Exploring a conundrum: Evaluating the role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy preceding chemo-radiotherapy in locally advanced cervical cancer: A review article

Abstract

In India, majority of women's with cervical cancer have locally advanced disease. The chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) followed by brachytherapy is the standard treatment for patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) disease for almost decades. But in developing countries like India with higher incidence and limited radiotherapy facilities, this may result in a delay in treatment initiation. These factors may further contribute to detrimental outcomes. Several researchers have tried to study role of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in LACC with the aim that neo-adjuvant chemotherapy may arrest the disease progression, prevent distant metastasis and therefore improve overall and disease-free survival. However, there is only limited literature so far, comparing NACT followed by CRT with the standard treatment arm alone. Therefore the review article aims to evaluate role of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by chemo-radiotherapy in LACC.