Radiation Therapy and Cisplatin With or Without Amifostine for Patients With Stage IIIB or IVA Cervical Cancer

Inclusion Criteria

• •DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Histologically proven, locally advanced carcinoma of the uterine cervix
• •* TNM classification stage IIIB or IVA
• •* Disease metastatic to para-aortic or high common iliac lymph nodes
• •* Prior complete surgical resection of involved lymph nodes or gross residual tumor involvement of a lymph node allowed
• •* The following cellular types are eligible:
• •* Squamous cell carcinoma
• •* Adenocarcinoma
• •* Adenosquamous carcinoma
• •* The following cellular types are ineligible:
• •* Small cell carcinoma
• •* Carcinoid tumor
• •* Glassy cell carcinoma
• •* Clear cell carcinoma
• •* Cystadenocarcinoma
• •No metastatic disease outside of the pelvis (except to the para-aortic nodes)
• •PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Age
• •18 and over
• •Performance status
• •Zubrod 0-1
• •Life expectancy
• •At least 6 months
• •Hematopoietic
• •White blood cell count (WBC) at least 3,000/mm\^3
• •Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
• •Hepatic
• •Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 mg/dL
• •Alanine amino transferase (ALT) no greater than 2 times normal
• •Renal
• •Creatinine no greater than 1.5 mg/dL (urinary diversion allowed)
• •Corrected calcium normal
• •Other
• •Not pregnant or nursing
• •Negative pregnancy test
• •Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• •No concurrent significant medical condition that would preclude study participation
• •No insulin-dependent diabetes
• •No other malignancy within the past 3 years except cutaneous basal cell skin cancer
• •PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• •Biologic therapy
• •Not specified
• •Chemotherapy
• •No prior systemic chemotherapy
• •Endocrine therapy
• •Not specified
• •Radiotherapy
• •No prior pelvic irradiation except transvaginal radiotherapy to control bleeding
• •Surgery
• •See Disease Characteristics
• •No prior tumor-directed surgery except lymph node biopsy/staging