***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: Objective Concurrent chemoradiation therapy ( CCRT ) is the st and ard treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer . Although the optimal chemotherapeutic regimen is not yet defined , previous r and omized trials have demonstrated that 5-fluorouracil ( 5-FU ) plus cisplatin every 3 weeks and weekly cisplatin are the most popular regimens . The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes of weekly CCRT with cisplatin and monthly CCRT with 5-FU plus cisplatin for locally advanced cervical cancer . Methods We retrospectively review ed data from 255 patients with FIGO stage IIB-IVA cervical cancer . Patients were classified into two CCRT groups according to the concurrent chemotherapy : weekly CCRT group , consisted of CCRT with weekly cisplatin for six cycles ; and monthly CCRT group , consisted of CCRT with cisplatin and 5-FU every 4 weeks for two cycles followed by additional consolidation chemotherapy for two cycles with the same regimen . Results Of 255 patients , 152 ( 59.6 % ) patients received weekly CCRT and 103 ( 40.4 % ) received monthly CCRT . The mean follow-up period was 39 months ( range , 1 to 186 months ) . Planned CCRT was given to 130 ( 85.5 % ) patients in weekly CCRT group and 84 ( 81.6 % ) patients in monthly CCRT group , respectively . Severe adverse effects were more common in the monthly CCRT group than in the weekly CCRT group . There were no statistically significant differences in progression-free survival and overall survival between the two groups ( p=0.715 and p=0.237 ) . Conclusion Both weekly CCRT and monthly CCRT seem to have similar efficacy for patients with locally advanced cervical cancer , but the weekly cisplatin is better tolerated BACKGROUND AND METHODS On behalf of the Gynecologic Oncology Group , we performed a r and omized trial of radiotherapy in combination with three concurrent chemotherapy regimens -- cisplatin alone ; cisplatin , fluorouracil , and hydroxyurea ; and hydroxyurea alone -- in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer . Women with primary untreated invasive squamous-cell carcinoma , adenosquamous carcinoma , or adenocarcinoma of the cervix of stage IIB , III , or IVA , without involvement of the para-aortic lymph nodes , were enrolled . The patients had to have a leukocyte count of at least 3000 per cubic millimeter , a platelet count of at least 100,000 per cubic millimeter , a serum creatinine level no higher than 2 mg per deciliter ( 177 micromol per liter ) , and adequate hepatic function . All patients received external-beam radiotherapy according to a strict protocol . Patients were r and omly assigned to receive one of three chemotherapy regimens : 40 mg of cisplatin per square meter of body-surface area per week for six weeks ( group 1 ) ; 50 mg of cisplatin per square meter on days 1 and 29 , followed by 4 g of fluorouracil per square meter given as a 96-hour infusion on days 1 and 29 , and 2 g of oral hydroxyurea per square meter twice weekly for six weeks ( group 2 ) ; or 3 g of oral hydroxyurea per square meter twice weekly for six weeks ( group 3 ) . RESULTS The analysis included 526 women . The median duration of follow-up was 35 months . Both groups that received cisplatin had a higher rate of progression-free survival than the group that received hydroxyurea alone ( P<0.001 for both comparisons ) . The relative risks of progression of disease or death were 0.57 ( 95 percent confidence interval , 0.42 to 0.78 ) in group 1 and 0.55 ( 95 percent confidence interval , 0.40 to 0.75 ) in group 2 , as compared with group 3 . The overall survival rate was significantly higher in groups 1 and 2 than in group 3 , with relative risks of death of 0.61 ( 95 percent confidence interval , 0.44 to 0.85 ) and 0.58 ( 95 percent confidence interval , 0.41 to 0.81 ) , respectively . CONCLUSIONS Regimens of radiotherapy and chemotherapy that contain cisplatin improve the rates of survival and progression-free survival among women with locally advanced cervical cancer Objectives : The objective of this study was to compare outcomes for patients with cervical cancer treated with radiation concurrently with cisplatin , cisplatin/5-fluorouracil ( 5-FU ) , or without chemotherapy .  Material s and Methods : We review ed the records of eligible patients with locoregionally confined , stage IB1 through IVA , intact cervical cancer who were treated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital . All patients underwent definitive radiotherapy with combined external beam radiation — the majority with extended-field (62%)— and received low-dose rate brachytherapy . Results : A total of 236 patients were included : 99 had no concurrent chemotherapy , 95 were treated with concurrent cisplatin  , and 42 were treated with cisplatin/5-FU . For all patients treated with or without chemotherapy , overall survival at 5 and 10 years was 64 % and 59 % , respectively . Patients treated with chemotherapy had a superior recurrence-free survival rate of 69 % at 5 years versus 49 % in patients who did not receive chemotherapy ( P=0.09 ) . Twenty-six percent of patients treated with cisplatin alone , 31 % of patients treated with cisplatin/5-FU , and 45 % of patients who did not receive chemotherapy experienced a disease recurrence . Adenosquamous histology conferred a higher rate of recurrence as compared with adenocarcinoma and squamous cell histologies ( 54 % vs. 34 % , respectively ; P=0.05 ) . Conclusions : Cisplatin-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy showed a trend toward improved recurrence-free survival survival in the definitive treatment of nonmetastatic cervical cancer . The addition of 5-FU to cisplatin did not appear to significantly impact survival or recurrence-free survival . Adenosquamous histology was associated with a higher risk of recurrence as compared with other histologic subtypes PURPOSE To compare gemcitabine and cisplatin ( GC ) with cisplatin ( C ) concurrent with radiotherapy in International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics Stage IB2 , IIA , and IIB cervical carcinoma in a preoperative setting . The main endpoints were the pathologic response rate and toxicity . METHODS AND MATERIAL S A total of 83 patients were r and omized to either C or GC .  Treatment consisted of six doses of cisplatin at 40 mg/m(2 ) every week for Arm 1 ( C ) and six doses of gemcitabine at 125 mg/m(2 ) plus cisplatin at 40 mg/m(2 ) every week for or Arm 2 ( GC ) Both regimens were administered concurrent with 50 Gy of external beam radiotherapy in 2-Gy fractions for 5 weeks . After chemoradiotherapy , patients underwent radical hysterectomy . RESULTS All 83 patients were studied for toxicity and 80 for response . The complete pathologic response rate in the C arm and GC arm was 55 % ( 95 % confidence interval , 35.5 - 73 % ) and 77.5 % ( 95 % confidence interval , 57 - 90 % ; p = 0.0201 ) . Among those with a partial response , 7 patients each had high and intermediate-high risk factors for recurrence in their surgical specimens in the C arm vs. 2 and 3 patients , respectively , with these characteristics in the CG arm . The number of weekly doses and the dose intensity of GC were lower than for C. The time to complete external beam radiotherapy also favored the C arm . The CG combination produced greater GI and hematologic toxicity . CONCLUSION The radiosensitizing combination of GC achieved a greater pathologic response rate than C in the treatment of cervical cancer BACKGROUND Bulky stage IB cervical cancers have a poorer prognosis than smaller stage I cervical cancers . For the Gynecologic Oncology Group , we conducted a trial to determine whether weekly infusions of cisplatin during radiotherapy improve progression-free and overall survival among patients with bulky stage IB cervical cancer . METHODS Women with bulky stage IB cervical cancers ( tumor , > or = 4 cm in diameter ) were r and omly assigned to receive radiotherapy alone or in combination with cisplatin ( 40 mg per square meter of body-surface area once a week for up to six doses ; maximal weekly dose , 70 mg ) , followed in all patients by adjuvant hysterectomy .  Women with evidence of lymphadenopathy on computed tomographic scanning or lymphangiography were ineligible unless histologic analysis showed that there was no lymph-node involvement . The cumulative dose of external pelvic and intracavitary radiation was 75 Gy to point A ( cervical parametrium ) and 55 Gy to point B ( pelvic wall ) . Cisplatin was given during external radiotherapy , and adjuvant hysterectomy was performed three to six weeks later . RESULTS The relative risks of progression of disease and death among the 183 women assigned to receive radiotherapy and chemotherapy with cisplatin  , as compared with the 186 women assigned to receive radiotherapy alone , were 0.51 ( 95 percent confidence interval , 0.34 to 0.75 ) and 0.54 ( 95 percent confidence interval , 0.34 to 0.86 ) , respectively . The rates of both progression-free survival ( P<0.001 ) and overall survival ( P=0.008 ) were significantly higher in the combined-therapy group at four years . In the combined-therapy group there were higher frequencies of transient grade 3 ( moderate ) and grade 4 ( severe ) adverse hematologic effects ( 21 percent , vs. 2 percent in the radiotherapy group ) and adverse gastrointestinal effects ( 14 percent vs. 5 percent ) . CONCLUSIONS Adding weekly infusions of cisplatin to pelvic radiotherapy followed by hysterectomy significantly reduced the risk of disease recurrence and death in women with bulky stage IB cervical cancers PURPOSE In 1986 , a protocol comparing primary radiation therapy ( RT ) plus hydroxyurea ( HU ) to irradiation plus fluorouracil ( 5-FU ) and cisplatin ( CF ) was activated by the Gynecologic Oncology Group ( GOG ) for the treatment of patients with locally advanced cervical carcinoma . The goals were to determine the superior chemoradiation regimen and to quantitate the relative toxicities . METHODS All patients had biopsy-proven invasive squamous cell carcinoma , adenocarcinoma , or adenosquamous carcinoma of the uterine cervix . Patients underwent st and ard clinical staging studies and their tumors were found to be International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics stages IIB , III , or IVA . Negative cytologic washings and para-aortic lymph nodes were required for entry . Patients were r and omized to receive either st and ard whole pelvic RT with concurrent 5-FU infusion and bolus CF or the same RT plus oral HU . RESULTS Of 388 r and omized patients , 368 were eligible ; 177 were r and omized to CF and 191 to HU .  Adverse effects were predominantly hematologic or gastrointestinal in both regimens . Severe or life-threatening leukopenia was more common in the HU group ( 24 % ) than in the CF group ( 4 % ) . The difference in progression-free survival ( PFS ) was statistically significant in favor of the CF group ( P = .033 ) . The sites of progression in the two treatment groups were not substantially different . Survival was significantly better for the patients r and omized to CF ( P = .018 ) . CONCLUSION This study demonstrates that for patients with locally advanced carcinoma of the cervix , the combination of 5-FU and CF with RT offers patients better PFS and overall survival than HU , and with manageable toxicity PURPOSE Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 0417 was a phase II study that explored the safety and efficacy of the addition of bevacizumab to chemoradiation therapy . The safety results have been previously reported . Herein we report the secondary efficacy endpoints of overall survival ( OS ) , locoregional failure ( LRF ) , para-aortic nodal failure ( PAF ) , distant failure ( DF ) , and disease-free survival ( DFS ) . METHODS AND MATERIAL S Eligible patients with bulky Stage IB-IIIB disease were treated with once-weekly cisplatin ( 40 mg/m2 ) chemotherapy and st and ard pelvic radiation therapy and brachytherapy . Bevacizumab was administered at 10 mg/kg intravenously every 2 weeks for 3 cycles during chemoradiation . For OS , failure was defined as death of any cause and was measured from study entry to date of death . LRF was defined as any failure in the pelvis . PAF was defined as any para-aortic nodal failure . DF 
    Output:
    
Therefore , platinum-based combination therapy plus RT should be the preferred treatment over weekly CDDP plus RT for stage IB-IVA CC