The treatment of carcinoma of the cervix and poor-risk endometrial carcinoma using the Cathetron at the Middlesex Hospital: experience since 1979.

This study reports on 5 years experience of the treatment of carcinoma of the cervix and poor-risk carcinoma of the body of the uterus using a combination of external beam radiotherapy and high-dose-rate intracavitary 60Co-brachytherapy using the Cathetron since 1979 at the Middlesex Hospital, London. Despite a reduction in external beam dose of 20% since 1979, survival rates for both diseases remain unchanged and also compare favourably with those of other centres; they are 70.02% for carcinoma of the cervix of all stages except Ia, and 81.17% for 'poor-risk' carcinoma of body of uterus of all stages. The complication rates were acceptable. Analysis of the results of treatment by stage of disease in those patients with carcinoma of the cervix revealed that, except for Stage I cases, the results were comparable with those reported in the literature. The reason for the poor results in Stage I was found to be due to the high proportion of patients of 35 years of age and under with Stage I disease who fared significantly worse than older patients.