Comparison between adjuvant chemotherapy and adjuvant radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy after radical surgery in patients with cervical cancer: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) on the prognosis in cervical cancer patients with intermediate- or high-risk factors after radical hysterectomy (RH) compared to that for adjuvant radiotherapy (AR). METHODS: The Embase and MEDLINE databases and the Cochrane Library were searched for published studies comparing cervical cancer patients who received AC with those who received AR after RH. The endpoints were patient oncologic outcome. Random-effects meta-analytical models were used to calculate the pooled estimates of the effect of AC on mortality/recurrence. RESULTS: Two randomized trials and eleven observational studies (AC, 942 patients; AR, 1,721 patients) met our search criteria. There were no significant differences in mortality and any recurrence between two groups. The results for distant recurrence favored the AC group (pooled odds ratio: 0.69; 95% confidence interval: 0.54–0.88; p=0.03). In subgroup analyses (for study design, histology, indication for adjuvant treatment, AR type, AC type, and lymph node metastasis), there was no significant increase in mortality and recurrence for AC compared with that for AR. CONCLUSION: Compared to AR, AC showed similar survival outcomes in cervical cancer patients undergoing RH and also appeared to reduce the risk of distant recurrence.