Adjuvant vincristine, dactinomycin, and cyclophosphamide therapy in stage I uterine sarcomas. A pilot study.

Abstract

Seven patients with Stage I uterine sarcomas (greater than or equal to 10 mitoses/10 high-power fields) were treated with surgery plus adjuvant vincristine, dactinomycin, and cyclophosphamide (VAC) chemotherapy in a pilot study conducted at the University of Kentucky Medical Center from 1978 to 1983. Surgery consisted of total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and para-aortic lymph node sampling. Chemotherapy was begun within 1 week of surgery, and all patients received at least six monthly courses of VAC. This chemotherapeutic regimen was well-tolerated, and toxicity was minimal. Two patients had recurrent sarcoma, and one of them has died of disease. The remaining five patients are alive and well with no evidence of disease 48 to 73 months after therapy. The recurrence rate of patients with Stage I uterine sarcomas treated with adjuvant VAC chemotherapy was significantly (P less than 0.02) less than that for similar patients treated at this institution (1964-1977) by surgery alone or surgery plus pelvic radiation. These results suggest that primary adjuvant chemotherapy is beneficial in patients with Stage I uterine sarcomas.