Long-term survival rates in FIGO stage IIB cervical carcinoma: A comparison of radio-therapy with surgery

We reviewed the records of 460 patients with FIGO stage IIB cervical carcinoma treated from 1970 to 1995. Accordingly, 344 patients were treated with irradiation and 116 patients underwent radical surgery. These patients were followed-up by the Cancer Therapy Center of our university hospital. In the radiotherapy group, 97 patients suffered from radiation complications. Patients with radiation complications did much better than those without such complications. The survival rates of patients with complications were 62% at 5 years, 55% at 10 years, and 42% at 20 years. The corresponding figures were 43, 32, and 28% for the 107 patients with no complications. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant. The long-term survival rates for patients primarily treated with radical surgery at 5, 10, and 20 years were 68, 59, and 53%, respectively. The difference in overall survival between patients treated with radical surgery alone as compared to those treated with irradiation was statistically significant. The authors suggest that radical surgery is superior to radio-therapy for patients with FIGO stage IIB cervical cancer.