Impact of postoperative intravaginal brachytherapy on survival for patients with intermediate-risk cervical cancer at National Cancer Institute (NCI), Egypt

Background: Cervical cancer is considered to be the fourth most frequent cancer among women. Postoperative treatment is indicated depending up on surgical findings and disease stage. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the long-term postoperative outcomes of cervical cancer patients with intermediate risk factors who have received pelvic external beam radiotherapy with or without vaginal brachytherapy, and treatment-related toxicities. Patients and methods: In this retrospective study, the records were collected for all patients with cervical cancer who received postoperative radiotherapy at the National Cancer Institute between the years 2008 and 2013. The end points of the study were local control, progression-free survival, overall survival (OS) and delayed complications. Results: Out of 248 patients, the median age of patients who did not receive brachytherapy was 53 years and the median age of patients who received brachytherapy was 52 years. A statistically significant difference was found in OS, progression-free survival and recurrence-free survival for those who received brachytherapy, with a p value <0.001, 0.01 and 0.004, respectively. Conclusion: The addition of brachytherapy to postoperative external beam radiotherapy improves OS, progression-free survival and local control for patients with intermediate-risk cervical cancer.