Radiation therapy in malignant tumors of corpus uteri

The incidence of endometrial cancer in central Europe has remained constant for 25 years at approximately 20-25/100,000 inhabitants. There is a clear age-dependence and an increased incidence with old age. Endometrial carcinoma has a favorable prognosis with a survival rate of approximately 80%. Primary therapy is surgery and adjuvant radiation therapy is applied for patients with an increased risk for locoregional recurrence or afterloading therapy for prophylaxis of a vaginal stump recurrence. In stage III a combined or sequential approach (chemotherapy and radiation therapy) should be considered due to the high risk of metastases and local progression. Brachytherapy is effective for vaginal stump prophylaxis. Uterine sarcomas represent 4-9% of all uterine malignancies with an incidence of 2 in 100,000 women per year. Primary therapy of first choice is surgery for all uterine sarcomas but adjuvant therapy is still controversially discussed. Valid data on the use of adjuvant radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy are lacking.