Patterns of failure in squamous cell carcinoma of the vagina treated with definitive radiotherapy alone: what is the appropriate treatment volume?

The purpose of this study was to review treatment results, sites of failure, and complications in relation to the irradiation volume for carcinoma of the vagina treated with radiotherapy alone. A retrospective review of 65 patients with histologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of the vagina who received definitive radiotherapy was undertaken. The 5-year cause-specific survival rates were as follows: Stage I, 91%; Stage IIA (paravaginal extension), 90%; Stage IIB, 55%; Stage III, 89%; and Stage IVA, 62%. The pelvic disease control rates at 5 years were as follows: Stage I, 74%; Stage IIA, 90%; Stage IIB, 79%; Stage III, 89%; and Stage IVA, 67%. Recurrence in the pelvis occurred in 22% of patients. Eighty-five percent of pelvis recurrences were in the primary treatment field. Although pelvic control rates were not increased by use of larger treatment fields (>2,700 cm(3)), moderate acute and late effects were increased with these fields. Carcinoma of the vagina appears to have a different failure pattern than carcinoma of the cervix. The primary failure sites are the vagina and the paracolpal tissues and the inguinal nodes. Because of this, the superior edge of the pelvic fields does not have to extend above the bottom of the sacroiliac joints except with advanced lesions. Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.