when and how should adjuvant radiation be used in early endometrial cancer?
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hen and How Should Adjuvantadiation Be Used in Early Endometrial Cancer?
aled M. Alektiar, MD
The role of adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) in early endometrial cancer is no longer clearlydefined. The increased use of surgical lymph nodes staging and the perceived “lack ofsurvival advantage” with adjuvant pelvic RT leads to a wide array of conclusions on whoshould be treated and if so how. The purpose of this review is 2-fold: first, to determine thescientific validity of some of the conclusions drawn about the lack of survival impact ofadjuvant pelvic RT and, second, to determine which treatment option provides the besttherapeutic ratio. Overall survival may not be the ideal endpoint for early-stage endometrialcancer where death more often than not is because of causes other than endometrialcancer. Observation after hysterectomy may have the best morbidity profile, yet it may notbe the option with the best therapeutic ratio. Finding a suitable alternative such asintravaginal RT or using intensity-modulated radiation therapy may ultimately prove to bethe option with the best therapeutic ratio. The data learned from surgical lymph nodesstaging and from the 2 recent randomized trials on the role of pelvic RT in early endometrialcancer need not be ignored nor held as the final answer. Perhaps, rectal cancer should beused as an example of how an incremental use of individual adjuvant therapies, eachimpacting outcome little at a time, ended up improving overall survival. If we were to usethe current prevailing approach in endometrial cancer for rectal cancer, patients would stillbe treated with surgery alone.Semin Radiat Oncol 16:158-163 © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
KEYWORDS radiation, intravaginal radiation, early stage endometrial cancer
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p until the early 1990s, the adjuvant treatment for earlystage endometrial cancer was straightforward. Most pa-
ients with less than half myometrial invasion and with gradeor 2 histology received intravaginal radiation therapy (RT),hereas those with deep invasion or grade 3 received pelvicT.1 The only area of controversy was whether intravaginalT should be added to patients receiving pelvic RT.2 Twoajor recent developments, however, have shaken the foun-ations of adjuvant RT in early endometrial cancer. First, the
ncreased use of surgical lymph node staging in many of theseatients has called into question the validity of using postop-rative pelvic RT for patients with pathologically negativeymph nodes.3-5 The other development was that the resultsf 2 prospective randomized trials reported no survival ad-antage with the addition of pelvic RT to surgery.6,7 Theeason these 2 developments rocked the foundations of ad-
rom the Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan-KetteringCancer Center.
ddress reprint requests to Kaled M. Alektiar, MD, Department of RadiationOncology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
e10021. E-mail: [email protected]
58 1053-4296/06/$-see front matter © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.doi:10.1016/j.semradonc.2006.02.004
uvant RT in endometrial cancer has to do with the unwar-anted conclusion that says that all forms of adjuvant RThould be abandoned in this disease. The aim of this review iso challenge this conclusion by first showing that there isore to survival benefit than we are led to believe, especially
n early endometrial cancer, and, second, to evaluate whethern alternative to conventional pelvic RT such as intravaginalT or pelvic intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)ay provide patients with a better therapeutic ratio than
urgery alone.
urvival Advantage of PelvicT in Early Endometrial Cancer
he Postoperative Radiation Therapy in Endometrial CancerPORTEC) trial randomized 715 patients after total abdomi-al hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy to ob-ervation or pelvic RT.6 Patients included were those withtage I-B grades 2 and 3 and those with I-C grades 1 and 2.hose with I-B grade 1 and those with I-C grade 3 were
xcluded because it was thought that adjuvant RT was notiityrRd.hpc
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Early endometrial cancer 159
ndicated for the former, and most physicians would not omitt for the latter. No lymph node sampling was performed, andhe dose of pelvic RT was 46 Gy at 2 Gy per fraction. At 5ears, there was a statistically significant difference in theates of vaginal/pelvic recurrence in favor of adjuvant pelvicT (14% v 4%, P � .001). Overall survival, however, was notifferent between the 2 groups (81% RT v 85% surgery, P �
31), and the complications with pelvic RT were significantlyigher (25% v 6%, P � .0001). In addition, many of theatients who relapsed locally after surgery alone were suc-essfully salvaged with subsequent definitive RT.
The second randomized trial was Gynecology Oncologyroup (GOG) #99. There were 190 patients with stage IB-IIB
grades 1 to 3) disease who all underwent total abdominalysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, pelvicashing, and pelvic/para-aortic lymph nodes sampling and
hen were randomized to observation versus pelvic RT to aose of 50.4 Gy at 1.8 Gy per fraction.7 At 2 years, there wasstatistically significant difference in the rates of relapse in
avor of the adjuvant pelvic RT arm (3% v 12%, P � .007).he 2-year estimated incidence of isolated vaginal/pelvic re-urrence was 1.6% in the RT group and 7.4% in the surgery-lone group. There was, however, no significant difference in-year overall survival (92% RT v 86% with surgery alone, P
.557), but there were more complications with pelvic RT.ased on the results of these 2 trials, some have adopted aew paradigm for early endometrial cancer that says “surgicaltaging for all, adjuvant RT for none, investigate the role ofhemotherapy for some.” In this review, the focus will be onetermining the validity of omitting adjuvant RT based onhe data from these 2 randomized trials.
s Overall Survival a Realistic Endpoint?verall survival is considered the gold standard primary end-oint in many randomized trials in oncology. Many of theatients with early endometrial cancer have competingauses of death other than endometrial cancer such as hyper-ension, diabetes, and obesity. In the PORTEC trial, the-year actuarial rates of intercurrent death were 19.7% in theT arm and 15.6% in the surgery-alone arm.8 Endometrialancer–related deaths in comparison were only 9.6% and.5%, respectively. Similarly, in GOG #99, approximatelyalf of the deaths were from causes other than endometrialancer or treatment (surgery alone, 19/36; RT, 15/30). Thised the authors of GOG #99 to write the following: “With thisumber of intercurrent deaths in both arms, even if RT re-uces the risk of endometrial cancer-related deaths, the sizef this trial is not adequate to reliably detect an overall sur-ival difference.”7 And that is why overall survival was not therimary endpoint in GOG # 99 but rather the disease-free
nterval, which was significantly different in favor of adjuvantT over surgery alone.7 In the PORTEC trial, the sample sizeas larger, but the number of events is perhaps smaller thanOG #99 because those patients with the highest risk of
ecurrence (stage I-C grade 3 and stage II patients) werexcluded from the study. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to
onclude that neither PORTEC nor GOG #99 are large enough to conclusively show whether adjuvant pelvic RTmpact overall survival.
omplications of Pelvic RTgreat deal of emphasis has been placed on the increased
isk of complications from adjuvant pelvic RT as reported inhe PORTEC trial, yet an in-depth analysis shows that somef the difference could be explained away. The 5-year actu-rial rates of complications (grade 1-4) in the trial were 26%or the RT arm compared with 4% in the surgery-alone armP � .0001). However, when grade 1 toxicity (68% of allomplications) was excluded, the corresponding ratesropped to 17% and 4%, respectively. Furthermore, the ratef grade 3 to 4 complications (significant) was only 3% in theT group.9 Almost 50% of all complications resolved over
ime.9 This change was mainly seen in patients with grade 1r 2 complications who represent most patients with compli-ations. For those few patients with grade 3 complications,owever, the symptoms never fully recovered as one mightxpect from high-grade complications. The 5-year actuarialate of complications was 21% for those treated with the-field box technique compared with 30% for those treatedith anterior-posterior/posterior-anterior field and 36% for
hose treated with 3-field approach. 9 This difference in com -lication rates approaches statistical significance (P � 006),
avoring the 4-field approach, which is also the preferredpproach for postoperative pelvic RT in the United States. Ithould not be surprising to most that there is great disparityn the reporting of toxicity between surgery and radiation.urgeons do not consider a permanent incision extendingrom above the umbilicus to the pubis a complication ofherapy, whereas a transient skin erythema from RT is con-idered grade 1 or 2 toxicity. Such disparity in reportingould not be highlighted any better than what the authors ofOG # 99 stated: “It must be pointed out that the mechanism
or reporting toxicity is slightly different for the two arms. Aorm used to report acute effects during radiation was col-ected for patients assigned to receive pelvic radiation ther-py, while standard follow-up forms were used to captureny other adverse events for all patients.”7 Therefore, it is safeo conclude that in the 2 randomized trials adjuvant pelvicT did increase the risk of complications over surgery alone,ut the magnitude of difference is not as large as we are led toelieve.
T For Salvagehe majority of recurrences in the PORTEC trial6 were in theagina (73%) and salvage treatment (mainly definitive RT) inhose patients was often successful with a 2-year survival ratef 79%. Based on those excellent results, some concludedhat RT should be reserved for salvage instead of the adjuvantetting. Such interpretation, however, should be viewed withaution. Of the 715 patients in the PORTEC trial, 39 hadaginal recurrence, and of those 39 patients, 32 were in theurgery-alone arm.9 In essence, we are being asked to adoptalvage RT as being the best treatment approach for early
ndometrial cancer based on the outcome of 32 patients, ofwwlpttloyraa4s
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hom only 26 attained complete remission and only 20 of 26ere with no evidence of disease after an unspecified fol-
ow-up period. In addition, there is no mention of how thoseatients were treated and what type and grade of complica-ions they developed. There is clear evidence from the data inhe literature10-12 that definitive RT can successfully treat iso-ated vaginal recurrences, but what is also clear is that theutcome with longer follow-up is not as high as 79% at 2ears as reported by PORTEC. Rather, the 5-year survivalates range from 50% to 60%. Such survival rates are oftenchieved by the combined use of external-beam radiationnd brachytherapy including interstitial implants to a dose of0 Gy each (Table 1). Thus, it is not surprising that the rate ofignificant complications12,13 could be as high as 8% to 10%.
ltering the Therapeutic Ratiof RT in Early Endometrial Cancerbviously, the data from the PORTEC and GOG # 99 trials
annot be ignored. But rather than concluding that all formsf adjuvant RT should be abandoned in early endometrialancer, it is perhaps better to determine if the therapeuticatio of adjuvant RT could be improved. If we omit adjuvantT, it would decrease the risk of complications yet increase
he risk of recurrence, thus worsening the therapeutic ratio.n the other hand, substituting conventional pelvic RT with
ntravaginal RT (IVRT) when indicated or pelvic IMRT maymprove the therapeutic ratio.
ho Can Have Surgery Alone?he PORTEC and GOG # 99 were set out to determine ifdjuvant pelvic RT is needed in early-stage endometrial, butnfortunately neither was large enough to answer the ques-ion of overall survival. Both trials, however, showed statisti-ally significant differences in terms of relapse. It is alwaysnticing to try to determine if there are subsets of patients inandomized trials who did or did not benefit from adjuvantherapy. Such an exercise is undertaken because of the sig-ificant clinical implications for everyday practice; thus, its
mportance cannot be overstated. Yet, findings from subsetnalysis should be accepted with caution. If a trial showed atatistically significant reduction in recurrence with an adju-
able 1 RT as Salvage for Vaginal Recurrence
AuthorsNo ofpts
5-YearLC
5-YearOS
PelvicRT BRT
ears etal10
45 54 44 50 Gy 40 Gy
ylie etal11
58 65 53 45 Gy 40 Gy
hingran etal12
57 75 42 50 Gy 40 Gy
bbreviations: Pts, patients; LC, local control; OS, overall survival;RT, radiation therapy; BRT,brachytherapy.
ant treatment, the burden of proof is on those who say that g
he adjuvant treatment should be omitted in certain patientubsets and not the other way around.
So the question becomes whether or not there is a group ofatients with very low risk of relapse in which RT could bemitted. The answer to that question relates to the risk ofaginal versus pelvic versus distant relapse. Distant relapse isore of a question of whether adjuvant systemic therapy iseeded, which is beyond the scope of our discussion. Pelvicelapse, in the current environment of routine surgical lymphode staging, relates to whether pathologically negative
ymph node sampling is enough evidence to omit pelvic RT,n issue that we will address later. Therefore, what it boilsown to when deciding on whether to give adjuvant RT is theisk of vaginal recurrence. The rate of vaginal relapse is nothe same for all early-stage endometrial cancer. In the surgerylone arm of the PORTEC trial, the risk of vaginal relapse at 5ears was 5% for I-B grade 2, 14% for I-B grade 3, 10% for I-Crade 1, and 13% for I-C grade 2 (Creutzberg CL, personalommunication, May 2004). Mariani and coworkers14 re-orted on 632 patients with stage I endometrial cancer, ofhom 508 were treated with surgery alone (152/508 were
tage I-A). The 5-year rate of vaginal relapse was 2% for thoseith grade 1 or 2 compared with 11% for those with grade 3
P � .0001). The presence of lymphovascular invasion (LVI)lso increased the vaginal relapse rate from 3% to 7% (P �02).
Another factor that is often ignored when deciding onhether adjuvant RT is needed is the patient’s age. Thereave been several reports in the literature about the negative
mpact of advancing age on outcome. In a multivariate anal-sis, Scholten and coworkers15 in a recent update of PORTEChowed that age �60 years was an independent predictor ofocoregional relapse (hazard ratio (HR), 3.4; P � .0005) andeath from endometrial cancer (HR, 2.6; P � .003). Further-ore, for patient’s �60 years with either grade 3 histology or50% myometrial invasion, the 10-year risk of locoregional
elapse (most were vaginal) increased from 4.6% for thosereated with adjuvant RT to 23.1% for those treated withurgery alone. Therefore, when deciding on whether adju-ant RT is needed, it is important to take into account the riskf vaginal relapse according to age, grade, depth of invasion,nd LVI. At Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer CenterMSKCC), we recommend observation to all stage I-A grade 1r 2 patients and offer it to most stage I-B grade 1 or 2 patientsf they are �60 years of age and have no LVI.
ho Can Be Treated With IVRT Alone?f IVRT alone were to improve the therapeutic ratio over thatf pelvic RT, its morbidity profile needs to be better butithout compromising either vaginal or pelvic control. Even
hough there has never been a randomized trial comparingVRT alone to pelvic RT alone, most data in the literature onigh-dose rate (HDR) IVRT shows a very favorable rate (0%-%) of significant complications16-19 as shown in Table 2.uch low rates of complications were obtained by payinglose attention to total dose, dose per fraction, length of va-
ina treated, and prescription depth. Sorbe and Smeades20rt1p2mlo.wGWIe.dtftgmuG3
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Early endometrial cancer 161
eported on 404 patients with stage I endometrial cancerreated with HDR IVRT. The rate of late complications was5.8% (6.9% were grade �2), which correlated with the doseer fraction (4.5-9 Gy). Onsrud and coworkers21 reported on17 patients also treated with postoperative HDR IVRT. Onultivariate analysis, dose to the vaginal mucosa, which re-
ates to applicator diameter and prescription depth, was thenly independent predictor of vaginal complications (P �007). In a recent trial by Sorbe and coworkers,22 290 patientsith stage IA-IB endometrial cancer were randomized to 15y at 2.5 Gy per fractions versus 30 Gy at 5 Gy per fraction.hen the length of vagina was measured at baseline before
VRT and at 5-years after IVRT, there was a significant differ-nce in the amount of vaginal shortening (2.1 cm, 25%; P �000001) for those treated to a total dose of 30 Gy but noifference for those treated to total of 15 Gy. At MSKCC, ourotal dose of HDR IVRT alone is 18 to 21 Gy given in 3ractions at 1- to 2-week intervals. The length of vaginareated ranges from 4 to 7 cm, depending on tumor stage andrade. The dose is prescribed to 0.5 cm from the vaginalucosa and to decrease the dose to vaginal surface; whensing small cylinders, the dose per fraction is lowered from 7y to 6 Gy if the diameter of the cylinder used is less thancm.Vaginal recurrence with HDR IVRT alone (range,
%-1.8%) is similar to that with pelvic RT16-18,23,24 as shownn Table 3. Pelvic recurrence when using IVRT alone is aunction of tumor stage/grade and whether surgical lymphode staging was performed. Stage IB grade 1 or 2 patientsith or without surgical lymph node sampling could be
reated with IVRT alone. The risk of pelvic recurrence fromifferent series in the literature16,17,23,25 ranges from 0% to 2%s shown in Table 4. Stage IB grade 3 and IC patients areonsidered at high risk for having positive pelvic lymphodes; therefore, whether or not surgical lymph nodes stag-
ng was performed is important. In the Aadlers randomized
able 2 Significant Complications With HDR IVRT Alone
Author Year No of pts%
Complication
cLeod et al16 1998 143 0etereit et al17 1999 191 0lektiar et al18 2005 382 1olly et al19 2005 50 0
able 3 Rate of Vaginal Recurrence With HDR Intravaginal RTlone
Authors Year StageNo ofpts
VaginalRecurrence
(%)
cLeod et al16 1998 IB-IIB 133 2 (1.5)etereit et al17 1999 IB-C 171 0 (0)nderson et al23 2000 IB-C 102 1 (1)lektiar et al18 2005 IB-IIB 382 7 (1.8)
olhjem et al24 2005 IB-IC 94 0 (0)*
rial26 of IVRT alone versus pelvic RT � IVRT, those with IBrade 3 and stage IC without lymph nodes staging had aigher rate of locoregional relapse when treated with IVRTlone, indicating that in the absence of surgical staging thoseatients need pelvic RT. For stage IB grade 3 and IC withurgical lymph node staging, IVRT alone seems to provideow-enough pelvic recurrence (range, 0%-2.4%) to justifymitting pelvic RT23,24,27,28 as shown in Table 5.Despite the surge in the use of surgical lymph node staging
n early-stage endometrial cancer, what constitutes an ade-uate staging is not well defined. This is an important con-ideration because we are being asked to drop pelvic RT, aell-established treatment modality, in favor of a new ap-roach with a shorter track record. Most gynecologic oncolo-ists would agree that sampling of at least 10 lymph nodes ishe minimum number required. In addition, sampling ofoth right and left lymphatic stations in the obturator, inter-al/external/common iliacs, and para-aortic is required.
elvic IMRTntravaginal RT is a reasonable alternative to conventionalelvic RT in most patients with early endometrial cancer,specially for those who had surgical lymph nodes staging.here are some patients, however, who are not good candi-ates for surgical staging or with poor prognostic factors inhom pelvic RT is generally recommended. The former in-
lude obese patients or those with other morbidity that pre-ludes comprehensive surgical staging, thus having only fewymph nodes removed or none at all. The latter relate toresentations in which the risk of pelvic relapse is consideredigh even in the presence of pathologically negative lymphodes. An example of this is extensive LVI in which the risk ofelapse in the lymph nodes is still high or in patients withtage II-B with deep stromal invasion in whom the risk ofarametrial relapse is high as well.In such cases, replacing conventional pelvic RT with IMRTight prove useful. There have been several publications on
able 4 Vaginal IVRT Alone* for IB Grade 1 or 2
Author YearNo ofpts
PelvicRecurrence
(%)
acLeod et al16 1998 83 2etereit et al17 1999 153 1nderson et al23 2000 62 2lektiar et al25 2002 233 2
Some patients did have surgical lymph nodes sampling.
able 5 Pelvic Relapse After IVRT Alone and Lymph Nodesampling for IB Grade 3-IC
Authors Year No of pts n (%)
hadha et al27 1999 38 0 (0)nderson et al23* 2000 44 1 (2.2)orowitz et al28 2002 81 2 (2.4)olhjem et al24 2005 60 0 (0)
Depth defined as inner, middle, outer.
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he dosimetric advantages29,30 of pelvic IMRT, but more im-ortantly there are data to show that the morbidity could beecreased with IMRT. Mundt and coworkers31 reported on0 patients with gynecologic cancers treated with postoper-tive pelvic IMRT compared with 30 patients treated withonventional pelvic RT. Grade 2 acute GI toxicity was seen in0% with IMRT compared with 91% with conventional pel-ic RT (P � .002). In a subsequent publication, Mundt andoworkers32 reported that chronic GI toxicity was seen in1.1% with IMRT compared with 50% with conventional RTP � .001). On multivariate analysis, IMRT was still signifi-ant (relative ratio, 0.16; 95% confidence interval, 0.04-0.67;� .01). An added benefit of pelvic IMRT has been the
eduction in hematologic toxicity. Brixey and coworkers33
howed a reduction in hematologic toxicity especially foratients receiving pelvic RT and chemotherapy (CT). Con-entional pelvic RT � CT patients developed lower medianhite blood cells (2.8 v 3.6 �g/dL, P � .05) and absoluteeutrophil count (ANC) (1,874 v 2,669, P � .04) nadirs thanid IMRT � CT patients. Therefore, it could be argued thatome of the shortcomings of conventional pelvic RT could bevercome by IMRT, thus improving the therapeutic ratio ofdjuvant RT in early stage endometrial cancer.
reatment Recommendationsased on the available data in the literature, conventionalelvic RT is perhaps overkill for some patients with early-tage endometrial cancer, especially those with a large num-er of pathologically negative lymph nodes at surgical stag-
ng. It is also important to recognize that a negative surgicaltaging should not be translated into recommending obser-ation for all patients. A better approach would be to tailorhe adjuvant RT based on the risk of vaginal versus pelvicelapse. The current treatment recommendations at MSKCCor early-stage endometrial cancer (serous and clear-cell ex-luded) are shown in Tables 6 and 7. For stage IA grade 1 or, observation is recommended because the risk of vaginal orelvic relapse is very low. For stage IA grade 3, because of the
able 6 MSKCC Treatment Recommendations for Early-Stagendometrial Cancer Without Lymph Nodes Surgical Staging
Stage Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3
A None None IVRT or noneB IVRT or none IVRT or none Pelvic RT*C-IIB (occult) Pelvic RT* Pelvic RT* Pelvic RT*
Consider pelvic IMRT.
able 7 MSKCC Treatment Recommendations for Early-Stagendometrial Cancer With Lymph Nodes Surgical Staging
Stage Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3
A None None IVRT or noneB IVRT or none IVRT or none IVRTC-IIB* (occult) IVRT IVRT IVRT
IVRT alone if the stromal invasion was superficial otherwise pelvic
IMRT.imited amount of data in the literature, it is hard to knowhat the best treatment recommendation is. At MSKCC, ei-
her IVRT or observation is recommended for those patients.or stage IB grade 1 or 2, the risk of pelvic relapse in thisroup of patients is considered too low to justify pelvic RT.herefore, the treatment recommendation is based on theisk of vaginal relapse, which seems to be related to the pa-ient’s age and LVI. At MSKCC, we recommend IVRT forhose �60 years old or with LVI. For those without LVI and
60 years old, we offer them either observation or IVRT. Foratients with stage IB grade 3 and IC, the treatment recom-endation is mainly based on whether surgical lymph node
taging was performed. Stage IB grade 3 and IC all gradesithout surgical lymph node staging: Patients with stage IBrade 3 and IC, all grades without surgical lymph node stag-ng, have a high risk of pelvic recurrence and should bereated with pelvic RT. Whether IVRT should be added toelvic RT has been a topic of extensive debates. Greven andoworkers34 reviewed the experience of 2 institutions to com-are the outcome of the 2 approaches. In that study, thereere 270 patients with stage I to II endometrial cancer; 173ere treated with postoperative pelvic radiation alone and 97ith combination of intravaginal and pelvic radiation. The
orresponding 5-year pelvic control and disease-free survivalates of pelvic RT alone versus with IVRT were 96% versus3% (P � .32) and 88% versus 83% (P � .41), respectively.his study as well as others called into question whether theddition of vaginal radiation is needed. Currently at MSKCC,e recommend adjuvant pelvic IMRT alone for this group ofatients. For stage IB grade 3 and IC, all grades with surgical
ymph node staging, if the patients had at least 10 lymphodes removed from right and left obturator, internal/exter-al/common iliacs, and para-aortic, then IVRT alone is a rea-onable alternative to pelvic RT. At MSKCC, we do not rec-mmend observation for this group of patients unless theyave comorbidity that significantly increases their risk ofomplications. There is growing literature on using IVRTlone for patients with stage II disease.35-37 It is important,owever, to take into account the extent of cervical involve-ent when determining the type of RT to recommend. For
tage 11A, for patients with cervical gland involvement only,he treatment recommendations follow that of IB grade 3 toC. For occult 11B, for those with stromal involvement, thereatment recommendations depend on the extent of stromalnvasion. We generally ask our gynecologic pathologist to
easure the amount of cervical invasion, and if it was super-cial, we recommend IVRT alone. For those with deep stro-al invasion, we recommend adjuvant pelvic IMRT evenith negative lymph nodes because of the high risk ofarametrial recurrence. Perhaps, this subset of patients couldlso benefit the most from pelvic RT plus IVRT.
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Early endometrial cancer 163
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