ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the clinical outcomes of patients with locally advanced uterine cervical cancer (UCC) treated by 3-dimensional high dose rate-intracavitary brachytherapy (3D HDR-ICBT) combined with complementary applicator-guided external beam radiotherapy (EBRT).Methods A total of 120 patients pathologically diagnosed with locally advanced UCC (tumors with a maximum diameter≥6 cm or ≥5 cm complicated with eccentric tumor growth) treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) from June 2010 to June 2015 were recruited.Five fractions of 3D HDR-ICBT combined with complementary applicator-guided external beam radiotherapy were performed.The prescribed dose for HR-CTV and IR-CTV was 7 Gy (D9o) and 5-6 Gy (D90).The rectum,sigmoid colon,bladder and adjacent small intestine were delineated as the organs at risk.Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) was used for EBRT (45 Gy/ 25f) combined with cisplatin-based chemotherapy every three weeks (75 mg/m2).Results The median follow-up time was 46 months (14-96 months).The 5-year local control rate (LCR),disease-free survival (DFS),and overall survival (OS) were 92.8％,76.6％ and 81.0％,respectively.The incidence rate of grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ genitourinary and gastrointestinal acute toxicities were 57.8％ and 14.6％,whereas 8.1％ and 2.9％ for grade Ⅲ toxicities.The incidence rate of later grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ genitourinary and gastrointestinal toxicities were 8.4％ and 5.3％,and 0.97％ and 1.3％ for grade Ⅲ late toxicities.Conclusions The combination of HDR-ICBT with an applicator-guided IMRT (ICBT+IMRT) yields low incidence of severe adverse events,relatively high LC and OS rate for locally advanced UCC.It is an efficacious comprehensive treatment of locally advanced bulky UCC.