OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the rate of vesicovaginal fistula formation and mortality in women with Stage IVA cervical carcinoma. METHODS: Data were abstracted from the clinical records of women diagnosed with Stage IVA cervical cancer at the time of examination under anesthesia, cystoscopy, and proctoscopy (EUA/C/P) at a single institution from 1994 to 2004. Demographic and treatment characteristics were compared using either Fisher's exact test or Student's t-test, as appropriate. Survival was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients were diagnosed with Stage IVA cervical cancer. All were diagnosed with extension of disease into the bladder; one patient had rectal involvement as well. Concurrent chemotherapy and radiation was used in 60.8%, while 30.4% received radiation alone and 8.7% elected no treatment. Fifty-six percent of the patients were smokers. Eleven patients (47.8%) developed a fistula at a median time of 2.9 months from cancer diagnosis. Fistula formation was significantly increased among smokers as compared to non-smokers (73 vs 27%; p=0.03). Two patients (8.7%) are alive without evidence of disease at a median follow-up of 19 months. The disease-specific survival is 23.1 months. Patients who developed a vesicovaginal fistula had a median survival of 11.2 months after fistula formation. CONCLUSIONS: High rates of vesicovaginal fistula formation can be expected when treating women with extension of cervical cancer into the bladder, particularly among women who smoke. The routine use of EUA/C/P at the time of initial diagnosis aids in counseling women about the likelihood of this complication. Novel strategies for managing vesicovaginal fistulae after chemoradiation are needed.
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the rate of vesicovaginal fistula formation and mortality in women with Stage IVA cervical carcinoma. METHODS: Data were abstracted from the clinical records of women diagnosed with Stage IVA cervical cancer at the time of examination under anesthesia, cystoscopy, and proctoscopy (EUA/C/P) at a single institution from 1994 to 2004. Demographic and treatment characteristics were compared using either Fisher's exact test or Student's t-test, as appropriate. Survival was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients were diagnosed with Stage IVA cervical cancer. All were diagnosed with extension of disease into the bladder; one patient had rectal involvement as well. Concurrent chemotherapy and radiation was used in 60.8%, while 30.4% received radiation alone and 8.7% elected no treatment. Fifty-six percent of the patients were smokers. Eleven patients (47.8%) developed a fistula at a median time of 2.9 months from cancer diagnosis. Fistula formation was significantly increased among smokers as compared to non-smokers (73 vs 27%; p=0.03). Two patients (8.7%) are alive without evidence of disease at a median follow-up of 19 months. The disease-specific survival is 23.1 months. Patients who developed a vesicovaginal fistula had a median survival of 11.2 months after fistula formation. CONCLUSIONS: High rates of vesicovaginal fistula formation can be expected when treating women with extension of cervical cancer into the bladder, particularly among women who smoke. The routine use of EUA/C/P at the time of initial diagnosis aids in counseling women about the likelihood of this complication. Novel strategies for managing vesicovaginal fistulae after chemoradiation are needed.