Comparison of no adjuvant treatment and radiotherapy in early-stage cervical carcinoma with intermediate risk factors

Objective To evaluate the results of receiving no adjuvant treatment (NAT) or radiotherapy after radical hysterectomy in patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics 2018 Stage IB1-IB3 cervical cancer with intermediate risk factors. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted at Baskent University School of Medicine's Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics in Ankara, Turkey between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2016. In total, 134 women with at least two intermediate risk factors (positive LVSI, deep stromal invasion, and tumor size >= 4 cm) were included in the study. Patients were divided into two groups: NAT and radiotherapy. Results There were 66 patients in the NAT group and 68 in the radiotherapy group. The median follow-up time was 61.05 months. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were similar in both groups (84.1% vs 82.9%, respectively; P=0.57), while the 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 80.2% and 78.2% in the NAT and radiotherapy groups, respectively (P=0.25). Most importantly, both groups had similar local recurrence rates: 8 (12.1%) in the NAT group and 9 (13.2%) in the radiotherapy group (P=0.82). Multivariant analyses showed that the only independent risk factor for recurrence was tumor size >= 4 cm with a hazard ratio of 2.4 (95% confidence interval 1.12-5.24; P=0.02). Conclusion Adjuvant treatment improved neither DFS nor local recurrence rates.