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Medium‐dose‐rate brachytherapy for cancer of the cervix: Preliminary results of a designed schedule
Author(s) -
HASHEMI Farnaz Amouzegar,
KALAGCHI Bita,
AGHILI Mehdi,
FARHAN Farshid,
OMRANIPOUR Ramesh
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
asia‐pacific journal of clinical oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.73
H-Index - 29
eISSN - 1743-7563
pISSN - 1743-7555
DOI - 10.1111/j.1743-7563.2008.00219.x
Subject(s) - brachytherapy , medicine , cervical cancer , nuclear medicine , cervix , radiation therapy , radiology , cancer
Aim: This retrospective analysis aims to report results from patients with cervical cancer treated by external beam radiation (EBR) with telecobalt and medium‐dose‐rate (MDR) brachytherapy and to establish the magnitude of brachytherapy dose reduction. Methods: Between June 2003 and September 2005, 77 patients with histological diagnosis of cervical carcinoma were treated with cobalt for external beam radiation, followed by one or two insertions of MDR with a dose rate from 220 ± 10 cGy/h. Median dose of EBR at whole pelvis was 50 Gy and the planned MDR schedule consisted of 1 or 2 insertions with 10–12 Gy to point A. Results: 77 patients were followed for median of 15 months (range: 1–33 months). Local control was achieved in 63 patients 81.8%. Local failure and overall failure rates were 11.7% and 19.5%, respectively. Overall incidence of rectal and bladder complication was 9.0% (7/77) and 7.8% (6/77), respectively. Conclusion: Results of this series suggest that use of telecobalt for EBR together with MDR brachytherapy with a dose reduction around 20% in comparison with low‐dose‐rate (LDR) brachytherapy can be an acceptable technique, especially in developing countries.