Combined radiation therapy and chemotherapy for carcinoma of the cervix

Abstract

Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer affecting women worldwide. Surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy have been used in various settings in an effort to improve survival rates of patients with cervical cancer. Recent cooperative clinical trials have demonstrated a benefit from the concurrent use of chemotherapy and radiation therapy to treat cervical cancer. These studies have provided the most significant improvement in the treatment of locally advanced disease in more than 30 years. This review summarizes studies of sequential and concurrent combinations of chemotherapy and radiation therapy for the treatment of cervical cancer, as well as the recent controversies related to this treatment.