Radiation therapy in endometrial cancer.

The role of radiation in endometrial cancer, especially in the adjuvant setting, is controversial. Factors that influence radiotherapy recommendations include surgical considerations, pathological findings, potential sites of disease recurrence and the practice philosophies of the individual physician. It has been demonstrated that adjuvant radiotherapy following primary surgery significantly improves pelvic tumour control, but has no measurable impact on overall survival in an unselected patient population. Studies to date have been hampered by the inclusion of patients with a wide spectrum of prognostic features; this may decrease the likelihood of observing greater benefit in discriminate subsets at higher risk of relapse. Further trials are required to define clinical prognosis more precisely and to investigate the role of radiation in higher-risk patients. In the meantime, we propose guidelines for radiotherapy in endometrial cancer which serve as bases for discussion and collaboration among physicians and as platforms for future study and progress. Copyright 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.