High dose-rate brachytherapy for elderly patients with uterine cervical cancer

The need for radiotherapy (RT) in cancer treatment for the elderly patient is growing. The purpose of this study was to analyze the efficacy and complication rate for radiotherapy, using external-beam irradiation (EBRT) and high dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy (HDRICB), for patients aged 70 years or older with carcinoma of the uterine cervix.

From September 1992 to December 1997, 295 patients diagnosed with uterine cervical cancer completed RT at the Shin Kong Memorial Hospital and China Medical College Hospital. Two hundred and fifty-eight patients [International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage distribution: 35 Ib, 26 IIa, 122 IIb, 10 IIIa, 58 IIIb, 7 IVa] who had undergone at least two courses of HDRICB and a minimum of 3 years of follow-up, were evaluated. A retrospective analysis was conducted to compare the outcome of radiation therapy for the 179 patients under 70 years of age (younger group) and the 79 patients aged 70 years or older (older group). The RT consisted of EBRT followed by HDRICB. After a total EBRT dose of 40-45 Gy/20 in 25 fractions, irradiating the whole pelvis over 4-5 weeks, dosage for patients diagnosed as FIGO stage IIb-IVa bilateral parametrial disease was boosted to 54-58 Gy, with central shielding. HDRICB was administered at 1-week intervals using an Ir-192 remote after-loading technique. Ninety-nine patients (38.4%) received three fractions of HDRICB, while 156 patients (60.5%) had four fractions. Total prescribed Point A dosages (EBRT + HDRICB) ranged from 58 to 71.6 Gy (median, 65.6 Gy) for stage IB-IIA, while for larger lesions (stage IIB-IVA) analogous dosages were 59-75.6 Gy (median, 65.6 Gy). Median follow-up durations for the older and younger groups were 56/55 months, respectively.

The respective 5-year actuarial survivals (AS) for the older and younger groups were 82/85% for stage Ib, 65/65% for IIa, 61/71% for IIb and 35/59% for IIIa-b. The 5-year cause-specific survivals (CSS) for the older and younger groups were 100/95% for stage Ib, 85/75% for IIa, 78/72% for IIb and 42/61% for IIIa-b. The 5-year pelvic relapse-free survivals (PRFS) for the older and younger groups were 100/100% for stage Ib, 91/93% for IIa, 91/90% for IIb and 67/80% for IIIa-b. The 5-year distant metastasis-free survivals (DMFS) for older and younger groups were 100/100% for stage Ib, 92/88% for IIa, 84/73% for IIb and 55/75% for IIIa-b. There was no statistically significant survival difference on comparing the two groups according to stage. The gross tumor-free ratios after EBRT (NRT) for the older and younger groups were 44.3/24.5% (P = 0.001). The 5-year CSS for the 35 NRT patients was 88% for the older group, while for the 44 patients diagnosed with gross residual tumor after EBRT (GRT) it was 64% (P = 0.001). Twelve (15.0%) of the 79 older patients and 14 (7.8%) of the 179 younger patients developed RTOG grade 3-4 rectal complications (P = 0.12), while seven (8.9%) of the 79 older patients and 10 (5.6%) of the 179 younger patients developed RTOG grade 3-4 small bowel complications (P = 0.34).

Radiation therapy, consisting of a combination of EBRT and three or four fractions of HDRICB, proved to be effective for older patients. Further optimization of treatment policy is essential by changing the HDRICB fractionation strategy, shortening the treatment time and designing combination drug regimens that are both effective and tolerable during radiotherapy.