An evaluation of chemotherapy in patients with cancer of the cervix and lymph node metastases.

During the past twelve years, out of the 288 cervical cancer patients who had lymph node involvement, the recurrence rate in the lymph node, was 26.6% if one or two nodes were involved and 50.8% if three or more nodes were involved (P < 0.0001). The recurrence rate of patients who received eight intravenous treatments (at monthly intervals) of multi-agent chemotherapy was lower than those who did not receive treatment. Of patients with one or two positive lymph nodes, 114 received treatment while 50 did not; their respective recurrence rates were 19.3% and 42.0%, a statistically significant difference (P < 0.025). Of patients with three or more positive lymph nodes, 97 received treatment and 27 did not, their respective recurrence rates, were 46% and 66% (P = 0.30) and the difference is not statistically significant. It would seem that multi-agent chemotherapy may reduce the recurrence rate in patients with cancer of the cervix and positive lymph nodes.