[Interstitial radiotherapy for recurrent cancer of the uterine cervix]

Thirty-seven patients with recurrent cancer of the uterine cervix were treated with interstitial radiotherapy between 1966 and 1983 at NIRS. The 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates after the salvage treatment were 57%, 30% and 24%, respectively. A local control rate of more than 80% was achieved in smaller-than-thumb-sized lesions. However, the rates decreased to 27% in larger tumors. The local control rate of all patients was 58%. A dosage of 60-70 Gy was required to control the smaller lesions, while the larger ones were difficult to control irrespective of the dosage. Therefore, early detection of recurrent cancer is most important for this treatment.