Abstract
PURPOSE: This study compared the efficacy and safety of carboplatin combined with arsenic trioxide versus carboplatin combined with docetaxel in treating locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC). METHODS: A total of 48 patients were enrolled between January 2019 and December 2022 and randomly assigned to the experimental group (carboplatin + arsenic trioxide, n = 24) or control group (carboplatin + docetaxel, n = 24). The clinical efficacy, adverse reactions, and serological markers were analyzed. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics or total effective rates between the two groups (72.22% vs 68.42%, P > 0.05). Both groups showed significant reductions in serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen levels after chemotherapy (P < 0.05), but no significant difference was observed between groups (6.00 ± 11.36 ng/mL vs 8.42 ± 12.17 ng/mL, P > 0.05). Additionally, there was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Arsenic trioxide combined with carboplatin as a preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy for LACC is not worse than docetaxel combined with carboplatin in terms of short-term efficacy and safety during the treatment of LACC.