Objective  The benefits of postoperative adjuvant therapy method for low-risk early-stage cervical squamous cell carcinoma were investigated.

  Methods  A total of 133 patients with low-risk early-stage cervical squamous cell carcinoma were treated at Shandong < Cancer Hospital & Institute from February 2008 to March 2012. All patients received adjuvant therapy: 42 were treated with pelvic radiotherapy (RT), 47 were treated with adjuvant chemotherapy (CT) + intracavitary radiotherapy (ICRT), and 44 were treated with concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT). Disease-free survival (DFS) and complications of the therapy were evaluated.

  Results  No significant differences in DFS were observed in the patients treated with RT, CT + ICRT, and CCRT (P>0.05), and the three-year DFS rates were 94.0%, 93.4%, and 97.6%, respectively. The frequencies of grade III to IV acute toxicities were significantly higher in patients treated with CCRT (34.1%) than in those treated with RT (9.5%) or CT + ICRT (16.7%) (P < 0.05). No statistically significant difference was observed between the RT group and the CT + ICRT group (P>0.05). Grade I to II late toxicity was significantly more frequent in the CCRT (25%) and RT (19.0%) groups compared with the CT + ICRT group (4.3%) (P>0.05), but no statistically significant differences were observed between the CCRT and the RT groups (P>0.05).

  Conclusion  CT + ICRT or RT has a three-year DFS rate equivalent to CCRT but with fewer therapy complications for low-risk early-stage cervical squamous cell carcinoma.