High expression of orphan nuclear receptor NR4A1 in a subset of ovarian tumors with worse outcome.

OBJECTIVE: Nuclear receptors (NRs) play a vital role in the development and progression of several cancers including breast and prostate. Using TCGA data, we sought to identify critical nuclear receptors in high grade serous ovarian cancers (HGSOC) and to confirm these findings using in vitro approaches. METHODS: In silico analysis of TCGA data was performed to identify relevant NRs in HGSOC. Ovarian cancer cell lines were screened for NR expression and functional studies were performed to determine the significance of these NRs in ovarian cancers. NR expression was analyzed in ovarian cancer tissue samples using immunohistochemistry to identify correlations with histology and stage of disease. RESULTS: The NR4A family of NRs was identified as a potential driver of ovarian cancer pathogenesis. Overexpression of NR4A1 in particular correlated with worse progression free survival. Endogenous expression of NR4A1 in normal ovarian samples was relatively high compared to that of other tissue types, suggesting a unique role for this orphan receptor in the ovary. Expression of NR4A1 in HGSOC cell lines as well as in patient samples was variable. NR4A1 primarily localized to the nucleus in normal ovarian tissue while co-localization within the cytoplasm and nucleus was noted in ovarian cancer cell lines and patient tissues. CONCLUSIONS: NR4A1 is highly expressed in a subset of HGSOC samples from patients that have a worse progression free survival. Studies to target NR4A1 for therapeutic intervention should include HGSOC.

National Cancer Data Base analysis of radiation therapy consolidation modality for cervical cancer: the impact of new technological advancements.

PURPOSE: To utilize the National Cancer Data Base to evaluate trends in brachytherapy and alternative radiation therapy utilization in the treatment of cervical cancer, to identify associations with outcomes between the various radiation therapy modalities. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IIB-IVA cervical cancer in the National Cancer Data Base who received treatment from January 2004 to December 2011 were analyzed. Overall survival was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariable analyses were performed to identify factors associated with type of boost radiation modality used and its impact on survival. RESULTS: A total of 7654 patients had information regarding boost modality. A predominant proportion of patients were Caucasian (76.2%), had stage IIIB (48.9%) disease with squamous (82.0%) histology, were treated at academic/research centers (47.7%) in the South (34.8%), and lived 0 to 5 miles (27.9%) from the treating facility. A majority received brachytherapy (90.3%). From 2004 to 2011, brachytherapy use decreased from 96.7% to 86.1%, whereas intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) use increased from 3.3% to 13.9% in the same period (P<.01). Factors associated with decreased brachytherapy utilization included older age, stage IVA disease, smaller tumor size, later year of diagnosis, lower-volume treatment centers, and facility type. After controlling for significant factors from survival analyses, IMRT or SBRT boost resulted in inferior overall survival (hazard ratio, 1.86; 95% confidence interval, 1.35-2.55; P<.01) as compared with brachytherapy. In fact, the survival detriment associated with IMRT or SBRT boost was stronger than that associated with excluding chemotherapy (hazard ratio, 1.61' 95% confidence interval, 1.27-2.04' P<.01). CONCLUSIONS: Consolidation brachytherapy is a critical treatment component for locally advanced cervical cancer; however, there has been declining utilization of brachytherapy. Increased use of IMRT and SBRT boost coupled with increased mortality risk should raise concerns about utilizing these approaches over brachytherapy.

Retreatment with bevacizumab in patients with gynecologic malignancy is associated with clinical response and does not increase morbidity.

PURPOSE: Bevacizumab (Bev) is associated with improved progression-free survival in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. The use of Bev in patients with gynecologic malignancy is increasing; however, little is known about cumulative toxicity and response in patients retreated with Bev. Our goal was to determine cumulative side effects and response in patients retreated with Bev. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Women with recurrent gynecologic malignancy treated with Bev between January 2007 and March 2012 at a single institution were identified, including a subset who received Bev in a subsequent regimen. The primary outcome was Bev-associated toxicity, and the secondary outcome was response. RESULTS: Of 83 patients that received Bev for recurrent disease, 23 were retreated with Bev and four received Bev maintenance. Three patients (13%) developed grade 3 or 4 hypertension; all had a history of chronic hypertension. One (4.3%) patient developed grade 3 proteinuria, and one (4.3%) developed an enterovaginal fistula. Four patients discontinued Bev secondary to toxicity. Toxicity was not related to the cumulative number of cycles. Twenty-six percent of patients responded to Bev retreatment. On univariate analysis, there was a significant (P=0.003) overall survival advantage when the Bev-free interval was >9 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.9-43.7) compared to ≤9 months (95% CI 2.1-11.5), 24.3 months, and 6.8 months. CONCLUSION: Retreatment of patients with recurrent gynecologic malignancy with Bev did not increase morbidity and was associated with treatment response. Physicians treating women with recurrent disease may consider a Bev-containing regimen even if prior regimen(s) included Bev. Future studies should prospectively evaluate the efficacy of this treatment strategy.

Obesity as a risk for the recurrence of anterior vaginal wall prolapse after anterior colporrhaphy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether obese body mass index is associated with the recurrence of anterior vaginal wall prolapse after anterior colporrhaphy. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of the risk of recurrent anterior prolapse 6 months after anterior colporrhaphy in normal weight/overweight versus obese women from January 2004 to December 2010. Women who underwent a concurrent apical prolapse procedure were excluded. Data were abstracted regarding sociodemographics, physical examination, operative reports, and postoperative follow-up visits. RESULTS: Of 282 subjects 192 (68%) were normal/overweight and 90 (32%) were obese. Median time of follow-up was 1.8 months (interquartile range [IQR] 1.4-6.2) in the normal/overweight group and 2.0 months (IQR 1.4-5.9) in the obese group. The overall risk of recurrent prolapse was 15.2%. In bivariate analysis there was a trend towards higher recurrence in the obese versus the normal/overweight cohort (21.1% vs. 12.5%, p = 0.06). In the logistic regression model, which adjusted for age, race, diabetes, constipation, cigarette use, concurrent sling, and prior hysterectomy, obesity became significantly associated with recurrent anterior prolapse (odds ratio 2.5, 95% confidence interval 1.2-5.3). CONCLUSION: The risk of recurrence after anterior colporrhaphy is relatively high in the short-term. Obesity is associated with increased odds of anatomic recurrence of anterior vaginal wall prolapse.

Plasma microRNAs as novel biomarkers for endometriosis and endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer.

PURPOSE: Endometriosis, a largely benign, chronic inflammatory disease, is an independent risk factor for endometrioid and clear cell epithelial ovarian tumors. We aimed to identify plasma miRNAs that can be used to differentiate patients with endometriosis and ovarian cancer from healthy individuals. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We conducted a two-stage exploratory study to investigate the use of plasma miRNA profiling to differentiate between patients with endometriosis, patients with endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer (EAOC), and healthy individuals. In the first stage, using global profiling of more than 1,000 miRNAs via reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) in a 20-patient initial screening cohort, we identified 23 candidate miRNAs, which are differentially expressed between healthy controls (n = 6), patients with endometriosis (n = 7), and patients with EAOC (n = 7) based on the fold changes. In the second stage, the 23 miRNAs were further tested in an expanded cohort (n = 88) of healthy individuals (n = 20), endometriosis (n = 33), EAOC (n = 14), and serous ovarian cancer cases (SOC; n = 21, included as controls). RESULTS: We identified three distinct miRNA signatures with reliable differential expression between healthy individuals, patients with endometriosis, and patients with EAOC. When profiled against the control SOC category, our results revealed different miRNAs, suggesting that the identified signatures are reflective of disease-specific pathogenic mechanisms. This was further supported by the fact that the majority of miRNAs differentially expressed in human EAOCs were mirrored in a double transgenic mouse EAOC model. CONCLUSION: Our study reports for the first time that distinct plasma miRNA expression patterns may serve as highly specific and sensitive diagnostic biomarkers to discriminate between healthy, endometriosis, and EAOC cases.

Predictors of reduced relative dose intensity and its relationship to mortality in women receiving multi-agent chemotherapy for epithelial ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVE: There is limited information concerning the role of relative dose intensity (RDI) on clinical outcomes in solid tumors. The objectives of our study were to evaluate the prognostic significance of RDI and predictors of reduced RDI in women with newly diagnosed advanced stage epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. METHODS: A multi-center retrospective study of women with FIGO stage III-IV epithelial ovarian cancer treated postoperatively with multi-agent intravenous chemotherapy between 1995 and 2009 was conducted. Data were obtained to include the first four chemotherapy cycles administered. Outcomes included: (1) planned and delivered relative dose intensity (RDI), (2) progression-free (PFS) and overall (OS) survival. Survival estimates were based on Kaplan and Meier method, and multivariate analyses were based on logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: Evaluable subjects included 325 women. With median follow-up of 34 months (range, 0.4-170), progression or recurrence was recorded in 241 (73.9%) and death in 179 (54.9%). In multivariate analysis, predictors of reduced planned RDI were: treatment off research protocols (odds ratio [OR]=4.3; P<0.001) and BSA >2m(2) (OR=6.14; P<0.001); predictors of reduced delivered RDI were: BMI over 30 kg/m(2) (OR=2.35; P=0.008) and use of carboplatin (OR=2.71; P=0.008). In multivariate analysis, the following factors were independently associated with OS: delivered RDI <85% (hazard ratio [HR]=1.71; P=0.003) and elevated CA-125 at cycle 1 (HR=2.29; P=0.017). CONCLUSION: In this retrospective analysis, reduced chemotherapy RDI for ovarian cancer was associated with lower OS, but not PFS, despite adjustment for established prognostic factors.

Hormone response in ovarian cancer: time to reconsider as a clinical target?

Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide among women in developed countries and the most lethal of all gynecologic malignancies. There is a critical need for the introduction of targeted therapies to improve outcome. Epidemiological evidence suggests a critical role for steroid hormones in ovarian tumorigenesis. There is also increasing evidence from in vitro studies that estrogen, progestin, and androgen regulate proliferation and invasion of epithelial ovarian cancer cells. Limited clinical trials have shown modest response rates; however, they have consistently identified a small subset of patients that respond very well to endocrine therapy with few side effects. We propose that it is timely to perform additional well-designed trials that should include biomarkers of response.

Predictors of severe and febrile neutropenia during primary chemotherapy for ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To identify factors that increase the risk of neutropenic events in women with advanced ovarian carcinoma receiving initial chemotherapy. METHODS: Multi-center retrospective study of women with FIGO stage III-IV epithelial ovarian cancer treated postoperatively with multi-agent intravenous chemotherapy from 1995 to 2008. Outcomes were severe (SN; absolute neutrophil count [ANC]<500/mm(3)) and febrile neutropenia (FN; ANC<1000/mm(3) and temperature>38.1°C). Cumulative risk of neutropenic events was estimated by Kaplan Meier method. Multivariate analysis was by Cox proportional hazard regression. RESULTS: Three hundred twenty-six patients met inclusion criteria. There were 251 SN events among 140 (43%) patients and 24 FN events among 22 (7%) patients. Univariate predictors of SN were body surface area<2.0m(2) (p=0.03), body mass index (BMI)<30 kg/m(2) (p<0.01), Caucasian race (p<0.01), treatment on research protocols (p<0.01), non-carboplatin-containing regimens (p<0.01), and planned relative dose intensity (RDI)>85% of standard (p=0.02). Women over age 60 were more likely to develop FN (p=0.05). Multivariate predictors of SN were treatment on research protocols (hazard ratio [HR] 1.93; p<0.01), Caucasian race (HR 2.13; p=0.01), and planned RDI>85% (HR 1.69; p=0.05); predictors of FN were age>60 (HR 2.84; p=0.05) and non-carboplatin containing regimens (HR 4.06; p<0.01). CONCLUSION: While SN is fairly common, FN occurs infrequently in women with EOC undergoing taxane and platin-based chemotherapy and primary prophylactic growth factor support is not indicated. However, women older than 60 years of age receiving non-carboplatin containing regimens are at higher risk for FN and warrant closer surveillance.