[Exclusive radiotherapy of late stage II and stage III carcinoma of the uterine cervix. Results and therapeutic complications for 393 cases treated at the Institut Curie (author's transl)].
Late stage II and stage III uterine cervix cancers are actual pelvic tumours and their treatment requires high doses. Therefore there is a risk of complications for the neighbouring structures. External and intracavitary irradiation are associated, the latter in a second time. For 141 late stage II and 252 stage III cases treated at the Institut Curie from 1963 to 1971 included, the respective actuarial survival are: 61 and 43 per cent at 5 years; 55 and 35 per cent at 10 years; and 55 and 30 per cent at 15 years. There is a significantly statistical difference between unilateral and bilateral stage III cancers actuarial survival: at 5 years, 52 and 34 per cent; at 10 years, 45 and 29 per cent; at 15 years, 37 and 25 per cent. Likewise, the survival for stage III cases with an abnormal urogram is distinctly poorer than for cases with a normal urogram: 48 and 18 per cent at 5 years; 41 and 13 per cent at 10 years; 38 and 8 per cent at 15 years. The crude cure rate for all the cases remains almost unchanged from the seventh year on. Failures due to cancer are mostly pelvic evolutions or recurrences, excepted a few isolated metastases (about 15 per cent of the overall failures). The majority of the failures occur during the first three years. The treatment complications are mostly moderate (4/5 are mere sequelae); rectum and bladder are the most exposed to the risk; only 5 per cent of the cured patients had severe complications.