[Role of peroperative radiotherapy in the treatment of uterine cancers. Preliminary experience in Lyon].

AIM

Retrospective analysis of Intra operative Radiotherapy (IORT) in recurrent uterine carcinoma (RUC) and prospective pilot study of IORT in advanced cervix cancer (ACC) with high risk of local failure. PATIENTS-TREATMENTS: 1) RUC: from 1988 to 1991, 34 patients with RUC have been treated. Primary cancer was: cervix uterus: 28, endometrium: six. Site of recurrence: centro pelvis: four, latero pelvis: 25, lombo aortic: five. Total gross resection was only possible in 12 patients. A dose of 15 to 22 Gy was given by IORT according to the residual tumour size. External beam irradiation was added in 16 patients; 2) ACC: January 1991 to November 1992, 20 patients were included in this pilot study, stage IIB: seven, stage III: 12, stage IV: 1. Preoperative retroperitoneal pelviscopy showed 13 pN1 patients and NMR imaging ten tumours of 6 cm or larger in diameter. Treatment started with concommitant pelvic irradiation (44 Gy) and one conommitant cycle of 5 Fu-CDDP, followed by a short course of high dose rate upper vagina brachytherapy (4 Gy). Four weeks later a radical Wertheim operation was performed together with IORT on the lateral pelvis.

RESULTS

1. RUC: overall survival (Kaplan Meier) at 4 years is 32% (+/- 8). Local relapse in the fiedl of IORT was observed in six patients. Grade 2-3 complications: six patients (radiation proctitis, neuritis, vertebral collapse, ureteral stenosis); 2) ACC: the median follow up is hort (18 months). Four cases of pelvic relapse, no postoperative death. The first line radio chemotherapy was associated with two G3 early complications. Postoperative radiation complication was less than 10% G3.

DISCUSSION

promising results of IORT in RUC have been observed especially if no irradiation is given during the primary treatment. Good feasibility of the pilot study of IORT in ACC was also observed. It could be followed by a multicentric feasibility trial.