Postoperative vaginal brachytherapy alone is the treatment of choice for grade 1–2, stage IC endometrial cancer

The aim was to determine outcome and toxicity in grade 1-2, FIGO stage IC endometrial cancer patients treated with external beam radiotherapy plus vaginal cuff brachytherapy or vaginal cuff brachytherapy alone. Between 1986 and 1999, a total of 132 patients were diagnosed with FIGO stage IC endometrial carcinoma. The median age was 67.5 years (range, 36-88). Median follow-up was 54 months (range, 6-157). Grade 1 disease was present in 64 patients, grade 2 in 45 patients, and grade 3 in 23 patients. Patients with grade 3 disease usually received external radiotherapy and were excluded from this analysis. Of the patients with grade 1-2 disease, 31 received brachytherapy alone and 78 received both external radiotherapy and brachytherapy. Ten (8%) patients experienced failure. Isolated pelvic relapse occurred in five patients. Three patients experienced both distant and local relapse. Two patients had isolated distant relapse. Nine failures occurred in patients treated with both external radiotherapy and brachytherapy. Only one failure occurred in those treated with brachytherapy alone. Overall survival and disease-free survival at 5 years were 85% and 92%, respectively. For those treated with both external radiotherapy and brachytherapy, 5-year locoregional control was 95%. For those treated with brachytherapy alone, 5-year locoregional control was 96.4%. There was no significant survival or local control difference between the two groups. Nine patients (9%) treated with both external radiotherapy and brachytherapy developed Radiation Therapy Oncology Group grade 3-4 toxicity. No patient treated with vaginal cuff brachytherapy alone developed grade 3-4 toxicity (P < 0.001). In patients with well-differentiated (grade 1-2) stage IC endometrial cancer, external beam radiotherapy plus brachytherapy versus vaginal cuff brachytherapy alone achieved equivalent local control and survival. However, vaginal cuff brachytherapy alone produced significantly less toxicity.     

Role of lymphadenectomy and pelvic radiotherapy in patients with clinical FIGO stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma: an analysis of 208 patients

Two hundred and eight patients with a clinical stage I endometrial carcinoma were studied (164 fulfilled the inclusion criteria). High risk was defined as nonendometrioid, or endometrioid tumors grade 3 (G3), or G2 with any or G1 with deep (>1/2) myometrial infiltration. The low-risk group consisted of the remaining patients. Surgical staging in the high-risk group included pelvic lymphadenectomy with para-aortic lymphadenectomy in selected cases. Twelve percent of the high-risk patients had nodal metastasis. Patients with low-risk (group A, n = 85) and high-risk disease confined to the uterus (group B, n = 57) did not receive adjuvant radiotherapy. Patients with nodal metastases (group C, n = 10) received postoperative irradiation. The total recurrence rate of the entire population was 12.5%, and the actuarial overall survival, disease-specific survival, and disease-free survival were 90%, 94%, and 88%, respectively. All patients with only vaginal relapse (n = 9) were cured locally with salvage radiotherapy until the date of analysis. The pelvic relapse rate was low as only one patient of group B recurred in the pelvis. In conclusion, lymphadenectomy remains indicated to better select patients at high risk of pelvic recurrence that may benefit from postoperative radiotherapy.     

External pelvic radiation therapy in stage IC endometrial carcinoma

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate outcomes of patients with stage IC endometrial carcinoma treated with external whole pelvic radiation but not vaginal brachytherapy. METHODS: Sixty-one women with stage IC endometrial carcinoma had postoperative pelvic radiation without vaginal brachytherapy. The median age was 69 years (range 44-87 years). Most subjects had histologic findings of adenocarcinoma (71%) and grade 2 or 3 disease (74%). The median pelvic irradiation dose was 48.6 Gy (range 43.2-50.4 Gy). No patients received adjuvant chemotherapy or hormonal therapy. The median follow-up time was 69.5 months (range 7-196 months). RESULTS: The 5-year actuarial disease-free and overall survivals of the entire group were 86.7% and 97.6%, respectively. No patient developed local (vaginal) recurrence. One patient had recurrent disease in the lateral pelvis. Ten patients (16.4%) had distant (extrapelvic) metastases. No serious sequelae were noted, including vaginal necrosis, small bowel obstruction, proctitis, or fistulae. CONCLUSION: Local control was excellent in stage IC endometrial carcinoma treated with adjuvant radiation therapy alone. Attention needs to be focused on efforts to control extrapelvic recurrence in patients with this disease.     

Relationship between surgical-pathological risk factors and outcome in clinical stage I and II carcinoma of the endometrium: a Gynecologic Oncology Group study

Between June 20, 1977 and February 5, 1983, the Gynecologic Oncology Group entered 1180 women with clinical stage I or II (occult) endometrial carcinoma into a surgical-pathological staging study. Eight hundred ninety-five patients with endometrioid or adenosquamous carcinoma were evaluable for this study which relates surgical-pathological parameters and postoperative treatment to recurrence-free interval and recurrence site. Proportional hazards modeling of time to recurrence was performed. For patients without metastasis determined by surgical-pathological staging the greatest determinant of recurrence was grade 3 histology adenocarcinoma grade 3, relative risk (RR) = 15; adenosquamous carcinoma grade 3, RR = 8.1; all adenocanthomas, RR = 1.0). Of 48 patients with histologically documented aortic node metastases, 47 had one or more of the following features: (1) grossly positive pelvic nodes, (2) grossly positive adnexal metastasis, or (3) outer one-third myometrial invasion. Pelvic radiation was administered to 48.0% and vaginal brachytherapy alone to 10.2% of patients postoperatively; 41.8% received no adjuvant radiation therapy. None of three recurrences in the vaginal implant group were vaginal or pelvic; 7.4% (7 of 95) of recurrences in the pelvic radiation therapy (RT) group were vaginal and 16.8% were pelvic; 18.2% (8 of 44) of recurrences in the no adjuvant radiation group were vaginal and 31.8% pelvic. Because of the high degree of selection bias no valid comparisons can be made of recurrence-free interval in these groups. The 5-year recurrence-free interval for patients with negative surgical-pathological risk factors (other than grade and myoinvasion) was 92.7%; involvement of the isthmus/cervix 69.8%; positive pelvic cytology 56.0%; vascular space invasion 55.0%; pelvic node or adnexal metastases 57.8%; and aortic node metastases or gross laparotomy findings 41.2%. It is not clear that cervix invasion per se diminishes survival, because it is more often associated with poor tumor differentiation (34.7% versus 24.0%, grade 3) and deep myoinvasion (47.0 vs 18.6%) than cases without cervix invasion. The relapse rate among cervix-positive and -negative cases with grade 3 lesions and deep myoinvasion is not dramatically different (48.8% vs 39.8%). The proportion of failures which were vaginal/pelvic (34.6% for the surgery only group compared to 12.5% of the RT group) appears to favor the use of adjuvant radiation for patients with more than one-third myoinvasion and grade 2 or 3 tumor. There were 97 patients in the study group with malignant cytology of which 29.1% had regional/distant failure, which compares to 10.5% of the cytology-negative patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Stage I endometrial carcinoma: a review of 140 patients primarily treated by surgery only

One hundred patients with stage Ia and 40 patients with stage Ib endometrial carcinoma had hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy performed as the only primary treatment. Sixty-two percent of the patients had well-differentiated tumors, 31% moderately differentiated, and 7% undifferentiated tumors. Information on myometrial invasion was not available. The overall 5-year survival was 0.92 and the 5-year survival by tumor grade 0.96, 0.90, and 0.80 for patients with grade 1, 2, and 3 tumors, respectively. Survival rates decreased significantly with increased tumor dedifferentiation. Prognosis was not affected by enlargement of the uterine cavity or by higher patient age. Of 7 cases of isolated vaginal or pelvic recurrence, 4 could by controlled by irradiation therapy. These results compared to reported results of combined therapy suggest, that in well-differentiated cases-the majority of stage I endometrial cancers-combined therapy of surgery and irradiation presents no advantage over simple hysterectomy.     

Pelvic exenteration, University of Michigan: 100 patients at 5 years

One hundred patients undergoing pelvic exenteration (total 69, anterior 13, posterior 18) at the University of Michigan Medical Center from 1964-1984 are reported. All patients were followed for at least 5 years or until time of death. The overall cumulative survival was 66% at 3 years and 61% at 5 years. The age of the patients ranged from 21-74 years (median 53). The type of pelvic neoplasm included squamous cell of the cervix, 57; adenocarcinoma of the cervix, nine; squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva, 12; squamous cell carcinoma of the vagina, eight; vaginal sarcoma, four; adenocarcinoma of the vagina, one; adenocarcinoma of the endometrium, four; uterine sarcoma, four; and adenocarcinoma of the ovary, one. The cumulative 5-year survival was significantly related to the presence of metastatic disease to the regional lymph nodes (8% 3-year and 0% 5-year survival), time interval from primary diagnosis to exenteration (within 1 year 44%, 1-10 years 60%, and over 10 years 95%), and cell type (squamous cell 68%, sarcoma 62%, and adenocarcinoma 26%). Patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix (N = 57) had a cumulative 5-year survival of 73%, compared with nine patients with adenocarcinoma of the cervix, who had a 22% 5-year survival. No significant difference in survival existed for the type of exenteration, original stage of squamous cell cervical carcinoma, size of recurrent squamous cell lesion, or age of the patient. Early or late complications occurred in 49 patients. Two patients died in the postoperative period. Small-bowel obstruction was the most common complication seen in this series.     

35例宫颈腺鳞癌临床分析

目的:分析宫颈腺鳞癌患者的临床特点、治疗方式。比较不同期别、不同组织分级患者的生存情况。方法:回顾性分析35例宫颈腺鳞癌患者的临床资料。结果:35例患者中位年龄45岁,均以阴道异常出血为首发临床症状。14例ⅠB1期～ⅡA期患者中,有2例ⅡA期患者接受了单纯放疗,另外12例接受了手术治疗,其中2例术后接受了化疗,2例术后接受了单纯放疗,2例术后接受了同步放化疗,其余6例术后未接受辅助治疗。18例ⅡB期～ⅢB期患者中9例接受了单纯放疗,9例接受了同步放化疗。3例Ⅳ期患者均接受了化疗+姑息性放疗。共有10例患者肿瘤复发,复发率为28.6%。中位复发时间为4.5个月。所有患者的3年和5年生存率分别为85.7%和78.0%。Ⅰ、Ⅱ和Ⅲ期患者的5年生存率分别为100%,93.3%和56.3%,3例Ⅳ期患者的生存时间分别为2、10和15个月。高、中分化患者的5年生存率为93.3%,低分化患者的5年生存率为66.9%,但无显著差异(P=0.208)。结论:宫颈腺鳞癌早期患者可以手术治疗或同步放化疗,预后较好。晚期患者应予同步放化疗,预后相对较差,特别是Ⅳ期患者,预后极差。     

Squamous cell cancer of the cervix: prognostic factors related to survival

Seven hundred and fifty-three patients with invasive squamous cell cancer of the cervix treated at the University of Michigan from 1970–1985 are reported. These included stage IA 43, stage IB 345, stage IIA 27, stage IIB 163, stage IIIA 4, stage IIIB 113, stage IVA 32, stage IVB 26. The age ranged from 18 to 92 years with a mean of 49.9 years. Clinical characteristics included: nulliparity 11%, married 93%, obese 41%, hypertensive 37%, diabetes 10%, smoking 50%, bleeding 76%. The cumulative five-year survival for all patients was 67% and this was influenced by the stage of disease: stage IA 98%, stage IB 89%, stage IIA 72%, stage IIB 62%, stage III 37%, stage IVA 14%, stage IVB 4%. Patients with a well-differentiated tumor had an 85% survival rate while those with a poorly differentiated tumor had a 57% survival rate. The probability of metastatic disease to lymph nodes corresponded to the stage of disease; stage I 17%, stage II 55%, stage III 70%, stage IV 81%. When lymph nodes were negative, the survival rate for all patients was 86% while those with positive nodes had a 33% survival rate. Factors which influenced survival in the univariate analysis included stage, node status, tumor grade, age, interval from previous pelvic examination, diabetes. Only stage, node status and tumor grade maintained significance in the multiple proportion hazard analysis.     

Benefit of external irradiation in pathologic stage I endometrial carcinoma: a prospective clinical trial of 605 patients who received postoperative vaginal irradiation and additional pelvic irradiation in the presence of unfavorable prognostic factors

Six hundred and five cases of endometrial carcinoma, pathologic stage I, without definable extrauterine disease were initially treated with total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, followed by high-dose-rate iridium-192 irradiation of the vagina. External irradiation of the pelvis was performed only for patients with poor prognostic factors. Five-year survival was calculated by the product-limit method of Kaplan and Meier. Three hundred and forty-eight patients with tumor invasion of the inner third, of any tumor grade, received postoperative vaginal irradiation only. Twenty-eight patients with grade 1 tumor invasion of the middle third received vaginal irradiation only. One hundred and six patients with grade 2 or 3 tumor and infiltration of the middle third received vaginal and external irradiation of the pelvis. One hundred and twenty-three patients with deep muscle invasion of the external third of the myometrium received vaginal and pelvic irradiation. Differences in survival figures were not significant. Survival of the treatment group with good prognosis who received vaginal irradiation alone (91%) was similar to that of the group with poor prognosis who received additional pelvic irradiation (87.7%). Despite the unfavorable situation of patients with poor prognostic factors, treatment results after additional external irradiation were relatively equal to the results for patients with good prognostic factors who had not received external irradiation. Therefore, the benefit of external irradiation in patients with stage I endometrial carcinoma with unfavorable prognostic factors seems evident.     

The treatment of stage III carcinoma of the uterine cervix with telecobalt irradiation

This is a retrospective analysis of 148 patients with histologically proven carcinoma of the cervix, stage III, treated with irradiation. All patients received external irradiation with cobalt 60 followed by intracavitary radium application. The median age was 55 years. Squamous cell carcinoma was found in 96.5% of the cases. The 8-year actuarial survival rate was 41%. Bilateral parametrial invasion proved to be a strong prognostic factor. Patients with unilateral disease had a survival rate of 43% whereas in those with bilateral involvement it was only 15% (P less than 0.005). The total pelvic failure rate was 29.5%. The overall incidence of distant metastasis was 11%. The complication rate (minor and major complications) was high, with vaginal stenosis (22.5%), proctitis (21.5%), cystitis (13.5%), and fistulae (4%) occurring in 33, 32, 20, and 6 patients, respectively. New treatment modalities are urgently needed for advanced carcinoma of the cervix. Bilateral parametrial involvement is an unfavorable prognostic factor and this should be kept in mind when designing new protocols.     

Central pelvic recurrence 7 years after radical vaginal trachelectomy

BACKGROUND: We report a case of central pelvic recurrence 7 years after radical vaginal trachelectomy for adenocarcinoma of the cervix. CASE: A 30-year-old woman was treated by radical vaginal trachelectomy and bilateral pelvic lymph node dissection (a fertility sparing procedure) in 1996 for cervical cancer. Pathology demonstrated a well differentiated, stage 1B1 adenocarcinoma. She presented 7 years later with a central pelvic recurrence measuring 30 mm in width. She subsequently underwent radical hysterectomy for central clearance and did not require post-operative radiotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Should selected patients who were initially treated by radical trachelectomy for early stage cervical cancer, in particular those with adenocarcinoma (as 50% of recurrences have been reported in this group of patients), be offered hysterectomy once child bearing is complete?     

Missing association between telomerase activity and clinicopathological features in patients with early stage carcinoma of the cervix

OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to evaluate the association between the telomerase activity in the tumor and clinicopathological findings in patients with stage IB-IIA (FIGO) carcinoma of the cervix. METHODS: Thirty-eight patients with carcinoma of the cervix submitted to radical hysterectomy were prospectively from January 1998 to November 2001. Samples from the tumor were taken and analyzed by the telomerase PCR-TRAP-ELISA kit. Clinicopathological characteristics such as age, stage, tumor size, grade of differentiation, lymphatic vascular space invasion (LVSI), parametrial involvement and status of pelvic lymph nodes were also recorded. RESULTS: Patient's mean age was 49.3+/-1.99 years (29-76 years). The clinical stage (FIGO) was IB in 35 patients (92.1%) and IIA in 3 patients (7.9%). The histological classification identified squamous cell carcinoma in 33 patients (86.8%) and adenocarcinoma in 5 patients (13.2%). There was no association between age, clinical stage, histological classification, tumor size, grade of differentiation and presence of LVSI with tumoral telomerase activity. The telomerase activity was not associated with the presence of vaginal involvement (P=0.349), parametrium involvement (P=0.916), pelvic lymph node metastasis (P=0.988) or tumoral recurrence (P=0.328) in patients with carcinoma of the cervix. CONCLUSIONS: Telomerase activity in the tumor is not associated with clinicopathological findings or tumor recurrence in patients with early stage cervical carcinoma.     

Adjuvant high dose rate vaginal brachytherapy as treatment of stage I and II endometrial carcinoma

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of high dose rate vaginal brachytherapy in the treatment of International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IB, IC, and II endometrial carcinoma after surgical staging and complete lymphadenectomy. METHODS: All patients with stage IB, IC, or II adenocarcinoma or adenosquamous carcinoma of the endometrium who received postoperative high dose rate vaginal brachytherapy at our institution between June 1, 1989, and June 1, 1999, were eligible. High dose rate vaginal brachytherapy was delivered in three fractions of 700 cGy. Retrospective chart review was performed. Kaplan-Meier estimates were calculated for disease-free and overall survival. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-four women were identified. Fifty-six percent had stage IB disease, 30% had stage IC disease, and 14% had stage II disease. Approximately one third of patients had high-grade lesions and nearly 40% had deep myometrial invasion. Median follow-up was 65 months (range 6-142 months). To date, 14 patients have had recurrence; 2 at the vaginal apex, 9 at distant sites, 1 at the pelvic sidewall, 1 simultaneously in the pelvis and at a distant site, and 1 at an unknown site. Both patients with vaginal apex recurrences had salvage therapy and are now free of disease. The overall 5-year survival and disease-free survival rates were 87% and 90%, respectively. There were no Radiation Therapy Oncology Group grade 3 or 4 toxicities. High dose rate vaginal brachytherapy was approximately $1,000 less expensive than external-beam whole-pelvic radiation. CONCLUSIONS: Adjuvant high dose rate vaginal brachytherapy in thoroughly staged patients with intermediate-risk endometrial carcinoma provides excellent overall and disease-free survival with less toxicity and at less cost compared with whole-pelvic radiation.     

Gynecologic malignancies in women aged less than 25 years

OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiologic characteristics of gynecologic malignancies in patients 25 years of age or younger. METHODS: The Automated Central Tumor Registry (ACTUR), the cancer registry for the Department of Defense, was used to identify children, adolescents, and young adults diagnosed with gynecologic malignancies. Specifically, primary ovarian, uterine, cervical, vaginal, and vulvar malignancies diagnosed between 1990 and 2002 were included in the analysis. Data from the Department of Defense tumor registry were then compared with results obtained from the national Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Report (SEER) program database. RESULTS: Two hundred fifty-one cases were identified in the Department of Defense tumor registry. The most common primary site was ovary, with 116 cases (46%), followed by cervix, with 108 cases (43%). The most common histological types were germ cell (35%) for ovary, squamous cell (52%) for cervix, choriocarcinoma (18%) for uterus, and squamous cell (30%) for vulva/vagina. The 21- to 25-year-old age group had the greatest number of cases for the entire cohort (23%). Most patients had only local disease at time of diagnosis, and the 5-year survival percentage was 86% (95% confidence interval 80-91) for all patients with ovarian and cervical carcinoma. Data from the SEER program demonstrated a similar distribution and incidence pattern. CONCLUSION: The ovary and cervix are the most common primary sites of gynecologic malignancies in patients 25 years of age or younger. Health maintenance programs for patients in this age group should continue to include pelvic exams and Pap test screening.     

Concomitant radiotherapy and hyperthermia for primary carcinoma of the vagina: a cohort study

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the supplementary value of adding hyperthermia to radiotherapy in patients with primary vaginal cancer. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort of 44 patients diagnosed with primary vaginal cancer between 1990 and 2002 was assessed. Survival rates and median survival of patients with primary vaginal cancer undergoing radiotherapy with and without hyperthermia were compared. Hyperthermia was solely added to radiotherapy in case of a tumor size >4 cm in diameter for FIGO stage III disease. RESULTS: The calculated overall 5-year survival of primary vaginal cancer was 63%. In comparison to histologic high grade tumors, higher survival rates for histologic low grade tumors were calculated. For FIGO stage III of disease, the addition of hyperthermia to radiotherapy for tumors >4 cm in diameter resulted similar survival rates and median survival when compared to those achieved by radiotherapy as monotherapy in tumors of <4 cm in diameter. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of hyperthermia to radiotherapy might result in better survival rates in primary vaginal cancer for tumors >4 cm in diameter. The supplementary effect of hyperthermia to radiotherapy may be a feasible and beneficial approach in the treatment of vaginal cancer.     

Results of radiotherapy alone in the treatment of carcinoma of uterine cervix: a retrospective analysis of 1069 patients

Carcinoma of the uterine cervix is the most common malignancy affecting women in developing countries like India. This retrospective study was made to analyze our results of radiotherapy alone in the treatment of carcinoma cervix. Between January 1996 and December 2001, 1069 patients of carcinoma cervix were treated at our center with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and intracavitary radiotherapy (871) or EBRT alone (198). The median dose to point A was 81 Gy. Overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and pelvic control at 5 years were 51.8%, 49.4%, and 63.9%, respectively. For the patients who could receive intracavitary radiotherapy (871), the OS, DFS, and pelvic control rates were 60.7%, 58.6%, and 73.5%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, bulk, overall treatment time (OTT) and response to EBRT were found to affect OS and DFS independently. Similarly, OTT, response to EBRT, stage, and age were the factors that influenced pelvic control. Incidence of severe late toxicities (grade 3/4) in the rectum, bladder, small intestine, and skin were 1.1%, 1.2%, 0.2%, and 1.2%, respectively. In developing countries like India, where chemoradiation can be afforded by a minority only, judicious use of radiotherapy still produces satisfactory results with acceptable toxicity. The addition of chemotherapy may be beneficial in patients with adverse prognostic factors.     

Risk factors for cervical stenosis after laser cone biopsy

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incidence of cervical stenosis after laser cone biopsy and to identify risks factors for this adverse outcome. METHODS: Prospective study evaluating all patients (n = 375) treated by laser cone biopsy for suspected cervical intraepithelial neoplasia between 1 January 1990 and 31 December 1996. Patients were contacted by mail for a clinical evaluation, 37 +/- 26 months after surgery. Two hundred and thirty-eight patients (63%) reply to this clinical follow-up examination including colposcopy, cervical smear and evaluation of cervical stenosis. Cervical stenosis was defined as cervical os narrowing preventing the insertion of a cotton swab. RESULTS: Forty patients (16.8%) had cervical stenosis at follow-up. The risk of postoperative cervical stenosis increases when patients were older (mean age of women with stenosis 42 years versus 35 years; P < 0.0001), when the depth of surgical excision increases (mean surgical specimen height 18.2 mm in women with stenosis versus 15.9 mm; P < 0.01), when preoperative junction was endocervical (2.5; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4-4.7), when vaginal packing was necessary (2.4; 95% CI 1.4-4.2), and when continuous laser mode was used (2.1; 95% CI 1.2-3.7). Stenosis incidence was lower when human papilloma virus (HPV) was present on cervical biopsy (0.47; 95% CI 0.3-0.8), when women were smokers (0.48; 95% CI 0.3-0.9), and when a Surgicel compress was placed in the excision site (0,4; 95% CI 0.2-0.8). Patient age was the only significant independent predictor of stenosis identified by a multivariate analysis using logistic regression. CONCLUSIONS: Patient with advanced age should be counselled regarding the risks for cervical stenosis after laser cone biopsy. Other surgical options may be considered when patient age exceeds 40 years.     

Adjuvant radiotherapy and survival outcomes in early-stage endometrial cancer: a multi-institutional analysis of 608 women

OBJECTIVE: The role of post-operative radiotherapy (RT) in women with early-stage, low to intermediate risk cancer of the uterine corpus remains controversial. The primary objective of this analysis was to evaluate the survival outcomes of women with early-stage endometrial cancer treated with surgery alone or surgery followed by RT. METHODS: Data from two institutions were collected from 1990 to 2003. The 608 eligible women had FIGO stage IA to IIA endometrial cancer and underwent primary surgery +/-RT. Univariate and multivariate analyses of pertinent variables were performed for the end points of disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: The median age for all women was 64 years. RT was delivered to 133 women (22%). Unfavorable histologic grade (P < 0.0001) and stage (P < 0.0001) were significantly more prevalent in the adjuvant RT group. At a median follow-up of 5.2 years, 26 pelvic (11 vaginal) and 16 distant failures occurred along with 110 deaths (with no significant differences between women undergoing surgery alone or followed by RT). Adjuvant RT, younger age, and lower stage predicted for improved DFS and OS on multivariate analysis. Stratified analysis revealed that adjuvant RT conferred a survival benefit in women with stage IC or IIA disease. CONCLUSIONS: Adjuvant RT was associated with improved disease-free and overall survival in women with higher risk disease. Despite significantly worse disease characteristics among women in the adjuvant RT group, the analyzed end points were equivalent among the two groups. These findings suggest that adjuvant radiotherapy has a significant benefit in reducing mortality and disease progression in early-stage carcinoma of the uterine corpus.     

Chemoradiation with adjuvant hysterectomy for stage IB-2 cervical cancer: a 10-year experience

To review outcomes of patients with stage IB-2 cervical carcinoma treated with chemoradiation therapy (CRT) followed by total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH), common iliac and para-aortic lymphadenectomy (PAL). A retrospective review of patients with stage IB-2 cervical cancer treated with CRT followed by TAH/PAL from 1999 to 2009 was performed. Brachytherapy was limited to 1,500–1,800?cGy. Sixty-nine patients were identified. The mean age was 46.7?years, tumor diameter 5.4?cm, and all patients had complete clinical response to CRT. The mean follow-up was 61.7?months. There were no central pelvic relapses and two pelvic sidewall failures (97% pelvic control). The mean time to progression was 31.6?months, and 5-year disease-specific survival was 81%. Three (4.3%) patients developed symptomatic vaginal stenosis. CRT plus adjuvant hysterectomy for stage IB-2 cervical cancer resulted in excellent pelvic control and 5-year survival. Vaginal stenosis was rare.     

Carcinoma of the cervix—recurrences in Queensland 1982–1986

A retrospective study of recurrent cancer of the cervix was carried out on patients who attended the Gynaecologic Oncology Unit, Royal Brisbane Hospital, between the years 1982 and 1986. Ninety-four recurrences were assessed out of 526 patients (17.7%). The likely recurrence was related to stage. Sixty-seven percent had pelvic recurrences with 33% recurring in extrapelvic sites alone. The most common site of tumor recurrence was central pelvis (47%). Histopathology recurrences were analyzed and recurrence was found to be more common with the rare tumor types. Mortality of recurrent carcinoma of the cervix is high. Multivariate analysis shows lymph node metastases and histologic status of resection margins to be independent variables predictive of recurrence. Lymphvascular space involvement has not been an independent variable after adjusting for nodes and margins. Cytology of vaginal vault or residual cervix smear shows that 58% of patients with central recurrence had an abnormal smear. The relative literature was discussed in relation to the findings of our unit.