Author/Editor		Selke, P; Roman, TN; Souhami, L; Freeman, CR; Clark, BG; Evans, MD; Pla, C; Podgoršak, EB
Title		Treatment results of high dose rate brachytherapy in patients with carcinoma of the cervix
Type		članek
Source		Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys
Vol. and No.		Letnik 27, št. 4
Publication year		1993
Volume		str. 803-9
Language		eng
Abstract		PURPOSE: The combination of external beam irradiation and low-dose-rate brachytherapy is known to be an effective form of treatment in carcinoma of the cervix and any change from this well-established therapeutic combination must be able to equal or improve the treatment results. Since 1984 we have been using high dose rate brachytherapy in conjunction with external beam irradiation for patients with carcinoma of the cervix. This paper reports our long term treatment results in terms of local disease control, survival, and complications. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between January 1984 and December 1989, 187 previously untreated patients with carcinoma of the cervix underwent combined external beam irradiation and high dose rate brachytherapy. The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage distribution of patients was as follows: I B = 15, II A = 35, II B = 68, III A = 9, III B = 54, IV A = 6. External beam irradiation to the whole pelvis was delivered by megavoltage irradiation with once-a-day fractionation, to a median dose of 4600 cGy. High dose rate brachytherapy was delivered by a high-dose-rate remote controlled afterloading unit, containing 20 spherical Cobalt 60 sources with a nominal activity of 19 GBq (0.5 Ci) at the time of installation, giving a typical dose rate to point A of 160 cGy/min, decreasing to about 80 cGy/min at the end of the 5-year study. One to 3 high dose rate brachytherapy treatments delivering 800 to 1000 cGy to point A were given weekly concurrently with the last 2 to 3 weeks of radiation therapy, or following its completion. Maximum rectal and bladder doses were routinely measured for each treatment. RESULTS: Overall 5-year actuarial survivals were as follows: I B = 72 percent, II A = 65 percent, II B = 66 percent, III A = 66 percent, III B = 45 percent. Five-year actuarial pelvic control rates were as follows: I B = 66 percent, II A = 83 percent, II B = 78 percent, III A = 88 percent, III B = 40 percent.(trunc.)
Descriptors		BRACHYTHERAPY CERVIX NEOPLASMS ADULT AGED AGED, 80 AND OVER CERVIX NEOPLASMS FOLLOW-UP STUDIES MIDDLE AGE NEOPLASM RECURRENCE, LOCAL RADIOTHERAPY RADIOTHERAPY DOSAGE RETROSPECTIVE STUDIES SURVIVAL ANALYSIS