[A new experimental method for the treatment of pelvic wall recurrencies of gynecological malignancies]

Abstract

Pelvic side wall recurrences of gynecological malignancies subsequent to primary or adjuvant radiation therapy have a bad prognosis, although in almost half of the cases, distant metastases are not present at the time of diagnosis of the local tumor progression. A radical operative resection of the pelvic wall recurrence is rarely possible and a second conventional percutaneous or intracavitary irradiation with a tumoricidal dose is no longer feasible, because of the limited radiation tolerance of the surrounding pelvic tissue. The different forms of chemotherapy applied at present are not curative. Based on considerations of tumor and radiation biology, we propose a new experimental treatment mode after subtotal tumor resection. Intraoperatively, guiding tubes for afterloading HDR brachytherapy are fixed equidistantly on the tumor bed resp. residual tumor at the pelvic side wall. Coverage of this area by a rectus abdominis muscle flap or de-epithelialized myocutaneous flap improves fixation and creates a protective distance between radiosensitive pelvic structures and the radioactive source inserted postoperatively. In addition, improved vascularization by the flap might reduce the potential of hypoxia induced radioresistance of the residual tumor. Under these circumstances it appears possible, to deliver a second tumoricidal radiation dose of a small volume to a precisely defined area of the pelvic side wall.