Long-Term Follow-Up of Cervical Cancer Patients Treated with Preloaded Radium Brachytherapy from 1977 to 1983

Before the afterloading technique was available, preloaded radium was the mainstay for radiotherapy of carcinoma of the uterine cervix. After many decades of clinical practice, the experience is still useful as references in t he developments of brachytherapy for cervical cancer. This study reports our results during 1977 through 1983 when preloaded radium was used for intracavitary brachytherapy. Comparison is made with results treated with afterloading technique in later years. Three hundred and forty seven cases were in eluded in this retrospective analysis. The 5-year and 10-year actuarial survival rates were: stage I 89.2% and 45.6%; stage II 67.8% and 53.5%; and stage III 48.9% and 40.3%, respectively. There were 8 cases of major complications of the urinary tract and rectum which occurred one or more years after treatment. Five patients were diagnosed to have second malignant tumor 1-11 years after irradiation. These tumors include 2 breast cancers, 1 multiple myeloma, I squamous cell carcinoma of the lung, and 1 soft tissue sarcoma of the abdominal wall.