title: Vaginal high dose rate brachytherapy alone in patients with intermediate- to high-risk stage I endometrial carcinoma after radical surgery.
abstract: The objective of this study was to analyze the efficacy and morbidity of vaginal cuff brachytherapy alone in intermediate- to high-risk stage I endometrial cancer patients after complete surgical staging. Between October 1994 and November 2005, 128 patients with intermediate- to high-risk stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma were treated with high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy alone after complete surgical staging. The intermediate- to high-risk group was defined as any stage I with grade 3 histology or stage IB grade 2 or any stage IC disease. The comprehensive surgery was in the form of total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy in addition to infracolic omentectomy, and routine pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy. The median number of the lymph nodes dissected was 33. The median age at the time of diagnosis was 60 years. Forty patients were staged as IB (grade 2: 25 and grade 3: 15), and 88 patients were staged as IC (grade 1: 31, grade 2: 41, and grade 3: 16). A total dose of 27.5 Gy with HDR brachytherapy, prescribed at 0.5 cm, was delivered in five fractions in 5 consecutive days. Median follow-up was 48 months. Six (4.7%) patients developed either local recurrence (n = 2) or distant metastases (n = 4). Five-year overall survival and disease-free survival (DFS) rates are 96% and 93%, respectively. Only age was found to be significant prognostic factor for DFS. Patients younger than 60 years have significantly higher DFS (P = 0.006). None of the patients experienced grade 3/4 complications due to the vaginal HDR brachytherapy. Vaginal cuff brachytherapy alone is an adequate treatment modality in stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma patients with intermediate- to high-risk features after complete surgical staging with low complication rates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: I L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Atahan
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ozyar
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yildiz
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ozyigit
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Genc
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ulger
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Usubutun
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Köse
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yuce
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ayhan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012008:Recurrence; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome