The efficacy and toxicity of
combination chemotherapy with
docetaxel +
carboplatin were evaluated in patients with locally advanced or recurrent
cervical cancer. A total of 71 patients with
cervical cancer were enrolled into this trial, and 66 patients were considered eligible. The patients were administered
docetaxel at 60 mg/m2 followed by
carboplatin based on area under the curve of 6, both by
intravenous infusion, every 3 weeks, with the treatment repeated for 1 to 6 cycles depending on the goal of the
therapy. The response was evaluated based on the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors criteria. Toxicity to
chemotherapy was evaluated according to the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria. Of the 66 eligible patients, 62 had locally advanced
cervical cancer with no history of previous treatment, whereas 4 patients had recurrent
cervical cancer. A total 149 cycles of
chemotherapy were administered, with a median of 2.3 cycles (range, 1-6) per patient. The overall clinical response rate was 63.7% (44/66, 95% confidence interval, 52.1-75.3). In the
neoadjuvant chemotherapy setting, the overall clinical response rate was 69.3% (43/62; 43/62, 95% confidence interval, 57.8-80.8), and the response rates in patients with
squamous cell carcinoma and nonsquamous cell
carcinoma were 69.7% (23/33, 95% confidence interval, 54.0-85.4) and 68.9% (20/29, 95% confidence interval, 52.1-85.7), respectively. On the other hand, in patients with recurrent
cervical cancer, the overall response rate was 25.0% (1/4, 95% confidence interval, -17.4 to 67.4). Nonhematological toxicities were mainly grade 1 or 2. Hematological toxicity was encountered mostly in the form of
neutropenia and
thrombocytopenia.
Combination chemotherapy with
docetaxel +
carboplatin is a safe and well-tolerated treatment for patients with advanced
cervical cancer and is effective against not only
squamous cell carcinoma, but also
adenocarcinoma.