Treatment of advanced cervical cancer with a combination of chemortherapy and radiation is well accepted. However, the search to find the better chemotherapy agent continues. A randomized trial published in Journal of Clinical Oncology 2011 showed that a combination of Gemcitabine + Cisplatin + radiation has better cure rate (hazard ratio of 0.68) than Cisplatin + radiation but at the cost of more toxicities (87% vs 46%).
Unfortunately, this is a common pattern in cancer research where the cure rate increases with more drugs but accompanied with more side effects. As a patient, you should always discuss risks and benefits of each treatment with your oncologist.
Reference:
Dueñas-González A, et al. Gemcitabine and Cisplatin Versus Concurrent Cisplatin and Radiation in Patients With Stage IIB to IVA Carcinoma of the Cervix. J Clin Oncol. 2011;29(13):1678.
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