Incidence of pelvic fractures after definitive radiotherapy for cervical cancer: A retrospective multicenter cohort study (The IPFAR study)

Abstract

Objective This multicenter study aimed to identify the risk factors for pelvic insufficiency fractures (PIFs) in women who received definitive radiotherapy (RT) as the initial treatment for cervical cancer and to examine the differences in the incidence of PIFs across institutions. Patients and Methods The medical records of 208 women were reviewed. These women received definitive RT as an initial treatment for cervical cancer at four institutions between January 2016 and December 2018. Results The median age was 61.5 years (range: 29–93 years). Overall, 59 patients (28.4%) developed PIF, with 48 (81.4%) of them developing it within two years after completion of RT. Multivariate analysis identified postmenopausal status and treating institution as independent risk factors. The incidence of PIF varied significantly among institutions, ranging from 18.9% to 50.0%, despite no significant differences in patient demographics or RT protocols. Conclusion Substantial inter-institutional variation in PIF incidence was observed, even under standardized treatment conditions. These findings underscore the need for individualized risk assessment and institutional quality control in the long-term management of cervical cancer survivors.