Cervical cancer is a major cause of cancer-related illness and death, especially in low-resource settings like Ethiopia, where most patients present with advanced disease. In such cases, treatment is mainly palliative, focusing on symptom relief rather than cure. However, conventional radiotherapy is often difficult to complete due to long treatment schedules and limited healthcare resources. The Quad-Shot (QS) regimen offers a short-course, hypofractionated radiotherapy approach designed to improve symptom control while reducing treatment burden.
This prospective cohort study evaluated the effectiveness of the Quad-Shot regimen in patients with advanced cervical cancer treated at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital. Patients received short-course radiotherapy and were assessed for changes in symptoms such as pain, vaginal bleeding, discharge, and pelvic discomfort. Treatment tolerance and acute side effects were also recorded.
The results showed that the Quad-Shot regimen provided noticeable improvement in major symptoms, particularly pain and bleeding, with minimal side effects. Most patients completed treatment successfully, and the short duration of therapy reduced hospital visits and improved feasibility in a resource-limited setting