A prospective randomized trial comparing accelerated concurrent chemoradiotherapy with conventional concurrent chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced carcinoma cervix (IIA-IVA)

Introduction: Cervical cancer ranks fourth in women worldwide. The management requires a multidisciplinary approach. Concomitant chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin, followed by brachytherapy, is the standard approach. Accelerated radiotherapy (ART) can be used to decrease the treatment duration which can further lead to better outcomes. Materials and Methods: Stages II, III, and IVA of carcinoma cervix were studied for 1 year. Ninety patients were randomized in control and study arms, 45 patients in each arm. The total dose of radiation was 50 Gy/25#/5 weeks from Monday to Friday in the control arm and 50 Gy/25#/4 weeks from Monday to Saturday in the study arm, with injection cisplatin 40 mg/m(2) intravenous infusion weekly in both the arms. Results: The response was similar in both the arms at the first follow-up as well as at median follow-up. However, acute toxicities in the ART arm were more, but they were managed conservatively. Conclusion: ART can be used in patients of cervical cancers to decrease the total treatment time. The results were similar in both the groups but need to be studied over more number of patients.

Automated summary

The study conducted on stages II, III, and IVA of carcinoma cervix for 1 year showed that accelerated radiotherapy (ART) is effective in decreasing the total treatment time for patients with cervical cancer. The results were similar in both groups, but the ART group had more acute toxicities, which were effectively managed.