Radiation definitely improves survival in early endometrial cancer

Adjuvant radiation therapy improves overall and relative survival in women with stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma, according to the largest reported population analysis conducted to date.

Researchers from Utah conducted a retrospective analysis using data on over 21,000 patients with stage IA-C node-negative disease from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program of the US National Cancer Institute.

They calculated the 5-year overall survival rates for patients younger than age 56, 56 to 75, and those older than age 75 receiving radiation versus those not receiving radiation to be 98% versus 88%, 94% versus 85%, and 84% versus 67%, respectively. Ten-year overall survival rates for the same groups were 92% versus 69%, 76% versus 72%, and 59% versus 42%, respectively.

In addition, radiation therapy produced statistically significant improvements in relative survival of stage IC/grade 1 and stage IC/grades 3 and 4 disease (HR 0.44; 95% CI; 0.31–0.63; P<0.001 and HR 0.72; 95% CI; 0.57–0.92; P=0.009, respectively).

Lee CM, Szabo A, Shrieve DC, et al. Frequency and effect of adjuvant radiation therapy among women with stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma. JAMA. 2006;295:389-397.