A clinical study on the efficacy of concurrent chemoradiotherapy combined with targeted therapy and hyperthermia in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer

Abstract

Objective

To explore novel therapeutic approaches for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC), we evaluated the efficacy and safety of hyperthermia (HT) and/or targeted therapy combined with cisplatin-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT).

Methods

This retrospective study analyzed 119 LACC patients (tumor diameter ≥4 cm) treated at our institution (Jan 2021–Oct 2024), stratified into: CCRT (n = 48), targeted therapy + CCRT (T-CCRT, n = 44), and HT + targeted therapy + CCRT (HT-T-CCRT, n = 27). Complete/objective response rates (CRR/ORR) at 3/12 months were assessed. Statistical analyses were performed using standard software to compare efficacies and evaluate adverse events (AEs).

Results

1. Efficacy: At 3 months, HT-T-CCRT achieved the highest CRR (85.19 % vs. CCRT 58.33 %, P < 0.05) and ORR (96.30 %). T-CCRT showed significantly higher ORR (95.46 % vs. CCRT 81.25 %, P < 0.05). At 12 months, no significant intergroup differences existed in CRR (58.33 %/61.36 %/77.78 %) or ORR (70.83 %/75.00 %/77.78 %). 2. Safety: CCRT had lower diarrhea (52.08 % vs. 81.82 %) and vomiting (50.00 % vs. 86.36 %) rates than T-CCRT (both P < 0.05). HT-T-CCRT further reduced vomiting (55.56 % vs. 86.36 %), diarrhea (55.56 % vs. 81.82 %), and liver impairment (22.22 % vs. 47.73 %) versus T-CCRT (all P < 0.05), with comparable safety to CCRT.

Conclusions

Efficacy: The targeted combination group had higher ORR and CRR at 3/12 months than chemoradiation, with a significant 3-month ORR difference. The thermotherapy-targeted group showed the highest CRR/ORR, with significantly better 3-month CRR vs chemoradiation but not vs targeted alone. Safety: Diarrhea/vomiting were lower with chemoradiation than targeted; thermotherapy-targeted had lower diarrhea/vomiting/liver injury than targeted alone, with comparable overall AEs to chemoradiation.