Management of carcinoma of the uterus stage II

A total of 34 patients with Stage II endometrial carcinoma were evaluated for treatment in the department of Radiation Therapy at Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital from January 1958 to December 1977. Nineteen patients were treated by a standard radiation therapy technique using two radium placements and external beam therapy designed to give a high central tumor dose and also to give adequate radiation to the pelvic lymph nodes. A second group of 15 patients was treated by a wide variety of treatment programs, in most cases a combination of radiation and surgery. No significant difference can be seen between the results in the two groups. Excellent local control was obtained with one failure in each group. The high rate of distant failure indicates inaccuracies in the clinical staging and the diagnostic work-up methods available during this time. A more extensive pretreatment work-up utilizing computerized tomography, lymphangiography, or surgical exploration might improve the clinical staging and allow individualization of the treatment program.