Background: To assess the role of post-operative pelvic radiotherapy in cervical cancer patients without lymph node metastases.
Materials and methods: The records of 61 patients with cervical cancer treated with radical hysterectomy and bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy followed by pelvic irradiation were reviewed. The distribution of FIGO stage was IB in 34, II4 in 5 and IIB in 22. The patients were treated with 10-18 MV X-rays using a fractional daily dose of 1.8-2.0 Gy to a median total dose of 50 Gy.
Results: The actuarial 5-year pelvic control rate was 95%. There was no isolated pelvic lymph node recurrence. The overall 5-year survival of the entire group was 89%. The mean age of the patients who developed recurrence was lower than the other patients (46 years vs. 53 years, p=0.07).
Conclusion: The results indicated that post-operative pelvic irradiation was effective in preventing pelvic recurrence in patients with node-negative cervical cancer.