Survival rate of recurrent cervical cancer patients

To determine the survival rate of recurrent cervical cancer patients and factors influencing survival.

The subjects were identified from the Gynecologic Oncology Unit tumor registry record The pathological, clinical data including the follow-up information of recurrent cervical cancer patients who were treated in the Gynecologic Oncology Unit, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Medical College and Vajira Hospital between 1992 and 2003 were retrospective reviewed.

During the study period, 144 recurrent cervical cancer patients were identified. Mean age of the patients was 52 years. The median time from complete primary treatment to disease recurrence was 14.8 months. Seventy-two patients (50%) had previous stage III disease. The most common histopalogy was squamous cell carcinoma (72.9%). Approximately half of the recurrences were local (73 patients or 50.7%) and distal recurrences were encountered in 71 patients or 49.3%. Overall 109 patients received treatmentfor their recurrences, i.e. radiation alone (55 patients, 38.2%), chemotherapy (31 patients, 21.5%), chemotherapy and radiation (18 patients, 12.5%), surgery (5 patients, 3.5%), and 35 patients (24.3%) received only supportive treatment. Two-year survival rate of the group was 18.5%. Median survival was 8 months (95%CI, 7-10 months). The patients with only local recurrence had a 2-year survival rate of 22.2% compared to 14.6% in those with distant recurrence. (p = 0.245). Two-year survival rate of those who received any kind of treatment was 22.4% compared to 4.0% in those who received only supportive treatment (p = 0.014 and 0.017 in univariable and multivariable analysis respectively).

Survival rate of recurrent cervical cancer was low, especially in those who received only supportive treatment.