Cervical non-squamous carcinoma: an effective combination chemotherapy of taxane, anthracycline and platinum for advanced or recurrent cases

A Phase II Study of S-1 plus Oxaliplatin for Patients with Recurrent Non-Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Uterine Cervix (Tohoku Gynecologic Cancer Unit: TGCU206 Study)

Recurrent non-squamous cell carcinoma (non-SCC) of the uterine cervix is resistant to treatment and has a poor prognosis. The efficacy and safety of S-1/oxaliplatin (SOX) therapy in patients with recurrent non-SCC was examined in a phase II study. Fifteen patients were enrolled between August 2013 and March 2023. S-1 was administered orally at a daily dose of 80-120 mg for 14 days, and oxaliplatin was administered intravenously at a dose of 100 mg/m2 on day 1. Each treatment cycle lasted 21 days. The anti-tumor effects, adverse events, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were investigated. The median patient age was 54 (41-74) years. The anti-tumor effect was rated as a partial response in five patients, stable disease in four, and progressive disease in 6. The overall response rate was 33% and the disease control rate was 60%. Regarding hematologic toxicities of grade 3 or more severity, leukopenia, neutropenia, anemia, and thrombocytopenia occurred in 26.6-40.0%. None of the patients discontinued the treatment because of adverse events. The median PFS and OS were 6 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2-11 months) and 22 months (95% CI: 11-23 months), respectively. No treatment-related deaths occurred. These results suggest that SOX therapy is useful for the treatment of recurrent non-SCC with promising anti-tumor effects and minimal adverse events.

High-dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy for recurrent cervical cancer in the vaginal stump after hysterectomy

This study aimed to evaluate the treatment outcomes of patients who received high-dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy (HDR-BT) using Iridium-192 with or without external beam radiotherapy as definitive treatment for recurrent cervical cancer after hysterectomy. Thirty-six patients with local recurrence after hysterectomy received radiotherapy including HDR-BT from 2005 to 2013. Overall survival, local control rate, and progression-free survival were estimated retrospectively via the Kaplan-Meier method. Late adverse events were also scored using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (version 3.0). Median follow-up time was 38 (range, 7.4–101.3) months. The 3-year estimates of overall survival, local control rate, and progression-free survival were 100.0%, 82.8%, and 76.8%, respectively. Two patients (5.6%) had grade 2 lymphedema, but no other adverse events greater than grade 2 were reported. In conclusion, HDR-BT was an effective treatment modality for patients with cervical cancer recurrence in the vaginal stump.

Phase II Trial on Cisplatin-Adriamycin-Paclitaxel Combination as Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Locally Advanced Cervical Adenocarcinoma

Objective

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by surgery is a different therapeutic approach to locally advanced cervical adenocarcinoma (LACA) and seems to offer specific advantages over chemoradiation. This phase II trial was designed to evaluate the toxicity and activity of NACT with cisplatin-adriamycin-paclitaxel (TAP) in patients with LACA.

Methods

Patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IB2–IIB uterine adenocarcinoma were treated with NACT TAP for 3 cycles. After the last cycle, patients underwent radical surgery with lymph node dissection. Pathological response was classified as no residual tumor (pCR), residual disease with less than 3-mm stromal invasion (pR1), or residual disease with more than 3-mm stromal invasion (pR2).

Results

Between 2003 and 2010, 30 women were enrolled. Fourteen complete clinical responses, 10 partial responses, and 6 stabilizations of disease were registered. Three patients achieved a pCR, 6 a pR1 response, and 21 a pR2 response. At a median follow-up of 45 months, progression-free survival and overall survival were 37 and 48 months, respectively. Hematologic toxicity was the most relevant adverse effect.

Conclusions

The TAP combination seems to be feasible with an acceptable toxicity profile and a promising response rate for the treatment of LACA.