Does adenocarcinoma of uterine cervix have a worse prognosis than squamous carcinoma when treated by radiotherapy

Between 1964 and 1980, 1878 patients were considered for radiotherapy at the Western Infirmary, Glasgow, of whom 1673 (91.8%) had squamous tumors and 120 (6.6%) adenocarcinomas. Of these, 1505 squamous carcinomas (92.5%) and 95 (5.8%) adenocarcinomas were treated by radical radiotherapy. The treatment given to either histological type assigned to the same tumor stage was identical. The actuarial 5-year survival (all stages) for squamous (Sq) tumors was 54.6% and adenocarcinomas (Ad) was 54.0%. When analyzed by tumor stage 5-year survival is similar for patients with either tumor type-Stage I Sq 79.9%, Ad 81.8%; Stage II Sq 61.9%, Ad 65.9%; Stage III Sq 39.9%, Ad 29.8%; and Stage IV Sq 14.3%, Ad 21%.