Advertisement
Journal of Clinical Oncology  
Search for:
Limit by:
  Browse by Subject or Issue
Home Search or Browse JCO My JCO Subscriptions Customer Service Site Map

This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Purchase Article
Right arrow View Shopping Cart
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a colleague
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Save to my personal folders
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRights & Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Benedetti-Panici, P.
Right arrow Articles by Landoni, F.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Benedetti-Panici, P.
Right arrow Articles by Landoni, F.
Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 20, Issue 1 (January), 2002: 179-188
© 2002 American Society for Clinical Oncology

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy and Radical Surgery Versus Exclusive Radiotherapy in Locally Advanced Squamous Cell Cervical Cancer: Results From the Italian Multicenter Randomized Study

By Pierluigi Benedetti-Panici, Stefano Greggi, Alessandro Colombo, Mariangela Amoroso, Daniela Smaniotto, Diana Giannarelli, Gianni Amunni, Francesco Raspagliesi, Paolo Zola, Costantino Mangioni, Fabio Landoni

From the Campus Bio-Medico Free University, Catholic University, and Regina Elena Institute, Rome; San Gerardo Hospital, University of Milan, and National Cancer Institute, Milan; University of Florence, Florence; National Cancer Institute, Naples; and University of Turin, Turin, Italy.

Address reprint requests to Pierluigi Benedetti-Panici, MD, University Campus Bio Medico, Via E Longoni, 8300155, Rome, Italy; email: p.panici{at}unicampus.it


    ABSTRACT
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 PATIENTS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
PURPOSE: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and radical surgery (RS) have emerged as a possible alternative to conventional radiation therapy (RT) in locally advanced cervical carcinoma. In 1990, a phase III trial was undertaken to verify such a hypothesis in terms of survival and treatment-related morbidity.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with squamous cell, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IB2 to III cervical cancer were eligible for the study. They received cisplatin-based NACT followed by RS (type III to V radical hysterectomy plus systematic pelvic lymphadenectomy) (arm A) or external-beam RT (45 to 50 Gy) followed by brachyradiotherapy (20 to 30 Gy) (arm B).

RESULTS: Of 441 patients randomly assigned to NACT+RS or RT, eligibility was confirmed in 210 and 199 patients, respectively. Treatment was administered according to protocol in 76% of arm A patients and 72% of arm B patients. Adjuvant treatment was delivered in 48 operated patients (29%). There was no evidence for any significant excess of severe morbidity in one of the two arms. The 5-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 58.9% and 55.4% for arm A and 44.5% and 41.3% for arm B (P = .007 and P = .02), respectively. Subgroup survival analysis shows OS and PFS rates of 64.7% and 59.7% (stage IB2-IIB, NACT+RS), 46.4% and 46.7% (stage IB2-IIB, RT) (P = .005 andP = .02), 41.6% and 41.9% (stage III, NCAT+RS), 36.7% and 36.4% (stage III, RT) (P = .36 and P = .29), respectively. Treatment had a significant impact on OS and PFS.

CONCLUSION: Although significant only for the stage IB2 to IIB group, a survival benefit seems to be associated with the NACT+RS compared with conventional RT.


    INTRODUCTION
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 PATIENTS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
SURVIVAL OF WOMEN with locally advanced cervical cancer has remained substantially unchanged during the last two decades. The long-term outlook is grim, with overall 5-year survival rates of approximately 40% when conventional treatments are used.1-4 Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by radical surgery (RS) has emerged as a valid alternative for investigation. The main objectives of preoperative chemotherapy are the potential elimination of micrometastases and shrinkage of the primary tumor bulk to achieve radical operability. Encouraging results were reported from different pilot studies that used this approach.5-17 In particular, a 48% to 100% operability rate was observed after NACT with no influence on surgery-related morbidity, pathologically confirmed complete responses were detected in 9% to 18%, and the incidence of lymph node metastases was much lower than expected for the same stage and tumor size.5-17 More important, the observed 5-year survival rates (83% and 45% for the stage IB2 to IIB and III groups, respectively) strongly suggested a cure benefit from NACT when it was followed by RS compared with exclusive radiation therapy (RT).4,12-14 On the other hand, in the early 1990s, preliminary data from randomized trials on NACT preceding RT did not show any survival advantage with respect to RT alone.18,19 Therefore, based on the above considerations, an Italian multicenter randomized trial was undertaken in 1990 to compare the efficacy and toxicity of sequential NACT and RS versus exclusive RT, taken as standard treatment, in patients with locally advanced cervical carcinoma.


    PATIENTS AND METHODS
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 PATIENTS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
Patients aged less than 70 years with untreated, locally advanced (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics [FIGO] stage IB2 to III) squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix were eligible. Criteria for exclusion were Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status greater than 2, severe systemic disease, other malignancy (except for adequately treated basal cell carcinoma), pre-existing peripheral neuropathy and/or hearing loss, inadequate bone marrow reserve (WBC < 4,000/mm3 and/or platelet count < 100,000/mm3), and abnormal hepatic (serum bilirubin > 1.5 mg/dL) and renal (creatinine clearance < 60 mL/min and/or serum creatinine > 1.2 mg/100 mL) functions. The clinical staging procedure was performed according to the system adopted by FIGO.20 Abdominal and pelvic computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging was also included in the staging work-up; abdominal lymphangiography was optionally performed. Informed consent was to be obtained from the patients. The study was examined and approved by the ethical committees in each participating center.

Treatment Plan
Patients were randomized to either NACT followed by RS or exclusive RT. The study design is detailed in Fig 1. The NACT regimen was not predetermined, but minimal requirements were a cisplatin-containing regimen with a >= 240 mg/m2 total cisplatin dose with a maximum of two additional drugs, administered over a period of 6 to 8 weeks. After NACT, the patients were clinically reassessed and classified as suitable or unsuitable for RS. The latter patients were treated by RT. RS consisted of radical hysterectomy (type III to V)21 plus systematic (at least 20 nodes to be resected) pelvic lymphadenectomy (aortic lymphadenectomy was optional). Postoperative RT was given in patients with positive surgical resection margins and/or metastatic nodes. In the case of node metastasis, the choice of adjuvant treatment was based on the institution’s policy (ie, chemotherapy, external-beam RT, or no further therapy).



View larger version (21K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Fig 1. Study design. Abbreviations: RS, radical surgery; CR, complete response; SRM -/+, surgical resection margins negative/positive; N -/+, lymph node–negative/positive; RT, radiotherapy; CT, chemotherapy.

 
Conventional treatment consisted of external-beam, megavoltage RT (45 to 50 Gy) to the whole pelvis over 5 to 6 weeks. In the presence of metastatic pelvic nodes, detected by computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging or lymphangiography, an extra dose of 5 to 7 Gy was administered. Intracavitary low-dose-rate brachytherapy (20 to 30 Gy to the tumor volume) was provided 2 to 4 weeks after external RT. According to International Commission on Radiation Unit report 38,22 the dose was prescribed to tumor volume, without a fixed minimum dose at point A. Aortic node metastases, when present, were irradiated (45 Gy/5 weeks, followed by a 5-Gy boost to residual disease eventually detected) with extended fields encompassing pelvic and aortic volume or at the end pelvic irradiation, in the case of a pelvic complete remission. Salvage treatments were allowed in patients who showed progressing disease.

NACT-induced toxicity was evaluated according to World Health Organization criteria,23 and surgery and RT-related morbidities were classified using the French-Italian glossary of complications.24 Patients were followed up 1 month after completion of treatment, every 3 months for the first 2 years, and at 6-month intervals thereafter. Local and distant failures were defined as disease recurring inside and outside the true pelvis (including aortic nodes), respectively. All case report forms were reviewed first by two study members and further verified by two independent investigators (one radiotherapist and one surgeon).

Randomization and Statistical Considerations
Patients were randomly assigned to NACT&RS or RT by telephoning the trial data center. They were stratified at randomization by disease stage (IB2 to IIA > 4cm; IIB; III), age (<= 60 years; > 60 years), and institution.

The main end point of the study was (overall and progression-free) survival. Sample size (400 patients) and a minimum follow-up of 2 years were planned to detect a 20% difference in outcome between the two arms (with a power of 80% at a significance level of 5%). Patient characteristics were compared by {chi}2 test. Survival curves were computed using the method of Kaplan and Meier,25 and the differences were compared by the log-rank test. The main statistical analysis was done by intention to treat. Survival comparisons were also done for all eligible patients and for those receiving treatment according to the protocol. Cox’s proportional-hazards regression model was used to adjust for possible prognostic factors.26


    RESULTS
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 PATIENTS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
Patients
Between January 1990 and July 1996, 441 patients were randomized from 14 Italian centers. Most of the patients (371, 84%) were from the six main participating institutions. Thirty-two (7%) of the randomly assigned patients were ineligible to participate further (17 NACT&RS patients, 15 RT patients) (Fig 2). Therefore, a total of 409 eligible patients received treatment as assigned (210 NACT&RS patients, 199 RT patients). The baseline characteristics of eligible patients show no statistically significant differences between the two arms (Table 1).



View larger version (32K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Fig 2. Trial profile.

 

View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Table 1.  Characteristics of the Patients
 
Delivery of Planned Treatment
The analysis of treatment revealed that 58 (25.5%) and 55 patients (28%) in the NACT&RS and RT arms, respectively, had protocol deviations (Fig 2). In particular, 2% of randomized patients received no treatment and 6% underwent alternative treatment, while assigned treatment was inadequate for 49 (23%) and 33 patients (16.5%) in the NACT&RS and RT arms, respectively. In the NACT&RS arm, the reasons for inadequate treatment were as follows: more than 20% cisplatin total dose reduction (one patient) or more than 2-week delay of NACT administration (11 patients), in the absence of toxicity; selective (< 20 nodes resected) pelvic lymphadenectomy; and type II radical hysterectomy (40 patients) (more than one reason present in three patients). In the RT arm, the reasons were that a less than 60-Gy total dose (point A) was delivered in 21 patients and that in 18 patients the total treatment time was >= 90 days (more than one violation present in six patients).

Chemotherapy
The following chemotherapy regimens were used: (1) cisplatin and bleomycin (cisplatin 80 mg/m2 on days 1 and 2; bleomycin 15 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8) every 3 weeks for two courses (96 patients, 48%); (2) cisplatin, vincristine, and bleomycin (cisplatin 50 mg/m2, vincristine 1 mg/m2, and bleomycin 30 mg over 24 hours) for six weekly courses (66 patients, 33%); (3) cisplatin and ifosfamide (cisplatin 43 mg/m2 and ifosfamide 3.5 mg/m2 only on cycles 1, 4, and 7) for seven weekly courses (20 patients, 10%); and (4) single-agent cisplatin (at 40 mg/m2) for six weekly courses (19 patients, 9%). The median cisplatin total dose administered was 300 mg/m2 (range, 150 to 320 mg/m2), and the median duration of NACT was 39 days (range, 16 to 56 days).

Due to toxicity, NACT was discontinued in 11 cases (5%), delayed (from 1 to 2 weeks) in 30 cases (15%), and dose-reduced in seven cases (3%). Treatment-affecting toxicity mainly consisted of moderate to severe myelotoxicity (grade 2 to 4 leukopenia or thrombocytopenia and/or grade 3 anemia; 87%) and mild to severe (transient) nephrotoxicity (6%). Cardiotoxicity (transient grade 3 arrhythmia) and hepatotoxicity (grade 3 AST elevation) were the causes of chemotherapy discontinuation in two patients; these two patients subsequently underwent RT.

Surgery
One hundred sixty-four patients (78%) were operated on, 37 (18%) were judged not amenable for RS, and nine patients (4%) received a completely different or no treatment and were excluded from this analysis. In particular, 26 patients (13%) showed stable (7%) or progressive disease (6%) at clinical reassessment, and two patients (1%) were shifted to exclusive RT due to chemotherapy-related toxicity; also, in nine patients (4%), RS was abandoned at laparotomy (due to intraperitoneal or perilymph node disease spread, pelvic fibrosis, or unresectable primary tumor). Type III to IV radical hysterectomy was performed in 150 patients (91%) and type V in four patients (2%), while 10 patients (5%) underwent type II radical hysterectomy based on the decision of the treating physician. Systematic pelvic lymphadenectomy was performed in 130 patients (79%), with a median number of nodes resected of 36 (range, 20 to 81). Thirty-four patients (21%) underwent selective pelvic lymphadenectomy (median, 14 nodes; range, six to 19 nodes), and 77 patients (47%) underwent aortic lymphadenectomy (median, 18 nodes; range, one to 42 nodes), on the basis of the decision of the treating surgeon.

Pathologic examination of the surgical specimens revealed no residual cervical tumor in 22 cases (13%) and microinvasive disease only in a further 13 (8%). There was no evidence of significant differences among the various regimens used with respect to induction of pathologic response (data not shown). Parametrial and vaginal specimens were positive in 38 (23%) and 32 cases (19.5%), respectively. Pelvic and aortic lymph nodes were involved in 48 (29%) and four patients (2%), respectively, with no cases of isolated aortic metastasis. In particular, 10 metastatic nodes (34%) were found in the 29 operated patients with positive nodes at the staging work-up. On the other hand, 35 patients (29%) with clinically negative lymph nodes had positive results at pathologic examination.

Extracervical disease (parametria, n = 2; vagina, n = 3; nodes, n = 4) was detected in seven (20%) of the 35 patients who showed no frankly invasive tumor in the cervical specimen.

Surgical resection margins were positive in 11 patients (7%), four of whom also showed metastatic nodes. Therefore, a total of 55 patients were eligible for adjuvant treatment (Fig 3). Based on the protocol rules, this consisted of external RT (n = 38) or chemotherapy (n = 10); moreover, seven (16%) of the 44 patients with node metastasis (and negative surgical resection margins) received no further treatment.



View larger version (15K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Fig 3. Postoperative management. Abbreviations: CR, complete response; SRM -/+, surgical resection margins negative/positive; N -/+, lymph node–negative/positive; Ext. RT, external radiotherapy; CT. chemotherapy.

 
RT
After external-beam RT to the whole pelvis, intracavitary RT was used in all but 50 patients (28%), because of anatomic reasons (32%), tumor progression (18%), severe toxicity (6%), patient refusal (6%), or noncompliance (38%). These patients completed treatment by external radiation extradose. The median total dose delivered to point A was 70 Gy (range, 10.5 to 105 Gy) (Fig 4). In particular, patients who underwent external RT only and external RT followed by brachytherapy received a median total dose of 61.1 Gy (range, 10.5 to 76.8 Gy) and 71.3 Gy (range, 44 to 105 Gy), respectively. Overall, the median time of radiation treatment delivery was 62 days (range, 11 to 135 days). In particular, 44% of patients required less than 8 weeks, and 27% required more than 100 weeks. For patients who completed treatment with curative intent, the median total dose at point A was 71 Gy (range, 60 to 105 Gy), with a median total duration of therapy of 58 days (range, 33 to 87 days). Two of seven patients initially diagnosed as having metastatic aortic nodes were eligible for and underwent extended-field radiation. Compliance with the planned radiation schedule was relatively acceptable, with 72% of patients receiving treatment according to the protocol. Discontinuation of therapy due to toxicity occurred only in one patient (0.6%) and was due to progressive disease in nine patients (5%). Pelvic control was achieved in 99 patients, ie, 50% of the eligible patients.



View larger version (11K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Fig 4. RT: correlation between dose and time. All patients allocated to the RT are included.

 
Treatment-Related Morbidity
Both treatments were well tolerated, and no treatment-related deaths were reported. Table 2 summarizes the severe morbidity of the two treatments. Overall, severe (Chassagne grade 2 to 3) complications affected 52 (32%) and 49 patients (28%) in the chemosurgery and radiotherapy arms, respectively. Moreover, a 27% severe (World Health Organization grade 3 to 4) additional toxicity was considered for the NACT group (see also Chemotherapy, above). Short-term (within 30 days from the end of treatment) severe complications affected 25 patients (15%) undergoing surgery. In particular, there were no intraoperative severe complications; however, accidental injuries to vessels, requiring additional blood transfusion(s), occurred in nine cases (5%). Bladder dysfunction (17%) and lymphocysts (18%) were the most frequent postoperative complications, but they were severe only in three (2%) and 13 cases (8%), respectively. Less frequent short-term severe complications were abdominal wound dehiscence (2%), ureteral stenosis/fistula (1%), rectovaginal fistula (1%), small bowel infarction (0.6%), and transient leg paresis (0.6%). RT-induced short-term severe toxicity occurred in nine patients (5%). Adverse effects consisted mainly of acute proctitis/cystitis (8%), but they were rarely (2%) severe. Other effects were diarrhea (1%), symptomatic cutaneus edema (1%), myelodepression (0.6%), and uterine perforation (0.6%) requiring treatment discontinuation.


View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Table 2.  Severe Morbidity by Treatment Arm
 
Long-term severe complications occurred in 32 patients (19.5%) from the NACT arm. Dyspareunia affected 10% of patients and represented the most frequent late complication, followed by chronic neurologic bladder (7%), vesico-, ureteral-, or rectovaginal fistulas (3%), laparocele (3%), persistent lymphocysts (2%), and chronic cystitis (1%). Late severe morbidity of RT was observed in 39 patients (22%), consisting mainly of vaginal stenosis/dyspareunia (16%). Less frequent complications were hydronephrosis (2.2%), pelvic fibrosis (1.6%), enterovaginal fistula (1%), chronic cystitis (0.6%), bowel occlusion (1%), malabsorption (0.6%), and fecal incontinence (0.5%).

The relative risk of long-term severe complications for chemosurgery versus RT alone was 0.86 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.49 to 1.50). Moreover, it is to be considered that 38 (23%) of the patients operated on underwent adjuvant radiotherapy and that 30% of these patients will present with late severe complications.

Survival
Survival analysis was done on an intention-to-treat basis on all 441 randomized patients (227 NACT&RS patients, 214 RT patients). Moreover, separate analyses were conducted on the 409 eligible patients (210 NACT&RS patients, 199 RT patients) and on the 295 patients receiving treatment according to the protocol (152 NACT&RS patients, 143 RT patients).

The median possible duration of participation in the study was 79 months (range, 42 to 120 months). The median follow-up of the overall population was 40 months (range, 1 to 107 months). When the analysis was restricted to surviving patients, the median duration of follow-up was 53 months (range, 3 to 107 months). Eight patients (2%) were lost to follow-up, and 21 (5%) died of intercurrent disease.

In the intention-to-treat analysis, the 5-year overall survival rates for patients undergoing NACT&RS and RT were 56.5% (95% CI, 49.2% to 63.7%) and 44.4% (95% CI, 36.4% to 52.4%), respectively (P = .01). The approximate 10% survival increase for patients in the NACT arm was confirmed by the analysis of eligible patients: 58.9% (95% CI, 51.4% to 66.3%) v 44.5% (95% CI, 36.3% to 52.7%) (P = .007). This difference was also observed when the analysis was restricted to patients receiving treatment according to the protocol: 60.2% (95% CI, 51.8% to 68.6%) v 46.8% (95% CI, 37.4% to 56.2%) (P = .02) (Fig 5). Progression-free survival analyses showed approximately the same differences between the two arms: 55.4% (95% CI, 47.9% to 62.8%) v 41.3% (95% CI, 31.7% to 50.9%) (P = .02) for the eligible patients, and 56.9% (95% CI, 48.5% to 65.3%) v 47.8% (95% CI, 39.2% to 56.4%) (P = .03) for those treated according to the protocol (Fig 6).



View larger version (13K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Fig 5. Overall survival of (A) all randomized patients, (B) eligible patients, and (C) patients treated according to the protocol.

 


View larger version (14K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Fig 6. Progression-free survival of (A) eligible patients and (B) patients treated according to the protocol.

 
The 5-year survival analyses by FIGO stage again showed significantly longer overall survival (64.7% [95% CI, 56.5% to 72.9%] v 46.4% [95% CI, 37.2% to 55.6%], P = .005) and progression-free survival (59.7% [95% CI, 51.3% to 68.1%] v 46.7% [95% CI, 38.1% to 55.3%], P = .02) for the stage IB2 to IIB patients in the NACT arm compared with the RT arm, respectively (Fig 7). Separate analyses by stage subgroup confirmed the significant differences in overall survival (68.9% [95% CI, 56.9% to 81.3%] v 50.7% [95% CI, 38.8% to 63.2%], P = .01) and progression-free survival (65.4% [95% CI, 55.1% to 75.2% v 50.6% [95% CI, 40.4% to 60.3%], P = .01) for stage IB2 to IIA more than 4 cm but not for stage IIB (overall survival: 58.6% [95% CI, 46.3% to 60.3% v 42%, 95% CI, 28.4% to 56.5%, P = .15; progression-free survival: 53.2%, 95% CI, 40.8% to 65.4% v 42.8%, 95% CI, 29.1% to 57.2%, P = .51). Survival rates for the stage III patients did not significantly differ in the two arms (overall survival: 41.6% [95% CI, 26.5% to 56.7%] v 36.7% [95% CI, 19.6% to 53.7%], P = .36; progression-free survival: 41.9% [95% CI, 27.4% to 56.4%] v 36.4% [95% CI, 20.1% to 52.7%], P = .29) (Fig 8).



View larger version (13K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Fig 7. Stage IB2 to IIB: (A) overall survival; (B) progression-free survival.

 


View larger version (14K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Fig 8. Stage III: (A) overall survival; (B) progression-free survival.

 
The results of univariate and multivariate analyses are shown in Table 3 and4. Significant variables in both overall and progression-free survival analyses were FIGO stage, cervical tumor diameter, lymph node status at computed tomography/lymphangiography, and treatment delivered. In particular, the relative risks of overall and progression-free survival for NACT&RS versus RT were 0.63 (95% CI, 0.47 to 0.86) and 0.67 (95% CI, 0.49 to 0.90), respectively.


View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Table 3.  Univariate and Multivariate Analyses of Overall Survival
 

View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Table 4.  Univariate and Multivariate Analyses of Progression-Free Survival
 
Overall, 184 patients (45%) developed progressive disease: 84 (40%) in the chemosurgery arm and 100 (50%) in the RT arm. Of these patients, 153 (83%) died of disease, whereas seven (8%) and three (3%) in the NACT and RT arms, respectively, were rescued by salvage treatments. As far as the pattern of progression is concerned, a distant component was present in 59 cases (32%): 31 (37%) and 28 (28%) in the NACT and RT arms, respectively. These differences were not statistically significant. In patients whose treatment was completed according to the protocol, 81.5% of pelvic progressions and 76% of distant progressions developed within 2 years from the end of primary therapy. Timing by pattern of progression did not significantly differ between the two arms.


    DISCUSSION
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 PATIENTS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
In our study, we found that sequential NACT and RS was more effective than exclusive RT in the cure of locally advanced squamous cell cervical cancer. At 5 years, there was a 10% to 15% survival advantage for patients in the experimental arm included in the intention-to-treat analysis (P = .01). The statistically significant difference was confirmed by separate analyses conducted on eligible patients (P = .007) and on those receiving treatment according to the protocol (P = .02). The progression-free survival analyses still confirmed such a therapeutic advantage. Chemotherapy-induced tumor shrinkage rendered radical excision possible in a high percentage of cases, and longer overall and progression-free survival rates were observed in the chemosurgery arm. Although there was increased, but reversible, hematologic toxicity due to chemotherapy, the incidence of long-term complications was similar in the two treatment groups.

The positive impact of sequential NACT&RS on survival was also supported by the results of multivariate analyses of both overall and progression-free survival. In fact, treatment delivered was included among variables significantly affecting the clinical outcome.

The analysis of both overall and progression-free survival by FIGO stage revealed a significant increase for stage IB2 to IIB, whereas only a statistical trend was detected for the more advanced stage group. These data are in accordance with our previous results suggesting that the more advanced the stage, the more limited the benefit achievable by NACT followed by surgery. This could be satisfactorily explained by the direct correlations between disease volume, chemoresponsiveness, radical operability, and outcome in many solid tumors, including cervical cancer.6,14-17,27 The greater the volume, the larger is the hypoxic and resting phases cell population with reduced or no chemosensitivity and the probability of developing resistant clones. The tumor extent, however it is expressed (ie, FIGO stage, cervical tumor size), is highly predictive of response, which, in turn, significantly affects radical resectability and therapeutic outcome.14-17 In fact, RS was feasible in 55% of stage III patients compared with 85.5% of those presenting with a less advanced stage (P < .0001). Moreover, the evaluation of surgical specimens from radically operated patients revealed a higher incidence of persistent tumor in the parametria and lymph nodes for stage III (50%) compared with stage IB2 to IIB (37%).

About one third of failures showed a distant component. Interestingly, there was no statistically significant difference between the two arms with regard to the pattern of disease recurrence. These data are in accordance with those reported by the Argentine group28-30 and suggest that the relatively short duration of NACT may be not enough to sterilize distant micrometastases.

Overall, given the multicenter study setting, treatment compliance was acceptable, with approximately 75% of treatments delivered according to the protocol. In the NACT&RS arm, violations mostly concerned surgery (19%) rather than chemotherapy (6%) and were due to inadequate surgical excision of primary tumor and/or lymph nodes. With respect to RT, inadequacy of treatment was generally due to variation in the dose (11%) and/or time of delivery (9%). A median total dose at point A of 70 Gy (range, 10.5 to 105 Gy) delivered in 62 days (range, 11 to 135 days) seems to be lower than that considered optimal RT in advanced cervical cancer. In this setting, 80 to 90 Gy are now considered adequate doses at point A to be delivered over a limited treatment time.31 Moreover, the inability to apply intracavitary radiation in 28% of these patients because of anatomic reasons was disappointing. However, survival results achieved by exclusive RT in the present study (5-year progression-free survival, 41.3%) seem to be comparable to those recently reported (40%) from a randomized trial with higher average doses delivered to point A (89 Gy; median duration, 58 days).32 In the present trial, the incidence of clinically detectable aortic metastasis was less than 5%, although it is known that no imaging technique is capable of detecting microscopic aortic metastasis. On the other hand, the role of prophylactic extended-field radiation is still controversial. This is why extended-field radiation was reserved only for patients with evident aortic metastasis who achieved pelvic complete remission.

Nearly all phase II and phase III trials have demonstrated the feasibility of the combination of NACT with both RT or surgery.6-17,28-30,33-37,39 In the present study, there was no statistical evidence for an excess of severe complications in one of the two arms, although approximately 30% of severe transient—mostly hematologic—toxicity is to be further considered for the NACT group. Severe morbidity is, however, associated with both treatment strategies in approximately 30% of cases. In particular, the addition of RT in about one fourth of radically operated patients may have affected long-term morbidity, with uncertainty about its therapeutic value. Overall, no treatment-related deaths were reported, and the most severe late complications, such as vaginal stenosis/dyspareunia, chronic neurologic bladder, and vaginal fistulas, occurred in less than 20% of patients.

Most of the randomized studies investigating the role of NACT compared the combination of NACT and RT with RT alone, with no evidence of a significant survival benefit by the addition of NACT.36 The cross-resistance between platinum-based chemotherapy and radiation has been suggested as one of the explanatory mechanisms of such a phenomenon40 However, the lack of improvement, or even worsening, in survival in the presence of substantial clinical response leaves room for other hypotheses involving possible changes in tumor cell kinetics induced by upfront chemotherapy.

On the other hand, the removal of residual disease after tumor shrinkage induced by chemotherapy may overcome cell kinetics–based changes resulting in the lack of disease control by RT. Although such a strategy seemed to be associated with improved outcomes on the basis of phase II studies,5-17 few randomized trials have investigated the use of NACT followed by RS. At the time of this writing, only two randomized trials have been published28-30,38,39; another one is still in progress (Gynecologic Oncology Group study 141). To our knowledge, our study is the first European phase III trial for which mature data are reported. Nevertheless, the national dimension of the study must be taken into the account; the results may be limited to Italy. In the Argentine trials, the chemosurgical sequence always resulted in the most efficacious treatment in terms of survival for stage IB2, IIB, and IIIB disease when compared with surgery alone, with chemotherapy followed by radiation or exclusive RT.28-30,37 However, contrary to the current trial, postoperative external-beam radiation was always included in these trials’ designs. In our study, in fact, adjuvant RT was given according to the protocol only to 23% of the entire operated group. In particular, it was given to 21% and to 32% of stage IB2 to IIB and stage III patients, respectively. While the use of adjuvant RT in the less advanced stage subgroup remains of uncertain value, the routine addition of RT performed in the Argentine trials may be advantageous for a better local control in the more advanced stage subset. This might explain the higher survival rate (63%) reported by Sardi et al30 for the stage IIIB patients treated with NACT&RS followed by RT compared with our results (42%), which were almost superimposable with those achieved by exclusive RT (37%). Strategies involving integrated therapy, particularly with regard to concurrent chemoradiation, have been investigated recently. In this respect, data are now available from large randomized trials in favor of the concurrent use of chemotherapy and RT in a spectrum of advanced disease ranging from stage IB2 through stage IVA.32,41,42 The addition of chemotherapy significantly increased the rate of pelvic control and, consequently, patient survival, indicating that such an integrated treatment is the likely new gold standard in the treatment of locally advanced disease. Promising results have also been generated within our group with regard to concurrent chemoradiation in a phase II setting.43 Therefore, based on this evidence and on the data from the present study, a new, prospective, randomized, innovative trial comparing NACT and RS with chemoradiotherapy seems to be worthwhile.appendix

APPENDIX: Participants in the Italian Multicenter Randomized Study
The following investigators participated in the Italian Multicenter Randomized Study: Salvatore Mancuso, MD, and Numa Cellini, MD, Catholic University, Rome; Flavia Zanaboni, MD, University of Varese, Varese; Nicola Ragni, MD, University of Genoa, Genoa; Antonio Pellegrino, MD, Andrea Maneo, MD, and Franco Placa, MD, San Gerardo Hospital, University of Milan, Milan; Gianstefano Gardani, MD, National Cancer Institute, Milan; Roberto Santoni, MD, University of Florence, Florence; Giuseppe Sannazzari, MD, University of Turin, Turin; Saverio Tateo, MD, University of Pavia, Pavia; Marialuisa Framarino di Malatesta, MD, University of Rome, Rome; Carmine Malzoni, MD, and Marilena Balestrino, MD, Clinica Malzoni of Avellino, Avellino; Mauro Melpignano, MD, University of Parma, Parma; Renato Maggi, MD, University of Milan, Milan; and Massimo Luerti, MD, Lodi Hospital, Lodi, Italy.


    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 
Supported by grant no. 9600586.9F39 from the Italian National Research Council.


    REFERENCES
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 PATIENTS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
1. Petterson F: FIGO annual report on the results of treatment in gynecological cancer. Int J Gynecol Obstet 36: 27-130, 1991 (suppl)

2. Perez CA, Camel HM, Kuske RR, et al: Radiation therapy alone in the treatment of carcinoma of the uterine cervix: A 20-year experience. Gynecol Oncol 23: 71-40, 1986

3. Montana GS, Fowel WC, Varia MA, et al: Carcinoma of the cervix, stage III: Results of radiation therapy. Cancer 57: 148-154, 1986[CrossRef][Medline]

4. Benedet J, Odicino F, Maisonneuve P, et al: Carcinoma of the cervix uteri: FIGO annual report on the results of treatment in gynaecological cancer. J Epidemiol Biost 3: 5-34, 1998

5. Kim DS, Moon H, Kim KT, et al: Two-year survival: Pre-operative adjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of cervical cancer stages IB and II with bulky tumor. Gynecol Oncol 33: 225-230, 1989[CrossRef][Medline]

6. Sardi J, Sananes C, Giaroli A, et al: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced carcinoma of the cervix. Gynecol Oncol 38: 486-493, 1990[CrossRef][Medline]

7. Eddy GL, Manetta A, Alvarez RD, et al: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with vincristine and cisplatin followed by radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy for FIGO stage IB bulky cervical cancer: A Gynecologic Oncology Group pilot study. Gynecol Oncol 57: 412-416, 1995[CrossRef][Medline]

8. Namkoong SE, Park JS, Kim JW, et al: Comparative study of the patients with locally advanced stages I and II cervical cancer treated by radical surgery with and without preoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. Gynecol Oncol 59: 136-142, 1995[CrossRef][Medline]

9. Leone B, Vallejo C, Perez J, et al: Ifosfamide and cisplatin as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for advanced cervical carcinoma. Am J Clin Oncol 19: 132-135, 1996[CrossRef][Medline]

10. Kim SJ, Namkoong SE, Kim JH, et al: Clinical response to "quick cisplatin and etoposide" as neoadjuvant chemotherapy and its outcome in the uterine cervical cancer patients of stage IB2-IIIB. Proc Int Gynecol Cancer Soc 7: 38, 1997 (abstr P032)

11. Zanetta G, Lissoni A, Pellegrino A, et al: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with cisplatin, ifosfamide and paclitaxel for locally advanced squamous-cell cervical. Ann Oncol 9: 977-980, 1998[Abstract/Free Full Text]

12. Benedetti Panici P, Greggi S, Scambia G, et al: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical surgery in locally advanced cervical cancer: A pilot study. Obstet Gynecol 713: 341-348, 1988

13. Benedetti Panici P, Greggi S, Scambia G, et al: High-dose cisplatin and bleomycin neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus radical surgery in locally advanced cervical cancer: A preliminary report. Gynecol Oncol 41: 212-216, 1991[CrossRef][Medline]

14. Benedetti Panici P, Greggi S, Baiocchi G, et al: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical surgery in locally advanced cervical cancer. Cancer 67: 372-379, 1991[CrossRef][Medline]

15. Benedetti Panici P, Greggi S, Scambia G, et al: Long-term survival following neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical surgery in locally advanced cervical cancer. Eur J Cancer 3: 341-346, 1998

16. Giaroli A, Sananes C, Sardi J, et al: Lymph node metastases in carcinoma of the cervix uteri: Response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and its impact on survival. Gynecol Oncol 39: 34-39, 1990[CrossRef][Medline]

17. Sananes C, Giaroli C, Soderini A, et al: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical hysterectomy and preoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of the cervix uteri: Long-term follow-up of a pilot study. Eur J Gynecol Oncol 19: 368-373, 1998[Medline]

18. Chauvergne J, Rohart J, Heron JF, et al: Randomized phase III trial of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (CT) + radiotherapy (RT) vs RT in stage IIB, III carcinoma of the cervix (CACX): A cooperative study of the French oncology centers. Proc Am Soc Clin Oncol 7: 136, 1988 (abstr 524)

19. Tattersal MHN, Ramirez C, Dalrymple C, et al: A randomised trial comparing cisplatin based chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy versus radiotherapy alone in patients with stage IIB-IVA cervical cancer. Proc Int Gynecol Cancer Soc 1: 44, 1991 (abstr 253)

20. American Joint Committee on Cancer : Manual for Staging of Cancer (ed 4) Philadelphia, PA, JB Lippincott Company, 1992, pp 155-157

21. Piver MS, Rutledge F, Smith JP: Five classes of extended hysterectomy for women with cervical cancer. Obstet Gynecol 44: 265-270, 1974[Abstract/Free Full Text]

22. International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements Dose and Volume Specification for Reporting Intracavitary Therapy in Gynecology. Bethesda, MD, ICRU Report 38, 1985, pp 1-23

23. World Health Organization WHO Handbook for Reporting Results of Cancer Treatment (Offset Publication No. 48). Geneva, Switzerland, World Health Organization, 1979, pp 16-21

24. Chassagne D, Sismondi P, Horiot JC, et al: A glossary for reporting complications of treatment in gynecological cancers. Radiother Oncol 26: 195-202, 1993[CrossRef][Medline]

25. Kaplan EL, Meier P: Nonparametric estimation from incomplete observations. J Am Stat Assoc 53: 457-481, 1958[CrossRef]

26. Cox DR: Regression models and life-tables. J R Stat Soc [B] 34: 187-220, 1972

27. Eifel PJ, Berek JS, Thigpen JT: Gynecologic tumors, in De Vita VT Jr, Hellman S, Rosenberg SA (eds): Cancer: Principles & Practice of Oncology ( ed 5 ). Philadelphia, PA, Lippincott-Raven, 1997, pp 1427-1478

28. Sardi J, Giaroli A, Sananes C, et al: Long-term follow-up of the first randomized trial using neoadjuvant chemotherapy in stage IB squamous carcinoma of the cervix: The final results. Gynecol Oncol 67: 61-69, 1997[CrossRef][Medline]

29. Sardi J, Sananes C, Giaroli A, et al: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in cervical carcinoma stage IIB: A randomized controlled trial. Int J Gynecol Cancer 8: 441-450, 1998

30. Sardi J, Giaroli A, Sananes C, et al: Randomized trial with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in stage IIIB squamous carcinoma cervix uteri: An unexpected therapeutic management. Int J Gynecol Cancer 6: 85-93, 1996

31. Lanciano RM, Pajak TF, Martz K, et al: The influence of treatment time on outcome for squamous cell cancer of the uterine cervix treated with radiation: A patterns-of-care study. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 25: 391-397, 1993[Medline]

32. Morris M, Eifel PJ, Lu J, et al: Pelvic radiation with concurrent chemotherapy compared with pelvic and para-aortic radiation for high-risk cervical cancer. N Engl J Med 340: 1137-1143, 1999[Abstract/Free Full Text]

33. Chauvergne J, Lhomme CL, Rohart J, et al: Chimiotherapie neoadjuvante des cancers du col uterin aux IIB et III resultas eloignes d’un essai randomise pluricentrique portant sur 151 patients. Bull Cancer 80: 1069-1079, 1993[Medline]

34. Sundfor K, Tropé CG, Hogberg T, et al: Radiotherapy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy for cervical carcinoma: A randomized multicenter study of sequential cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil and radiotherapy in advanced cervical carcinoma stage 3B and 4A. Cancer 77: 2371-2378, 1996[CrossRef][Medline]

35. Tattersall MHN, Lorvidhaya V, Vootiprux A, et al: Randomized trial of epirubicin and cisplatin chemotherapy followed by pelvic radiation in locally advanced cervical cancer. J Clin Oncol 13: 444-451, 1995[Abstract/Free Full Text]

36. Souhami L, Gil RA, Allan SE, et al: Detrimental effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with stage IIIb carcinoma of the cervix: Results of a randomized trial. Int J Oncol 1: 289-292, 1992

37. Kumar L, Kaushal R, Nandy M, et al: Chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy versus radiotherapy alone in locally advanced cervical cancer: a randomized study. Gynecol Oncol 54: 307-315, 1994[CrossRef][Medline]

38. Sardi J, Sananes C, Giaroli A, et al: Results of a prospective randomized trial with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in stage IB, bulky, squamous carcinoma of the cervix. Gynecol Oncol 49: 156-165, 1993[CrossRef][Medline]

39. Chang TC, Lai CH, Hsueh S, et al: Randomized trial of neoadjuvant cisplatin, vincristine, bleomycin and radical hysterectomy versus radiation therapy for bulky IB and IIA cervical cancer. J Clin Oncol 18: 1740-1747, 2000[Abstract/Free Full Text]

40. Whiters H, Taylor J, Maciejewski B: The hazard of accelerated tumor clonogen repopulation during radiotherapy. Acta Oncol 27: 131-137, 1988[Medline]

41. Rose PG, Bundy BN, Watkins EB, et al: Concurrent cisplatin-based radiotherapy and chemotherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer N Engl J Med 340: 1144-1153, 1999[Abstract/Free Full Text]

42. Keys H, Bundy BN, Stehman FB, et al: Cisplatin, radiation, and adjuvant hysterectomy compared with radiation and adjuvant hysterectomy for bulky stage IB cervical carcinoma N Engl J Med 340: 1154-1161, 1999[Abstract/Free Full Text]

43. Landoni F, Maneo A, Colombo A, et al: Concurrent carboplatin/5-FU and radiotherapy for locally advanced cervical carcinoma. Int J Gynecol Cancer 7: 471-476, 1997[CrossRef]

Submitted August 22, 2000; accepted August 3, 2001.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
Ann. Surg. Oncol.Home page
P. B. Panici, F. Bellati, N. Manci, M. Pernice, F. Plotti, V. Di Donato, M. Calcagno, M. A. Zullo, L. Muzii, and R. Angioli
Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Followed by Radical Surgery in Patients Affected by FIGO Stage IVA Cervical Cancer
Ann. Surg. Oncol., September 1, 2007; 14(9): 2643 - 2648.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Obstet GynecolHome page
D. H. Moore
Cervical Cancer
Obstet. Gynecol., May 1, 2006; 107(5): 1152 - 1161.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Ann OncolHome page
A. Duenas-Gonzalez, C. Lopez-Graniel, A. Gonzalez-Enciso, L. Cetina, L. Rivera, I. Mariscal, G. Montalvo, E. Gomez, J. de la Garza, G. Chanona, et al.
A phase II study of multimodality treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer: neoadjuvant carboplatin and paclitaxel followed by radical hysterectomy and adjuvant cisplatin chemoradiation
Ann. Onc., August 1, 2003; 14(8): 1278 - 1284.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
JCOHome page
A. Duenas-Gonzalez, C. M. Lopez-Graniel, A. Mota, A. Mohar, P. Benedetti-Panici, and S. Greggi
Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Followed by Surgery in Locally Advanced Cervical Carcinoma
J. Clin. Oncol., June 15, 2002; 20(12): 2908 - 2910.
[Full Text] [PDF]


This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Purchase Article
Right arrow View Shopping Cart
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a colleague
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Save to my personal folders
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRights & Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Benedetti-Panici, P.
Right arrow Articles by Landoni, F.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Benedetti-Panici, P.
Right arrow Articles by Landoni, F.

About
JCO
 Editorial
Roster
 Advertising
Information
 Librarians &
Institutions
 Rights &
Permissions
 PDA Services

Copyright © 2002 by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Online ISSN: 1527-7755. Print ISSN: 0732-183X
Terms and Conditions of Use
  HighWire Press HighWire Press™ assists in the publication of JCO Online