Utilization of Postoperative Chemoradiotherapy Among Women in the United States With High-risk Cervical Cancer.

Abstract

Prospective randomized data demonstrates that chemoradiotherapy (CRT) improves overall survival in women with high-risk pathologic features following radical hysterectomy. Despite this, not all high-risk patients receive adjuvant CRT and the patterns of care in this patient population are unknown. We sought to investigate the rates of adjuvant therapy utilization through analysis of the National Cancer Database. The National Cancer Database was queried for women with cervical cancer treated initially with hysterectomy from 2002 to 2012. Patients without high-risk pathologic features were excluded: pN, positive surgical margins, and parametrial invasion (Peters' criteria). Among the 5947 evaluable patients, univariable analysis and multivariable analysis were performed to investigate potential factors associated with CRT utilization and overall survival following diagnosis. Adjuvant CRT was performed in 41.8% of women and adjuvant radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and no adjuvant therapy was utilized in 9.8%, 23.6%, and 24.8% of women, respectively. On multivariable analysis, CRT utilization was associated with younger age, race, lower facility volume, pN, parametrial invasion, and a negative surgical margin. Residence distance to treating facility, year of diagnosis, household income, insurance status, and facility type did not predict for CRT utilization. Despite level I evidence supporting its use, less than half of women in this large US cohort with high-risk cervical cancer received adjuvant CRT. Use of adjuvant CRT for women did not significantly increase between 2002 and 2012. Patient age, race, and pathologic risk factors were associated with use of adjuvant CRT.