Stage IB,IIA and proximal IIB,carcinoma of the uterine cervix,treated by irradiation alone or in combination with surgery

This is a report of a nonrandomized comparison of treatment results of 139 patients with stage IB, IIA and proximal IIB carcinoma of the uterine cervix treated by radiation alone and 113 treated with a combination of radiation and surgery. The five-year tumor free acturial survival for the patients with stage IB either with irradiation alone (RT) or combined with surgery (RS) was approximately 87%. For stage II the tumor free actuarial five-year survival 79% with patients of RS, and 76% with RT. In the 113 patients treated with RS there were 18 (16%). In the 139 patients treated by RT there were 18 (13%) recurrences of pelvic, 4 local recurrences, 11 combined with parametrial, and free parametrial recurrences. There was no significant difference in the survival and recurrence rate of the patients treated with either method. Major complications were comparable in both groups (RT approximately 25% and RS approximately 10%), but 2/3 of those complications recovered without sequelae. The most frequent minor complication in the patients treated with RT was rectosigmoiditis.