Can we predict vesicovaginal or rectovaginal fistula formation in patients with stage IVA cervical cancer?

INTRODUCTION: Patients with cervical carcinoma that invade the bladder or rectum (International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology stage IVA) have a high risk to develop vesicovaginal and/or rectovaginal fistulae. If we could identify pretreatment factors that predict fistula formation, these patients could be offered less debilitating treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were retrieved from the database of consecutive patients diagnosed with stage IVA cervical cancer from 1992 to 2008. Overall survival and fistula-free survival were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to study the association between pretreatment prognostic variables and fistula formation. RESULTS: Thirty patients with stage IVA cervical cancer were diagnosed. Extension to the bladder was present in 27 patients; three patients had only rectal involvement. Twenty-three patients (77%) had curative radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy and/or hyperthermia. Seven patients (23%) received only palliative therapy or no treatment at all. The 5-year overall survival in the curatively treated group was 42%. Five (22%) of these 23 patients developed one or more fistulae: 3 vesicovaginal, 1 rectovaginal, and 1 vesicovaginal and rectovaginal fistulae. The 5-year fistula-free survival of this group was 64%. No significant association was found between the prognostic variables and fistula formation. CONCLUSIONS: The risk to develop vesicovaginal and/or rectovaginal fistulae is high after curative radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy and/or hyperthermia in patients with stage IVA cervical cancer. We could not identify further pretreatment factors that might have predicted fistula formation.

Validation of existing prognostic models in patients with early-stage cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Models that predict survival and recurrence in patients with early-stage cervical cancer are important tools in patient management. We validated 12 existing prognostic models in an independent population of patients with early-stage cervical cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched the literature for prognostic models in patients with surgically treated early-stage cervical cancer. The prognostic performance of these models was assessed in a consecutive group of surgically treated patients with early-stage cervical cancer treated in our hospital between 1982 and 2004. The performance of the models was visually assessed with calibration plots, which display the relation between the predicted and observed survival. RESULTS: Twelve published prognostic models met the inclusion criteria. The models categorized the patients into two to four risk groups. Prognostic factors most frequently used in these models were depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, vascu/vascular space involvement, and tumor size. The models were validated in 563 consecutive patients with early-stage cervical cancer. All of the models underestimated the recurrence-free survival or disease-specific survival in our patients. Only two models performed reasonably well in our population. The use of more than three prognostic categories in the models was not meaningful. CONCLUSION: In general, the models underestimated the survival. Only 2 of the 12 prognostic models for patients with early-stage cervical cancer were valid for the prediction of the recurrence-free or disease-specific survival in our patient population.

Prognostic value of bilateral positive nodes in squamous cell cancer of the vulva.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the current study was, first, to determine whether laterality of lymph node metastases has prognostic significance, independent of the number of lymph node metastases. Second was to determine the prognostic significance of extracapsular spread irrespective of the number of lymph node metastases. METHODS: Data on 134 patients with stage III/IVA vulva cancer from 1982 till 2004 and treated with curative intent in either the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam or the Mercy Hospital for Women in Melbourne were reviewed. The impact of the number of lymph node metastases, extracapsular spread, and bilateral existence of lymph node metastases on survival was determined. RESULTS: The bilateral presence of lymph node metastases is not a significant predictor for survival if a correction is made for the number of lymph node metastases (hazards ratio, 1.31; 95% confidence interval, 0.68-2.51; P = 0.420). If extracapsular spread is put into the model as well, this is the only parameter of prognostic significance in multivariate analysis (hazards ratio, 5.27; 95% confidence interval, 2.60-10.67; P < 0.001). The five-year survival of patients with extracapsular spread is only 31%, which is considerably lower than the 80% survival of patients with only intracapsular metastases. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, there is growing evidence that bilateral existence of lymph node metastases is not a sufficient variable to qualify stage. Extracapsular spread, however, seems to be the most valuable lymph node-associated prognostic factor for survival.

Preoperative serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen levels in clinical decision making for patients with early-stage cervical cancer.

PURPOSE: To prevent morbidity associated with double modality treatment, early-stage cervical cancer patients should only be offered surgery when there is a low likelihood for adjuvant radiotherapy. We analyzed whether serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-ag) analysis allows better preoperative identification of patients with a low likelihood for adjuvant radiotherapy than currently used clinical parameters. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a cohort study, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage, tumor size, and preoperative serum SCC-ag levels, as determined by enzyme immunoassay, were related to the frequency of postoperative indications for adjuvant radiotherapy in 337 surgically treated, FIGO stage IB/IIA, squamous cell cervical cancer patients. RESULTS: In patients with normal preoperative SCC-ag, 16% of IB1 and 29% of IB2/IIA had postoperative indications for adjuvant radiotherapy, in contrast to 57% of IB1 and 74% of IB2/IIA patients with elevated (> 1.9 ng/mL) serum SCC-ag (P < .001). Serum SCC-ag was the only independent predictor for a postoperative indication for radiotherapy (odds ratio, 7.1; P < .001). Furthermore, in IB1 patients that did not have indications for adjuvant radiotherapy, 15% of patients with elevated preoperative serum SCC-ag levels recurred within 2 years, compared with 1.6% of patients with normal serum SCC-ag levels (P = .02). CONCLUSION: In early-stage cervical cancer, determination of serum SCC-ag levels allows more refined preoperative estimation of the likelihood for adjuvant radiotherapy than current clinical parameters, and simultaneously identifies patients at high risk for recurrence when treated with surgery only. The role of preoperative serum SCC-ag in the management of patients with early-stage cervical cancer deserves further investigation.

Prognostic model for survival in patients with early stage cervical cancer.

BACKGROUND: In the management of early stage cervical cancer, knowledge about the prognosis is critical. Although many factors have an impact on survival, their relative importance remains controversial. This study aims to develop a prognostic model for survival in early stage cervical cancer patients and to reconsider grounds for adjuvant treatment. METHODS: A multivariate Cox regression model was used to identify the prognostic weight of clinical and histological factors for disease-specific survival (DSS) in 710 consecutive patients who had surgery for early stage cervical cancer (FIGO [International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics] stage IA2-IIA). Prognostic scores were derived by converting the regression coefficients for each prognostic marker and used in a score chart. The discriminative capacity was expressed as the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic. RESULTS: The 5-year DSS was 92%. Tumor diameter, histological type, lymph node metastasis, depth of stromal invasion, lymph vascular space invasion, and parametrial extension were independently associated with DSS and were included in a Cox regression model. This prognostic model, corrected for the 9% overfit shown by internal validation, showed a fair discriminative capacity (AUC, 0.73). The derived score chart predicting 5-year DSS showed a good discriminative capacity (AUC, 0.85). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with early stage cervical cancer, DSS can be predicted with a statistical model. Models, such as that presented here, should be used in clinical trials on the effects of adjuvant treatments in high-risk early cervical cancer patients, both to stratify and to include patients.

Stress urinary incontinence in patients treated for cervical cancer: is TVT-Secur a valuable treatment option?

We present two patients with bothersome stress urinary incontinence (SUI) following radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy for early stage cervical cancer. One patient underwent adjuvant radiotherapy. We selected, after extensive counseling, TVT-Secur in these two patients as we aimed to avoid the pelvic cavity, expecting altered anatomy due to major pelvic surgery, and counting on low risk of developing bladder retention, given results of a case series. Both patients were continent post-operatively. One patient presented with a small tape erosion that was successfully corrected using local analgesics. The other patient developed urgency symptoms that disappeared after treatment with solifenacine. Both patients had detrusor hypo-activity at pre-operative urodynamics, but no bladder retention occurred following surgery. In patients with a history of radical hysterectomy who present with SUI, we would advise to counsel that satisfying results can be expected of TVT-Secur, although it is likely that additional care after surgery is needed.

The impact of performance status on survival in patients of 80 years and older with vulvar cancer.

OBJECTIVE: There are no data available on the impact of performance status on outcome in patients with vulvar cancer. It was the objective of this study to determine the impact of performance status on survival in a group of elderly patients. METHODS: A retrospective review of records of patients with vulvar cancer aged 80 years or greater and treated in a gynecological referral center was performed. Multiple clinical and pathological variables together with performance status were assessed and the impact on overall survival was determined both by univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Of 75 patients aged 80 years or older, 57 (76%) had standard treatment. The patients who had standard treatment were characterized by an earlier clinical stage and a better performance status compared with patients who had nonstandard treatment. When preoperatively available parameters of all patients were assessed in relation to survival in the total group, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status was the only independent prognostic indicator for survival. When all clinical and histopathological variables were assessed in the subgroup who had standard treatment, both ECOG performance status and extracapsular lymph node involvement were independent prognostic variables for overall survival. Age was not a significant prognostic variable. CONCLUSIONS: ECOG performance status is the only available pretreatment variable with independent prognostic value for survival in this group of elderly patients with vulvar cancer. These data show the importance of individualizing the treatment of patients with vulvar cancer. Performance status takes a more important place than age in the management process of these patients.