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Radiotherapy for Uterine Cervical Cancer

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Uterine Cervical Cancer

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Abstract

Uterine cervical cancer is an important health burden worldwide despite primary and secondary prevention measures in developed countries. Radiotherapy is a critical aspect of treatment with important roles in locally advanced disease as well as metastatic disease. A combination of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and brachytherapy, with chemotherapy if fitness allows, can be used to curatively treat locally advanced disease (FIGO stage IB1 to IVA). In the metastatic setting, radiotherapy to the primary tumor or metastases can effectively palliate symptoms such as pain or bleeding. EBRT uses photons to deliver radiation dose from a linear accelerator that is external to the patient, whereas brachytherapy uses radioactive material (e.g., iridium 192 for high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy) to deliver radiation dose to short distances from inside the patient. EBRT can be delivered using two-dimensional radiotherapy (2D-RT), three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT), and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) depending upon resources and skills available. This chapter describes the EBRT techniques currently used in the curative and palliative setting including the practical application, doses, evidence, and toxicities. Brachytherapy will also be detailed including image-guided brachytherapy.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Oncology Department, Charing Cross Hospital, London, UK

    Edward Chandy

  2. Department of Clinical Oncology/Radiotherapy, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK

    Gemma Eminowicz

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  1. Edward Chandy
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  2. Gemma Eminowicz
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Correspondence to Gemma Eminowicz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College/Graduate School of Medical Sciences, The New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center, and Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA

    Samir A. Farghaly

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Chandy, E., Eminowicz, G. (2019). Radiotherapy for Uterine Cervical Cancer. In: Farghaly, S. (eds) Uterine Cervical Cancer. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02701-8_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02701-8_14

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-02701-8

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