Cisplatin/carboplatin combination as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for cervical cancer

Purpose. The primary goal of this study was to evaluate the clinical activity and toxicity of combination of cisplatin and carboplatin as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for women with advanced cancer of the uterine cervix. Patients and Methods: Eleven patients with cervical cancer were divided into two groups. The patients in Group A received intraarterial (k.a.) cisplatin 50 mg/m2 + carboplatin 200 mg/m2, while the 5 patients in Group B received i.a. cisplatin 60 mg/m2 + carboplatin 200 mg/m2. Two courses of chemotherapy were administered every 3 weeks for 2 cycles. The response to treatment was evaluated by MRI. The serum free platinum concentration was measured 30, 60, 120, and 360 minutes, 24 hours, and 7 days after drug administration. Results: Patients had a complete response (CR), 4 had partial responses (PR) and one showed no change (NC) in Group A, while 1 CR, 3 PR and 1 case of NC were obtained in Group B. The overall response rate was 88.1%. The serum free platinum concentration during cisplatin/carboplatin combination treatment was intermediate compared with observed during cisplatin (100 mg/m2 i.a.) treatment and carboplatin (400 mg/m2 i.a.) treatment. As for the toxicity, the treatment was judged to be safe and there were no significant differences between the two groups. Conclusion: Combination treatment with intraarterial cisplatin 50-60 mg/m2 + carboplatin 200 mg/m2 was appered to be useful as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for advanced cervical cancer.