A LANDMARK study has shown that adding short-course induction chemotherapy to standard chemoradiotherapy significantly improves survival for patients with locally advanced cervical cancer. The INTERLACE trial, a multicentre, phase 3 study conducted at 32 medical centres across five countries, enrolled 500 women with stage IB1 to IVA cervical cancer. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either standard cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy alone or a regimen combining induction chemotherapy with chemoradiotherapy.
The study’s primary outcomes—progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS)—were notably better in the induction chemotherapy group. After a median follow-up of 67 months, the 5-year PFS rate was 72% for patients who received induction chemotherapy compared to 64% for those who received chemoradiotherapy alone. Similarly, the 5-year OS rate was 80% in the induction chemotherapy group versus 72% in the chemoradiotherapy alone group. Both differences were statistically significant, with hazard ratios of 0.65 and 0.60, respectively.
However, the addition of induction chemotherapy was associated with a higher incidence of grade 3 or greater adverse events—59% compared to 48% in the chemoradiotherapy alone group.
These findings suggest that induction chemotherapy, administered before chemoradiotherapy, could become a new standard of care for patients with advanced cervical cancer, potentially improving long-term survival outcomes. The trial underscores the need for continued research into optimising treatments for this challenging disease.
Reference
McCormack M et al. Induction chemotherapy followed by standard chemoradiotherapy versus standard chemoradiotherapy alone in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (GCIG INTERLACE): an international, multicentre, randomised phase 3 trial. The Lancet. 2024;404(10462):1525-35.
