A new short daily brachytherapy schedule in postoperative endometrial carcinoma. Preliminary results.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the preliminary results of vaginal-cuff relapses (VCR) and complications of a short brachytherapy (BT) schedule in postoperative endometrial carcinoma.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: From September 2011 to December 2014, 102 patients were treated with postoperative BT for endometrial carcinoma. Seventy-four patients received a single 7 Gy dose after external beam irradiation (Group 1), and 28 intermediate-risk patients received three daily fractions of 6 Gy (Group 2). The dose was prescribed at 5 mm from the applicator surface. Toxicity was prospectively evaluated after the objective late effects of normal tissues-subjective, objective, management, analytic scores for vagina and RTOG scores for rectum and bladder.

STATISTICS: χ2 and Student's t tests.

RESULTS: The mean followup was 28.85 months (9.6-58.5) in Group 1 and 31.19 months (7.7-62.3) in Group 2. No VCR was found during followup. Late toxicity: vagina toxicity was developed in 24.32% of the patients in Group 1 (G1-G2) and in 21.4% in Group 2 (G1-G2 but 1 G3). Rectal toxicity appeared in only 2.7% of patients in Group 1 (G1). Neither Group 1 nor Group 2 presented late bladder toxicity. No differences were found in late toxicity between Groups 1 and 2.

CONCLUSIONS: The present short BT schedule was safe in relation to VCR and late toxicity for the followup period studied. These results are similar to those of two larger previous schedules performed in our center in relation to the same point of followup.