Preoperative radiation therapy in endometrial carcinoma: preliminary report of a clinical trial.

A total of 91 patients with stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma who were referred for radiation prior to hysterectomy were randomly allocated to recieve either intracavitary or external bean irradiation. Total abdominal hysterectomy was done 4-8 weeks later. The 53 patients who received intracavitary irradiation had an actuarial 5 year disease-free survival rate of 75%; the survival rate of the 38 patients in the external beam group was 48%. Nine patients in the external beam group had recurrence or metastases compared to two in the intracavitary group. These recurrences were predominantly pelvic. Complications were also more frequent in the external beam group. These results demonstrate that intracavitary radiation is superior to external beam radiation using the regiments described.