Cervical cancer patients were significantly more likely to be alive and cancer-free after five years when given a short course of chemotherapy prior to chemoradiation, finds a clinical trial led by researchers from UCL and UCLH. Chemoradiation (CRT), a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, has been the standard treatment for cervical cancer since 1999, but despite improvements in radiation therapy techniques cancer returns in up to 30% of cases. The INTERLACE phase III trial, funded by Cancer Research UK and UCL Cancer Trials Centre, assessed whether a short course of induction chemotherapy (IC) prior to CRT could reduce the rate of relapse and death among patients with advanced cervical cancer that hasn't spread to other parts of the body.
Treatment with IC followed by CRT led to a 40% reduction in the risk of death and a 35% reduction in the risk of cancer returning over a follow-up period of at least five years. The researchers say the results, published in The Lancet , demonstrate that this approach has a clear benefit for patients and should be incorporated into national and international clinical guidelines. Dr Mary McCormack, lead investigator of the trial from UCL Cancer Institute and UCLH, said: "A short course of induction chemotherapy prior to standard chemoradiation treatment greatly boosts overall survival and reduces the risk of relapse in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer.
"This approach is a straightforward way to make a positive differenc.
