Single Application Multifractionated Image Guided Adaptive High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy for Cervical Cancer: Dosimetric and Clinical Outcomes
A prospective phase 2 study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility and safety of single-application multifractionated (SA-MF), high-dose-rate (HDR), image guided adaptive brachytherapy (IGABT) for cervical cancer. Patients (N = 41) with International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics 2009 stage IIB-IVA disease recruited between 2017 and 2019 underwent SA-MF. After completion of external beam radiation therapy of 50 Gy in 25 fractions, patients received magnetic resonance IGABT. The IGABT protocol consisted of a single brachytherapy (BT) application and treatment with 3 fractions of HDR (9 Gy on day 1; 2 fractions of 7 Gy with a minimum 6-hour gap on day 2) after achieving planning aims of the high-risk clinical target volume (HRCTV) receiving >84 Gy EQD2 and 2 cm Thirty-eight patients were treated as per the protocol. All patients underwent Intracavitary + Interstitial BT with needles (median, 4; range, 3-11). The mean ± standard deviation HRCTV volume was 41 ± 21 cm Magnetic resonance IGABT with SA-MF BT was feasible in 95% of patients. The dosimetric parameters and clinical results achieved so far look promising.