Combination chemotherapy for metastatic or recurrent adenocarcinoma of the cervix

Twenty-four patients with recurrent or widespread adenocarcinoma of the cervix were treated with combination chemotherapy. The drugs used were 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) (500 to 800 mg/m²), doxorubicin (40 to 50 mg/m²), and cisplatin (50 to 60 mg/m²). The chemotherapy was administered as a 76-hour continuous infusion via a silastic central venous catheter and repeated every 28 days. The total response rate was 42% (25% complete and 17% partial). Median duration of response was 7 months. Areas of response were usually lung and lymph node metastases. Toxicity, mainly neutropenia, was acceptable. All patients relapsed. This combination chemotherapy results in a modest response rate for a malignancy about which there is little information regarding the treatment of disseminated disease. Future studies should determine the activity of this combination administered in a bolus fashion.