Relationship between Interval from Surgery to Radiotherapy and Local Recurrence Rate in Patients with Endometrioid-type Endometrial Cancer: a Retrospective Mono-institutional Italian Study

• Published in: Anticancer research 2012, Vol.32 (1), p.169-173
• Main Authors: GRAZIA FABRINI, Maria, GADDUCCI, Angiolo, PERRONE, Franco, LA LISCIA, Concetta, COSIO, Stefania, MODA, Stefano, ELENA GUERRIERI, Maria, GRANDINETTI, Antonella, GRECO, Carlo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Brachytherapy; Combined Modality Therapy; Endometrial Neoplasms - mortality; Endometrial Neoplasms - radiotherapy; Endometrial Neoplasms - surgery; Female; Female genital diseases; Follow-Up Studies; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Humans; Hysterectomy; Italy; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Grading; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local - diagnosis; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local - mortality; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local - radiotherapy; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local - surgery; Neoplasm Staging; Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; Retrospective Studies; Survival Rate; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Tumors
• ISSN: 0250-7005; 1791-7530

To assess the relationship between the timing of radiotherapy and the risk of local failure in patients with endometrioid-type endometrial cancer who had undergone surgery and adjuvant external pelvic radiotherapy (with or without brachytherapy), but not chemotherapy. One hundred and seventy seven patients were analyzed in this study. The median follow-up of the survivors was 72 months. Radiotherapy was delivered after a median time of 14.6 weeks from surgery and the median overall treatment time was 6.4 weeks. The tumor relapsed in 32 (18.1%) patients after a median time of 21 months. The local recurrence (vaginal or central pelvic) occurred in 11 patients. The local recurrence rate was associated with tumor grade (p=0.02), myometrial invasion (p=0.046), FIGO stage (p=0.003), pathological node status (p=0.037) and time interval from surgery to radiotherapy using 9 weeks as the cut-off value (p=0.046), but not with the overall treatment time. All the local relapses occurred in patients who received adjuvant irradiation after an interval from surgery >9 weeks. The time interval from surgery to radiotherapy might affect the local recurrence rate in patients not receiving chemotherapy. Every possible effort should be made to start radiotherapy within 9 weeks, when radiotherapy only is deemed necessary as adjuvant treatment.