A matched-case comparison to explore the role of consolidation chemotherapy after concurrent chemoradiation in cervical cancer

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and toxicity of consolidation chemotherapy after concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT) and CCRT alone in patients with locally advanced cervical carcinoma. Methods and Materials: Using medical records from January 2001 to December 2007, 39 patients treated with consolidation chemotherapy after CCRT (Group 1) were matched to 39 patients treated with CCRT alone (Group 2). Consolidation chemotherapy consisted of three additional cycles of chemotherapy with cisplatin 60 mg/m ² (Day 1) and 5-fluorouracil 1,000 mg/m ² per day (Days 1-5) given every 3 weeks. The primary endpoint was overall survival. Results: During a median follow-up period of 35 months (range, 8-96 months), 10 (25.6%) and 16 (41.0%) patients showed disease progression in Groups 1 and 2, respectively. Distant recurrence with or without locoregional/lymphogenous recurrence occurred more frequently in Group 2 than in Group 1 (23.1% vs. 7.7%, p = 0.06). By contreast, there was no difference in locoregional or lymphogenous recurrence between the two groups. The rate of overall survival was higher in Group 1 than in Group 2 (92.7% vs. 69.9%, p = 0.042), whereas the difference in progression-free survival between the groups was not statistically significant (70.1% vs. 55.1%, p = 0.079). Although the difference was not statistically significant, neutropenia was more common in Group 1 than in Group 2 (10.9% vs. 4.7%, p = 0.07). Conclusions: Consolidation chemotherapy after CCRT may improve survival and reduce distant recurrence without additional toxicity compared to CCRT alone in patients with locally advanced cervical carcinoma.