Single-institutional outcomes of adjuvant brachytherapy for Stage I endometrial cancer—Are outcomes consistent with randomized studies?

Abstract Purpose Vaginal brachytherapy (VBT) alone has been shown to be a viable adjuvant treatment strategy for most patients with Stage I endometrioid endometrial cancer. We sought to examine our institutional data following practice pattern changes resulting from the publications of GOG-99 and PORTEC-2. Methods and Materials We retrospectively analyzed women who underwent adjuvant VBT after surgical staging for Stage 1 endometrioid endometrial cancer at our institution from 2007 to 2014. Results We identified 297 women. Median time to last followup or death was 52.3 months (interquartile range: 32.3–72.3 months). By International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics 2009 staging, 162 patients (54.5%) had Stage IA and 128 (43.1%) had Stage IB disease. Ninety-nine (33.3%) patients had Grade 1, 153 (51.5%) had Grade 2, and 45 (15.2%) had Grade 3 disease. According to GOG-249 and PORTEC-2 criteria, 167 (56.2%) and 127 (42.7%) patients were with high–intermediate–risk disease. Two women had Stage IB Grade 3 disease. The most common high-dose-rate–VBT regimen was 2100 cGy/three fractions to a depth of 5 mm. Four (two acute and two late) (1.3%) Grade 3 genitourinary toxicities were reported: three episodes of vaginal dehiscence (after second course of VBT, 2 months after completion of VBT, and 1 year after completion of VBT) and one episode of radiation necrosis. Twenty-one (7%) women recurred: three recurred in the vagina, two recurred in the pelvic lymph nodes, and 16 recurred distantly. Conclusions Outcomes appear consistent with published randomized data in women with high–intermediate–risk endometrial cancer who are treated with brachytherapy alone. Recurrence and complication rates were minimal.