Concomitant radiation therapy and chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced squamous carcinoma of the lower female genital tract.

Twenty-three consecutive patients with advanced squamous carcinoma of the lower female genital tract were entered into a pilot study to determine the response rate and toxicity of a combination of intravenous cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil given concomitantly with radiation therapy. Twenty (87%) of the patients had a complete clinical response. Two patients (9%) had a partial response and one (4%) had stable disease. Nine (45%) of the complete responders have recurred with a median time to recurrence of 4 months. Seven (35%) had some component of local recurrence. The complete responders who have not recurred have been followed a median of 17 months. The acute toxicity was generally mild and there was no life-threatening acute complications. Three patients developed significant late complications. The response rate in this study was very high. The responses were usually prompt and dramatic, but often not sustained.