The role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy before radical surgery in stage IB2/IIA2 squamous cell cervical cancers.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of patients diagnosed with stage IB2/IIA2 cervical squamous cell carcinoma who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) prior to radical hysterectomy compared to those who did not receive NACT before surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a multicenter study including data of 6 gynecological oncology departments. The study is approved from one of the institution's local ethics committee. Patients were stratified into two cohorts based on the receipt of NACT preceding their surgical intervention. Clinico-pathological factors and progression-free survival were analyzed. RESULTS: Totally 87 patients were included. Lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) was observed as 40% in the group receiving NACT, while it was 66.1% in the group not receiving NACT (p = 0.036). Deep stromal invasion (> 50%) was 56% in the group receiving NACT and 84.8% in the group not receiving NACT (p = 0.001). In the univariate analysis, application of NACT is statistically significant among the factors that would be associated with disease-free survival. Consequently, a multivariate analysis was conducted for progression-free survival, incorporating factors such as the depth of stromal invasion, the presence of LVSI, and the administration of NACT. Of these, only the administration of NACT emerged as an independent predictor associated with decreased progression-free survival. (RR:5.88; 95% CI: 1.63-21.25; p = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS: NACT shouldn't be used routinely in patients with stage IB2/IIA2 cervical cancer before radical surgery. Presented as oral presentation at National Congress of Gynaecological Oncology & National Congress of Cervical Pathologies and Colposcopy (2022/ TURKEY).

Does HPV-18 co-infection increase the risk of cervical pathology in individuals with HPV-16?

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate differences between HPV-16 mono- and HPV-16/18 co-infections in terms of cervical dysplasia and invasive cancer. METHODS: This multicentre, retrospective study spanned from December 2017 to December 2020, involving women who visited gynaecological oncology clinics for colposcopy with either HPV-16 or HPV-16/18 positivity. A total of 736 patients, 670 in Group 1 (HPV-16 positivity) and 66 in Group 2 (HPV-16/18 positivity), were compared for the presence of CIN2+ lesions detected by colposcopic biopsy or endocervical curettage (ECC). Exclusions included hysterectomized patients, those with prior gynaecological cancers, and patients with HPV positivity other than types 16 and 18. RESULTS: Among the included patients, 42.4% had a diagnosis of CIN2+ lesions. The cytology results demonstrated abnormal findings in 45.3% in Group 1 and 42.2% in Group 2, with no significant difference between the groups. ECC revealed CIN2+ lesion in 49 (8.7%) patients in group 1, while only 1 (1.7%) patient had CIN2+ lesion in group 2. There was no difference between 2 groups in terms of ECC result (p = 0.052). In group 1, 289 (43.1%) patients had CIN2+ lesion, while 23 (34.8%) patients had CIN2+ lesions in group 2. There was no difference between group 1 and 2 in terms of diagnosis of CIN2+ lesions (p = 0.19). CONCLUSION: This multicentre retrospective study found no significant differences between HPV-16 mono- and HPV-16/18 co-infections regarding cervical pathologies. Larger studies are needed to validate and further explore these findings.

Assessment of the differences in oncologic outcomes between patients with high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma and uterine serous carcinoma.

AIM: To evaluate whether the recurrence rates, recurrence patterns, and survival outcomes differed according to the primary site of the tumor in patients with high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) and uterine serous carcinoma (USC). METHODS: The population of this multicenter retrospective study consisted of patients who had USC or HGSOC. Progression-free survival (PFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) estimates were determined using the Kaplan-Meier method. Survival curves were compared using the log-rank test. RESULTS: The study cohort consisted of 247 patients with HGSOC and 34 with USC. Recurrence developed in 118 (51.1%) in the HGSOC group and 14 (42.4%) in the USC group (p = 0.352). The median time to recurrence was 23.5 (range, 4-144) and 17 (range, 4-43) months in the HGSOC and USC groups, respectively (p = 0.055). The 3-year PFS was 52% in the HGSOC group and 47% in the USC group (p = 0.450). Additionally, 3-year DSS was 92% and 82% in the HGSOC and USC groups, respectively (p = 0.060). CONCLUSIONS: HGSOC and USC are aggressive tumors with high recurrence and mortality rates in advanced stages. These two carcinomas, which are similar in molecular features and clinical management, may also have similar recurrence patterns, disease failure, and survival rates.

Defining the relationship between ovarian adult granulosa cell tumors and synchronous endometrial pathology: Does ovarian tumor size correlate with endometrial cancer?

OBJECTIVE: The main feature of adult granulosa cell tumors (AGCT) is their capacity to secrete hormones, with nearly all of them capable of synthesizing oestradiol. The primary goal of this study is to identify synchronized endometrial pathologies, particularly endometrial cancer, in AGCT patients who had undergone a hysterectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study cohort comprised retrospectively of 316 AGCT patients from 10 tertiary gynecological oncology centers. AGCT surgery consisted of bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, hysterectomy, peritoneal cytology, omentectomy, and the excision of any suspicious lesion. The median tumor size value was used to define the relationship between tumor size and endometrial cancer. The relationship between each value and endometrial cancer was evaluated. RESULTS: Endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia, or hyperplasia with complex atypia, was detected in 7.3% of patients, and endometrial cancer in 3.1% of patients. Age, menopausal status, tumor size, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, ascites, and CA-125 level were not statistically significant factors to predict endometrial cancer. There was no endometrial cancer under the age of 40, and 97.8% of women diagnosed with endometrial hyperplasia were over the age of 40. During the menopausal period, the endometrial cancer risk was 4.5%. Developing endometrial cancer increased to 12.1% from 3.2% when the size of the tumor was >150 mm in menopausal patients (p = 0.036). CONCLUSION: Endometrial hyperplasia, or cancer, occurs in approximately 30% of AGCT patients. Patients diagnosed with AGCT, especially those older than 40 years, should be evaluated for endometrial pathologies. There may be a relationship between tumor size and endometrial cancer, especially in menopausal patients.

Clinicopathological features of atypical glandular cells, not otherwise specified, on cervicovaginal pap smears.

OBJECTIVE: The Papanicolaou (Pap) smear test is a standard screening test that detects cervical lesions and cancers. In this multicentric study, we performed a retrospective analysis of cytological results associated with atypical glandular cells, not otherwise specified (AGC-NOS). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed Pap smear tests that resulted as AGC-NOS. A total of 254 women who underwent colposcopy due to a Pap smear result of AGC-NOS were included the study between 2003 and 2021. The ages, Pap smear results, HPV results if any, colposcopic biopsy results, endocervical and endometrial pathology results, and management of these patients were analysed. RESULTS: Two hundred fifty-four patients with AGC-NOS Pap smear results were included in the study. A total of 70 (27.6%) patients had cervical and endometrial premalignant or malignant lesions. Malignancy was observed in 17 (6.7%) patients (endometrium, n = 11 [4.3%]; cervix, n = 6 [2.4%]). Isolated premalignant or malignant lesions of the cervix and endometrium were detected in 57 (22.4%) and 12 (4.7%) patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Patients diagnosed with AGC-NOS should undergo a careful evaluation with all clinicopathological features. Because cancer of the cervix and endometrium is not rare in patients diagnosed with AGC-NOS, colposcopic examination with endocervical sampling should be a priority based on a cervicovaginal smear. Endometrial sampling is also required according to the patient's clinic, age, and examination characteristics.

Oncologic outcome in patients with 2018 FIGO stage IB cervical cancer: Is tumor size important?

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the prognostic factors and oncologic outcome in patients with 2018 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IB cervical cancer (CC) after radical hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 290 patients with type II or III radical hysterectomy + pelvic ± para-aortic lymphadenectomy and 2018 FIGO stage IB1-3 epithelial CC. Disease-free survival (DFS) estimates were determinate by using the Kaplan-Meier method. Survival curves were compared using the log-rank test. Multivariate analysis was performed using a Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: The mean age of study cohort was 52 ± 10.25 years. Five-year DFS was 93% in entire cohort. On univariate analysis, surgical border involvement (p = 0.007), lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) (p = 0.040), uterine involvement (p = 0.040), and depth of cervical stromal invasion (p = 0.007) were found to have statistical significance for DFS. However, none of them were independent prognostic factors for the risk of recurrence. Tumor size according to 2018 FIGO staging criteria was not related with recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical border involvement, LVSI, depth of cervical stromal invasion, and uterine involvement were predictors for DFS on univariate analysis. Tumor size was not predicting to recurrence in patient with 2018 FIGO stage IB1-3 CC.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with stage IVB uterine serous carcinoma: a Turkish multicentric study.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic factors for and determine the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) on oncologic outcome in stage IVB pure serous endometrial carcinoma patients who received taxane and platinum. Forty-two patients with 2009 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IVB uterine serous carcinoma were enrolled from six gynecologic oncology centers and a study group was created. The study group had a 2-year disease-free survival (DFS) of 32% and 2-year disease-specific survival (DSS) of 73%. On univariate analysis; lymphadenectomy (not performed vs. performed), paraaortic lymph node metastasis (positive vs. negative) and number of metastatic lymph node count (≤5 vs. >5) were found to have statistical significance for DFS (p < 0.001, p = 0.026 and p = 0.044, respectively). Adnexal metastasis (positive vs. negative) and type of cytoreductive surgery (maximal vs. optimal and suboptimal) had statistical significance for DSS (p = 0.041 and p = 0.015, respectively). Receiving NACT did not affect DFS and DSS in stage IVB uterine serous carcinoma patients. As our sample size was small, precise conclusions could not be made for suggesting the use of NACT in advanced stage uterine serous carcinoma. For more accurate results, more randomized controlled studies are needed in this patient group.IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? Endometrial carcinoma is the most common type of gynecologic tract malignancies and usually it is diagnosed at early stages. Although the favorable prognosis, uterine serous carcinoma (USC), one of the rarest subtypes, has a poorer prognosis when compared to other histological subtypes. USC has a propensity to spread beyond pelvis. Due to this aggressive behavior, surgical intervention could not be feasible in advanced stage disease.What do the results of this study add? Our study evaluated the prognostic factors that affect survival in advanced stage USC patients. Also we investigated that neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) could improve oncologic outcomes. Performing lymphadenectomy, presence of paraaortic lymph node and adnexal metastasis, number of metastatic lymph nodes and type of cytoreductive surgery improved survival in advanced stage USC patients. However, NACT did not have a statistical significance as a predictor for disease-specific survival (DSS) and disease-free survival (DFS).What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Maximal surgical effort should be performed in advanced stage USC according to our results. On the other hand, NACT had no impact on DSS and DFS rates. For this reason, we could not be able to suggest the routine use of NACT in advanced stage USC. But more randomized controlled trials are warranted for confirmation of our results.

Oncologic outcomes of patients with FIGO 2014 stage IB-IIA cervical adenocarcinoma who underwent radical surgery.

PURPOSE: To identify prognostic factors of early-stage cervical adenocarcinoma in patients with FIGO IB-IIA, who were treated with radical surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical data of 64 patients with stage IB-IIA cervical adenocarcinoma who underwent radical hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy with or without adjuvant therapy between 1993 and 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. The clinicopathologic factors that affect the oncological outcomes were evaluated. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for the assessment of survival outcomes. Survival curves were compared using the log-rank test. RESULTS: The 5-year recurrence-free survival and 5-year disease-specific survivals were 83% and 98%, respectively. Tumor size, stage of disease and uterine spread were significantly related prognostic factors for shorter recurrence-free survival. During the follow-up, nine (14.1%) patients recurred. Five of them were extrapelvic recurrence. No correlation was identified between histopathologic subtype and extrapelvic recurrence (p = 0.265). There was no difference between adjuvant only radiotherapy and concurrent chemoradiotherapy on recurrence-free survival in a univariate analysis adjusting for prognostic factors. CONCLUSION: It is important to determine the prognostic factors that predict disease outcome in surgically treated cervical adenocarcinoma for tailored adjuvant treatment. Tumor size, stage and uterine spread are determinant factors for recurrence. Risk stratifications, including uterine spread may especially be useful for patients with AC.

Survival outcomes of women with grade 3 endometrioid endometrial cancer: the impact of adjuvant treatment strategies.

AIM: This multicenter investigation was performed to evaluate the adjuvant treatment options, prognostic factors, and patterns of recurrence in patients with grade 3 endometrioid endometrial cancer (G3-EEC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical reports of patients undergoing at least total hysterectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy for G3-EEC between 1996 and 2018 at 11 gynecological oncology centers were analyzed. Optimal surgery was defined as removal of all disease except for residual nodules with a maximum diameter ≤ 1 cm, as determined at completion of the primary operation. Adequate systematic lymphadenectomy was defined as the removal of at least 15 pelvic and at least 5 paraaortic LNs. RESULTS: The study population consists of 465 women with G3-EEC. The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates of the entire cohort are 50.3% and 57.6%, respectively. Adequate systematic lymphadenectomy was achieved in 429 (92.2%) patients. Optimal surgery was achieved in 135 (75.0%) patients in advanced stage. Inadequate lymphadenectomy (DFS; HR 3.4, 95% CI 3.0-5.6; P = 0.016-OS; HR 3.2, 95% CI 1.6-6.5; P = 0.019) was independent prognostic factors for 5-year DFS and OS. CONCLUSION: Inadequate lymphadenectomy and LVSI were independent prognostic factors for worse DFS and OS in women with stage I-II G3-EEC. Adequate lymphadenectomy and optimal surgery were independent prognostic factors for better DFS and OS in women with stage III-IV G3-EEC.

Analysis of the prognostic factors determining the oncological outcomes in patients with high-risk early-stage cervical cancer.

We aimed to evaluate clinicopathological data in high-risk early-stage cervical cancer and to define the prognostic factors determining the oncological outcomes. This retrospective study included 158 patients with stage IB-IIA cervical cancer who underwent radical hysterectomy plus lymph node dissection. Each patient had at least one high-risk factor. The median tumour diameter of the study group was 30 mm (range, 6-80). Seventy-five (47.5%) patients had parametrial invasion, 32 (20.3%) had positive surgical margins, and 108 (68.4%) had lymph node metastasis. The median duration of follow-up was 42 months (range, 1-228). During this period, 28 patients developed recurrence, and the recurrent disease occurred in a distant area in 18 patients. Five-year disease-free survival was 77.5%, and five-year disease-specific survival was 85%. In multivariate analysis, adjuvant radiotherapy was identified as an independent prognostic factor for recurrence and death. The recurrence (Odds ratio: 10.139, 95% CI: 1.477-69.590, p = .018) and mortality rates (Odds ratio: 16.485, 95% CI: 2.484-109.408, p =.004) were higher in patients who did not receive adjuvant therapy.IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? The decision to proceed with adjuvant therapy in the patients with early-stage disease treated with surgery depends on the presence of risk factors in pathological examination. Various prognostic factors have been identified in cervical cancer (CC). However, there is a limited number of studies describing the prognostic factors in early-stage CC with high-risk factors.What do the results of this study add? In current study, the recurrence and mortality rates were higher in patients who did not receive adjuvant therapy. No relationship was found between the survival outcomes and the number of high-risk factors. Most of the patients who developed recurrence had the recurrence in the distant localisation. This result questioned the adequacy of adjuvant therapy.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? There is still a debate over the prognostic factors and the adjuvant treatment options in the patients with early-stage cervical cancer who possess high-risk factors. Adjuvant RT or adjuvant concomitant chemoradiotherapy must definitely be used in this patients. However, adjuvant therapy fails approximately 14-32%, thus multimodal treatment modalities must be developed to improve the recurrence rates and the survival.

The effect of adjuvant radiotherapy on oncological outcomes in patients with early-stage cervical carcinoma with only intermediate-risk factors: a propensity score matching analysis.

We aimed to evaluate whether adjuvant radiotherapy had a survival benefit for patients with early-stage cervical carcinoma with intermediate-risk factors. This study included patients who underwent radical hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy according to Wertheim-Okabayashi for stage IB1-IIA2 cervical carcinoma. Each patient had at least one intermediate-risk factor including tumour diameter ≥4 cm, deep stromal invasion, and positive lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI). Patients with lymph node metastasis, parametrial invasion, and positive surgical margins according to the final paraffin section were excluded. In total, 183 patients were included. Seventy-three (39.9%) patients had one, 85 (46.4%) had two, and 25 (13.7%) had three intermediate risk factors. Sixty-seven (36.6%) patients received adjuvant radiotherapy. There was a statistically significant difference in terms of stage, LVSI, and endometrial/uterine invasion between the groups that did and did not receive adjuvant radiotherapy (p = .024, p = .018, and p = .001, respectively). These two groups were homogenised by performing propensity score matching (PSM) analysis. In the new matched cohort (n = 134), 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) was 89.5% in the group that received adjuvant radiotherapy and 82% in the group that did not (HR: 0.484, 95% CI: [0.171-1.369]; p = .171). Also, receiving adjuvant radiotherapy was not associated with an improvement in oncologic outcomes in patients with one, two, or more intermediate risk factors. In univariate analysis, none of the risk factors was associated with DFS. In conclusion, adjuvant radiotherapy had no favourable effect on survival outcomes in patients with early-stage cervical carcinoma with only intermediate risk factors.IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? Radiotherapy after radical hysterectomy in cervical carcinoma is accepted as the standard of care when high-risk factors - positive surgical margins, lymph node metastasis, and parametrial involvement - are found in the surgical specimen. However, the necessity of adjuvant radiotherapy in patients with intermediate-risk factors - deep stromal invasion, positive LVSI, tumour diameter ≥4 cm - is controversial.What do the results of this study add? We compared patients who received adjuvant radiotherapy and those who did not. No significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of oncologic outcomes. There was no difference between the two groups in terms of pelvic and extrapelvic recurrence rates. The number of positive intermediate-risk factors did not affect survival. Moreover, age, tumour type, stage, number of removed lymph nodes, grade, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and endometrial/uterine invasion were not associated with DFS among patients with stage IB-IIA cervical carcinoma with only intermediate-risk factors.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Debate remains over the prognostic factors and the adjuvant treatment options in patients with early-stage cervical carcinoma who possess intermediate-risk factors. Adjuvant radiotherapy can be ignored if initial adequate surgery has been performed in this patient group.

Post-recurrence survival analysis of patients with pulmonary recurrence from gynaecologic cancers: a multi-institutional analysis of 122 patients.

In this retrospective study, patients with epithelial gynaecologic cancer with pulmonary recurrence (PR) were evaluated from five national gynaecologic oncology clinics. Patients with a diagnosis of primary endometrial, ovarian/fallopian tube/peritoneal, cervical or vaginal/vulvar tumours who developed an initial PR were included in the study A total of 122 patients were included in the study. The median follow-up time after recurrence was 7.5 (range, 1-84) months. The 2-year PRS was 48% in the main cohort. The risk of death was more than seven times higher in patients who did not receive salvage chemotherapy compared with those who did (hazard ratio: 7.6, 95% CI: 3.0-18.9; p < .001). When squamous cell carcinoma was compared with the other tumour types, the risk of death increased more than three times (hazard ratio: 3.7, 95% CI: 1.4-9.6; p = .007).IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? Pulmonary recurrence (PR) from gynaecologic malignancies is rare and can cause major clinical problem. Therefore, defining the clinical and pathologic characteristics and recurrence patterns are essential.What the results of this study add? This study demonstrates non-squamous subtype and salvage chemotherapy at PR were associated with improved survival.What of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? To the best of our knowledge, our study is the largest study to investigate the clinico-pathologic characteristics, recurrence patterns, treatment options, and post-recurrence survival (PRS) in patients with PR from epithelial gynaecologic cancers. Future research should examine the underlying causes of these findings.

Malignant struma ovarii: From case to analysis.

AIM: To evaluate the clinico-pathologic features, treatment options, prognostic factors, and survival outcomes of malignant struma ovarii based on a systematic literature review in association with our case study. METHODS: A systematic review of the medical literature was performed to identify articles about malignant struma ovarii from January 1983 until July 2020. We evaluated 178 cases. RESULTS: The 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of the entire cohort was 72.5% and 91%, respectively. In univariate analysis, younger age (<43 years), whole strumal cyst diameter >95 mm, presence of a histologic type other than papillary classic-type thyroid carcinoma within the tumor and lymphovascular space invasion were related to poor PFS. Patients who received radioactive iodine ablation (RIA) before the treatment failure had significantly higher PFS than those who did not receive RIA (94.9% vs. 64.8%, p = 0.041, respectively). In univariate analysis, PFS was significantly higher in patients who underwent gynecologic surgery followed by thyroidectomy and RIA compared with those who had surgical treatment only (94.5% vs. 64.3%, p = 0.05, respectively). However, this result could not be identified as an independent prognostic factor in multivariate analysis (p = 0.207). Younger age and absence of capsular involvement were related to significantly increased OS. Histologic type was the only independent prognostic factor for PFS (hazard ratio: 3.30, 95% confidence interval: 1.122-9.748; p = 0.030) CONCLUSION: The most common histologic subtype was the papillary classic type. The presence of a histologic type other than the classic papillary thyroid carcinoma within the tumor was an independent adverse prognostic factor.

What is the impact of corpus uterine invasion on oncologic outcomes in surgically treated cervical cancer?

AIM: To investigate the clinical significance of uterine corpus involvement in patients with surgically treated cervical cancer. METHODS: Patients (n = 354) with clinical early-stage (stage IB1-IIA2) cervical cancer who underwent radical hysterectomy and pelvic ± paraaortic lymphadenectomy were evaluated. RESULTS: Uterine invasion was detected in 60 (16.9%) patients. Patients with uterine invasion had a higher rate of pelvic lymph node metastasis than those without uterine invasion (35% vs 22.8%, p = 0.046). In multivariate analysis, no statistically significant difference was identified between patients with and without uterine invasion for pelvic lymph node metastasis (p = 0.953). Uterine invasion was identified as an independent risk factor for paraaortic lymph node metastasis in multivariate analysis (p = 0.012). The presence of pelvic lymph node metastasis was found to be another significant predictor of paraaortic lymph node involvement (p = 0.022). In addition, uterine invasion and lymph node metastasis were identified as an independent risk factors regarding poor prognosis in cancer-specific survival (hazard ratio [HR]: 4.537; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.304-15.782; p = 0.017 and HR: 5.598; 95% CI, 1.581-19.823; p = 0.008, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Uterine invasion is an independent predictor of decreased survival and the presence of paraaortic lymph node metastasis in cervical cancer. The presence of the uterine invasion in cervical cancer should be considered as a poor prognostic factor in the decision of treatment.

Recurrence pattern and prognostic factors for survival in cervical cancer with lymph node metastasis.

AIM: The aim of this study is to evaluate the recurrence pattern and oncological outcomes in cervical cancer (CC) patients with lymph node metastasis. METHODS: This study included 224 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2009 stage IB1-IIIB CC patients with pathologically proven lymph node metastasis. Surgical intervention was grouped as hysterectomy performed/not performed. Adjuvant therapy decision was made by the tumor board. Radiotherapy was applied to all patients with lymph node metastasis. RESULTS: Only paraaortic lymph node metastasis was determined as an independent prognostic factor for recurrence. Presence of paraaortic lymph node metastasis increased the risk of recurrence more than two times (odds ratio: 2.129; 95% confidence interval: 1.011-4.485; p = 0.047). An independent prognostic factor for death because of disease was age only. Risk of death was nearly doubled with younger age (odds ratio: 2.693; 95% confidence interval: 1.064-6.184; p = 0.037). CONCLUSION: The most of recurrences were located at distant sites and multiple regions. Paraaortic lymph node metastasis was the only independent prognostic factor for recurrence, in spite of that age was an independent predictor for risk of death in patients with early stage or locally advanced CC and also with surgically proven metastatic lymph nodes. Furthermore, the presence of the paraaortic lymph node metastasis was significantly associated with distant recurrence. Therefore, more appropriate and individualized therapy strategy focusing on intenser systemic chemotherapy options in addition to radiotherapy should be taken into consideration according to paraaortic lymph node metastasis and age.

Can preoperative inflammatory markers differentiate endometrial cancer from complex atypical hyperplasia/endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia?

AIM: The aim of this study was to identify the differences between complex atypical hyperplasia/endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia (CAH/EIN) and endometrioid-type grade 1 endometrial cancer in terms of preoperative systemic inflammatory markers and to evaluate the effectiveness of such markers in predicting cancer. METHODS: Between January 2005 and September 2018, a total of 372 patients with final histopathologic diagnoses of CAH/EIN (n = 143) and endometrioid-type grade 1 endometrial cancer (n = 229) were included in the study. Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and platelet distribution width (PDW) were used as preoperative inflammatory markers. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was used to assess the diagnostic prediction of NLR, PLR and PDW values to distinguish the two groups. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed by regrouping the patients according to the cut-off values found in the ROC analysis. RESULTS: The univariate analysis revealed that advanced age, decreases in PDW and also PLR could be predictors of cancer. The cut-off values were as ≤48.9% for PDW and ≤133.3 for PLR. The values defined using ROC analysis were found to be statistically significant for PDW and PLR in identifying endometrioid grade 1 endometrial cancer. For PDW, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 52.8%, 62.2%, 68.9% and 45.5%, respectively (P = 0.001); for PLR, those were 55.9%, 59.4%, 68.8% and 45.7%, respectively (P = 0.005). In multivariate analysis, advanced age (>53 years), low PDW (≤48.9%) and low PLR (≤133.3) were related to statistically significant odds ratio for diagnostic prediction to differentiate endometrioid grade 1 cases from CAH/EIN of 8.01 (P < 0.001), 1.79 (P = 0.019) and 1.73 (P = 0.025), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The PLR and PDW values in the preoperative blood parameters could be used to differentiate endometrial cancer from precancerous lesions.

Factors predicting recurrence in patients with stage IA endometrioid endometrial cancer: what is the importance of LVSI?

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to define the clinical and pathological prognostic factors for recurrence and to evaluate the recurrence patterns and adjuvant therapies used in this group of patients with stage IA endometrioid type endometrial cancer (FIGO 2009-International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics). METHODS: Among the patients with epithelial endometrial cancer operated between January 1993 and May 2013 in a single institution, 720 patients with stage IA endometrioid endometrial cancer were included. Patients with a tumor type of serous, clear cell, mucinous, undifferentiated, and mixed type and with a tumor containing sarcomatous component and the patients with a secondary primer cancer were excluded from the study. RESULTS: Lympho-vascular space invasion (LVSI) was present in 60 (8.3%) patients. Pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy was performed in 266 (36.9%) patients. Median follow-up time was 48 months (range 3-240). Recurrence occurred in 23 (3.4%) patients and 6 (0.9%) died of disease. The median time-to recurrence (TTR) was 24 months (range 4-52 months) in the patients with recurrence. LVSI was associated with recurrence in the univariate analysis. Five-year disease-free survival (DFS) decreased from 96.8 to 80.1% in the presence of LVSI (p < 0.001). This association could not be shown in patients who had had lymphadenectomy (p = 0.136). Extra-pelvic recurrence occurred in 6.7% and 1% of the patients with and without LVSI, respectively, (p = 0.001). Any independent prognostic factor could not be detected in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Only LVSI and tumor grade were associated with DFS and disease-specific survival (DSS), respectively, in the 686 patients with stage IA endometrial cancer in the univariate analysis, since these associations could not be shown in multivariate analysis.

Pulmonary recurrence after radical hysterectomy for uterine cervical carcinoma.

Pulmonary spread from carcinoma of the uterine cervix, though uncommon, has been reported in 2.2-9.1% of all cervical cancers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the surgical, clinical, pathological factors and clinical outcomes of cervical cancer patients with pulmonary recurrence (PR).This study included 17 cervical cancer patients with PR after radical hysterectomy. The entire cohort consisted of 413 patients whose surgeries (type III radical hysterectomy + pelvic ± para-aortic lymphadenectomy) had been performed in our Gynaecologic Oncology Clinic between 1993 and 2018. Tumour size, lymph node metastasis and receiving adjuvant therapy were found to be effective for PR on univariate analyses in the main cohort (p = .042, p < .001 and p = .001, respectively). Therefore, performing adjuvant therapy to reduce the PR must be assessed properly with the information of lymph node status and tumour size obtained from the final pathology reports.Impact StatementWhat is already known on this subject? Pulmonary spread from carcinoma of the uterine cervix has been reported in 2.2-9.1% of all cervical cancers. Data related to clinico-pathological features of patients with pulmonary recurrence (PR) is limited. Diagnosis of a PR is considered to worsen the prognosis.What do the results of this study add? Tumour size, lymph node metastasis and receiving adjuvant therapy were found to be effective for PR on univariate analyses.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Performing adjuvant therapy to reduce the PR must be assessed properly with the information of lymph node status and tumour size obtained from the final pathology reports in patients with uterine cervical carcinoma.

Oncological outcome of surgical management in patients with recurrent uterine cancer-a multicenter retrospective cohort study-CEEGOG EX01 Trial.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the survival of patients who have received an operation for recurrent cervical and endometrial cancer and to determine prognostic variables for improved oncologic outcome. METHODS: A retrospective multicenter analysis of the medical records of 518 patients with cervical (N = 288) or endometrial cancer (N = 230) who underwent surgery for disease recurrence and who had completed at least 1 year of follow-up. RESULTS: The median survival reached 57 months for patients with cervical cancer and 113 months for patients with endometrial cancer after surgical treatment of recurrence (p = 0.036). Histological sub-type had a significant impact on overall survival, with the best outcome in endometrial endometrioid cancer (121 months), followed by cervical squamous cell carcinoma, cervical adenocarcinoma, or other types of endometrial cancer (81 vs 35 vs 35 months; p <0.001). The site of recurrence did not significantly influence survival in cervical or in endometrial cancer. Cancer stage at first diagnosis, tumor grade, lymph node status at recurrence, progression-free interval after first diagnosis, and free resection margins were associated with improved overall survival on univariate analysis. On multivariate analysis, the stage at first diagnosis and resection margins were significant independent predictive parameters of an improved oncologic outcome. CONCLUSION: Long-term survival can be achieved via secondary cytoreductive surgery in selected patients with recurrent cervical and endometrial cancer. An excellent outcome is possible even if the recurrence site is located in the lymph nodes. The possibility of achieving complete resection should be the main criterion for patient selection.

Vaginal Closure with EndoGIA to Prevent Tumor Spillage in Laparoscopic Radical Hysterectomy for Cervical Cancer.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate a method of vaginal closure with the EndoGIA surgical stapler (Medtronic, Istanbul, Turkey) to prevent tumor spillage in laparoscopic radical hysterectomy. DESIGN: A step-by-step explanation of the procedure using a video. SETTING: Women's health teaching and research hospital. PATIENT: A 40-year-old woman with clinical stage IBI cervical squamous cell carcinoma. INTERVENTIONS: Laparoscopic type C radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection and ovarian transposition. Institutional ethical committee approval was not sought. However, the patient signed an informed consent that allows us to use her clinical data. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Minimally invasive surgery is increasingly being used in cervical cancer surgery. However, there is a current and significant debate regarding the safety of these methods. Colpotomy, which is the last step of laparoscopic radical hysterectomy, could be related to an increased risk for tumor spillage. Vaginal closure before colpotomy may be an option to prevent this spillage. In this method, after completion of the radical hysterectomy steps, the initial 5-mm left lower quadrant trocar was changed to a 15-mm trocar to allow for the placement of an EndoGIA with a green cartridge. The uterine manipulator was removed, and the uterus was elevated with a myoma screw. Then, the stapler was placed, and we checked that no other unintended structure was included in the jaws of the stapler before the firing. The EndoGIA surgical stapler was fired 2times to close the vagina. The stapler places 2 triple-staggered rows of titanium staples and knife blade cuts simultaneously between them. Once the vagina was divided, the stapler was released. The upper part of the vaginal cuff was excised and sent to pathology as a surgical margin, and the uterus was removed through the vagina. Finally, the vaginal cuff was closed with intracorporeal suturing. CONCLUSION: Vaginal closure with the EndoGIA surgical stapler before colpotomy provides a safe and easy method to prevent tumor spillage and could improve the unfavorable results related to minimally invasive surgery in patients with cervical cancer.