AN EVALUATION OF CHEMOTHERAPY IN PATIENTS WITH CANCER OF THE CERVIX AND LYMPH-NODE METASTASES

During the past twelve years, out of the 288 cervical cancer patients who had lymph node involvement, the recurrence rate in the lymph node, was 26.6% if one or two nodes were involved and 50.8% if three or mor e nodes were involved (P<0.0001). The recurrence rate of patients who received eight intravenous treatments (at monthly intervals) of multi- agent chemotherapy was lower than those who did not receive treatment. Of patients with one or two positive lymph nodes, 114 received treatm ent while 50 did not; their respective recurrence rates were 19.3% and 42.0%, a statistically significant difference (P<0.025). Of patients with three or more positive lymph nodes, 97 received treatment and 27 did not, their respective recurrence rates, were 46% and 66% (P=0.30) and the difference is not statistically significant. It would seem tha t multi-agent chemotherapy may reduce the recurrence rate in patients with cancer of the cervix and positive lymph nodes.