Curative treatment for recurrent and metastatic cervical cancer

Evaluation of: Liu SP, Huang X, Ke GH, Huang XW. 3D radiation therapy or intensity-modulated radiotherapy for recurrent and metastatic cervical cancer: the Shanghai Cancer Hospital Experience. PLoS ONE 7(6), e40299 (2012).Metastatic and recurrent cervical cancer is generally considered incurable. Chemotherapy is the standard treatment modality, and chemotherapy has improved through randomized trials. Median survival with the best chemotherapy doublet is 12.9 months. In cases when surgery is not successful, prolonged survival may result with modern radiotherapy techniques. Liu et al. report a 3-year progression-free survival rate of 65%. Attention to radiotherapy details, such as avoidance of treatment delays, use of sensitizing chemotherapy and appropriate use of brachytherapy, and correct volumes and doses should be employed. For select patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer, modern radiotherapy may be a good option.