Interpreting the Findings of the POHIM-CCRT Trial
Mené sur 84 patientes atteintes d'un cancer du col de l'utérus et ayant subi une hystérectomie radicale (âge médian : 48 ans ; durée médiane de suivi : 43 mois), cet essai multicentrique de phase II évalue la toxicité, du point de vue des événements indésirables gastro-intestinaux, génito-urinaires ou hématologiques de grade 3 ou plus, d'une radiothérapie pelvienne hypofractionnée avec modulation d'intensité associée à une chimiothérapie postopératoire
The Postoperative Hypofractionated Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy With Concurrent Chemotherapy in Cervical Cancer (POHIM-CCRT) trial is a single-group, phase 2 study analyzing patients with cervical cancer receiving adjuvant hypofractionated radiation therapy (RT) with concurrent chemotherapy after a radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection. This study encourages the reader to wonder whether this treatment paradigm for patients with cervical cancer is safe and will result in comparable or better outcomes than standard fractionation RT with concurrent chemotherapy.Cho et al did a good job of detailing the logistics of this trial and reporting their results. Their efforts add to the growing body of literature suggesting that hypofractionated pelvic RT is as efficacious as standard fractionation RT. This trial also gives us prospective data on whether it is feasible to give hypofractionated intensity-modulated RT (IMRT) with concurrent chemotherapy. Another benefit this study provides to the scientific community is that it analyzes both patient-reported morbidity outcomes and physician-reported toxic effects outcomes, which was also done in RTOG 1203. Therefore, the authors should be acknowledged for providing us these aforementioned prospective results.