JAK2 Loss Arising From Tumor-Spread-Through-Air-Spaces (STAS) Promotes Tumor Progression by Suppressing CD8+ T Cells in Lung Adenocarcinoma: A Machine Learning Approach.

BACKGROUND: Tumor spread through air spaces (STAS) is a recently discovered risk factor for lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). The aim of this study was to investigate specific genetic alterations and anticancer immune responses related to STAS. By using a machine learning algorithm and drug screening in lung cancer cell lines, we analyzed the effect of Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) on the survival of patients with LUAD and possible drug candidates. METHODS: This study included 566 patients with LUAD corresponding to clinicopathological and genetic data. For analyses of LUAD, we applied gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), in silico cytometry, pathway network analysis, in vitro drug screening, and gradient boosting machine (GBM) analysis. RESULTS: The patients with STAS had a shorter survival time than those without STAS (P < 0.001). We detected gene set-related downregulation of JAK2 associated with STAS using GSEA. Low JAK2 expression was related to poor prognosis and a low CD8+ T-cell fraction. In GBM, JAK2 showed improved survival prediction performance when it was added to other parameters (T stage, N stage, lymphovascular invasion, pleural invasion, tumor size). In drug screening, mirin, CCT007093, dihydroretenone, and ABT737 suppressed the growth of lung cancer cell lines with low JAK2 expression. CONCLUSION: In LUAD, low JAK2 expression linked to the presence of STAS might serve as an unfavorable prognostic factor. A relationship between JAK2 and CD8+ T cells suggests that STAS is indirectly related to the anticancer immune response. These results may contribute to the design of future experimental research and drug development programs for LUAD with STAS.

Pretreatment CT differential diagnosis of tuberculous peritonitis from peritoneal carcinomatosis of advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.

Delayed diagnosis of female genital tuberculosis (FGTB) can lead to inappropriate treatment and unnecessary surgical procedures rather than standard anti-TB medication. We tried to evaluate the use of computed tomography (CT) imaging to differentiate TB peritonitis from peritoneal carcinomatosis of advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (AEOC). We investigated women who underwent CT to distinguish between TB peritonitis and peritoneal carcinomatosis of AEOC. We evaluated various CT imaging features to identify differences between the two diseases. In addition, we performed univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to identify the independent imaging parameters associated with TB peritonitis and evaluated the diagnostic performance of the combined imaging parameters. We also performed the histopathological analysis of the available salpinx specimens of TB peritonitis. We included 25 women with TB peritonitis and 34 women with peritoneal carcinomatosis of AEOC. A multivariate analysis of the discriminant CT imaging features between the two diseases revealed that changes in fallopian tubes and peritoneal micronodules were independent parameters associated with TB peritonitis (p ≤ 0.012). Combining the two imaging parameters showed an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.855, a sensitivity of 88.0%, and a specificity of 67.7% for differentiating TB peritonitis from peritoneal carcinomatosis. Furthermore, changes in fallopian tubes were correlated with histopathological abnormalities in salpinx specimens. Pretreatment CT evaluation with useful imaging features could help differentiate TB peritonitis from peritoneal carcinomatosis of AEOC.

High PPFIA1 expression promotes cancer survival by suppressing CD8+ T cells in breast cancer: drug discovery and machine learning approach.

BACKGROUND: PTPRF-interacting protein alpha 1 (PPFIA1) plays an important role as a regulator of cell motility and tumor cell invasion and is frequently amplified in breast cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinicopathologic features, survival, anticancer immunities and specific gene sets related to high PPFIA1 expression in patients with breast cancer. We verified the importance of PPFIA1 and survival rates using machine learning and identified drugs that can effectively reduce breast cancer cells with high PPFIA1 expression. METHODS: This study analyzed clinicopathologic factors, survival rates, immune profiles and gene sets according to PPFIA1 expression in 3457 patients with breast cancer from the Kangbuk Samsung Medical Center cohort (456 cases), Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium (1904 cases) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (1097 cases). We applied gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), in silico cytometry, pathway network analyses, in vitro drug screening, and gradient boosting machine (GBM) analysis. RESULTS: High PPFIA1 expression in breast cancer was associated with worse prognosis, with reduced tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, especially CD8+ T cells, and increased PD-L1 expression. In pathway network analysis, PPFIA1 was linked directly to the tyrosine-protein phosphatase pathway and indirectly to immune pathways. The importance of PPFIA1's association with survival in GBM analysis was higher than that of perineural and lymphovascular invasion. In in vitro drug screening, expression of PPFIA1 on mRNA level positively correlated with sensitivity of cell lines to erlotinib. CONCLUSION: High PPFIA1 in patients with breast cancer is related to poor prognosis and decreased anticancer immune response, and erlotinib may be promising for development of therapeutic approaches in patients with tumors overexpressing PPFIA1.

Laparoscopic systemic restaging surgery for women with unexpected uterine malignancy.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the feasibility of laparoscopic restaging surgery in patients with unexpected uterine cancer. METHODS: This retrospective study included eight patients who underwent laparoscopic restaging surgery for Iran University uterine cancer after a prior hysterectomy or myomectomy. RESULTS: The median age of the patients and their body mass index were 55 years (range, 44-78) and 23.8 kg/m2 (range, 20.75- 31.89), respectively. The median interval between the prior hysterectomy and the restaging surgery was 21 days (range, 10-35). The median operating time and time for the return of bowel activity were 325 minutes (range, 200-475) and 35 hours (range, 18-50), respectively. The median numbers of harvested pelvic and para-aortic lymph nodes were 17.5 (range, 14-29) and 20.5 (range, 7-36), respectively. In seven of the eight patients, uterine extraction was performed with vaginal or electronic morcellation. The final International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage was IA in all patients. Intraoperative and postoperative complications did not occur in any of the patients, except for the need for transfusion. Patient 4 had synchronous primary cancer (stage IA) of the endometrium and left ovary. Two of the eight patients with clear cell carcinoma received chemotherapy, and none received radiotherapy. All patients survived without disease recurrence. CONCLUSION: Restaging surgery might be necessary for highly selective patients with unexpected uterine malignancies. This would be an alternative surgical modality for complete staging and planning tailored adjuvant treatments. However, lymphadenectomy might not be performed in patients with early uterine cancer.

Women with multiple gestations have an increased risk of development of hypertension in the future.

BACKGROUND: Multiple gestations are associated with an increased incidence of preeclampsia. However, there exists no evidence for an association between multiple gestations and development of hypertension(HTN) later in life. This study aimed to determine whether multiple gestations are associated with HTN beyond the peripartum period. METHODS: In this retrospective nationwide population-based study, women who delivered a baby between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2008, and underwent a national health screening examination within one year prior to their pregnancy were included. Subsequently, we tracked the occurrence of HTN during follow-up until December 31, 2015, using International Classification of Diseases-10th Revision codes. RESULTS: Among 362,821 women who gave birth during the study period, 4,944 (1.36%) women had multiple gestations. The cumulative incidence of HTN was higher in multiple gestations group compared with singleton group (5.95% vs. 3.78%, p < 0.01, respectively). On the Cox proportional hazards models, the risk of HTN was increased in women with multiple gestations (HR 1.35, 95% CI 1.19, 1.54) compared with those with singleton after adjustment for age, primiparity, preeclampsia, atrial fibrillation, body mass index, blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, high total cholesterol, abnormal liver function test, regular exercise, and smoking status. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple gestations are associated with an increased risk of HTN later in life. Therefore, guidelines for the management of high-risk patients after delivery should be established.

High MMP-11 expression associated with low CD8+ T cells decreases the survival rate in patients with breast cancer.

Matrix metalloproteinase-11 (MMP-11) promote cancer invasion and metastasis through degrading the extracellular matrix. Protein degradation by MMP-11 in tumor cells may progressively suppress cancer surveillance activities with blocking immune response in breast cancer. The aim of study is to analyze clinicopathological parameters, molecular interactions and anticancer immune response in patients with MMP-11 expression and to provide candidate target drugs. We investigated the clinicopathologic parameters, specific gene sets, tumor antigenicity, and immunologic relevance according to MMP-11 expression in 226 and 776 breast cancer patients from the Hanyang University Guri Hospital (HUGH) cohort and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data, respectively. We analyzed pathway networks and in vitro drug response. High MMP-11 expression was associated with worse survival rate in breast cancer from HUGH cohort and TCGA data (all p < 0.05). In analysis of immunologic gene sets, high MMP-11 expression was related to low immune response such as CD8+T cell, CD4+T cell and B cell. In silico cytometry, there was a decrease of cancer testis antigen and low tumor infiltrating lymphocyte in patient with high MMP-11 expression: activated dendritic cell, CD8+T cell, CD4+ memory T cell, and memory B cell. In pathway networks, MMP-11 was linked to the pathways including low immune response, response to growth hormone and catabolic process. We found that pictilisib and AZ960 effectively inhibited the breast cancer cell lines with high MMP-11 expression. Strategies making use of MMP-11-related hub genes could contribute to better clinical management/research for patients with breast cancer.

Suppression of ARID1A associated with decreased CD8 T cells improves cell survival of ovarian clear cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: AT-rich interactive domain 1A (ARID1A) plays an important role as a tumor suppressor gene in ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC), but the clinical application of ARID1A remains unclear. The aim of this study was to analyze clinicopathological parameters, molecular interactions and immune-infiltration in patients with low ARID1A expression and to provide candidate target drugs. METHODS: We investigated the clinicopathologic parameters, specific gene sets/genes, and immunological relevance according to ARID1A expression in 998 OCCC patients from 12 eligible studies (using meta-analyses); 30 OCCC patients from the Hanyang University Guri Hospital (HYGH) cohort; and 52 OCCC patients from gene set enrichment (GSE) 65986 (25 patients), 63885 (9 patients), and 54809 (6 patients and 12 healthy people) of the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). We analyzed network-based pathways based on gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and performed in vitro drug screening. RESULTS: Low ARID1A expression was associated with poor survival in OCCC from the meta-analysis, HYGH cohort and GEO data. In GSEA, low ARID1A expression was related to the tumor invasion process as well as a low immune-infiltration. In silico cytometry showed that CD8 T cells were decreased with low ARID1A expression. In pathway analysis, ARID1A was associated with angiogenic endothelial cell signaling. In vitro drug screening revealed that cabozantinib and bicalutamide effectively inhibited specific hub genes, such as vascular endothelial growth factor-A and androgen receptor, in OCCC cells with low ARID1A expression. CONCLUSIONS: Therapeutic strategies making use of low ARID1A could contribute to better clinical management/research for patients with OCCC.

Learning curve for sentinel lymph node mapping in gynecologic malignancies.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Only a few studies have reported the learning curve for sentinel lymph node (SLN) detection in gynecologic malignancies. We investigated the learning curve for SLN detection during robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery for endometrial and cervical carcinomas. METHODS: This retrospective analysis included patients with stage IA to IIA1 cervical cancer or stage I to III endometrial cancer who underwent SLN mapping using indocyanine green during robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery performed by a single surgeon. Learning curves were analyzed in consecutive cases using SLN detection rates and the cumulative sum (CUSUM) method. RESULTS: SLN mapping was achieved in 81.25% (65/80), 77.50% (62/80), and 66.25% (53/80) of the cases involving the right, left, and simultaneous bilateral pelvic areas, respectively. Learning curve analysis based on the cumulative detection rate showed initial fluctuations followed by stabilization; the time required for proficiency was discordant among the LN regions. However, the CUSUM method showed proficient mapping of the right, left, and bilateral SLNs after 27 to 28 cases. CONCLUSION: At least 27 cases were required for SLN mapping proficiency in gynecologic cancer; the learning period could influence the surgical quality. Further studies are warranted to confirm the impact of this learning curve on disease outcomes.

Is preeclampsia itself a risk factor for the development of metabolic syndrome after delivery?

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the association between preeclampsia and the postpartum development of metabolic syndrome based on the pre-pregnancy status. METHODS: Korean women who delivered their first child between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2012, were enrolled. All subjects underwent a national health screening examination conducted by the National Health Insurance Corporation 1 or 2 years prior to their first delivery and within 2 years after their first delivery. RESULTS: Among the 49,065 participants, preeclampsia developed in 3,391 participants (6.9%). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was higher postpartum in women with preeclampsia than in those without preeclampsia (4.9% vs. 2.7%, respectively, P<0.001). Through the pre-pregnancy to postpartum period, women with preeclampsia had a greater increase in gestational weight retention, body mass index, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, and triglyceride levels and a greater decrease in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels than women without preeclampsia. Preeclampsia was associated with an increased risk of the postpartum development of metabolic syndrome in women without pre-pregnancy metabolic syndrome (odds ratio, 1.28; 95% confidence interval, 1.05-1.56). However, preeclampsia was not associated with postpartum metabolic syndrome in women with pre-pregnancy metabolic syndrome or 2 components of metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSION: In this study, preeclampsia was associated with the postpartum development of metabolic syndrome in women without pre-pregnancy metabolic syndrome. However, the effects were attenuated by predisposing risk factors in the pre-pregnancy period.

Systemic Laparoscopic Para-Aortic Lymphadenectomy to the Left Renal Vein.

BACKGROUND: No large-scale clinical study has been done to show the standard surgical boundary and efficacy of laparoscopic para-aortic lymphadenectomy (LPAL). OBJECTIVES: Therfore, this study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, efficacy, and standard surgical boundary of LPAL performed up to the left renal vein level in gynecological malignancies. METHODS: Medical records of 333 patients were retrospectively reviewed. All cases had gynecologic malignancies and had an operation including LPAL by a single surgical team between November 2003 and May 2018. RESULTS: Three hundred twenty-six patients underwent LPAL as part of their staging, restaging, or debulking surgery. Seven patients with isolated para-aortic lymph node recurrence underwent a repeat LPAL. The median age and body mass index were 54 years (range, 28-81 years) and 26.0 kg/m2 (range, 20.3-37.2 kg/m2), respectively. The median operating time was 60 minutes (range, 24-135 minutes), and the median number of harvested para-aortic lymph nodes was 12 (range, 6-49). There were 11 cases of complications: 5 of major vessel injuries (3 inferior vena cava, 1 aorta, and 1 common iliac vein), 2 lymphocysts, 2 cases of chylous ascites, a cisterna chyli rupture, and 1 case of ureteric injury. There were 2 conversions to laparotomy: 1 left common iliac vein laceration that needed to be repaired and removal of an enlarged para-aortic lymph node completely. CONCLUSION: It is feasible and efficient to perform LPAL to the left renal vein level for women with gynecologic malignancies by well-trained gynecologic oncology surgeons according to our suggested standard surgical boundary.

Umbilical Quilting Suture Technique during Single-Port Laparoscopic Surgery.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Single-port laparoscopic surgery (SPLS) is popular in the gynecological field, because it is less invasive and leaves a smaller scar. However, the postoperative shape of the umbilicus is often distorted due to the intensive procedures performed through the small opening. In this report, we describe a technique for forming a satisfactory umbilicus in SPLS. METHODS: From March 2016 through April 2017, 32 patients were treated with SPLS by a single gynecologic surgeon. Group A (14 cases) underwent conventional umbilicus closure, and group B (18 cases) underwent a quilting suture technique. The umbilical shapes of each group were assessed by a plastic surgeon as was the patients' satisfaction. Evaluations were performed immediately after surgery and every month for 6 months thereafter. RESULTS: The postoperative umbilical shape in group A showed features, such as loss of depression, disappearance of the central vertical line, and irregularly bulging tissue, whereas group B had a shape similar to that of the natural umbilicus and maintained its depression and vertical line. The average scores of the plastic surgeons' evaluations immediately after the operation were 10.4 for group A and 15.1 for group B. The final scores obtained 6 months after surgery were 15.2 and 17.8, respectively. The patients' satisfaction scores immediately after the operation were 4.9 for group A and 7.3 for group B. The scores increased gradually, to 8.1 and 9.2, respectively, at 6 months after surgery. CONCLUSION: Performing quilting sutures during wound closure in SPLS is effective for making an ideal umbilicus and ensuring patients' satisfaction.

Encountering the Accessory Polar Renal Artery during Laparoscopic Para-Aortic Lymphadenectomy.

A 60-year-old Korean woman underwent laparoscopic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and was confirmed to have high-grade serous carcinoma of both ovaries with a huge omental cake, extensive agglutinated intra-abdominal metastatic masses, extensive serosa invasion of the intestines, and mesenterial deposits. She underwent 3 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by laparoscopic interval debulking surgery, including hysterectomy, pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy, appendectomy, partial peritonectomy, and omentectomy. We encountered the right accessory polar renal artery (APRA) during the surgery and carefully preserved the right APRA from the abdominal aorta to the right kidney (Fig. 1). Postoperative computed tomography angiography showed an intact right APRA and normal-appearing kidney (Fig. 2). The patient had adjuvant chemotherapy and is alive without disease recurrence. Because APRA is a functional end artery, it is important to preserve it during surgery to prevent ischemic damage and renal failure [1]. It is very important for the gynecologic-oncologist to have knowledge of the retroperitoneal vascular anatomy, experience in laparoscopic surgery, and an accurate surgical technique to avoid vascular injury during laparoscopic para-aortic lymphadenectomy.

Analysis of Pregnancy Outcomes among Interracial Couples in Korea.

Although the prevalence of interracial marriages in Korea is increasing, little is known regarding the pregnancy outcomes of interracial couples. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in pregnancy outcomes between Korean and interracial Korean-foreign couples. Data for infants born in 2011 and 2012 were obtained from the national birth registry of the Korean Statistical Office. The couples were subdivided into Korean father-Korean mother, Korean father-foreign mother, and foreign father-Korean mother groups. Pregnancy outcomes included neonates with low birth weight (< 2,500 g) and those with high birth weight (> 4,000 g). In 2010 and 2011, 888,447 Korean father-Korean mother, 36,024 Korean father-foreign mother, and 4,955 foreign father-Korean mother neonates were delivered in Korea. After adjustment for parental age, educational level, parity, gestational age at delivery, and neonatal sex, the birth weights were found to be different between groups, with the highest number of foreign father-Korean mother and lowest number of Korean father-foreign mother pregnancies. Based on multivariate logistic regression analysis, the risk of low and large birth weights was higher in the Korean father-foreign mother and foreign father-Korean mother groups, respectively, compared with that in the Korean father-Korean mother group. There are significant differences in pregnancy outcomes including birth weights between Korean and interracial Korean-foreign couples.

CXCL11 mediates TWIST1-induced angiogenesis in epithelial ovarian cancer.

To investigate the role of TWIST1 in tumor angiogenesis in epithelial ovarian cancer and to identify key molecules involved in angiogenesis. TWIST1 small interfering RNA was transfected into A2780 cells, while a complementary DNA vector was transfected into non-malignant human ovarian surface epithelial cells to generate a TWIST1-overexpressing cell line. To evaluate how this affects angiogenesis, human umbilical vein endothelial cell tube formation assays were performed using the control and transfected cell lines. An antibody-based cytokine array was used to identify the molecules involved in TWIST1-mediated angiogenesis. After knockdown of TWIST1 via transfection of TWIST1 small interfering RNA into A2780 cells, the number of tubes formed by human umbilical vein endothelial cells significantly decreased in a tube formation assay. In a cytokine array, TWIST1 downregulation did not significantly decrease the secretion of the common pro-angiogenic factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, but instead inhibited the expression of the CXC chemokine ligand 11, which was confirmed by both an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and western blotting. In contrast, TWIST1 overexpression resulted in increased secretion of CXC chemokine ligand 11. Conversely, CXC chemokine ligand 11 downregulation did not inhibit the expression of TWIST1. Furthermore, the ability of TWIST1-expressing A2780 cells to induce angiogenesis was found to be inhibited after CXC chemokine ligand 11 knockdown in a tube formation assay. TWIST1 plays an important role in angiogenesis in epithelial ovarian cancer and is mediated by a novel pro-angiogenic factor, CXC chemokine ligand 11. Downregulation of CXC chemokine ligand 11 can inhibit tumor angiogenesis, suggesting that anti-CXC chemokine ligand 11 therapy may offer an alternative treatment strategy for TWIST1-positive ovarian cancer.

Tissue injuries after single-port and multiport laparoscopic gynecologic surgeries: A prospective multicenter study.

The present study focused on the degree of tissue injury following single-port laparoscopic surgery (SPLS) and multiport laparoscopic surgery (MPLS) for the treatment of various benign gynecologic diseases. A total of 228 patients were prospectively enrolled at seven academic centers in South Korea between April 2011 and September 2012. Of these, 122 patients underwent SPLS and 106 patients underwent MPLS. The serum levels of C-reactive protein, creatine phosphokinase, lactic dehydrogenase and cancer antigen 125 were measured preoperatively and on postoperative day 4 by immunonephelometry. Cosmetic satisfaction and postoperative pain scores (visual analogue scale) were analyzed. Postoperative changes in the levels of the serum markers were found to be similar between the SPLS and MPLS groups. However, the postoperative pain scores at 48 h were significantly lower in the SPLS group when compared with those in the MPLS (P=0.001). In addition, patient-controlled analgesia was used more frequently by patients in the MPLS group (P=0.003). The present study is the first prospective investigation of tissue injury resulting from SPLS and MPLS in gynecology. In conclusion, the current study demonstrated that serum marker levels during SPLS were similar to those during MPLS in the treatment of benign gynecologic diseases. However, SPLS is a reasonable alternative to MPLS and is associated with comparable tissue injury, improved cosmesis and reduced postoperative pain.

Prognostic value of total lesion glycolysis measured by 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer.

AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the most relevant parameters of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) PET/computed tomography (CT) for predicting recurrence in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-six patients diagnosed with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IIB to IVA cervical cancer who underwent F-FDG PET/CT before definitive chemoradiotherapy were retrospectively enrolled. Various PET parameters, namely, maximum standardized uptake value, mean standardized uptake value, metabolic tumor volume, and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) of the primary tumor, were analyzed to evaluate the relationship between these PET parameters and recurrence-free survival (RFS). The cut-off values of PET parameters that showed the best trade-off between sensitivity and specificity for RFS were determined by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 20 months (range, 6-63 months). Univariate analysis indicated that higher FIGO stage [hazard ratio (HR) 5.606, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.682-18.68, P=0.005], metabolic tumor volume more than 47.81 cm (HR 6.203, 95% CI 1.351-28.481, P=0.019), and TLG more than 215.02 (HR 11.817, 95% CI 1.518-91.963, P=0.018) were associated with RFS. In multivariate analysis, FIGO stage (HR 4.618, 95% CI 1.295-16.463, P=0.018) and TLG more than 215.02 (HR 10.171, 95% CI 1.246-83.044, P=0.030) were independent predictive factors for RFS. Kaplan-Meier curves for RFS indicated that patients with TLG less than or equal to 215.02 showed better RFS (P=0.003). CONCLUSION: Pretreatment TLG proved to be an independent prognostic factor for RFS in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer treated by definitive chemoradiotherapy.

Prognostic Value of the Sum of Metabolic Tumor Volume of Primary Tumor and Lymph Nodes Using 18F-FDG PET/CT in Patients With Cervical Cancer.

This is an observational study to determine the most relevant parameter of ¹8F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for predicting recurrence in cervical cancer. Fifty-six patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IIB-IVA cervical cancer who underwent pretreatment ¹8F-FDG PET/CT were enrolled. PET parameters including maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) of both primary tumor and pelvic and/or para-aortic lymph nodes were analyzed. SUVmax-S was defined as the sum of the SUVmax of primary tumor and the higher SUVmax of either pelvic or para-aortic lymph nodes. MTV-S was defined as the sum of the MTV of primary tumor and pelvic and para-aortic lymph nodes. TLG-S was calculated in the same way as MTV-S. We evaluated the relationship between these PET parameters and recurrence-free survival (RFS). Univariate analysis revealed that higher FIGO stage (hazard ratio [HR] = 5.61, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.68-18.68, P = 0.005), lymph node metastasis (HR = 3.42, 95% CI: 1.08-10.84, P = 0.037), MTV of primary tumor >47.81 cm³ (HR = 6.20, 95% CI: 1.35-28.48, P = 0.019), TLG of primary tumor >215.02 (HR = 11.82, 95% CI: 1.52-91.96, P = 0.018), MTV-S > 59.01 cm³ (HR = 8.24, 95% CI: 1.80-37.77, P = 0.007), and TLG-S > 224.15 (HR =  13.09, 95% CI: 1.68-101.89, P = 0.014) were associated with RFS. In multivariate analysis, FIGO stage (HR = 4.87, 95% CI: 1.38-17.18, P = 0.014) and MTV-S > 59.01 cm³ (HR = 7.37, 95% CI: 1.54-35.16, P = 0.012) were determined to be independent predictive factors for RFS. Our preliminary results reveal that MTV-S is an independent prognostic factor for RFS in patients with cervical cancer treated by definitive chemoradiotherapy.

Feasibility and efficacy of laparoscopic restaging surgery for women with unexpected ovarian malignancy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility, surgical outcomes and complications of laparoscopic restaging surgery for women with unexpected ovarian malignancy. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 14 women with unexpected ovarian malignancy who underwent laparoscopic restaging surgery including peritoneal washing cytology, laparoscopic pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy up to the left renal vein level, omentectomy, and multiple peritoneal biopsies, and hysterectomy except three fertility saving surgery. RESULTS: The median age and median body mass index women were 49 years (range, 22-63) and 24.2m/kg(2) (range, 18.9-25.3), respectively. The median operating time was 230min (range, 155-370). The median numbers of harvested pelvic and paraaortic lymph nodes were 26 (range, 6-41) and 18 (range, 2-40), respectively. The median return of bowel activity was 28h (range, 21-79). Four of the women were upstaged from the initial presumed stage. There were two intraoperative complications, laceration of the inferior vena cava and cisterna chyli rupture. There was one postoperative complication, port-site metastasis. There was no conversion to laparotomic surgery. The median follow-up period was 33 months. Thirteen of the patients have no evidence of recurrences, however one patient died after 22 months after the surgery. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic restaging surgery, performed by a specialized laparoscopic oncologist with sufficient laparoscopic experience and a well-trained operating team, is both feasible and effective in the management of unexpected ovarian malignancies.