Change in pattern of radical intensity-modulated radiotherapy for cervical carcinoma

Objective To retrospectively analyze the feasibility to change the pattern of radical cervical cancer intensity-modulated radiotherapy(IMRT) for cervical cancer and shorten its treatment time. Methods Of the 107 patients with cervical cancer,37 received 3D conformal radiation therapy(3D-CRT),26 received conventional IMRT and 44 underwent helical tomotherapy(HT).After external irradiation at 40Gy for 4 weeks,patients in 3D-CRT group received loading brachytherapy,once a week,for 9-10 weeks.Patients in IMRT and HT groups received loading brachytherapy 3 weeks after external irradiation,twice a week,for 6-7 weeks. Results The incidence of grade 1 acute side effects in bladder and rectum of 3 groups was 56.76%,23.08% and 18.18%,respectively(χ²=6.13,P<0.05) and 86.49%,53.85% and 29.55%,respectively(χ²=10.37,P<0.01). Conclusion IMRT and HT can shorten 2-3 weeks of radical cervical cancer treatment time with a low incidence of side effects.