KEY POINTS
- This single-centre retrospective cohort included 99 patients with metastatic cervical cancer treated from 2018 to 2022: 57 received radiotherapy plus systemic treatment and 42 received systemic treatment alone. Most patients (75.8%) had polymetastatic disease.
- Objective response was higher with radiotherapy: 68.4% versus 42.8% (p=0.011). Complete response rates were 15.8% versus 4.8%, but the difference was not statistically significant.
- Median overall survival was 27 versus 16 months, with two-year survival of 60.7% versus 31.1% (p=0.035). Median progression-free survival was 18 versus 9 months, with two-year rates of 41.3% versus 24.4% (p=0.022).
- On multivariable analysis, radiotherapy remained associated with improved progression-free survival (hazard ratio 0.583, 95% confidence interval 0.345–0.983; p=0.043) and overall survival (hazard ratio 0.549, 95% confidence interval 0.307–0.984; p=0.044).
- Grade 3–4 haematological toxicity was common in both groups, but no statistically significant toxicity increase was detected with radiotherapy. No grade 5 toxicity occurred.
CLINICAL TAKEAWAY
Radiotherapy may be considered within multidisciplinary treatment for selected patients with metastatic cervical cancer, particularly when meaningful locoregional or metastatic disease control is achievable. However, radiotherapy intent, sites, doses, and systemic regimens varied substantially, and treatment allocation was non-randomized, so this is worth-attention evidence rather than practice-changing evidence.