Concurrent chemotherapy plus radiotherapy for stage-II - III cervical cancer

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of concurrent chemotherapy plus radiotherapy in treatment of stage-Ⅱ-Ⅲ cervical cancer. Methods Fifty-eight patients with stage-Ⅱ-Ⅲ cervical cancer were randomized into two groups: Radiotherapy alone group (25 patients) received whole pelvic field plus four field radiotherapy combined with intracavitary irradiation for 70 Gy at point A and 50-56 Gy at point B. Concurrent radiotherapy plus chemotherapy with DDP (20 mg,d1-5)and 5-Fu(500 mg,d1-5) per week, one cycle per 4 weeks. Results The median survival periods were 34 months in radiotherapy alone group and 46 months in concurrent chemotherapy plus radiotherapy group, with the difference in the survival rates very significant( P = 0.021). More serious toxicity was found in the concurrent chemotherapy plus radiotherapy group, but it could be alleviated. Conclusions The median survival period can be significantly prolonged and the survival rate improved by concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy in the treatment of stage-Ⅱ- Ⅲ cervical cancer.