Radiotherapy for postoperative failures of carcinoma of the cervix uteri

A series of 115 patients with a local postsurgical recurrence of carcinoma of the cervix uteri, treated with radiotherapy, were analyzed. Recurrences were subdivided into three categories based upon the site and extent of the disease, namely central, peripheral limited and peripheral massive recurrences. The objective and symptomatic response to the treatment and long term survival were examined separately for each category of lesion. Several correlations were attempted between the extension of the recurrence and the survival of treated patients and some clinical features, such as the length on the interval from primary operation, type of operation, age of the patient and the objective response to treatment. Only the objective response to treatment seems to be related to survival which was evidently better in complete responders. Local radiation achieved good results in the treatment of reported recurrence, depending mainly on the extent of the disease; those in the central recurrences group had the best results, with a high five year cure rate; in peripheral limited recurrence group, the curve rate was significantly lower, while, in peripheral massive recurrence group, palliation was the result.