A Study on Clinical Outcome with Induction Chemotherapy Followed by Concurrent Chemoradiation in Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer in A Tertiary Care Centre

Cervical cancer remains a major health burden, with most women in low- and middle-income countries presenting with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC). The current standard of care is concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT) with weekly cisplatin and brachytherapy, although distant metastases and treatment failure remain significant challenges.

Induction (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy (NACT) has recently been explored as a strategy to reduce systemic relapse, but prolonged overall treatment time (OTT) in earlier studies, particularly durations beyond 56 days, is known to be associated with inferior outcomes.

The phase III INTERLACE trial evaluated a short, six-week induction regimen with weekly carboplatin–paclitaxel prior to standard CCRT. The study demonstrated significant improvements in both progression-free survival (72% vs 64%) and overall survival (80% vs 72%) at five years, while maintaining acceptable OTT. These results suggest that NACT, if delivered without delaying definitive therapy, may enhance systemic control and survival in LACC.

Our study aims to conduct an analysis of induction chemotherapy followed by CCRT in patients with LACC with respect to clinical outcomes, real-world feasibility, and the impact on treatment compliance and toxicity. Such evidence will be critical in determining whether NACT should be adopted as part of standard management for LACC.