Cervical cancer radiation therapy compliance rates based on location of radiation therapy

Completion of radiation therapy (RT) within 60 days has been proposed as a national quality measure for patients with carcinoma of the cervix as protracted RT has been associated with worse oncologic outcomes. The objective of this study was to compare compliance rates based on location of RT administration.

This was a retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed with cervical cancer between January of 2000 to December of 2016 who were planned to undergo primary treatment with sensitizing chemotherapy and RT. Patients who completed both external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) and brachytherapy (BT) at the primary institution were compared to patients who completed a portion or all of their RT elsewhere. The primary outcome measured was completion of RT within 60 days. Secondary outcomes included compliance with sensitizing chemotherapy, total radiation dose, recurrence rate, progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The groups were compared using standard statistical analysis.

This study included 100 patients, 75 of which received all of their RT at the primary institution. These patients were more likely to complete RT within 60 days when compared to patients who underwent RT at different facilities (58.7% vs 24%, respectively; p = 0.005). Patients who underwent all of their RT at the primary institution completed their therapy an average of 16.4 days sooner (75.1 ± 21.3 days versus 58.7 ± 13.2 days; p = 0.001). Overall survival was significantly improved in this group (p = 0.03).

Women who complete EBRT and BT at different institutions are more likely to have a protracted RT course (>60 days). These patients should be identified at diagnosis and efforts made to coordinate their care to avoid delays in treatment.