Adjuvant chemotherapy following concurrent chemoradiotherapy for uterine cervical cancer with lymphadenopathy

The present study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the efficacy and toxicities of adjuvant chemotherapy with paclitaxel and carboplatin (TC) following concurrent cisplatin-based chemoradiation (CCRT) in patients with cervical cancer with lymphadenopathy (N1). A total of 37 patients with FIGO stage IB2-IVA cervical carcinoma with N1 (median age 57 years, range 31-74 years) were enrolled. External beam radiation therapy was followed by high-dose-rate brachytherapy. In cases of suspected para-aortic lymphadenopathy or common iliac lymph node involvement, extended radiotherapy fields were applied. Positive lymph nodes were externally radiated. Cisplatin was administered weekly at a dose of 30 mg/m(2) during external beam radiation therapy. Adjuvant therapy was administered to 17 patients and comprised carboplatin (6 mg/ml/min) and paclitaxel (175 mg/m(2)) administered monthly after CCRT, and repeated every 4 weeks for 3-6 cycles. Over a median 21.5-month follow-up, no significant differences were found in the recurrence rate, progression-free survival, overall survival, or median interval to recurrence with N1 cervical cancer patients between the two groups. Patients with para-aortic lymphadenopathy who received CCRT and adjuvant chemotherapy had a more favorable overall and disease-free survival than those treated with CCRT alone. However, 16/17 patients developed grade 3-4 leukopenia and 14/17 patients developed severe hematologic toxicity during adjuvant chemotherapy. In conclusion, adjuvant chemotherapy consisting of full dose TC therapy after CCRT was not well tolerated in general and exhibited no benefit to N1 cervical cancer patients. However, it may be of therapeutic advantage over CCRT alone in cervical cancer patients with para-aortic lymphadenopathy.