Context: Rural versus urban cervical cancer.
Aims: This study aims to study the difference in toxicities and clinical outcome of chemoradiation in urban and rural cervical cancer patient.
Settings and design: This was a prospective study.
Subjects and methods: In a double-arm prospective study, cervical cancer patients were treated with chemoradiation followed by brachytherapy. Patients were monitored weekly for hematological, gastrointestinal toxicities, and electrolyte imbalance. Acute toxicities and long-term outcome were compared between the two groups.
Statistical analysis used: Kaplan-Meier survival curves for analysis of disease free and overall survival and Pearson's Chi-square test and Fisher's exact tests for analysis of toxicities were used.
Results: Fifty-seven patients from urban and 114 from rural region were studied. There were no difference between the two groups as far as the patient characteristics, overall treatment time (OTT), hematological, electrolyte imbalance, local control, and disease-free survival between the two groups. Associated comorbidities were significantly higher (53% vs. 17%) with P < 0.0001 in urban population. Grade II and III enteritis were significantly higher 15.78% versus 21.05% (P = 0.00001) and 12.28% versus 11.40% (P = 0.03) in urban patients, respectively.
Conclusions: Tolerance to chemoradiation, disease-free survival, and overall survival are similar in both urban and rural patients of cervical cancer, with more enteritis in urban group. However, this did not increase OTT.
Keywords: Chemoradiation; rural versus urban; tolerance.