Cervical carcinoma: postoperative radiotherapy: fifteen-year experience in a Norwegian health region.

Introduction: To study the results in cervical carcinoma after a combined treatment with surgery and radiotherapy with regard to survival and side effects. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 71 patients who underwent radical hysterectomy and postoperative radiotherapy between January 1, 1987, and December 31, 2001, was performed. Results: Median follow-up periods were 162 months for surviving patients and 62 months for deceased patients. The 5-year overall survival and disease-specific survival for all stages were 80.3% and 82.7%, respectively. The 5-year actuarial incidence of late reactions for grade 1 + 2 was as follows: for upper gastrointestinal tract, 36%; for rectum, 37%; for urinary tract, 19%; for vagina, 26%; and for lymph edema, 19%. The 5-year actuarial incidence of late reactions for grade 3 + 4 was as follows: for upper gastrointestinal tract, 12%; and for rectum, 3%. Conclusions: Careful pretreatment workup and well-defined criteria for postoperative radiotherapy are essential, and new treatment options such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy should be considered.