Introduction. Radiation therapy is a common treatment for many cancers, including cervical cancer. This form of therapy but may cause side-effects in the area of radiation. Aim. The aim of this study was to evaluate acute and late outcomes of radiotherapy in patients treated for cervical cancer. Material. Thirty six women treated with radiotherapy were analyzed. The patients qualified for the treatment were classified at IIIB level in the cancer staging system. 19 women were treated with radiochemotherapy, while 17 underwent treatment with use of stand-alone radiotherapy. The analysis of the outcomes depended on the information contained in the documentation. Methods. The toxicity of treatment was evaluated using the EORTC/RTOG scale defined for urinary bladder, intestine and skin. Moreover, the morphotic parameters of blood were analyzed, including: hemoglobin (HGB), hematocrit (HCT), red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC), platelets (PLT) and neutrophils (NEUT), to judge the hematological toxicity of the radiation. Results. There were no side-effects in skin in both groups observed. Statistically significant decrease in several blood parameters (including WBC, NEUT, HCT and PLT) was observed. Conclusions. There is some risk of radiation reaction associated with radiotherapy for cervical cancer. Its probability might depend on various factors. However, results of this study indicate higher probability of adverse effects when it comes to hematological toxicity in patients treated with radiochemotherapy.

Key words: radiotherapy, cervical cancer, radiation reaction.