Final results of a phase II chemoradiation protocol for locally advanced cervical cancer: RTOG 85-15

Abstract

Background: The lack of improved cure rates for advanced cervical cancer after three decades of megavoltage radiotherapy (RT) has prompted continued efforts in improved treatment delivery. Concurrent chemoradiation (CR) is one of the several avenues being explored to improve these results. Methods: Sixty women with advanced cervical cancer (30 patients with unfavorable Stage IIB and 30 patients with Stages III and IVA) were treated with CR comprising of a combination of external and intracavitary RT delivering between 7000 to 7500 cGy total to point A and 5890 to 6015 cGy to point B along with one cycle of 5-FU and mitomycin C and a second cycle of 5-FU and cis-platinum. Results: Grade 3 and 4 RT-related toxicities were 15 and 3%, respectively. Chemotherapy-related Grade 3 and 4 toxicities were 9 and 2%, respectively. The 5-year survival for unfavorable Stage IIB patients was 48%; for Stages III and IVA it was 39%. Conclusions: The toxicity of this particular CR regimen was acceptable and suggests that further qualitative and quantitative intensification of chemoradiation may be attempted. Retrospective comparisons with PCS studies and previous RTOG studies 79-20 and 80-05 suggest that this particular chemoradiation regimen may offer a modest survival advantage over RT alone for Stages III and IVA disease. A CR regimen with higher doses of radiotherapy and a greater number of active chemotherapeutic agents may yet result in acceptable toxicity and further improve cure rates in advanced and poor prognostic featured cervical cancer.