Neoadjuvant Intraarterial Infusion Chemotherapy in Patients with Stage IB2–IIIB Cervical Cancer

Abstract

Objectives. The purpose of this study was determine the effect of neoadjuvant intraarterial chemotherapy (NAIC) on the prognosis of patients with locally advanced cervical cancer.Methods. From January 1992 to December 1997, 26 previously untreated patients with stage IB2–IIIB cervical cancer were enrolled in the study. NAIC was administered for more than two courses every 3 weeks using a combination of 17.5 mg/m2 bleomycin, 7 mg/m2 mitomycin-C, and 75 mg/m2 cisplatin via the bilateral internal iliac artery. Pathologic findings were evaluated with histologic examinations of surgical specimens. A nonrandomized control group of 120 patients who underwent conventional treatment between 1980 and 1991 was used for comparison.Results. Nineteen (73.1%) of the 26 patients responded to initial chemotherapy, permitting a radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy in 14 patients. The remaining 5 patients received radiotherapy. One of 7 nonresponders was able to undergo radical surgery. Pathologic complete responses were found in 4 of the 15 patients who underwent radical surgery. The incidence of lymph node metastasis, parametrial infiltration, and vascular space involvement in the 15 patients who received NAIC followed by radical surgery was significantly lower than that in the control group (13.3, 6.7, and 13.3% vs 54.2, 43.8, and 60.4%). The overall 5-year estimated survival rate was significantly higher for all 26 patients who received NAIC (80.0%) than for the control group (59.6%). In stage II and III, the 5-year survival rate for patients who received NAIC was significantly higher than that in the control group (83.3 and 77.8% vs 68.1 and 49.8%).Conclusions. These preliminary results suggest that NAIC is able to eliminate effectively the pathologic risk factors in the pelvic cavity, to improve the operability in patients with stage IIIB cervical cancer, considered inoperable, and to improve the prognosis of patients with locally advanced cervical cancer.