Treatment of cervix carcinoma FIGO IIIb with Photofrin II as a radiosensitizer: a case report

Cervical cancer is the fourth-most common type of cancer and cause of death in women. Human papilloma virus (HPV) infection is responsible for over 90% of cervical cancers. The recommended treatment is multidisciplinary, consisting of a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. The standard treatment in advanced stages, such as FIGO IIIb, is radio-chemotherapy with overall 5-year survival of 32%. Photofrin II has been demonstrated to serve as a specific and selective radiosensitizing agent in both in vitro and in vivo tumor models, admitted for radiation therapy. We describe a patient with advanced cervical carcinoma (squamous cell) who contacted us for further therapy in 2003. Staging included a gynecological examination, colonoscopy, explorative laparotomy, biopsy and pelvic MRI. The explorative laparotomy showed enlarged pelvic and para-aortal lymph nodes. The histologic examination described tumor infiltrated, positive lymph nodes (Stage FIGO IIIb). Contrary to recommendations, the patient refused standard treatment with a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but accepted a combined treatment of Photofrin II as a radiosensitizer and a radiotherapy procedure. She underwent irradiation with a 50.4 + 14 Gy boost with fractionation of 1.8 Gy day−1 for 5 days per week; the boost was given with 2 Gy fractions. She was injected with a single intravenous dose in a slow infusion (30 min) of 1 mg kg−1 of Photofrin II 24 h prior to radiation therapy. A localized relapse in the cervix appeared after 30 months, and was resected by hysterectomy. The patient is still alive with no evidence of disease after 15 years.