Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the response, toxicity and survival of taxanes plus platinum (TP) and CPT-11plus platinum (CP) as neoadjuvant chemotherapies with previously untreated cervical cancer, and to identify prognostic risk factors in these patients.
Methods: A cohort study was performed to evaluate the result of TP and CP regimes in the treatment of cervical cancer patients.
Results: The study included 567 patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) staged as FIGO IB-IIB in our clinical departments. Clinical response was found in 76.1% and 78% of patients in the TP and CP arms, respectively, and no treatment-related deaths were reported. During the follow-up period, disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) for the TP and CP arms were not different (P = 0.384 for DFS, P = 0.800 for OS). The CP regime showed higher survival rate for endophytic growth style (P = 0.013 for DFS, P = 0.027 for OS). The CP regime also showed higher DFS and OS for G2 tumor (P = 0.027 for DFS, P = 0.032 for OS). In multivariate cox's proportional hazards regression model, the average death rates were much greater in the non-responder group (HR, 2.68), in the older (> 44 years) group (HR, 2.51), and in the FIGO stage II b patients (HR, 2.84).
Conclusions: The CP regime showed higher survival rate for endophytic growth style or G2 tumor. Clinical response, age and FIGO stage were independent prognostic risk factors in this study for both DFS and OS.
Keywords: Cervical cancer; irinotecan; neoadjuvant chemotherapy; platinum; taxane.