Objective  To explore the factors affecting the postoperative prognosis of early cervical squamous cell carcinoma and investigate the different radiotherapy techniques.

  Methods  A total of 100 postoperative patients of early cervical squamous cell carcinoma treated in Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University and Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from March to September 2013 were enrolled in our study. The prognostic factors for these patients were analyzed. After being subjected to different postoperative radiotherapy techniques, the efficacy and complications of the techniques were assessed for patients, including 50 cases of conventional radiotherapy (CRT) and 50 cases of image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT).

  Results  The 3-year overall survival rate was 89%, and the 3-year disease-free survival rate was 78%. The 3-year overall survival rates of the CRT and IGRT groups were 78.57% and 89.06%, respectively. The difference between these rates was statistically significant (P=0.034). The 3-year survival rates of the CRT and IGRT groups were 66.67% and 87.36%, respectively. The difference was statistically significant (P=0.042). The incidence of early and late complications in the CRT group was higher than that in IGRT group, and the difference of P < 0.05 was statistically significant. Multivariate analysis showed that postoperative radiotherapy, parametrial invasion, lymph node metastasis, lymphovascular space invasion, perineural invasion, and deep stromal invasion were the independent risk factors for the prognosis of patients with early stage cervical squamous cell carcinoma.

  Conclusion  Early prognosis of cervical squamous cell carcinoma results from the interaction of multiple factors. The 3-year survival rate of the IGRT group was significantly better than that of the CRT group in the early stage of cervical squamous cell carcinoma. IGRT alleviates acute and chronic toxicities and helps improve the quality of life of patients.