[Malignancy of the uterine body after radiotherapy for carcinoma of uterine cervix--report of 12 cases]

Twelve cases of malignancy of the uterine body occurred 5-19 years after radiotherapy for 8,704 cases of carcinoma of cervix-an incidence of 0.14%. 10 cases were malignant mixed mesodermal tumor and 2 endometrial carcinoma. The radiation dose varied from 5,500 to 12,000 rad to the area of uterine body. Eight patients had vaginal discharge and 4 were asymptomatic in the follow-up examination in which enlarged uterus was found in all except one. The tumor had extented out of the uterus in 6 patients. 6 of the 12 patients were diagnosed by endometrial biopsy before treatment. Eight patients were treated by operation, 3 by radiation and 1 was untreated. Eleven patients died within 3 years, one recurred in 4.5 years after treatment. It is believed that the malignant tumor of the uterine body is closely related to radiotherapy and the prognosis is poor. Therefore, in the follow-up examination, if vaginal discharge and enlarged uterus are found, endometrial biopsy should be done to ensure correct diagnosis and early operation in order to obtain a better result.