[Morphology of cancer of the cervix uteri and surrounding tissues after preoperative intracavity therapy with high-energy 252Cf radiation sources and 60Co].

Comparative morphological study of uterine cervix carcinoma in 21 patients after a intracavity radiotherapy by 252Cf and in 18 patients treated with 60Co is performed. Total focal dose in a point A in both cases was 30 Gy. Morphometric study with the calculation of a volume correlation between stroma and tumour parenchyma in the two main groups and a control (untreated) group with a subsequent determination of a damage index has been done for the assessment of therapy. Both sources of radiation had an approximately similar efficiency in the treatment of superficial exophytic forms of tumour growth. 252Cf was biologically more efficient in the treatment of the deeply invasive forms of growth. The index of damage in 252Cf and 60Co was 96.5 and 84, respectively. Likewise the alterations in the surrounding normal uterine tissues after the intracavity irradiation with fast neutrons were more pronounced than those provoked by 60Co.