Bloss J D, DiSaia P J, Mannel R S, Hyden E C, Manetta A, Walker J L, Berman M L
Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University of California, Irvine Medical Center, Orange 92668.
Gynecol Oncol. 1991 Dec;43(3):305-8. doi: 10.1016/0090-8258(91)90041-3.
Radiation myelitis is a rare but serious complication of radiation therapy. The total dose of radiation to the spinal cord required to cause myelopathy is greater than 50 Gy when the treatment is administered in 25 or more fractions; however, recent evidence has suggested that the concurrent use of chemotherapy may decrease the tolerance of the spinal cord to radiation. This report describes a case of radiation myelitis in a patient after concomitant fluorouracil/cisplatin chemotherapy and extended field radiotherapy for stage IIA adenosquamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix metastatic to the para-aortic lymph nodes.
