High dose irradiation to biopsy confirmed aortic node metastases from carcinoma of the uterine cervix.

Twenty-one women with biopsy proven aortic node metastases from previously untreated carcinoma of the uterine cervix were treated with high dose irradiation to the pelvis and para-aortic areas. The majority received 6000 rads to the pelvis and para-aortic nodes by split course therapy plus 2500 rads by intracavitary radium to point A; 57.1% sustained severe complications to the stomach, small intestine or colon. Only 14.2% are surviving over 2 years free of recurrence. Though approximately 40% of women with Stages III and IV cervical cancer will have metastases to the para-aortic nodes, to date there is no satisfactory therapy that results in a significant number of such women surviving free of recurrent cervical cancer.