Effect of adjuvant chemotherapy in stage III cervical cancer patients treated with concurrent chemoradiation: A multicenter study

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: A significant proportion of cervical cancer (CC) patients are diagnosed at a locally advanced stage. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) is the cornerstone of treatment for patients with locally advanced CC. However, the role of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) after CCRT is controversial. In this study, we analyzed the efficacy of AC after CCRT in stage III CC patients. METHODS: We performed a multicenter, retrospective analysis of 139 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage III CC patients treated with CCRT of whom 45.3% received AC. Our goal was to determine the impact of AC on survival in these patients. RESULTS: Five-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 37.5% and 16% in patients receiving CCRT with and without AC, respectively (p = 0.008). Median PFS was 30.9 months (CI 95% 14.8-46.9) and 16.6 months (CI 95% 9.3-23.9) in patients receiving CCRT with and without AC, respectively. Five-year overall survival (OS) was 78.2% and 28.4% in patients receiving CCRT with and without AC, respectively (p < 0.001). Median OS was 132.2 months (CI 95, %66.5-197.8) and 34.9 months (CI 95% 23.1-46.7) in patients receiving CCRT with and without AC, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that AC provides OS and PFS benefit in stage III CC patients. Larger studies are needed to identify subgroups of patients who would benefit from AC.