Advances in radiotherapy in the gynecologic malignancies

We review, for their wider applicability, four advances in the radiotherapeutic management of the gynecologic malignancies. Attempts at improving upon results obtained with radiotherapy by the addition of chemotherapy have usually followed one of two temporal strategies: Sequential chemotherapy-radiotherapy (so-called neo-adjuvant chemotherapy), or chemotherapy given concurrently with radiotherapy. The pros and cons of both models are discussed. Recent work suggests that there is a differential response between the acutely reacting normal tissues, as well as tumor, and the late-reacting normal tissues, which is dependent upon the radiation fraction size. The rationale and some important clinical applications are reviewed. Advances in brachytherapy include the high dose rate treatment and the use of rigid templates to guide the accurate placement of the interstitial implant. The controversies surrounding these approaches require further study before the precise place of these techniques is known. Finally, in vulvar cancer, the addition of radiotherapy to surgery is being studied to permit less radical operations in early disease, and greater local tumor control in advanced disease.