Results of treatment of cancer of the cervix in Wellington: 1975-9.
A review was undertaken of all patients treated for invasive carcinoma of the cervix in the Wellington region in the period 1975 to 1979. A total of 84 patients were assessed for the results and complications of treatment. Forty-one were stage I, 18 stage II, 18 stage III, and seven stage IV (FIGO staging). Treatment by different combinations of surgery and radiotherapy for each stage are described. Actuarial survival at five years is 54% for all stages. For stage I it is 86%, stage II 54%, and stage III 44%. There were only seven patients in stage IV. Seven patients (8.3%) suffered major complications, mainly gastrointestinal or genitourinary. Most complications occurred in patients treated with a combination of radical surgery followed by high dose external radiotherapy. This treatment should be reserved for selected patients who can be identified as having a very high risk of recurrence in the pelvis after surgery. Invasive cancer of the cervix is a highly treatable disease, with over half the patients surviving free of disease at five years, but screening programmes for early detection are essential.