Fw. Grigsby et al., PROSPECTIVE PHASE I II STUDIES OF DEFINITIVE IRRADIATION AND CHEMOTHERAPY FOR ADVANCED GYNECOLOGIC MALIGNANCIES/, American journal of clinical oncology, 19(1), 1996, pp. 1-6
Purpose: This is a prospective study to evaluate toxicity and efficacy
of concurrent irradiation and three cycles of chemotherapy bolus cisp
latin and infusion 5-fluorouracil (5FU) in patients with advanced gyne
cologic malignancies. Materials and Methods: Patients received cisplat
in, 50 mg/m(2) I.V. rapid infusion, and 5-day continuous infusion of 5
FU (750 mg/m(2) per day (schedule A); or cisplatin 75 mg/m(2) i.v. rap
id infusion, and 4-day continuous infusion of 5FU 1,000 mg/ m(2) per d
ay (schedule B). Schedule A was given to 25 patients in the first 36 m
onths of the study and was changed to schedule B in an additional 42 p
atients. All patients received irradiation, which usually consisted of
20 Gy whole pelvis, 30-40 Gy split field, and two intracavitary inser
tions for a total of 80-90 Gy to point A. Primary cervical cancer occu
rred in 40 patients with 3 having stage IB bulky, 2 with stage IIA, 5
with stage IIB, 2 with stage IIIA, 23 with stage IIIB, 4 with stage IV
, and 1 with stage IVB. Recurrent cervical carcinoma after radical hys
terectomy occurred in 18 patients. The remainder of the patients consi
sted of two each with stages III and IV endometrial carcinoma, two wit
h stage III vaginal carcinoma, two with stage III vulvar carcinoma, an
d one with recurrent vulvar carcinoma. Patients were treated from 1985
through 1992. Results: The 5-year overall survivals for patients with
stages IB (bulky)-IIB cervical cancer was 70%, 25% for stages IIIA-IV
A, and 39% for patients with recurrent cervical carcinoma. All four pa
tients with endometrial carcinoma have recurred and died. Two patients
with vulvar carcinoma are alive and free of disease, and one is dead
of intercurrent disease. One patient with stage III vaginal carcinoma
is alive and free of disease, while the other recurred and died. No si
gnificant differences were observed in the toxicity of the two chemoth
erapy schedules. There were 9/39 (23%) grade 4 and one fatal complicat
ion in those with primary cervical carcinoma. The overall fistulae rat
e was 11% (4/39) with three patients developing rectovaginal fistulae
and one having vesicovaginal fistula. Conclusion: Concurrent chemother
apy and irradiation for advanced gynecologic malignancies as administe
red in this study is highly toxic and fails to demonstrate an obvious
survival improvement.