OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the response and potential toxicity of fractionated interstitial high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy for post-radiation pelvic recurrence in cervical cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 1998 to 2001, 11 patients aged 41 to 71 years with cervical carcinoma stages II to IV who presented pelvic recurrence after radiation therapy were treated wit interstitial HDR. Nine of these patients (82%) had squamous cell carcinoma and two had adenocarcinoma. Radiation consisted of 20 Gy to 30 Gy delivered in fractions of 4 Gy to 5 Gy over three days. The median follow-up was 22.5 months (2 to 54 months), with periodic physical examinations (three months interval). One patient died without evaluation of the response. RESULTS: Ten patients (91%) presented complete clinical response, three patients (27%) were disease free, two were alive with disease, three (27%) died of cancer and three (27%) were lost in the follow-up after the second recurrence. Urinary tract toxicity grade III was 9% (one patient). CONCLUSION: Interstitial HDR brachytherapy is an alternative approach to selected patients with recurrent cervical carcinoma after radiation therapy. High response rates were achieved with low toxicity taking into account the studied group, time of follow-up and re-irradiation.

Keywords: Recurrent cervical carcinoma, Radiation therapy, High-dose rate brachytherapy, Gynecological cancer