Efficacy of Cisplatin in Early Stage Cervical Cancer with a Long Waiting Period for Surgery

Abstract

This study was undertaken as a prospective trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pre-operative cisplatinfor controlling the tumor volume of stage IB-IIA cervical cancer patients whose schedule for radical surgerywas longer than 3 weeks. Between June 2004 and July 2005, 42 patients were recruited to enter the study.Seventy-five mg/m2 of cisplatin was administered for 1-2 courses. Cervical tumor volume was measured 1 daybefore chemotherapy and 1 day before the operation by using 3-dimensional ultrasound. Reduction of cervicaltumor volume was noted in 76.2%of cases. The clinical stage, gross appearance of the tumor, histology andnumber of chemotherapy courses did not significantly affect chemo-responsiveness. The incidence of lymphnode metastases was 16.3%. One patient experienced severe vomiting which could be controlled by ondansetronantiemetic. No severe hematologic or other non-hematologic toxicities were identified. In conclusion cisplatin iseffective and safe for administration in a pre-operative setting for early stage cervical cancer patients whosesurgical schedule is delayed more than 3 weeks.