Radiation therapy alone for medically inoperable stages I and II endometrial carcinoma

Between 1960 and 1979, 43 medically inoperable patients were treated with radiation therapy alone for stage I or II endometrial carcinoma. Eight were treated with combined external and intracavitary irradiation and 35 with intracavitary irradiation alone. The absolute 5-year disease-free survival rates were 61.5%(8/13) for stage IA, 47.6%(10/21) for stage IB, and 22.2% (2/9) for stage II. The major cause of death was intercurrent disease, which was responsible for 17 of 23 treatment failures. In only six patients (14%) was treatment considered to have failed within the pelvis within 5 years, and four of these had concomitant metastases. The results are analyzed in terms of stage, grade, and treatment technique. They demonstrate that radiation therapy is a reasonable alternative for patients with medically inoperable endometrial carcinoma