Concurrent weekly cisplatin and radiotherapy in routine management of cervical cancer: a report on patient compliance and acute toxicity.

PURPOSE: To evaluate patient compliance and acute toxicity accompanying concurrent weekly cisplatin and radiotherapy (RT) in the routine management of cervical cancer.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: Locally advanced or high-risk early-stage cervical cancer patients treated with RT and concurrent weekly cisplatin at a dose of 40 mg/m(2) i.v. (maximum dose, 70 mg) for five cycles. Definitive RT included whole pelvis external beam RT to the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements reference dose of 40 Gy plus a 10-Gy boost to the parametrium and two brachytherapy applications of 20 Gy to point A each. Postoperative RT consisted of pelvic external beam RT to the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements reference dose of 50 Gy and one brachytherapy application of 30 Gy at a depth of 0.5 cm from the applicator surface.

RESULTS: Included in this analysis were 112 consecutive cervical cancer patients treated at one institution with concurrent cisplatin and RT between May 1999 and September 2002. The median age was 48 years (range, 28-79 years). Definitive RT was administered to 57 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics "bulky" Stage IB or IIB-IVA patients, and 53 patients underwent postoperative RT; 2 patients underwent RT for stump carcinoma. All but 2 patients (both administered definitive RT) completed RT. A total of 454 cisplatin cycles were administered (median 4 cycles/patient, range 1-6). Overall, 74% of patients received at least four cycles of cisplatin. The planned five cisplatin cycles were administered to 50 patients (45%); 42% were irradiated definitively and 47% postoperatively. The full and timely planned cisplatin dose was administered to 29 patients (26%). For 29% of patients, the interval between cycles was prolonged because of toxicity (n = 11; 10%) or for reasons not related to toxicity (n = 10; 9%). Of the 112 patients, 62 (55%) did not undergo the planned five cycles of cisplatin because of treatment toxicity (n = 35; 31%) or noncompliance with the treatment schedule because of delayed administration of the first cycle or omission of a cycle for reasons other than toxicity (n = 23; 21%). The most common side effects resulting in chemotherapy discontinuation included GI complications (n = 7) and impaired renal function (n = 5). Of the 112 patients, 49 (44%) experienced Grade 1 or 2 leukopenia and 6 (5%) Grade 3 or 4 leukopenia.

CONCLUSION: Our results show that pelvic RT combined with weekly cisplatin in cervical cancer patients is accompanied by considerable acute toxicity. Furthermore, a number of patients were unable to comply with the treatment schedule owing to reasons unrelated to treatment toxicity. Thus, administration of the full chemotherapy dose may be difficult, although the delivery of planned RT was generally not compromised. Additional follow-up is needed to assess the late toxicity of combined modality treatment.