Para-aortic lymph node irradiation for carcinoma of the uterine cervix using split course technique.

Twenty women with previously untreated cervical cancer received radical irradiation to the para-aortic lymph nodes and pelvis. Ninety percent received 6000 rads to the para-aortic nodes and pelvis in 8 weeks using split course technique. The mortality from complications of therapy, without evidence of recurrence, was 25%. Forty percent of the women were dead from recurrent cervical cancer (4–23M), and even with this short follow-up only 35% were surviving NED (6–29M). Methods for improving future trials of irradiation to the para-aortic nodes are discussed.