The relationship between ovarian function and ovarian limited dose in radiotherapy postoperation of ovarian transposition in young patients with cervical cancer

In this study, the relationship between ovarian function and ovarian limited dose in radiotherapy was evaluated in young patients with cervical cancer who underwent ovarian transposition (Fig1B). Moreover, the novel ovarian dose limit for a better preservation of ovarian function in intensity‐modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) was determined. We retrospectively analyzed data from 86 patients with cervical cancer who received radical hysterectomy and ovarian transposition from January 2013 to June 2015. In agreement with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines (NCCN) for Cervical Cancer Version 2.2015, 65 patients with pathological high‐risk factors were administered adjuvant radiotherapy—20 of them received three‐dimensional conformal radiotherapy (Observation Group A), 24 patients received IMRT with no limitation on radiation dose to ovaries (Observation Group B), and 21 patients underwent IMRT with limited radiation dose(V(10)<20%) to ovaries (Observation Group C). Twenty‐one patients without any predetermined high‐risk factors did not received radiation therapy (Control Group D). Patients from all four groups were followed up, and sex hormone levels (E(2), P, follicle‐stimulating hormone [FSH], LH) before radiation, postradiation, 3 month, and 6 month after the radiation therapy were measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Subsequently, changes in sex hormone levels in all four groups of patients at various time points were analyzed. The levels of sexual hormones (E(2), P, FSH, LH) before radiation, postradiation, 3 month, and 6 month after the radiation therapy in patients from all three observation groups were significantly lower than those in patients of the control group (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the levels of sex hormones in patients of the control group at different time points (P > 0.05). Within each observation group, there was a statistically significant difference in the sex hormone levels in patients before the radiation and after the radiation (P < 0.05); however, when data from all three observation groups were compared, only the difference in the levels of FSH and LH between the patients from Group A and Group C was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The results of receiver‐operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis suggested that limiting ovarian radiation dose to V(7.5 )< 26% in IMRT prevents the disruption of ovarian function (area under ROC curve was 0.740, confidence interval [CI] = 0.606–0.874). In young patients with cervical cancer who underwent radical hysterectomy and ovarian transposition without receiving adjuvant radiotherapy, ovarian endocrine function was well preserved. In patients who received any type of postoperative radiotherapy, ovarian function was affected, suggesting that the standard ovarian limited dose used in IMRT disrupted ovarian function. The results of the ROC curve analysis suggested that the new optimal dose limit of V(7.5) < 26% should be used in IMRT to preserve ovarian function (P = 0.003).