurrence; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents