A retrospective analysis of the effect of planning tumour volume on survival in cervical carcinoma

Abstract

Introduction: Locally advanced stages of invasive cervical cancer (ICC) are associated with poor outcomes; factors influencing survival include increased tumour volume. In resource-constrained settings access to diagnostic imaging with CT and MRI is limited. Alternative methods of establishing tumour volume can be defined with use of the planning target volume (PTV) delineated prior to radiotherapy. The aim of this study is to determine whether increased PTV size impacted on overall survival in a cohort of cervical cancer patients with Stage IIB/IIIB disease who completed radical radiotherapy.