Supplementing chemotherapy with radiation fails to improve relapse-free survival in patients with locally advanced endometrial carcinoma, according to US research.

The trial in more than 700 patients with stage III or IVA disease showed no difference in a composite of recurrence or death five years after enrolment between those randomised to receive chemotherapy plus radiotherapy and those who received chemotherapy alone.

All of the women in the GOG 258 trial had received a hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy within eight weeks before entering the trial, and no remaining tumour could be larger than 2cm. Surgery to remove lymph nodes was performed in 94% of the volunteers.

Radiation was planned for a total dose of 4,500 cGy in 25 fractions. Chemotherapy consisted of cisplatin, carboplatin, paclitaxel and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.