Pattern of treatment failure among patients who died of invasive carcinoma of the uterine cervix.

ABSTRACT

During January 1979 to December 1982, 78 cases of invasive carcinoma of the uterine cervix (stage IB-IV) whose causes of death were established have been reviewed. The major causes of death were either pelvic failure, extrapelvic failure and the combination of both pelvic and extrapelvic failure, which were 47.5, 32.0 and 17.9 per cent respectively. Most of the patients died within 3 years after the established diagnosis of residual or recurrence or metastases of disease, more than half were dead within 12 months. To improve survival rate of the patients, ways must be found to overcome pelvic as well as extrapelvic failures.