Acute toxicity of cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor rofecoxib as a radiosensitizer for concurrent chemoradiation in the treatment of uterine cervical cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the acute toxicity of rofecoxib during concurrent use with cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in patients with cervical cancer.


METHODS
We evaluated 67 FIGO stage IB2-IVA cervical cancer patients treated with CCRT between June 2002 and July 2004. The study group included patients who received rofecoxib (N=30) and the control group included patients who received CCRT only (N=37). The patients' medical records were retrospectively reviewed for patient characteristics, toxicity related to CCRT and treatment results.


RESULTS
There were no significant differences in toxicity between the two groups. The most common acute grade 3/4 toxicity was neutropenia (13.3% in the study group and 21.6% in the control group). Grade 3/4 late toxicity was observed in 2 (6.6%) patients in the study group and 3 (8.1%) in the control group. There was no treatment-related deaths in either group. Six (20.0%) patients in the study group had treatment failure. In the control group, 6 (16.2%) patients experienced treatment failure. Progression-free and overall survival was 55.8+/-4.2 and 59.0+/-2.8 months, respectively, in the study group, and 69.7+/-4.3 and 71.6+/-3.6 months, respectively, in the control group. There were no differences in progression-free and overall survival between the 2 groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data indicate that rofecoxib, at a dose of 25 mg twice daily, has acceptable acute toxicity as a radiosensitizer during CCRT. Although rofecoxib was not efficacious as a radiosensitizer in the present study, the benefit of rofecoxib as a radiosensitizer should be further evaluated in a prospective study.
Jung
Yong Wook
YW
Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women's Cancer Clinic, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Lee
San Hui
SH
Paek
Ji Heum
JH
Nam
Eun Ji
EJ
Kim
Sang Wun
SW
Kim
Jae Hoon
JH
Kim
Jae Wook
JW
Kim
Young Tae
YT