Paclitaxel and carboplatin concurrent with radiotherapy for primary cervical cancer.

BACKGROUND Concurrent radiochemotherapy is currently considered the new standard treatment in locally advanced cervical cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Eight women with cervical cancer stage IB2-IVA were treated with standard radiation therapy in combination with standard carboplatin (AUC=2, once weekly, x 6) and escalating doses of paclitaxel (60 mg/m2, once weekly, x 4, then x 5 and x 6). RESULTS At the lowest dose level, four weekly paclitaxel cycles in six patients, three developed grade III diarrhoea and one severe radiation enteritis several weeks after radiotherapy. Two patients did not achieve complete remission and underwent additive salvage hysterectomy. All patients remained free of local recurrence, but one patient had distant metastases after 13 months. The median disease-free survival was 25 months with a median follow-up of 26 months. CONCLUSION Standard pelvic radiotherapy in combination with weekly carboplatin and paclitaxel is poorly tolerated due to dose-limiting diarrhoea.