Chemotherapy versus radiotherapy versus observation for high-risk cervical carcinoma after radical hysterectomy: A randomized, prospective, multicenter trial

Sentinel lymph node biopsy at the time of hysterectomy for early-stage cervical cancer: A cost-effectiveness analysis

OBJECTIVE

Standard management of early-stage cervical cancer is hysterectomy with bilateral pelvic lymph node evaluation. Based on the final results of the prospective international SENTIX Trial, we sought to determine the cost-effectiveness (CE) of type of lymph node assessment for early-stage cervical cancer.

METHODS

A decision analytic model was created using TreeAgePro 2023 software to evaluate the strategies of routine full lymph node dissection (LND) without para-aortic node dissection verses sentinel lymph node dissection (SNLD) at the time of hysterectomy. It was assumed that patients in the SLND group underwent unilateral or bilateral full LND in the event of unilateral or bilateral non-mapping, respectively. Outcomes included cost, quality adjusted life years (QALYs), perioperative complications, lymphedema, and recurrence 24 months after surgery. Univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analyses investigated the impact of the strategies.

RESULTS

In a theoretical cohort of 1000 women, SLND was the dominate strategy resulting in 1804 QALYs, cost $28.54 M, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) -$83,693, compared to routine LND. This strategy resulted in 53 total peri-operative complications and a 77 % reduction in lymphedema cases. At 24 months, the recurrence rate was 62 in the SLND group and 89 in the full LND group, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared to routine full LND, SLND is CE with a reduction in post-operative complications and lymphedema with an ICER of -$83,693. When feasible, this surgical technique should be considered at the time of hysterectomy.

Adjuvant Chemotherapy versus Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy for Surgically Treated T1b Uterine Cervical Cancer: A Propensity Score Matched Analysis of the JSOG Nationwide Data

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of postoperative chemotherapy on the survival of surgically treated patients with T1b uterine cervical cancer.

METHODS

Overall, 1687 patients with T1b cervical cancer who received concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) or chemotherapy as postoperative adjuvant therapy were retrospectively analyzed using the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology cancer registry program data from 2015 to 2016. After propensity score matching, overall survival (OS) was compared between 643 patients treated with CCRT and 643 patients treated with chemotherapy.

RESULTS

OS was significantly higher in the chemotherapy group than in the CCRT group (hazard ratio [HR] 0.653, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.448 - 0.953; p = 0.026). In the subgroup analysis, patients with squamous histology and large tumor size (>4 cm) and without lymph node metastasis can benefit from chemotherapy in terms of OS (HR 0.53, 95% CI 0.29-0.95; HR 0.49, 95% CI 0.25-0.95; and HR 0.54, 95% CI 0.33-0.88, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Patients with cervical cancer with squamous histology, large tumor size and negative lymph node metastasis can benefit from postoperative chemotherapy in terms of survival. Tumor characteristics could be associated with the effect of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy on survival.

Adjuvant chemotherapy versus adjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy after radical surgery for early-stage cervical cancer: a randomized, non-inferiority, multicenter trial

We conducted a prospective study to assess the non-inferiority of adjuvant chemotherapy alone versus adjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) as an alternative strategy for patients with early-stage (FIGO 2009 stage IB-IIA) cervical cancer having risk factors after surgery. The condition was assessed in terms of prognosis, adverse effects, and quality of life. This randomized trial involved nine centers across China. Eligible patients were randomized to receive adjuvant chemotherapy or CCRT after surgery. The primary end-point was progression-free survival (PFS). From December 2012 to December 2014, 337 patients were subjected to randomization. Final analysis included 329 patients, including 165 in the adjuvant chemotherapy group and 164 in the adjuvant CCRT group. The median follow-up was 72.1 months. The three-year PFS rates were both 91.9%, and the five-year OS was 90.6% versus 90.0% in adjuvant chemotherapy and CCRT groups, respectively. No significant differences were observed in the PFS or OS between groups. The adjusted HR for PFS was 0.854 (95% confidence interval 0.415-1.757; P = 0.667) favoring adjuvant chemotherapy, excluding the predefined non-inferiority boundary of 1.9. The chemotherapy group showed a tendency toward good quality of life. In comparison with post-operative adjuvant CCRT, adjuvant chemotherapy treatment showed non-inferior efficacy in patients with early-stage cervical cancer having pathological risk factors. Adjuvant chemotherapy alone is a favorable alternative post-operative treatment.

Cervical Cancer Recurrence and Patient Survival After Radical Hysterectomy Followed by Either Adjuvant Chemotherapy or Adjuvant Radiotherapy With Optional Concurrent Chemotherapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective

To compare cervical cancer recurrence and patient survival after radical hysterectomy followed by either adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) or adjuvant radiotherapy with or without concurrent chemotherapy (AR/CCRT).

Methods

We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and clinicaltrials.gov to identify studies reporting recurrence or survival of cervical cancer patients who received AC or AR/CCRT after radical hysterectomy. Data were meta-analyzed using a random-effects model, and heterogeneity was evaluated using the I² test. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed to identify potential sources of heterogeneity.

Results

The meta-analysis included 14 non-randomized studies and two randomized controlled trials, altogether involving 5,052 cervical cancer patients. AC and AR/CCRT groups did not differ significantly in rates of total or local recurrence or mortality. Nevertheless, AC was associated with significantly lower risk of distant recurrence [odds ratio (OR) 0.67, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.55-0.81] and higher rates of overall survival [hazard ratio (HR) 0.69, 95%CI 0.54-0.85] and disease-free survival rate (HR 0.77, 95%CI 0.62-0.92).

Conclusions

AC may be an effective alternative to AR/CCRT for cervical cancer patients after radical hysterectomy, especially younger women who wish to preserve their ovaries and protect them from radiation damage.

Systematic Review Registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier PROSPERO (CRD42021252518).

The trend and outcome of postsurgical therapy for high-risk early-stage cervical cancer with lymph node metastasis in Japan: a report from the Japan Society of Gynecologic Oncology (JSGO) guidelines evaluation committee

OBJECTIVE

The Japan Society of Gynecologic Oncology published the first guidelines for the treatment of cervical cancer in 2007. The aim of this research was to evaluate the influence of the introduction of the first guideline on clinical trends and outcomes of patients with early-stage cervical cancer who underwent surgery.

METHODS

This analysis included 9,756 patients who were diagnosed based on the pathological Tumor-Node-Metastasis (pTNM) classification (i.e., pT1b1, pT1b2, pT2b and pN0, pN1, pNX) and received surgery as a primary treatment between 2004 and 2009. Data of these patients were retrospectively reviewed, and clinicopathological trends were assessed. The influence of the introduction of the guideline on survival was determined by using a competing risk model.

RESULTS

For surgery cases, the estimated subdistribution hazard ratio (HR) by the competing risk model for the influence of the guideline adjusted for age, year of registration, pT classification, pN classification, histological type, and treatment methods was 1.024 (p=0.864). Following the introduction of the first guideline in 2007, for patients with lymph node metastasis, the use of chemotherapy (CT) as a postsurgical therapy increased, whereas that of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT)/radiotherapy (RT) decreased (p<0.010). For pN1 cases, the estimated subdistribution HR by the competing risk model for the influence of the guideline was 1.094 (p=0.634). There was no significance in the postsurgical therapy between CT and CCRT/RT (p=0.078).

CONCLUSIONS

Survival of surgical cases was not improved by the introduction of the guidelines. It is necessary to consider more effective postsurgical therapy for high-risk early-stage cervical cancer.

Effectiveness of Sequential Chemoradiation vs Concurrent Chemoradiation or Radiation Alone in Adjuvant Treatment After Hysterectomy for Cervical Cancer: The STARS Phase 3 Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance

There is no current consensus on the role of chemotherapy in addition to radiation for postoperative adjuvant treatment of patients with early-stage cervical cancer with adverse pathological factors.

Objective

To evaluate the clinical benefits of sequential chemoradiation (SCRT) and concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT) compared with radiation alone (RT) as a postoperative adjuvant treatment in early-stage cervical cancer.

Design, Setting, and Participants

After radical hysterectomy at 1 of 8 participating hospitals in China, patients with FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) stage IB to IIA cervical cancer with adverse pathological factors were randomized 1:1:1 to receive adjuvant RT, CCRT, or SCRT. Data were collected from February 2008 to December 2018.

Interventions

Patients received adjuvant RT (total dose, 45-50 Gy), CCRT (weekly cisplatin, 30-40 mg/m2), or SCRT (cisplatin, 60-75 mg/m2, plus paclitaxel, 135-175 mg/m2) in a 21-day cycle, given 2 cycles before and 2 cycles after radiotherapy, respectively.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary end point was the rate of disease-free survival (DFS) at 3 years.

Results

A total of 1048 women (median [range] age, 48 [23-65] years) were included in the analysis (350 in the RT group, 345 in the CCRT group, and 353 in the SCRT group). Baseline demographic and disease characteristics were balanced among the treatment groups except that the rate of lymph node involvement was lowest in the RT group (18.3%). In the intention-to-treat population, SCRT was associated with a higher rate of DFS than RT (3-year rate, 90.0% vs 82.0%; hazard ratio [HR], 0.52; 95% CI, 0.35-0.76) and CCRT (90.0% vs 85.0%; HR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.44-0.96). Treatment with SCRT also decreased cancer death risk compared with RT (5-year rate, 92.0% vs 88.0%; HR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.35-0.95) after adjustment for lymph node involvement. However, neither DFS nor cancer death risk was different among patients treated with CCRT or RT.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this randomized clinical trial, conducted in a postoperative adjuvant treatment setting, SCRT, rather than CCRT, resulted in a higher DFS and lower risk of cancer death than RT among women with early-stage cervical cancer.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00806117.

Is there a benefit for adjuvant radio(chemo)therapy in early cervical cancer? Results from a population-based study

PURPOSE

Due to insufficient and conflicting prospective evidence, the recommendations on when to apply adjuvant radiochemotherapy in early-stage cervical cancer vary between international guidelines. In this population-based study, we evaluated the outcome of patients with early-stage cervical cancer based on risk factors and the adjuvant therapy they received.

METHODS

The effect of primary therapy (surgery and radiochemotherapy RCT, surgery and radiotherapy RT, and surgery alone) on overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) was evaluated in the complete cohort of 442 patients and in subgroups according to risk profile and nodal status.

RESULTS

In low-risk patients, there was no difference in OS (p = 0.276) depending on whether patients received adjuvant therapy or not. Concerning RFS, patients with RT (including one patient with RCT) exhibited a significantly worse outcome compared to the group with surgery alone (p = 0.015). In intermediate-risk patients, the administration of adjuvant RT significantly benefited RFS when compared to surgery only in multivariate analysis (p = 0.031). Concerning OS, no significant influence for adjuvant treatment could be seen (p = 0.354). Though trends towards better OS and RFS could be observed in patients of the high-risk group-both in RCT and RT groups compared to surgery alone-the effects did not prove to be significant.

CONCLUSION

Our study reaffirms the evidence against the use of adjuvant radio(chemo)therapy in low-risk early-stage cervical cancer. In intermediate-, and less pronounced in high-risk patients, however, it seems to be beneficial. The role of adjuvant radio(chemo)therapy in early cervical cancer should be further investigated in prospective randomized trials.

Postoperative Adjuvant Chemotherapy Improved the Prognosis in Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer Patients With Optimal Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

Background

Few studies investigated the effectiveness of adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) in patients with optimal response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT), and an optimal number of treatment cycles for these patients remains unknown.

Methods

A total of 261 Chinese patients with FIGO stage IB2-IIB cervical cancer who obtained an optimal response to NACT were included after radical surgery, and the disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) of these patients treated with different cycles of postoperative ACT were compared using the Log-rank test and multivariate analysis.

Results

We found that the prognosis of optimal responders treated with postoperative ACT was significantly better than those without further adjuvant therapy. The multivariate analysis showed that postoperative ACT was an independent prognostic factor for DFS. However, there was no significant difference in the DFS and OS between patients who had three cycles of ACT and those with six cycles. Further analysis revealed a significant association of six cycles of ACT with the risk of leukopenia, nausea/vomiting, and rash.

Conclusion

Our data suggest that additional three cycles of ACT after surgery may improve the clinical outcome of optimal responders in terms of DFS, OS, and drug toxicity.

Bone recurrence after radical hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy in early-stage cervical cancer

Objective:

To present the clinical, surgical, and pathologic features of bone recurrence in patients who underwent radical hysterectomy for early-stage uterine cervical cancer.

Materials and Methods:

Data of 412 patients who underwent type III radical hysterectomy and pelvic ± paraaortic lymphadenectomy for stage 1B-2A epithelial cervical cancer were reviewed. Seven (1.7%) patients with bone recurrence in the first recurrence were included in the study.

Results:

The median follow-up of the main cohort (n=412) was 46 (range=1-300) months. In this period, recurrence developed in 53 (12.9%) patients and recurrence was observed in bone in 13.2% (7 of 53) of these recurrences. Time to recurrence ranged from 9 to 45 months. Of the recurrences, five were in the axial skeleton and two were in the appendicular skeleton. Recurrence was observed in lumbar vertebrae in three patients, thoracic vertebrae in one patient, sacral vertebrae in one patient, lumbosacral vertebrae in one patient, and the left femur in two patients. Four patients had multiple recurrence in 3 patients despite isolated bone recurrence. Patients with multiple recurrences died within 6-25 months. All isolated bone recurrences were in the axial skeleton. Complete clinical response with salvage therapy was achieved in two patients with isolated bone recurrence.

Conclusion:

Complete clinical response and long postoperative survival can be achieved with salvage treatment when bone recurrence is solitary in cervical cancers.

Chemoradiotherapy is not superior to radiotherapy alone after radical surgery for cervical cancer patients with intermediate-risk factor

Objectives

There is no consensus on whether giving adjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) is more effective than adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) alone in patients with early stage cervical cancer and intermediate-risk factor(s). The purpose of this study was to evaluate survival difference according to adjuvant treatment in the intermediate-risk group.

Methods

From 2000 to 2014, the medical records of patients with stage IB–IIA cervical cancer and a history of radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection, followed by pelvic RT at a dose ≥40 Gy were retrospectively reviewed. Among these, 316 patients with one or more intermediate-risk factor(s) and no high-risk factors were included. The criteria defined the intermediate-risk group as those patients with any of the following intermediate-risk factors: lymphovascular space involvement, over one-half stromal invasion, or tumor size ≥4 cm.

Results

The median follow-up duration was 70 months (range: 3–203 months). According to adjuvant treatment (adjuvant RT alone vs. adjuvant CCRT), the 5-year recurrence-free survival rates (90.8% vs. 88.9%, p=0.631) and 5-year overall survival rates (95.9% vs. 91.0%, p=0.287) did not show a significant difference in patients with any of the intermediate-risk factors. In multivariate analysis, a distinct survival difference according to adjuvant treatment was not found regardless of the number of risk factors.

Conclusion

The present study showed that giving RT together with chemotherapy is not more effective than RT alone for stage IB–IIA cervical cancer patients with intermediate-risk factor(s).

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01101451

Perineural invasion in cervical cancer: pay attention to the indications of nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy

Perineural invasion (PNI) in early-stage cervical cancer, is associated with multiple high-risk factors and represents a poor outcome in the patients. For nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy (NSRH) to become a standard and widely used treatment for cervical cancer, we need to define its oncological safety, and to establish standardized surgical procedures and indications of NSRH. Here, we review the definition and mechanisms, and clinical significance of PNI in cervical cancer, and discuss the indications of NSRH. PNI should be regarded as one of the main pathological features of cervical cancer and a factor affecting prognosis. A deeper understanding of PNI in cervical cancer, hopefully, will provide clear indications of NSRH.

Prognostic factors for response to chemotherapy in advanced tumors of the uterine cervix: the role of neoangiogenesis

OBJECTIVE

to analyze the expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), its receptor (VEGFR-2), age and histological type of advanced cervical carcinomas with respect to the clinical response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

METHODS

we studied 40 patients with cervical carcinoma (IB2 and IVA) diagnosed by biopsies prior to treatment. All patients underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy and evaluation for clinical response and expression of VEGF. We considered a tumor regression greater than 50% as a good clinical response.

RESULTS

eighteen patients (45%) had good response to chemotherapy, and 22 (55%), poor response. VEGF expression was positive in 16 patients and negative in 24. When analyzed separately for response to chemotherapy, only the positive expression of VEGF was associated with good clinical response (p=0.0157).

CONCLUSION

VEGF expression alone was an important marker of good response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with advanced carcinoma of the cervix.

Adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery can improve clinical outcomes for patients with IB2-IIB cervical cancer with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical surgery

The aim of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of postoperative treatments based on pathological response for cervical cancer patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by radical surgery. Firstly, a total of 756 cervical squamous cell cancer (SCC) patients with FIGO IB2-IIB were included in this retrospective study. Then data from a prospective cohort of 393 patients was employed for further validation. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were assessed. In the retrospective study, SCC patients who accepted adjuvant chemotherapy after radical surgery had a relatively better OS than those who received no therapy (P = 0.08, HR = 0.57). The result was more noticeable in the prospective cohort study (P = 0.006, HR = 0.28). In the combined analysis, adjuvant chemotherapy improved clinical outcomes compared with no therapy (P = 0.002 and 0.04 for OS and DFS). Particularly for patients with extra-cervical residual disease, adjuvant chemotherapy improved OS (log-rank P = 0.008, 0.004 and 0.001 in the retrospective, prospective and combined studies). Optimal response patients had good outcomes even without therapy. Our study indicates that adjuvant chemotherapy can benefit clinical outcomes for SCC patients with NACT followed by radical surgery, especially those with extra-cervical residual disease. For optimal response patients, there may be no need for further treatment. This finding needs to be validated in more future studies.

Comparison between adjuvant chemotherapy and adjuvant radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy after radical surgery in patients with cervical cancer: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) on the prognosis in cervical cancer patients with intermediate- or high-risk factors after radical hysterectomy (RH) compared to that for adjuvant radiotherapy (AR).

METHODS

The Embase and MEDLINE databases and the Cochrane Library were searched for published studies comparing cervical cancer patients who received AC with those who received AR after RH. The endpoints were patient oncologic outcome. Random-effects meta-analytical models were used to calculate the pooled estimates of the effect of AC on mortality/recurrence.

RESULTS

Two randomized trials and eleven observational studies (AC, 942 patients; AR, 1,721 patients) met our search criteria. There were no significant differences in mortality and any recurrence between two groups. The results for distant recurrence favored the AC group (pooled odds ratio: 0.69; 95% confidence interval: 0.54-0.88; p=0.03). In subgroup analyses (for study design, histology, indication for adjuvant treatment, AR type, AC type, and lymph node metastasis), there was no significant increase in mortality and recurrence for AC compared with that for AR.

CONCLUSION

Compared to AR, AC showed similar survival outcomes in cervical cancer patients undergoing RH and also appeared to reduce the risk of distant recurrence.

Perineural invasion in early-stage cervical cancer and its relevance following surgery

Perineural invasion (PNI) is the neoplastic invasion of nerves by cancer cells, a process that has attracted attention as a novel prognostic factor for cancer. The present study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of PNI in patients with early-stage cervical cancer (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IA2-IIA). A total of 210 patients who underwent radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy between 2007 and 2012 were included in the current study, of whom 8.57% (18/210) exhibited PNI. Patients with PNI were more likely to exhibit adverse histopathological features, such as increased tumor size, depth of stromal invasion, parametrial invasion, lymphovascular space invasion and lymph nodes metastases (all P<0.05). Patients with PNI exhibited shorter disease-free and overall survival (P=0.002 and P=0.017, respectively). However, PNI was not identified as an independent risk factor for either recurrence or death by multivariate analysis. Furthermore, 88.9% (16/18) of patients with PNI received adjuvant therapy following surgery. PNI was significantly associated with well-established indicators for adjuvant therapy. In conclusion, PNI was associated with multiple high-risk factors and its presence was indicative of a poor outcome in patients with early-stage cervical cancer, which may influence management decisions regarding adjuvant therapy.

Systemic therapy for cervical carcinoma - current status

Two major treatment modalities in cervical cancer are radiation therapy (RT) and surgery. Chemotherapy continues to be the main form of systemic therapy adjunctive to definitive local therapies, and is used for palliation. Platinum-based regimens, administered concurrently with both definitive and postoperative RT, were demonstrated to provide significant survival benefits, whereas the beneficial effect of concurrent chemoradiotherapy in later-stage disease was smaller. The role of chemotherapy in addition to RT in IB1/IIA1 cervical cancer patients not undergoing surgery remains undefined. Likewise, the role of chemotherapy in combination with postoperative RT for patients with intermediate-risk factors for recurrence has not yet been verified. The recent standard for chemoradiotherapy is cisplatin alone administered weekly. Other cisplatin-based or non-cisplatin-based regimens have not been subjected to large clinical studies. The benefits of consolidation chemotherapy after chemoradiation for locally advanced cervical cancer are still undetermined. Neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy followed by surgery has shown survival benefits, however its role in the era of chemoradiotherapy remains unclear. The combination of cisplatin and paclitaxel is considered a standard regimen in the palliative setting. There is no standard of care for second-line systemic therapy in advanced cervical cancer. Bevacizumab combined with palliative chemotherapy (cisplatin/paclitaxel or topotecan/paclitaxel) in the first-line treatment for recurrent/metastatic cervical cancer significantly improves overall survival when compared to chemotherapy alone. The role of immunotherapy in cervical cancer remains to be established. The optimal combined modality treatment including systemic therapy for cervical tumors of non-squamous histology remains a matter of debate. Ongoing accumulation of data on genomic and proteomic characteristics provides insight into the molecular heterogeneity of cervical cancer and paves the way for developing molecularly targeted therapies.

The issues regarding postoperative adjuvant therapy and prognostic risk factors for patients with stage I-II cervical cancer: A review

The treatment for most patients with early-stage cervical cancer involves radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection, and indications for postoperative adjuvant therapy have been determined by evaluating the prognostic risk factors for recurrence in each case. The aim of this review is to raise and discuss the various issues that have not yet been resolved regarding the prognostic risk factors and postoperative adjuvant therapy. Several clinicopathological factors, such as tumor size, lymphovascular space involvement, deep stromal invasion, parametrial involvement and lymph node metastasis, have been identified to have prognostic significance in early-stage cervical cancer. However, this remains controversial because there is suggested to be substantial heterogeneity among patients after radical hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy and it would be difficult to define the risk groups clearly. This indicates the need to develop more convenient and accurate criteria to define risk groups. According to the currently available evidence, patients in the high-risk group should receive adjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) with cisplatin (CDDP) and fluolouracil. However, CCRT with CDDP administered weekly (CCRT-P) has instead been applied in a clinical context worldwide. Whether CCRT-P has a survival benefit compared with radiotherapy (RT) alone is unknown because no randomized phase III trials have been performed for patients in the high-risk group after radical surgery. Patients with high-risk factors have a high incidence of distant metastasis, for whom systemic chemotherapy might be a key to improving overall survival. The pivotal study that investigated the role of RT alone for patients with intermediate-risk factors after hysterectomy is the GOG092 trial. This trial showed a 47% reduction in the risk of recurrence after RT compared with no further treatment (NFT). However, the improvement in overall survival with RT did not reach statistical significance, while patients allocated to the RT group did experience an increase in severe toxicities compared with the NFT group. This could be why many physicians are reluctant to treat patients with this approach, although guidelines recommend RT for patients with intermediate-risk factors. With regard to toxicities, postoperative RT would be problematic because the organs in the pelvis targeted by RT have already been damaged by radical surgery. To reduce the toxicities, intensity-modulated radiotherapy would best be used worldwide. Further improvement in adjuvant therapy will come from enhanced definition of prognostic risk factors, better patient selection, and refinements in both local and systematic therapies.

Prognostic evaluation of postoperative adjuvant therapy for operable cervical cancer: 10 years' experience of National Cancer Center in China

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic factors and to evaluate the impact of adjuvant therapy on clinical outcome for early-stage cervical cancer.

Methods

The clinical-pathological data of all 1,335 patients with the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Ib-IIa cervical cancer treated with primary radical surgery at the Chinese National Cancer Center between May 2007 and Dec 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. The median follow-up was 70 months.

Results

Of all the patients, 61.6% of the cases received adjuvant therapy, with 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) of 92.1% and 5-year overall survival (OS) of 95.0%. In multivariate analysis, differentiation of G3 (P<0.05), lymph node metastasis (LNM, P<0.05) and lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI, P<0.05) were independent predictors for OS, while LNM (P<0.05), deep stroma invasion (DSI, P<0.05) and LVSI (P<0.05) were independent factors for DFS. The samples were stratified by histologic type, and cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) was found to share the same independent factors except for differentiation of OS. As to patients with cervical adenocarcinoma/adenosquamous carcinoma (AC/ASC), differentiation was the independent predictor of OS (P<0.05); and LVSI of DFS (P<0.05). Of 236 patients with high-risk factors, there was no significant difference in survival between concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT, n=195), radiotherapy (RT, n=24), and chemotherapy (CT, n=17). Among the 190 patients with LNM who underwent CCRT, 124 cases showed improved DFS after sequential CT (P=0.118), with a recurrence rate decrease of 14%, though the difference was not statistically significant. Patients with single intermediate-risk factors like DSI or LVSI were found to partially benefit from adjuvant therapy, but the difference was not statistically significant.

Conclusions

LNM, LVSI, DSI and differentiation were found to be independent prognostic factors for operable cervical cancer. Aggressive postoperative adjuvant therapy based on single risk factors in Chinese National Cancer Center could benefit survival. CCRT+CT outperformed CCRT in high-risk patients. For patients with single non-high-risk factor, the role of adjuvant therapy needs to be further discussed.

Adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy for early stage cervical cancer

BACKGROUND

This is the second updated version of the original Cochrane review published in the Cochrane Library 2009, Issue 3. Most women with early cervical cancer (stages I to IIA) are cured with surgery or radiotherapy, or both. We performed this review originally because it was unclear whether cisplatin-based chemotherapy after surgery, radiotherapy or both, in women with early stage disease with risk factors for recurrence, was associated with additional survival benefits or risks.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy after radical hysterectomy, radiotherapy, or both in the treatment of early stage cervical cancer.

SEARCH METHODS

For the original 2009 review, we searched the Cochrane Gynaecological Cancer Group Trials Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in the Cochrane Library 2009, Issue 1), MEDLINE, Embase, LILACS, BIOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS and CancerLit, the National Research Register and Clinical Trials register, with no language restriction. We handsearched abstracts of scientific meetings and other relevant publications. We extended the database searches to November 2011 for the first update and to September 2016 for the second update.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy (after radical surgery, radiotherapy or both) with no adjuvant chemotherapy, in women with early stage cervical cancer (stage IA2-IIA) with at least one risk factor for recurrence.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors extracted data independently. Meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model, with death and disease progression as outcomes.

MAIN RESULTS

For this second updated version we identified only one small trial reporting grade 4 toxicity results, without disease-free or overall survival data with a median follow-up of 16 months.From the first updated version, we identified three trials that were ongoing, and remain so in 2016.Four trials including 401 women with evaluable results with early cervical cancer were included in the meta-analyses. The median follow-up period in these trials ranged from 29 to 42 months. All women had undergone surgery first. Three trials compared chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy versus radiotherapy alone; and one trial compared chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy versus radiotherapy alone. It was not possible to perform subgroup analyses by stage or tumour size.Compared with adjuvant radiotherapy, chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy significantly reduced the risk of death (two trials, 297 women; hazard ratio (HR) = 0.56, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.36 to 0.87) and disease progression (two trials, 297 women; HR = 0.47, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.74), with no heterogeneity between trials (I² = 0% for both meta-analyses). Acute grade 4 toxicity occurred significantly more frequently in the chemotherapy plus radiotherapy group than in the radiotherapy group (three trials, 321 women; risk ratio (RR) 6.26, 95% CI 2.50 to 15.67). We considered the evidence for all three outcomes to be of a moderate quality, using the GRADE approach due to small numbers and limited follow-up in the included studies. In addition, it was not possible to separate data for bulky early stage disease.In the one small trial that compared adjuvant chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy with adjuvant radiotherapy alone there was no difference in disease recurrence between the groups (one trial, 71 women; HR = 1.34; 95% CI 0.24 to 7.66) and overall survival was not reported. We considered this evidence to be of a low quality.No trials compared adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy with no adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery for early cervical cancer with risk factors for recurrence.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

The addition of platinum-based chemotherapy to adjuvant radiotherapy (chemoradiation) may improve survival in women with early stage cervical cancer (IA2-IIA) and risk factors for recurrence. Adjuvant chemoradiation is associated with an increased risk of severe acute toxicity, although it is not clear whether this toxicity is significant in the long term due to a lack of long-term data. This evidence is limited by the small numbers and low to moderate methodological quality of the included studies. We await the results of three ongoing trials, which are likely to have an important impact on our confidence in this evidence.

The influence of number of high risk factors on clinical outcomes in patients with early-stage cervical cancer after radical hysterectomy and adjuvant chemoradiation

Objective

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognosis according to the number of high risk factors in patients with high risk factors after radical hysterectomy and adjuvant chemoradiation therapy for early stage cervical cancer.

Methods

Clinicopathological variables and clinical outcomes of patients with FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) stage IB1 to IIA cervical cancer who had one or more high risk factors after radical hysterectomy and adjuvant chemoradiation therapy were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups according to the number of high risk factors (group 1, single high risk factor; group 2, two or more high risk factors).

Results

A total of 93 patients were enrolled in the present study. Forty nine out of 93 (52.7%) patients had a single high risk factor, and 44 (47.3%) had two or more high risk factors. Statistically significant differences in stage and stromal invasion were observed between group 1 and group 2. However, age, histology, tumor size, and lymphovascular space invasion did not differ significantly between the groups. Distant recurrence occurred more frequently in group 2, and the probability of recurrence and death was higher in group 2.

Conclusion

Patients with two or more high risk factors had worse prognosis in early stage cervical cancer. For these patients, consideration of new strategies to improve survival may be worthwhile. Conduct of further clinical trials is warranted for development of adjuvant treatment strategies individualized to each risk group.

Feasibility Study of Adjuvant Chemotherapy Using Taxane Plus Carboplatin for High-Risk Patients With Uterine Cervical Non-Squamous Cell Carcinoma After Radical Hysterectomy

OBJECTIVE

We conducted this study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of adjuvant chemotherapy using taxane plus carboplatin (CBDCA) for high-risk stage IB-IIB patients with uterine cervical non-squamous cell carcinoma after radical hysterectomy.

METHODS

Thirty-seven patients were eligible. Pelvic lymph node involvement and/or parametrial invasion were defined as high-risk factors. The patients were treated with 6 cycles of paclitaxel (PTX, 175 mg/m(2)) or docetaxel (DTX, 60 mg/m(2)) followed by CBDCA (area under the curve, 6) every 3 weeks. The primary end point was 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate, and the secondary end point was the assessment of adverse events.

RESULTS

Twenty-two patients received PTX/CBDCA (TC) chemotherapy, and the remaining 15 patients underwent DTX/CBDCA (DC) chemotherapy. The 2-year PFS rate was 62.1% (95% confidence interval, 44.6%-75.5%). Patients receiving DC chemotherapy showed a better 2-year PFS rate compared to those with TC chemotherapy, but the difference was not statistically significant (80.0% vs 50.0%, P = 0.1400). The most common grade 3/4 adverse events were hematologic toxicities, which were generally well tolerable. Nonhematologic toxicity was generally mild.

CONCLUSIONS

Taxane and CBDCA combination chemotherapy, especially DC chemotherapy, may be one of the useful adjuvant treatments for high-risk stage IB-IIB patients with uterine cervical non-squamous cell carcinoma after radical hysterectomy.

Adjuvant chemotherapy versus concurrent chemoradiotherapy for high-risk cervical cancer after radical hysterectomy and systematic lymphadenectomy

BACKGROUND

The aims of this study were to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of chemotherapy (CT) compared with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) after radical hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy in high-risk patients with early-stage cervical cancer and to evaluate whether the radicality of the lymphadenectomy would affect the outcome and toxicity of postoperative adjuvant therapy.

METHODS

The cases of all patients (n = 393) with FIGO IB1-IIB cervical cancer who were treated by radical surgery at Shizuoka Cancer Center between January 2002 and December 2013 were reviewed. Of these, 111 patients met the inclusion criteria for this retrospective study: (1) high risk for occurrence due to pathologically confirmed parametrial invasion and/or pelvic lymph node metastasis; (2) postoperative treatment with adjuvant CT or CCRT. The clinical data of these patients were reviewed.

RESULTS

Of the 111 patients, 37 and 74 patients underwent CT and CCRT, respectively. The 4-year progression-free survival rate [PFS; 71.7 (CT) vs. 68.3 % (CCRT)] and overall survival rate [76.0 (CT) vs. 82.7 % (CCRT)] did not differ significantly between the two groups. The CT group contained significantly more patients with severe neutropenia than the CCRT group (66.7 vs. 23.0 %, respectively; p < 0.001), and the CCRT group contained significantly more patients with diarrhea than the CT group (10.8 vs. 0 %, respectively; p = 0.04). The patients who had ≥40 lymph nodes dissected (≥40 group) had higher PFS than the patients who had <40 lymph nodes dissected (<40 group) (73.2 vs. 64.2 %, respectively), although the difference was not significant. In the CT group, there was no significant association between the number of dissected lymph nodes and severe toxicities. However, in the CCRT group, significantly more vomiting (p = 0.046) and edema (p = 0.046) occurred in the ≥40 group than in the <40 group.

CONCLUSIONS

Chemotherapy after surgery for high-risk patients had similar efficacy and a different toxicity profile compared with CCRT, and a more radical surgical procedure would improve the survival outcome. However, CCRT was associated with worse toxicity than CT. We advocate a prospective randomized study to compare CT with CCRT for patients with high-risk factors for recurrence.

A randomized controlled trial comparing four versus six courses of adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy in locally advanced cervical cancer patients previously treated with neo-adjuvant chemotherapy plus radical surgery

OBJECTIVES. The aim of this study was to compare 4 versus 6 courses of adjuvant chemotherapy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus radical surgery in terms of overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), recurrence rate and toxicity profile. METHODS. We randomly assigned 200 patients with IB2-IIB cervical cancer to receive 4 (Group A) or 6 (Group B) courses of cisplatin 100 mg/mq and paclitaxel 175 mg/mq every 21 days. RESULTS. At 4-years follow-up, the comparison of recurrence rate (p = 1; RR = 1.005; 95% CI = 0.87 to 1.161), OS (p = 0.906) and DFS (p = 0.825) did not show statistically significant differences between the two groups. Data analysis showed statistically significant differences between the two groups in term of episodes of leukopenia (p = 0.0072; RR = 1.513; 95% CI = 1.127-2.03), anemia (p = 0.048; RR = 1.188; CI = 1.012-1.395) and febrile neutropenia (p = 0.042; RR = 1.119; 95% CI = 1.014-1.235), in favor of Group A. As regards non-hematological toxicities, there were no statistically significant differences in terms of gastrointestinal symptoms (p = 0.49; RR = 1.046; CI = 0.948-1.153. On the contrary, there was a statistically significant difference regarding neurological symptoms (p=0.014; RR=1.208; CI=1.046-1.395), that were less frequent in Group A (13%) than in Group B (28%). CONCLUSIONS. Adjuvant treatment with 4 or 6 courses of platinum-based chemotherapy showed similar results in terms of OS and DSF, with a favorable toxicity profile in favor of the first regimen.

Factors affecting platinum sensitivity in cervical cancer

The present study aimed to investigate the association between nedaplatin (NDP) sensitivity and the expression of biological factors in cervical cancer. A total of 45 cervical cancer specimens, including 18 pretreatment biopsies and 27 surgical specimens, were used in histoculture drug response assays to determine the chemosensitivity of cervical cancer specimens to NDP. Each specimen was assessed for immunohistochemical expression of Ki-67, p53, B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), cleaved caspase-3, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1). The results revealed that low or negative expression of p53, Bcl-2 and COX-2, and high or positive expression of cleaved caspase-3 were significantly correlated with high sensitivity to NDP. However, there were no significant differences in Ki-67, Bax or ERCC1 expression between the low and high sensitivity groups. These findings indicate that sensitivity to platinum may be easily predicted by immunostaining for the detection of these specific factors in pretreatment biopsies or surgical specimens. The expression profiles of these targets may therefore provide additional information for planning individualized chemotherapy in the treatment of cervical cancer.

Clinical Role of Adjuvant Chemotherapy after Radical Hysterectomy for FIGO Stage IB-IIA Cervical Cancer: Comparison with Adjuvant RT/CCRT Using Inverse-Probability-of-Treatment Weighting

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinical role of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) in FIGO stage IB-IIA cervical cancer patients.

STUDY DESIGN

A cohort of 262 patients with cervical cancer who received radical hysterectomy (RH) and adjuvant therapy at Asan Medical Center between 1992 and 2012 was enrolled. In this cohort, 85 patients received adjuvant chemotherapy (AC), and 177 received adjuvant radiotherapy or concurrent chemoradiation therapy (AR). Oncologic outcomes and adverse events in both treatment arms were compared using weighted Cox proportional hazards regression models with inverse-probability-of-treatment weighting (IPTW) to reduce the impact of treatment selection bias and potential confounding factors.

RESULTS

During a 46.8-month median follow-up duration, 39 patients (14.9%) had recurrences, and 18 patients (6.9%) died of disease. In multivariate analysis, the hazard ratio (HR) for recurrence and death was not significantly different in patients in either treatment arm (p=0.62 and 0.12, respectively). Also, after IPTW matching, the HR for recurrence did not significantly differ between the arms (HR 1.57, 95% CI 0.68-3.62, p=0.29). Similarly, disease-free survival and overall survival were not significantly different between the arms (p=0.47 and 0.13, respectively). In addition, patients with AC had a much lower prevalence of long-term complications (lymphedema: n=8 (9.4%) vs. 46 (26.0%), p=0.03; ureteral stricture: n=0 vs. 9 (6.2%), p=0.05).

CONCLUSION

Patients with FIGO stage IB-IIA cervical cancer can benefit from AC after RH with fewer long-term complications and non-inferior therapeutic effect to AR. Chemotherapy may therefore be an alternative adjuvant treatment option for cervical cancer, particularly in younger patients.

Adjuvant chemotherapy after primary treatments for cervical cancer: a critical point of view and review of the literature

Cervical cancer is the second most frequent female malignancy worldwide. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy represents the standard of care for patients with advanced stage cervical cancer, while radical surgery (RS) and radiotherapy is widely used for treating early stage cervical cancer. However, the poor control of micrometastasis, declining operability, the lack of radiotherapy departments and the high incidence of long-term complications due to radiotherapy have brought about the development of different therapeutic approaches such as neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by RS. Unfortunately, treatment results are still unsatisfactory due to a high recurrence rate and several authors have studied the possibility to add an adjuvant treatment to primary therapy. We reviewed the literature concerning the role of adjuvant chemotherapy in advanced cervical cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by RS and after chemoradiotherapy.

A randomized controlled study of single-agent cisplatin and radiotherapy versus docetaxel/cisplatin and radiotherapy in high-risk early-stage cervical cancer after radical surgery

BACKGROUND

This study explored whether docetaxel/cisplatin and radiotherapy (TP-R) increases overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) compared to single-agent cisplatin and radiotherapy (C-R) in patients with high-risk early-stage cervical cancer post surgery.

METHODS

Patients with clinical stage IB and IIA carcinoma of the cervix, initially treated with radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy, and who had positive pelvic lymph nodes and/or positive margins and/or the diameter of the primary tumor ≥4 cm and/or depth of interstitial infiltration ≥1/2 and/or lymphovascular space invasion were eligible for this study. Patients were randomized to receive C-R or TP-R. Radiotherapy in both groups was external radiation (46-54 Gy) followed by high-dose rate brachytherapy (12-24 Gy). Patients were given cisplatin (40 mg/m(2)) every week for five cycles (C-R group) or docetaxel (30 mg/m(2)) and cisplatin (30 mg/m(2)) every week for five cycles (TP-R group).

RESULTS

Between 2003 and 2008, 320 patients were entered onto the study. Final analyses included 285 patients. One hundred and forty patients comprised the C-R group and 145 were in the TP-R group. The 5-year OS were 74.3 % in the C-R group and 82.8 % in the TP-R group. The hazard ratio (HR) for death was 0.65 in the TP-R group (95 % CI: 0.39-1.09, P = 0.098). The RFS were 69.3 % in the C-R group and 79.3 % in the TP-R group, and the HR for recurrence was 0.64 in the TP-R group (95 % CI: 0.40-1.03, P = 0.061). Recurrence rates were similar in both groups (27 in the C-R group and 18 in the TP-R group, P = 0.112). The seriousness of late side effects was similar in the two groups, with a higher rate of reversible hematological effects in the TP-R group.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with single-agent cisplatin and radiotherapy, docetaxel/cisplatin in combination with radiotherapy does not increase OS but has the trend of increasing RFS in patients with high-risk early-stage cervical cancer. However, docetaxel/cisplatin in combination with radiotherapy is associated with a higher incidence of side effects, this effect was reversible, and the incidence of late side effects was similar in the two treatment groups.

Adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy for early stage cervical cancer

BACKGROUND

This is an updated version of the original Cochrane review published in The Cochrane Library 2009, Issue 3. Most women with early cervical cancer (stages I to IIA) are cured with surgery or radiotherapy, or both. We performed this review originally because it was unclear whether cisplatin-based chemotherapy after surgery, radiotherapy or both, in women with early stage disease with risk factors for recurrence, was associated with additional survival benefits or risks.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of platinum-based chemotherapy after radical hysterectomy, radiotherapy, or both in the treatment of early stage cervical cancer.

SEARCH METHODS

For the original 2009 review, we searched the Cochrane Gynaecological Cancer Group Trials Register, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in The Cochrane Library 2009, Issue 1), MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, BIOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS and CancerLit, the National Research Register and Clinical Trials register, with no language restriction. We handsearched abstracts of scientific meetings and other relevant publications. We extended the database searches to November 2011 for this update.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy (after radical surgery, radiotherapy or both) with no adjuvant chemotherapy, in women with early stage cervical cancer (stage IA2-IIA) with at least one risk factor for recurrence.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors extracted data independently. Meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model, with death and disease progression as outcomes.

MAIN RESULTS

For this updated version, we identified three additional ongoing trials but no new studies for inclusion. Three trials including 368 evaluable women with early cervical cancer were included in the meta-analyses. The median follow-up period in these trials ranged from 29 to 42 months. All women had undergone surgery first. Two trials compared chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy to radiotherapy alone; and one trial compared chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy to radiotherapy alone. It was not possible to perform subgroup analyses by stage or tumour size.Compared with adjuvant radiotherapy, chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy significantly reduced the risk of death (two trials, 297 women; hazard ratio (HR) = 0.56, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.36 to 0.87) and disease progression (two trials, 297 women; HR = 0.47, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.74), with no heterogeneity between trials (I² = 0% for both meta-analyses). Acute grade 4 toxicity occurred significantly more frequently in the chemotherapy plus radiotherapy group than in the radiotherapy group (risk ratio (RR) 5.66, 95% CI 2.14 to 14.98). We considered this evidence to be of a moderate quality due to small numbers and limited follow-up in the included studies. In addition, it was not possible to separate data for bulky early stage disease.In the one small trial that compared adjuvant chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy with adjuvant radiotherapy alone there was no significant difference in disease recurrence between the groups (HR = 1.34; 95% CI 0.24 to 7.66) and OS was not reported. We considered this evidence to be of a low quality.No trials compared adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy with no adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery for early cervical cancer with risk factors for recurrence.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

The addition of platinum-based chemotherapy to adjuvant radiotherapy (chemoradiation) may improve survival in women with early stage cervical cancer (IA2-IIA) and risk factors for recurrence. Adjuvant chemoradiation is associated with an increased risk of severe acute toxicity, although it is not clear whether this toxicity is significant in the long-term due to a lack of long-term data. This evidence is limited by the small numbers and poor methodological quality of included studies. We await the results of three ongoing trials, that are likely to have an important impact on our confidence in this evidence.

Radiotherapy and chemoradiation after surgery for early cervical cancer

BACKGROUND

This is an updated version of the original Cochrane review first published in Issue 4, 2009. There is an ongoing debate about the indications for, and value of, adjuvant pelvic radiotherapy after radical surgery in women with early cervical cancer. Certain combinations of pathological risk factors are thought to represent sufficient risk for recurrence, that they justify the use of postoperative pelvic radiotherapy, though this has never been shown to improve overall survival, and use of more than one type of treatment (surgery and radiotherapy) increases the risks of side effects and complications.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of adjuvant therapies (radiotherapy, chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy, chemoradiation) after radical hysterectomy for early-stage cervical cancer (FIGO stages IB1, IB2 or IIA).

SEARCH METHODS

For the original review, we searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Issue 4, 2008. The Cochrane Gynaecological Cancer Group Trials Register, MEDLINE (January 1950 to November 2008), EMBASE (1950 to November 2008). We also searched registers of clinical trials, abstracts of scientific meetings, reference lists of included studies and contacted experts in the field. For this update, we extended the database searches to September 2011 and searched the MetaRegister for ongoing trials.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared adjuvant therapies (radiotherapy, chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy, or chemoradiation) with no radiotherapy or chemoradiation, in women with a confirmed histological diagnosis of early cervical cancer who had undergone radical hysterectomy and dissection of the pelvic lymph nodes.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently abstracted data and assessed risk of bias. Information on grade 3 and 4 adverse events was collected from the trials. Results were pooled using random-effects meta-analyses.

MAIN RESULTS

Two RCTs, which compared adjuvant radiotherapy with no adjuvant radiotherapy, met the inclusion criteria; they randomised and assessed 397 women with stage IB cervical cancer. Meta-analysis of these two RCTs indicated no significant difference in survival at 5 years between women who received radiation and those who received no further treatment (risk ratio (RR) = 0.8; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.3 to 2.4). However, women who received radiation had a significantly lower risk of disease progression at 5 years (RR 0.6; 95% CI 0.4 to 0.9).Although the risk of serious adverse events was consistently higher if women received radiotherapy rather than no further treatment, these increased risks were not statistically significant, probably because the rate of adverse events was low.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

We found evidence, of moderate quality, that radiation decreases the risk of disease progression compared with no further treatment, but little evidence that it might improve overall survival, in stage IB cervical cancer. The evidence on serious adverse events was equivocal.

Analysis of prognostic variables, development of predictive models, and stratification of risk groups in surgically treated FIGO early-stage (IA-IIA) carcinoma cervix

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the study were to evaluate clinicopathologic prognostic variables in surgically treated International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology early-stage (IA-IIA) cervical cancer, develop prognostic models, and note the role of adjuvant treatment, patterns of failure, and salvage survival (SS) in each group.

METHODS

Records of 542 patients who received primary surgical treatment for International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology (IA-IIA) cervical cancer were reviewed. Ninety-eight patients who relapsed after primary treatment were identified and matched for stage and age with a control group. Clinicopathologic prognostic variables were identified and used to develop a prognostic model with 3 risk groups for overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS). The roles of adjuvant treatment, relapse sites, and SS were also noted in the groups.

RESULTS

The 5-year OS was 70% for the whole group, 97% in the control group, and 44% in the relapse group. There was a statistically significant decrease in survival in patients 70 years or older, those with positive lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI), and in patients with positive LVSI and increasing depth of invasion in both univariate and multivariate analyses (P < 0.001). Positive lymph node status and tumor size of 31 mm or greater showed only a trend toward lower OS and RFS, respectively, in multivariate analysis. An additive model using regression coefficients from multivariate Cox model stratified patients into low-, medium-, and high-risk groups. Relapse-free survival and OS were significantly different in all 3 groups (P < 0.001). Salvage survival was better in low-risk group relative to medium- and high-risk groups, (P = 0.05) as well as between the medium- and high-risk groups (P = 0.03). More distant and locoregional relapses were noted in the medium- and high-risk groups, and SS was better with a local versus locoregional or distant recurrence (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, age 70 years or older and positive LVSI were found to be statistically significant prognostic factors for both OS and RFS. Positive lymph nodes status showed only a trend toward lower OS. Positive LVSI status had significant adverse prognostic effects on RFS and OS in tumors with increasing depth of invasion. Additive prognostic model helps identify predictors and stratify patients into low-, medium-, and high-risk groups for survival. Many of these factors can be identified preoperatively and may assist in decision to offer primary surgery or alternative therapies in patients with potentially operable cervix cancer. Prognostic model can be used as a tool to design clinical trials and select the group of patients who are the appropriate target for a trial.

The relationship between ERCC1 expression and clinical outcome in patients with FIGO stage I to stage II uterine cervical adenocarcinoma

OBJECTIVE

Several studies have suggested that excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1), a protein involved in nucleotide excision repair, is associated with resistance to platinum agent-based chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy with platinum agents in various types of cancer. Herein we evaluated ERCC1 protein expression in uterine cervical adenocarcinoma and the relationship between this expression, clinicopathological factors, and clinical outcome, particularly in patients receiving adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin.

METHODS

Thirty-six patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IB to stage IIB cervical adenocarcinoma who underwent radical hysterectomy were evaluated. Excision repair cross-complementation group 1 protein expression was examined by immunohistochemistry in tumor tissues. The relationship between ERCC1 expression levels and clinicopathological factors (age, FIGO stage, histological grade, tumor size, vascular invasion, cervical stromal invasion, and lymph node metastases) and prognosis was evaluated.

RESULTS

No significant differences between ERCC1 expression levels and clinicopathological factors were observed. The patients in the ERCC1 high-expression group (n = 7) experienced significantly worse disease-free survival than the patients in the ERCC1 low-expression group (n = 29; P = 0.005). Among the 25 patients who received cisplatin-based chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin, those with high ERCC1 expression (n = 5) also experienced significantly worse disease-free survival than those with low ERCC1 expression (n = 20; P = 0.002). Moreover, univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that high ERCC1 expression was an independent prognostic factor in patients receiving cisplatin-based chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first analysis of the association between ERCC1 expression and clinical outcomes in patients with uterine cervical adenocarcinoma. High ERCC1 protein expression was revealed to be associated with worse disease-free survival in the patients who received adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin and was shown to be an independent prognostic factor. Further evaluation with a larger number of patients is required to confirm these preliminary observations.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical hysterectomy plus postoperative chemotherapy but no radiotherapy for Stage IB2-IIB cervical cancer--irinotecan and platinum chemotherapy

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by radical hysterectomy plus postoperative chemotherapy but no radiotherapy for stage IB2-IIB cervical cancer.

METHODS

Forty-six consecutive patients with stage IB2-IIB cervical cancer were treated with NAC followed by radical hysterectomy plus postoperative chemotherapy. Median (range) body mass index (BMI) of the patients was 20.2 (16.2-26.4). Regimens for NAC and postoperative chemotherapy were irinotecan and cisplatin (CPT-11/CDDP) or CPT-11 and nedaplatin (CPT-11/NDP). A total of six cycles of NAC and postoperative chemotherapy were prescribed. No use of radiotherapy was scheduled, except in the case of a recurrence.

RESULTS

With a median follow-up period for survivors of 38.8 months (range 24-54 months), the 2- and 3-year progression-free survival rates were 91.2% and 86.1%, respectively. Overall response rate of NAC was 80.4%. Recurrence was observed in seven patients. In the absence of radiotherapy, pelvic recurrence was observed in only three patients; another two had para-aortic lymph nodes and the remaining two distant metastases. Toxicities due to chemotherapy were generally tolerable. Postoperative complications included urinary fistula (four patients, 8.7%) and bowel obstruction (two patients, 4.3%), all of which required surgical intervention.

CONCLUSION

The results indicate that NAC followed by surgery plus postoperative chemotherapy but no radiotherapy offers a viable option in the treatment of stage IB2-IIB cervical cancer. Although a relatively large incidence of postsurgical complications was observed among low-BMI patients, this treatment offers the advantage of minimizing radiation-induced morbidity, allowing radiotherapy to be reserved for the possible event of pelvic recurrence.

Further stratification of risk groups in patients with lymph node metastasis after radical hysterectomy for early-stage cervical cancer

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prognostic factors in node-positive patients with early-stage cervical cancer who underwent radical hysterectomy (RH) and to use these factors to stratify patients into risk groups for individualized adjuvant therapy.

METHODS

Patients with early-stage cervical cancer who had lymph node metastasis after RH were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTS

Multivariate analysis showed that non-squamous histology, tumor size and parametrial involvement were significantly associated with recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS). Prognostic scores were generated for these factors, and patients were categorized into low- (score 0; n=74), intermediate- (score 1-2; n=100) and high- (score 3-4; n=14) risk groups. Relative to the low-risk group, the probability of cancer recurrence was significantly higher in the high- (OR=10.87, 95% CI=4.22-28.0, P<.001) and intermediate- (OR=3.01, 95% CI=1.37-6.58, P=.006) risk groups. Moreover, the probability of cancer death was significantly higher in the high- (OR=9.88, 95% CI=3.76-25.94, P<.001) and intermediate- (OR=2.49, 95% CI=1.12-5.55, P=.026) risk groups compared with the low-risk group. The rates of pelvic failure and distant recurrence increased with increasing risk.

CONCLUSION(S)

Node-positive patients were heterogeneous, with different prognoses and recurrence patterns according to clinicopathologic risk factors. Further clinical trials are warranted to develop adjuvant treatment strategies individualized to each risk group.

Clusterin expression inversely correlates with chemosensitivity and predicts poor survival in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer treated with cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical hysterectomy

Overexpression of clusterin, an antiapoptotic molecule, has been reported to induce resistance to chemotherapy in a variety of cancer cell types. The aim of this study was to evaluate the significance of clusterin expression to predict response to platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy and survival of patients with invasive cervical cancer who subsequently underwent radical hysterectomy. Biopsy specimens of invasive cervical cancer before neoadjuvant chemotherapy were obtained from 46 patients who subsequently underwent radical hysterectomy at Hokkaido University Hospital and Gunma University Hospital from 1994 to 2007. The expression of clusterin protein was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Findings were evaluated in relation to several clinicopathological factors. Survival analyses were performed by the Kaplan-Meier curves and the log-rank test. Independent prognostic factors were determined by multivariate Cox regression analysis. Clusterin protein was mainly present in the cytoplasm of cervical cancer cells. The expression of clusterin protein in cervical cancer tissues before neoadjuvant chemotherapy was significantly related to poor response to chemotherapy among factors analyzed. Univariate analysis on prognostic factors showed that response to chemotherapy (p = 0.01), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.02), and clusterin expression (p = 0.02) were related to survival. Multivariate analysis revealed that lymph node metastasis (p = 0.03), and clusterin expression (p = 0.03) were independent prognostic factors for survival of cervical cancer patients. We conclude that clusterin expression could be a new molecular marker to predict response to platinum-based chemotherapy and survival of patients with cervical cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical hysterectomy.

Adjuvant radiotherapy and chemoradiation after surgery for cervical cancer

BACKGROUND

There is an ongoing debate about the indications for, and value of, adjuvant pelvic radiotherapy after radical surgery in women with early cervical cancer. Certain combinations of pathologic risk factors are thought to represent sufficient risk for recurrence, that they justify the use of post-operative pelvic radiotherapy, though this has never been shown to improve overall survival, and use of more than one type of treatment (surgery and radiotherapy) increases the risks of side-effects and complications.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of adjuvant therapies (radiotherapy, chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy, chemoradiation) after radical hysterectomy for early stage cervical cancer (FIGO stages IB1, IB2 or IIA).

SEARCH STRATEGY

We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Issue 4, 2008. The Cochrane Gynaecological Cancer Group Trials Register, MEDLINE (January 1950 to November 2008), EMBASE (1950 to November 2008). We also searched registers of clinical trials, abstracts of scientific meetings, reference lists of included studies and contacted experts in the field.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared adjuvant therapies (radiotherapy, chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy, or chemoradiation) with no radiotherapy or chemoradiation, in women with a confirmed histological diagnosis of early cervical cancer who had undergone radical hysterectomy and dissection of the pelvic lymph nodes.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently abstracted data and assessed risk of bias. Information on grade three and four adverse events was collected from the trials. Results were pooled using random effects meta-analyses.

MAIN RESULTS

Two RCTs, which compared adjuvant radiotherapy with no adjuvant radiotherapy, met the inclusion criteria; they randomised and assessed 397 women. Meta-analysis of these two RCTs indicated no significant difference in survival at five years between women who received radiation and those who received no further treatment (Relative risk (RR) = 0.8, 95% Confidence interval (CI): 0.3 to 2.4). However, women who received radiation had a significantly lower risk of disease progression at five years (RR = 0.6, 95% CI 0.4 to 0.9).Although the risk of serious adverse events was consistently higher if women received radiotherapy rather than no further treatment, these increased risks were not statistically significant, probably because the rate of adverse events was low.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

We found evidence, of moderate quality, that radiation decreases the risk of disease progression compared with no further treatment, but little evidence that it might improve overall survival. The evidence on serious adverse events was equivocal.

Adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy for early stage cervical cancer

BACKGROUND

Patients with early stage cervical cancer (stages IA2, IB1 or IIA) with risk factors such as lymph node metastasis, lympho vascular space invasion, depth invasion of more than 10mm, microscopic parametrial invasion, non-squamous histology and positive surgical margins have a high risk of recurrence when compared to patients with early stage cervical cancer with no risk factors for recurrence.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy after radical hysterectomy, radiotherapy, or both in the treatment of early stage cervical cancer (stages IA2, IB1 or IIA).

SEARCH STRATEGY

We searched the Cochrane Gynaecological Cancer Group Trials Register, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) on The Cochrane Library Issue 1, 2009), MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, BIOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS and Cancerlit, the National Research Register and Clinical Trials register, with no language restriction. Abstracts of scientific meetings and the citation lists of included studies and other relevant publications were checked through hand searching and experts in the field were contacted to identify further reports of trials.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing adjuvant radiotherapy with adjuvant radiotherapy and cisplatin-chemotherapy after radical surgery for early stage cervix cancer were included.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors extracted data independently to assess whether the studies met the specified inclusion criteria. Any discrepancies were solved by a third and a forth review author. Meta-analysis was performed using a random effects model, with death and disease progression as outcomes.

MAIN RESULTS

Three trials were included. Two trials enrolling 325 participants, of whom 297 (91%) were assessed and compared radiotherapy and chemotherapy with radiotherapy alone found that adjuvant chemotherapy significantly reduced the risk of death (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.56, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.36 to 0.87) and disease progression (HR = 0.47, 95%CI: 0.30 to 0.74), with no heterogeneity between trials (I(2) = 0% for both meta-analyses). One trial assessing 71 participants compared chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy with radiotherapy alone and found no significant difference between the two groups (HR = 1.34; 95%CI: 0.24 to 7.66). The median follow up of patients varied from 29 to 42 months.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

The addition of platinum-based chemotherapy to radiotherapy may offer clinical benefit in the adjuvant treatment of early stage cervical cancer with risk factors for recurrence. However, the evidence is limited because the selected studies were quantitatively and qualitatively limited, with small number of patients and limited period of follow-up.

Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy for node-positive cervical adenocarcinoma

We examined the effectiveness of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy for node-positive cervical adenocarcinoma. During the period from 1994 to 2002, 98 consecutive patients with clinical stage I and II cervical adenocarcinoma were treated surgically without having undergone any prior treatment. Surgical procedures included radical hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and pelvic lymphadenectomy. Postoperatively, 21 patients were found to have lymph node metastasis, and all were treated with chemotherapy in the absence of radiotherapy. All patients were followed up for at least 5 years. Recurrence developed in 9 of the 21 patients, all 9 died of the disease. Six of the 9 recurrences were extrapelvic lesions. Five-year disease-free survival and overall survival were 57% and 67%, respectively. Recurrence was more common in patients with 6 or more positive nodes than in those with fewer than 3 positive nodes. These data suggest the potential role of postoperative chemotherapy for treatments of cervical adenocarcinoma. However, the effectiveness of chemotherapy alone in node-positive cervical adenocarcinoma was likely not as high as that in squamous cell carcinoma. Despite our use of postoperative chemotherapy in the absence of pelvic radiation, the disease recurred predominantly at distant sites.

Treatment of cervical cancer with adjuvant chemotherapy versus adjuvant radiotherapy after radical hysterectomy and systematic lymphadenectomy

AIM

To compare the clinical efficacy focused on post-treatment morbidity between adjuvant chemotherapy (CT) and pelvic radiotherapy (RT) after radical hysterectomy for patients with cervical cancer.

METHODS

A total of 125 patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma who underwent radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy at Hokkaido University Hospital between 1991 and 2002 were enrolled in the study for retrospective analysis. Seventy patients with recurrent risk factors, including deep stromal invasion, lymph vascular space invasion, parametrial invasion, lymph node metastasis (LNM), and bulky tumor (>or=4 cm), received adjuvant therapy; 42 were treated with RT, and 28 were treated with CT. Almost all patients with multiple LNM received RT. Analyses were also performed on a subgroup of 50 patients without multiple LNM (23 RT, 27 CT). Clinical efficacy of post-treatment morbidity and survival was evaluated.

RESULTS

Because there were more patients with multiple LNM in the RT group, we analyzed disease-free survival in 50 patients without multiple LNM. The 3-year disease-free survival rate was 82.6% with RT and 96.3% with CT (P = 0.16). Postoperative bowel obstruction was significantly more frequent in the RT group versus the CT (P = 0.007) and no-therapy (P = 0.0026) groups. Urinary disturbance was also more frequent in the RT group than in the CT (P = 0.0016) and no-therapy (P = 0.089) groups.

CONCLUSION

CT has the equivalent therapeutic effect as RT with fewer postoperative complications for patients with intermediate risks. A prospective randomized trial is needed to compare CT combined with radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy to RT or chemoradiotherapy.

Comparison of adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation in patients with intermediate risk factors after radical surgery in FIGO stage IB-IIA cervical cancer

The aim of this study was to compare the outcome of chemotherapy or radiation as adjuvant therapy for patients with FIGO stage IB-IIA cervical cancer and surgically confirmed intermediate risk factors. Data were collected from patients with uterine cervical cancer FIGO stage IB-IIA who had adjuvant chemotherapy following radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection (RHLND, cases) or adjuvant radiotherapy following RHLND (controls). The study groups consisted of 38 cases and 42 controls. Adjuvant treatment was given to the patients with a combination of intermediate risk factors including deep stromal invasion (>50%), lymphvascular space invasion, large tumor size (3-6 cm), or close vaginal resection margin (<1 cm). Comparison of the cases with the controls revealed no significant differences in variables studied including median age (P = 0.18), stage distribution (P = 0.30), histologic subtype (P = 0.93), pathologic tumor size (P = 0.46), depth of the stromal invasion (P = 0.29), lymphvascular space invasion (P = 0.50), and close vaginal resection margin (P = 0.62). The difference in disease-free survival rates was not significant (P = 0.68). However, the overall survival analysis was incomplete due to the limited number of events available at the end of the study period. The findings of this study suggest that adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with FIGO stage IB-IIA uterine cervical cancer and surgically confirmed intermediate risk factors may be effective.

Early stage cervical cancer: Adjuvant treatment in negative lymph node cases

OBJECTIVES

In early stage cervical carcinoma, most studies of the literature show that adjuvant radiotherapy significantly reduced local relapse; its impact on survival improvement is controversial. In this retrospective study, we analyze the role of adjuvant radiotherapy in negative node patients and the possibility of this treatment to improve survival in selected groups.

METHODS

Four hundred fifty-four patients with stage IB-IIA carcinoma of the uterine cervix were treated with primary radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy. The patients with negative nodes but with pathologic prognostic factors predictive of a poor outcome, underwent adjuvant radiation therapy, according to personalized indications.

RESULTS

Disease-free actuarial 5-year survival (DFS) was 80%: 88% and 57% in patients with negative and positive nodes, respectively. The population of negative node patients was stratified in three risk categories according to the number of worsening prognostic factors: parametrial invasion, depth of stromal invasion (SI) >1/3 and presence of lymph vascular space involvement (LVSI). In the medium risk category (1 or 2 unfavorable prognostic factors), DFS showed significant advantage for patients submitted to post-operative external beam radiation. In the subset of cases without parametrial extension (pT1B) with one or two risk factors on the surgical specimen (LVSI and/or SI >1/3), there was no difference in DFS between the two groups treated or not with adjuvant radiotherapy.

CONCLUSION

Post-operative radiotherapy is controversial in node-negative pathologic stage IB cervical cancer; radical surgery alone has low morbidity, enable more accurate prediction of prognosis and may be sufficient therapy in the majority of patients with lymph node-negative early stage cervical cancer.

Up-to-date management of lymph node metastasis and the role of tailored lymphadenectomy in cervical cancer

Lymph node metastasis (LNM), together with parametrial infiltration and positive surgical margins, is an important prognostic factor in cervical cancer. The incidence of LNM increases with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage, with rates being 12%-22% in stage Ib, 10%-27% in stage IIa, and 34%-43% in stage IIb. Radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy are widely used treatments for early-stage (Ib to IIa) cervical cancer, as well as for stage IIb disease, in some European and Asian countries. In several types of cancer, the therapeutic significance of systematic lymphadenectomy has been demonstrated by recent reports showing that a larger number of lymph nodes removed relates to better survival. In cervical cancer, a significant relationship between the number of lymph nodes removed and disease-free survival has been reported in node-positive patients. Preoperative evaluation of nodal status with computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging techniques is not sensitive enough to replace the histological examination of dissected nodes. The sentinel node procedure may be an alternative to systematic lymphadenectomy to reduce treatment-related morbidity, but more work on this is needed. Although the presence of LNM does not change FIGO staging, it will modulate postoperative therapy. Progression-free and overall survivals were significantly improved by the addition of chemotherapy to adjuvant radiotherapy after radical hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy. Adjuvant chemotherapy combined solely with radical hysterectomy and systematic lymphadenectomy may also provide a survival benefit. In conclusion, efforts to establish more tailored surgical strategies, by introducing advanced imaging technologies and molecular diagnostic procedures, are needed for cervical cancer.

Treatment results of adjuvant chemotherapy after radical hysterectomy for intermediate- and high-risk stage IB-IIA cervical cancer

OBJECTIVE

To determine the effectiveness of chemotherapy alone as postoperative adjuvant therapy for intermediate- and high-risk cervical cancer.

METHODS

The study group comprised of 65 consecutive patients with stage IB or IIA squamous cell or adenosquamous cervical cancer who were initially treated with radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy between 1993 and 2002. Tumors were of intermediate-risk (stromal invasion > 50%, n = 30) or high-risk (positive surgical margin, parametrial invasion, and/or lymph node involvement, n = 35). In all cases, chemotherapy was administered adjuvantly: three courses of bleomycin, vincristine, mitomycin, and cisplatin for intermediate-risk cases and five courses for high-risk cases. Disease-free survival and complications of the combined therapy were investigated.

RESULTS

Estimated 5-year disease-free survival was 93.3% for the 30 patients with intermediate-risk tumors (100% for those with squamous cell carcinoma and 71.4% for those with adenosquamous carcinoma) and 85.7% for the 35 patients with high-risk tumors (89.3% for those with squamous cell carcinoma and 71.4% for those with adenosquamous carcinoma). The incidence of locoregional recurrence was 3.3% in the intermediate-risk group and 8.6% in the high-risk group. Side effects of chemotherapy and complications of the combined therapy were within acceptable limits. No patient had severe bleomycin-related pulmonary toxicity. Only 1.5% of patients developed small bowel obstruction, which was cured by conservative therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

The treatment results suggest the potential role of adjuvant chemotherapy alone for patients with cervical cancer.

Prognostic factors in node-positive patients with stage IB-IIB cervical cancer treated by radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of the present study was to identify prognostic factors in surgically treated patients with stage IB-IIB cervical cancers, who also presented with positive pelvic nodes.

METHOD

The patient population consisted of 68 individuals presenting with stage IB-IIB cervical cancers and with histologically proven pelvic lymph nodes.

RESULT

We found no association between the type of adjuvant therapy and patient outcome. Multivariate analysis revealed that non-squamous histology was an independent prognostic factor for disease-free and overall survival rates. In squamous cell carcinomas, the bilateral nature of the positive nodes was found to be a significant factor for disease-free survival rates. In non-squamous cell carcinomas, positive nodes of more than 2 cm in size were found to be a significant factor for disease-free survival rates.

CONCLUSION

Non-squamous histology was an independent prognostic factor and chemoradiotherapy did not improve the survival outcomes of the patients in this study population.

Radical hysterectomy for stage IIB cervical cancer: a review

Patients with stage IIB cervical cancer in some countries in Europe and Asia especially in Japan are usually treated with radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy. Extrauterine diseases, ie, nodal metastases, parametrial invasion, and intraperitoneal spread, can be readily identified. We present the literature review of radical hysterectomy in stage IIB cervical cancer by searching data since 1980 from Medline, and we found that the parametrial involvement of patients in this stage was only 21-55%, the incidence of pelvic node metastases was about 35-45%, and 5-year survival rate was between 55% and 77%. Lymph node metastases and the number of positive nodes were significant prognostic factors of patients in this stage.