Re‐irradiation with interstitial implant for recurrent pelvic malignancies

Abstract

Forty patients with a diagnosis of recurrent pelvic malignancy from various primary sites with no clinical evidence of distant metastasis were re‐irradiated with interstitial implant. Removable afterloading 125Ir sources or permanent 125I seeds or a combination of both were used. Twenty‐six of these patients received interstitial implant at the time of exploratory laporatomy. A complete local control of implanted pelvic tumors was achieved in 27 of the 40 patients (67%). Thirteen of the 40 patients (33%) remained alive and disease‐free to a minimum follow‐up period of two years. Serious complications such as soft tissue necrosis and fistulae occurred in 15% of the patients. Copyright © 1982 American Cancer Society