Phase II study of combination chemotherapy with docetaxel and carboplatin for locally advanced or recurrent cervical cancer

The efficacy and toxicity of combination chemotherapy with docetaxel + carboplatin were evaluated in patients with locally advanced or recurrent cervical cancer. A total of 71 patients with cervical cancer were enrolled into this trial, and 66 patients were considered eligible. The patients were administered docetaxel at 60 mg/m2 followed by carboplatin based on area under the curve of 6, both by intravenous infusion, every 3 weeks, with the treatment repeated for 1 to 6 cycles depending on the goal of the therapy. The response was evaluated based on the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors criteria. Toxicity to chemotherapy was evaluated according to the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria. Of the 66 eligible patients, 62 had locally advanced cervical cancer with no history of previous treatment, whereas 4 patients had recurrent cervical cancer. A total 149 cycles of chemotherapy were administered, with a median of 2.3 cycles (range, 1-6) per patient. The overall clinical response rate was 63.7% (44/66, 95% confidence interval, 52.1-75.3). In the neoadjuvant chemotherapy setting, the overall clinical response rate was 69.3% (43/62; 43/62, 95% confidence interval, 57.8-80.8), and the response rates in patients with squamous cell carcinoma and nonsquamous cell carcinoma were 69.7% (23/33, 95% confidence interval, 54.0-85.4) and 68.9% (20/29, 95% confidence interval, 52.1-85.7), respectively. On the other hand, in patients with recurrent cervical cancer, the overall response rate was 25.0% (1/4, 95% confidence interval, -17.4 to 67.4). Nonhematological toxicities were mainly grade 1 or 2. Hematological toxicity was encountered mostly in the form of neutropenia and thrombocytopenia. Combination chemotherapy with docetaxel + carboplatin is a safe and well-tolerated treatment for patients with advanced cervical cancer and is effective against not only squamous cell carcinoma, but also adenocarcinoma.