Better tumor control than with two 9 Gy fractions among patients with locally advanced cervical cancer
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 27, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients with locally advanced cervical cancer, four fractions of 7 Gy high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDRBT) is associated with better tumor control than two fractions of 9 Gy HDBRT, with or without chemotherapy (CT), according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), held from Sept. 24 to 27 in San Diego.
G.W. Jones, from the University of the West Indies in the Bahamas, and colleagues randomized 601 patients (440 with stage IIB and 161 with stage IIIB cervical cancer) to one of four arms: four applications of 7 Gy HDRBT without (arm A) or with cisplatin (arm C) or two applications of 9 Gy HDRBT without (arm B) or with cisplatin (arm D).
The researchers found that for all women, five-year survival was 67.2 percent. By treatment arm, five-year overall survival was 62.2, 68.3, 73.1, and 65.1 percent in arms A, B, C, and D, respectively. No statistically significant difference was seen in overall survival by study arm after stratification by center and stage. There was no statistically significant difference in survival with four versus two HDR or with versus without CT for stage IIB patients. Compared with arms A and C, tumor control was lower in arms B and D.
“Our trial demonstrates that combining pelvic radiation therapy with four fractions of 7 Gy HDR brachytherapy is effective for locally advanced cervical cancer,” one of the co-authors said in a statement.
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