Impact of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in improving operative intervention in the management of cervical cancer in low resource setting: a preliminary report

Pan Afr Med J. 2020 Jul 23:36:210. doi: 10.11604/pamj.2020.36.210.24141. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

There is paucity of data on interventions to improve cancer outcome in the low-resource setting. This study aims to determine the effect of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy (NACT) in improving operative outcomes of cervical cancer. This was a longitudinal intervention study of patients diagnosed with FIGO stage IIB - IIIA cervical cancer that had NACT. Patients were re-evaluated after treatment with 4 cycles of chemotherapy for operability. McNemar test was used to determine changes in operability of the tumour. There was a significant difference in the number of patients that converted from inoperable to operable tumor post-chemotherapy. This study shows some promise for NACT for FIGO stage IIB - IIIA cancer of the cervix, especially in low-resource settings, where radiotherapy is scarce.

Keywords: Neoadjuvant; cancer; cervical; chemotherapy; hysterectomy; radical.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / administration & dosage*
  • Chemotherapy, Adjuvant*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoadjuvant Therapy
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Nigeria
  • Prospective Studies
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / pathology
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / therapy*