Topics:
Radiation Oncology • Gynecologic Cancers
When would you recommend surgical debulking of pelvic or para-aortic lymph nodes in cervical cancer prior to definitive chemoradiation therapy?
Do you use size criteria (i.e. bulky nodes over 3 cm), specific adverse histology (adenocarcinoma), or location (near small bowel), etc.
Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Academic Institution
Often these large pelvic and periaortic nodes are adherent to surrounding nerves and vessels and resection is not possible. Our usual approach in this situation is to consider neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. The hope would be that the chemotherapy would reduce the size of the nodes defi...
Patients with bulky adenopathy pose a challenge an...