Concomitant external-beam irradiation and chemotherapy followed by high-dose rate brachytherapy boost in the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the vagina: A single-center retrospective study

Aim: To assess the outcome of 35 patients with vaginal carcinoma treated with different radiotherapy modalities. Materials and Methods: Thirty-one patients received external-beam irradiation (EBRT) to the entire vagina, para-vaginal area and pelvic nodes (total dose=45-50.4 Gy). Concomitant chemotherapy was used in 22 patients. Nineteen patients received additional 15-25 Gy high-dose-rate brachytherapy (BT) boost and eight received additional EBRT boost to the primary tumor site. Four women received exclusive 30-40 Gy high-dose-rate BT. Results: Median progression-free survival and median overall survival were 22 months and 89 months, respectively. Age <70 years, use of EBRT plus BT, and concomitant chemotherapy were associated with better progression-free (p=0.002, p=0.007, and p=0.02) and overall (p=0.01, p=0.009, p=0.009) survival. Conclusion: Concomitant EBRT and chemotherapy followed by BT is the best treatment for vaginal carcinoma.