[Radiotherapy of carcinoma of the uterine cervix--high dose rate intracavitary irradiation using a linear source arrangement].

We analyzed the records of 339 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix. The patients were treated by irradiation alone in the period of 1973-1985 with external and high-dose rate intracavitary irradiation using linear source arrangement. The reason for using the linear source arrangement was to ensure the position of source as well as to simplify the technique of intracavitary irradiation. First, external irradiation was performed mainly with a dosage of 50Gy/25f four times a week or 50.4Gy/28f five times a week. Intracavitary irradiation was then carried out mainly with a dose of 30Gy/6f two times a week or 35Gy/7f two times a week and dose was indicated at point A. The 5-year survival rate of all 330 patients were 51.4%, and 55.1% for stage I (N = 19), 66.7% for stage II (N = 88), 47.1% for stage III (N = 212), 33.7% for stage IV (N = 20). Of the patients followed up for 24 months and found to have recurrence, 21.8% (39/179) had a recurrence in the pelvis and 22.1% (39/175) were found to have a distant metastasis. Of the patients followed up for over 24 months, 21.5% 932/149) developed intestinal complications and 12.2% (18/149) developed bladder complications. However complications Grade 2-4 were 5.4% for intestinal complications and 2.0% for bladder complications. From these results high-dose-rate intracavitary irradiation using a linear source arrangement was considered to be an effective treatment of carcinoma of the uterine cervix and to produce a standard results of treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)