Hypofractionated radiation leads to more rapid bleeding cessation in women with vaginal bleeding secondary to gynecologic malignancy

BACKGROUND: Vaginal bleeding (VB) is common in women with gynecologic (GYN) malignancies. Radiation therapy (RT) is used for the definitive treatment of GYN cancers and palliation of bleeding. The historical dogma is that high dose-per-fraction radiation leads to more rapid bleeding cessation, yet there is scant data supporting this claim. We sought to examine the effect of RT fraction size on VB via retrospective analysis of patients receiving hypofractionated radiation (HFRT) compared to conventionally fractionated radiation (CFRT) for control of bleeding secondary to GYN malignancies. METHODS: We identified patients receiving external beam RT for continuous VB from GYN malignancy treated in our department from 2012 to 2020. RT was classified as HFRT (> 2.0 Gy/fx) or CFRT (1.8–2.0 Gy/fx). Demographic information, disease characteristics, and treatment details were collected. The primary endpoint was days from RT initiation until bleeding resolution. Characteristics between groups were compared via Fisher’s exact test. Time to bleeding cessation was assessed via Kaplan–Meier and log-rank test. Univariable and multivariable Cox-proportional hazards were used to identify factors associated with bleeding cessation. RESULTS: We identified 43 patients meeting inclusion criteria with 26 and 17 patients receiving CFRT and HFRT, respectively. Comparison of baseline characteristics revealed patients receiving HFRT were older (p = 0.001), more likely to be post-menopausal (p = 0.002), and less likely to receive concurrent chemotherapy (p = 0.004). Time to bleeding cessation was significantly shorter for patients receiving HFRT (log-rank p < 0.001) with median time to bleeding cessation of 5 days (HFRT) versus 16 days (CFRT). Stratification by dose-per-fraction revealed a dose–response effect with more rapid bleeding cessation with increased dose-per-fraction. While HFRT, age, recurrent disease, prior pelvic RT, and prior systemic therapy were associated with time to bleeding cessation on univariable analysis, HFRT was the only factor significantly associated with time to bleeding cessation in the final multivariable model (HR 3.26, p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with continuous VB from GYN tumors receiving HFRT experienced more rapid bleeding cessation than those receiving CFRT. For patients with severe VB, initiation of HFRT to control malignancy related bleeding quickly may be warranted. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13014-022-01995-7.