title: Postoperative radiotherapy for endometrial cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the prognostic factors and effectiveness of postoperative radiotherapy alone for endometrial carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty four patients with stage I-III endometrial cancer (EC) treated with postoperative radiotherapy alone between January 1989 and December 2008 at the Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center were chosen for the present study. Typically, total hysterectomy, salpingo-oophorectomy and lymphadenectomy were performed on the patient's pelvis. Total dose from 50.4 Gy to 63 Gy was irradiated at pelvis or extended field. Thirteen patients were treated with Co-60 or Ir-192 intracavitary radiotherapy. Follow-up periods were from 7 to 270 months, with a median of 56 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five year overall survival (OS) rate was 58.7%, respectively. Five year disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 59.2%, respectively. In univariate analysis for OS and DFS, stage, menopausal age, type of operation, serosal invasion, and lymph node involvement were found to be statistically significant. Histologic type was marginally significant. In multivariate analysis for OS and DFS, stage, types of operation, histologic type were also found to be statistically significant. Treatment failure occurred in 14 patients. The main pattern of failure was found to be distant metastasis. Time to distant metastasis was from 3 to 86 months (median, 12 months). There were no grade 3 or 4 complications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Stage, types of operation, and histologic type could be the predictive prognostic factors in patients. We contemplated postoperative radiation as effective and safe treatment method for EC. Additional treatment would be needed to reduce distant metastasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Dongsan Medical Center, Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Cheol
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Jin Hee
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ok Bae
authors.initials: OB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sang Jun
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Byun
authors.forename: Seung Gyu
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Sang Hoon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kwon