Concomitant hydroxyurea plus radiotherapy versus radiotherapy for carcinoma of the uterine cervix

Palliative interventions for controlling vaginal bleeding in advanced cervical cancer

BACKGROUND

This is an updated version of the original Cochrane review published in Issue 5, 2015.Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide, with estimated 569,847 new diagnoses and 311,365 deaths per year. However, incidence and stage at diagnosis vary greatly between geographic areas and are largely dependent on the availability of a robust population screening programme. For example, in Nigeria, advanced-stage disease at presentation is common (86% to 89.3% of new cases), whereas in the UK, only 21.9% of women present with International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage II+ disease. Women with advanced cancer of the cervix often need palliation for distressing symptoms, such as vaginal bleeding. Vaginal bleeding can be life threatening in advanced disease, with an incidence ranging from 0.7% to 100%. Bleeding is the immediate cause of death in 6% of women with cervical cancer and its management often poses a challenge.Thus, vaginal bleeding remains a common consequence of advanced cervical cancer. Currently, there is no systematic review that addresses palliative interventions for controlling vaginal bleeding caused by advanced cervical cancer. A systematic evaluation of the available palliative interventions is needed to inform decision-making.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of tranexamic acid, vaginal packing (with or without formalin-soaked packs), interventional radiology or other interventions compared with radiotherapy for palliative treatment of vaginal bleeding in women with advanced cervical cancer.

SEARCH METHODS

The search for the original review was run in 23 March 2015, and subsequent searches for this update were run 21 March 2018. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2018, Issue 3) in the Cochrane Library; MEDLINE via Ovid to March week 2, 2018; and Embase via Ovid to March week 12, 2018. We also searched registers of clinical trials, abstracts of scientific meetings and reference lists of review articles, and contacted experts in the field. We handsearched citation lists of relevant studies.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We searched for randomised and non-randomised comparative studies that evaluated the efficacy and safety of tranexamic acid, vaginal packing (with or without formalin-soaked packs), interventional radiology or other interventions compared with radiotherapy techniques for palliative treatment of vaginal bleeding in women with advanced cervical cancer (with or without metastasis), irrespective of publication status, year of publication or language in the review.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently assessed whether potentially relevant studies met the inclusion criteria. We found no studies for inclusion and, therefore, we analysed no data.

MAIN RESULTS

The search strategy identified 1522 unique references of which we excluded 1330 on the basis of title and abstract. We retrieved the remaining 22 articles in full, but none satisfied the inclusion criteria. We identified only observational data from single-arm studies of women treated with formalin-soaked packs, interventional radiology or radiotherapy techniques for palliative control of vaginal bleeding in women with cervical cancer.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Since the last version of this review we found no new studies. There is no evidence from controlled trials to support or refute the use of any of the proposed interventions compared with radiotherapy. Therefore, the choice of intervention will be based on local resources. Radiotherapy techniques for managing vaginal bleeding are not readily available in resource-poor settings, where advanced cases of cervical cancer are predominant. Thus, this systematic review identified the need for a randomised controlled trial assessing the benefits and risks of palliative treatments for vaginal bleeding in women with advanced cervical cancer.

Palliative interventions for controlling vaginal bleeding in advanced cervical cancer

BACKGROUND

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women worldwide, with around 500,000 new diagnoses and 273,000 deaths per year. However, incidence and stage at diagnosis vary greatly between geographic areas and are largely dependent on the availability of a robust population screening programme. For example, in Nigeria, advanced-stage disease at presentation is common (86% to 89.3% of new cases), whereas in the UK, only 21.9% of women present with International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage II+ disease. Women with advanced cancer of the cervix often need palliation for distressing symptoms, such as vaginal bleeding. Vaginal bleeding can be life threatening in advanced disease, with an incidence ranging from 0.7% to 100%. Bleeding is the immediate cause of death in 6% of women with cervical cancer and its management often poses a challenge.Thus, vaginal bleeding remains a common consequence of advanced cervical cancer. Currently, there is no systematic review that addresses palliative interventions for controlling vaginal bleeding caused by advanced cervical cancer. A systematic evaluation of the available palliative interventions is needed, to inform decision-making.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of tranexamic acid, vaginal packing (with or without formalin-soaked packs), interventional radiology or other interventions compared with radiotherapy for palliative treatment of vaginal bleeding in women with advanced cervical cancer.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Issue 2, 2015; the Cochrane Gynaecological Cancer Group Trials Register; MEDLINE from 1980 to March week 3, 2015 and EMBASE from 1980 to February week 12, 2015. We also searched registers of clinical trials, abstracts of scientific meetings and reference lists of review articles and contacted experts in the field. We handsearched citation lists of relevant studies.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We searched for randomised and non-randomised comparative studies that evaluated the efficacy and safety of tranexamic acid, vaginal packing (with or without formalin-soaked packs), interventional radiology or other interventions compared with radiotherapy techniques for palliative treatment of vaginal bleeding in women with advanced cervical cancer (with or without metastasis), irrespective of publication status, year of publication or language in the review.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently assessed whether potentially relevant studies met the inclusion criteria. We found no studies were identified for inclusion and, therefore, we analysed no data.

MAIN RESULTS

The search strategy identified 1335 unique references of which 1160 were excluded on the basis of title and abstract. We retrieved the remaining 22 articles in full, but none satisfied the inclusion criteria. We identified only observational data from single-arm studies of women treated with formalin-soaked packs, interventional radiology or radiotherapy techniques for palliative control of vaginal bleeding in women with cervical cancer.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

There is no evidence from controlled trials to support or refute the use of any of the proposed interventions compared with radiotherapy. Therefore, the choice of intervention will be based on local resources. Radiotherapy techniques for managing vaginal bleeding are not readily available in resource-poor settings, where advanced cases of cervical cancer are predominant. Thus, this systematic review identified the need for a randomised controlled trial assessing the benefits and risks of palliative treatments for vaginal bleeding in women with advanced cervical cancer.

Reducing uncertainties about the effects of chemoradiotherapy for cervical cancer: individual patient data meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

After a 1999 National Cancer Institute (NCI) clinical alert was issued, chemoradiotherapy has become widely used in treating women with cervical cancer. Two subsequent systematic reviews found that interpretation of the benefits was complicated and some important clinical questions were unanswered.

OBJECTIVES

We initiated a meta-analysis seeking updated individual patient data (IPD) from all randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the effect of chemoradiotherapy on all outcomes. We pre-specified analyses to investigate whether the effect of chemoradiotherapy differed by trial or patient characteristics.

SEARCH STRATEGY

We supplemented MEDLINE, LILACS and CANCERLIT searches with information from trial registers, by handsearching relevant meeting proceedings and by discussion with relevant trialists and organisations. Searches were updated until October 2009.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Both published and unpublished trials were eligible for inclusion provided the patients had been randomised between radiotherapy (with or without surgery) versus concomitant chemoradiotherapy (with or without surgery); that the method of randomisation precluded prior knowledge of the treatment to be assigned; and that the trial had completed patient recruitment before the date of the final analyses.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We carried out a quantitative meta-analysis using updated information from individual patients from all available RCTs. We sought data from all patients randomised in all eligible trials. We obtained updated information on survival, recurrence and date of last follow up. To avoid potential bias, we requested information for all randomised patients, including those who had been excluded from the investigators' original analyses.

MAIN RESULTS

Eighteen trials were identified and 15 of these were eligible for inclusion in the main analysis. On the basis of 13 trials that compared chemoradiotherapy versus the same radiotherapy, there was a 6% improvement in 5-year survival with chemoradiotherapy (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.81, P < 0.001). A larger survival benefit was seen for the two further trials in which chemotherapy was administered after chemoradiotherapy. There was a significant survival benefit for both the group of trials that used platinum-based (HR = 0.83, P = 0.017) and non-platinum based (HR = 0.77, P = 0.009) chemoradiotherapy, but no evidence of a difference in the size of the benefit by radiotherapy or chemotherapy dose or scheduling was seen. Chemoradiotherapy also reduced local and distant recurrence and progression and improved disease-free survival (DFS). There was a suggestion of a difference in the size of the survival benefit with tumour stage, but not across other patient subgroups. Acute haematological and gastro-intestinal toxicity were increased with chemoradiotherapy, but data were too sparse for an analysis of late toxicity.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

These results endorse the recommendations of the NCI alert, but also demonstrate their applicability to all women and a benefit of non-platinum based chemoradiotherapy. Furthermore, although these results suggest an additional benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy this requires testing in RCTs.

Management of early and locally advanced cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is the second most common malignancy in women and the third most common cause of cancer mortality worldwide. While primary and secondary preventions exist, the lack of widespread adoption leaves the treatment of cervical cancer an important oncologic problem. In this article, the management of early and locally advanced cervical carcinoma is reviewed, including staging, imaging, prognostic factors, and primary and adjuvant therapy and their outcomes.

Reducing uncertainties about the effects of chemoradiotherapy for cervical cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of individual patient data from 18 randomized trials

BACKGROUND

After a 1999 National Cancer Institute (NCI) clinical alert was issued, chemoradiotherapy has become widely used in treating women with cervical cancer. Two subsequent systematic reviews found that interpretation of the benefits was complicated, and some important clinical questions were unanswered.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We initiated a meta-analysis seeking updated individual patient data from all randomized trials to assess the effect of chemoradiotherapy on all outcomes. We prespecified analyses to investigate whether the effect of chemoradiotherapy differed by trial or patient characteristics.

RESULTS

On the basis of 13 trials that compared chemoradiotherapy versus the same radiotherapy, there was a 6% improvement in 5-year survival with chemoradiotherapy (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.81, P < .001). A larger survival benefit was seen for the two trials in which chemotherapy was administered after chemoradiotherapy. There was a significant survival benefit for both the group of trials that used platinum-based (HR = 0.83, P = .017) and non-platinum-based (HR = 0.77, P = .009) chemoradiotherapy, but no evidence of a difference in the size of the benefit by radiotherapy or chemotherapy dose or scheduling was seen. Chemoradiotherapy also reduced local and distant recurrence and progression and improved disease-free survival. There was a suggestion of a difference in the size of the survival benefit with tumor stage, but not across other patient subgroups. Acute hematologic and GI toxicity was increased with chemoradiotherapy, but data were too sparse for an analysis of late toxicity.

CONCLUSION

These results endorse the recommendations of the NCI alert, but also demonstrate their applicability to all women and a benefit of non-platinum-based chemoradiotherapy. Furthermore, although these results suggest an additional benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy, this requires testing in randomized trials.