A trial looking at chemotherapy followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy together for locally advanced cervical cancer (CXII)
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This trial tried to find out if chemotherapy followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy together improved treatment for women with locally advanced cancer of the cervix (cervical cancer).
More about this trial
If it can’t be removed with surgery, doctors usually treat cervical cancer with chemotherapy and radiotherapy at the same time. This is called chemoradiation.
Early research had shown that giving chemotherapy on its own before chemoradiation may be helpful. But doctors weren’t sure how well this would work. All treatments have side effects and it is important that people don’t have extra treatments they don’t need.
In this trial, women with locally advanced cervical cancer had chemotherapy followed by chemoradiation. The aim of the trial was to find out if the extra chemotherapy was useful. And to find out more about the side effects of this new combination of treatment.
Summary of results
The trial team found that having chemotherapy before chemoradiation was possible and useful for women with locally advanced cervical cancer.
This was a phase 2 trial. It recruited 46 women with locally advanced cervical cancer. Everyone had paclitaxel and carboplatin chemotherapy before having cisplatin and radiotherapy (chemoradiation).
The trial team were able to look at how well cervical cancer responded to initial chemotherapy in 44 women. They found that
- In 2 women there was no sign of cancer –
complete response 
- In 30 women the cancer had shrunk –
partial response - In 10 women the cancer had stayed the same size –
stable disease - In 2 women the cancer had got worse
3 months after completing all their treatment (chemotherapy and chemoradiation), the trial team were able to look at how well the cervical cancer had responded in 43 women. They found that
- In 29 women there was no sign of cancer
- In 10 women the cancer had shrunk
- In 2 women their cancer had stayed the same
- In 2 women the cancer had got worse
At 3 and 5 years after treatment, the trial team found that about 7 out of every 10 women (70%) were still alive and free of cancer.
Overall the worst side effect from treatment was a drop in blood cells causing an increased risk of infection, bruising and bleeding. Other side effects reported included feeling and being sick, diarrhoea and constipation.
The trial team concluded that treating cervical cancer with chemotherapy followed by chemoradiation was possible and useful. They have used the results of this trial to design a bigger, international phase 3 trial to find out how useful this combination of treatment is for cervical cancer.
We have based this summary on information from the team who ran the trial. The information they sent us has been reviewed by independent specialists () and published in a medical journal. The figures we quote above were provided by the trial team. We have not analysed the data ourselves.
Recruitment start:
Recruitment end:
How to join a clinical trial
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Chief Investigator
Dr Mary McCormack
Supported by
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Cancer Research UK & UCL Cancer Trials Centre
NIHR Clinical Research Network: Cancer
NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre
University College London (UCL)
If you have questions about the trial please contact our cancer information nurses
Freephone 0808 800 4040
