Accuracy of Tubal Patency Assessment in Diagnostic Hysteroscopy Compared with Laparoscopy in Infertile Women: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether the presence of a visualizable "flow" effect in the fallopian tube ostia in hysteroscopic routine evaluation is predictive of tube patency. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study (Canadian Task Force Classification II-2). SETTING: Data from all patients who underwent surgery because of infertility at the study center between 2008 and 2016 were analyzed retrospectively. The main outcome parameter was fallopian tube patency as assessed by laparoscopic chromopertubation. The predictive parameters tested were the presence of hysteroscopic tube "flow," general patient characteristics, and intraoperative findings. PATIENTS: Five hundred eleven infertile women who underwent combined hysteroscopy and laparoscopy were included. INTERVENTIONS: All women underwent combined hysteroscopy and laparoscopy. Some had other interventions when necessary, but no additional interventions were taken because of this study. RESULTS: In an analysis of 998 fallopian tubes, the hysteroscopic assessment of fallopian tube "flow" was highly accurate in predicting fallopian tube patency (p < .001), with a sensitivity of 86.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 83.7-88.8) and a specificity of 77.6% (95% CI, 72.1-82.5). Risk factors for a false-negative hysteroscopy result were the presence of uterine myomas (odds ratio [OR] = 2.11; 95% CI, 1.10-4.05; p = .025), the presence of a hydrosalpinx on the analyzed side (OR = 2.50, 95% CI, 1.17-5.34; p = .019), and the presence of peritubal adhesions surrounding the analyzed tube (OR = 2.87; 95% CI, 1.21-6.76; p = .016). CONCLUSION: A visualizable tube "flow" in hysteroscopy was accurate in the prediction of tubal patency, with a positive predictive value of about 91%. Knowledge about hysteroscopic fallopian tube "flow" can help to plan the future approach in an individual patient.

Metastases-directed local therapies (MDT) beyond genuine oligometastatic disease (OMD): Indications, endpoints and the role of imaging.

To further personalise treatment in metastatic cancer, the indications for metastases-directed local therapy (MDT) and the biology of oligometastatic disease (OMD) should be kept conceptually apart. Both need to be vigorously investigated. Tumour growth dynamics - growth rate combined with metastatic seeding efficiency - is the single most important biological feature determining the likelihood of success of MDT in an individual patient, which might even be beneficial in slowly developing polymetastatic disease. This can be reasonably well assessed using appropriate clinical imaging. In the context of considering appropriate indications for MDT, detecting metastases at the edge of image resolution should therefore suggest postponing MDT. While three to five lesions are typically used to define OMD, it could be argued that countability throughout the course of metastatic disease, rather than a specific maximum number of lesions, could serve as a better parameter for guiding MDT. Here we argue that the unit of MDT as a treatment option in metastatic cancer might best be defined not as a single procedure at a single point in time, but as a series of treatments that can be delivered in a single or multiple sessions to different lesions over time. Newly emerging lesions that remain amenable to MDT without triggering the start of a new systemic treatment, a change in systemic therapy, or initiation of best supportive care, would thus not constitute a failure of MDT. This would have implications for defining endpoints in clinical trials and registries: Rather than with any disease progression, failure of MDT would only be declared when there is progression to polymetastatic disease, which then precludes further options for MDT.

Health-related quality of life in men with oligometastatic prostate cancer following metastases-directed stereotactic body radiotherapy: Real-world data from the E2-RADIatE OligoCare cohort.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of metastases-directed stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in men with oligometastatic prostate cancer (PCa) using real-world data from the OligoCare cohort. Materials and methods: OligoCare is a pragmatic, observational cohort designed to assess the impact of metastases-directed SBRT on patients with oligometastatic disease (OMD). We report an interim analyses of the secondary endpoint HRQoL, assessed using the EORTC QLQ-C30, within six months of metastases-directed SBRT for oligometastatic disease in men with PCa among the first 1600 registered patients. HRQoL data collection was optional within the OligoCare cohort. To compare HRQoL between baseline and first follow-up assessment, a Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used. A multiple linear regression model was used to explore the HRQoL associations with predefined factors. Results: Out of the 1600 registered patients, 658 were treated for oligometastatic PCa, of which 233 had baseline QoL data and 132 patients had both baseline and follow-up HRQoL data. At baseline, most patients had a WHO performance status of 0 or 1 (87 %), were de-novo oligometastatic (79 %), had one metastasis (90 %), and had a good overall global health status (mean 80.81, SD16.11, IQR 75-92). 51 % received hormonal therapy as concomitant systemic treatment. Patients with comorbidities as assessed by the Charlson Comorbidity index had a worse global health status at baseline (-4.88, 95 % CI:-9.35, -0.42). No clinically meaningful significant difference in global health status was observed at first assessment following SBRT (median 3.0 months) compared with baseline (mean difference 2.27, 95 % CI:-1.54, 6.08). Upon evaluating the proportions, meaningful clinically important differences (a 10-point or more difference) was observed in, 17 % and 11 % of the patients reporting deterioration and improvement of global health status, respectively. Conclusion: Metastases-directed stereotactic body radiotherapy had no negative impact on global HRQoL within the first six months after treatment.

On the sensitivity of PROMs during breast radiotherapy.

Purpose: To investigate the sensitivity of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) to detect treatment-related side effects in patients with breast cancer undergoing external beam photon radiotherapy. Methods: As part of daily clinical care, an in-house developed PROM tool was used to assess side effects in patients during a) whole-breast irradiation (WBI) to 40 Gy, b) WBI with a sequential boost of 10 Gy, and c) partial-breast irradiation (PBI) to 40 Gy. Results: 414 patients participated in this prospective study between October 2020 and January 2022, with 128 patients (31 %) receiving WBI, 241 (58 %) receiving WBI followed by a sequential boost, and 50 patients (12 %) receiving PBI. Significant differences in the reported toxicities (itching, radiation skin reaction, skin darkening, and tenderness and swelling) were reported between the WBI cohorts with and without boost (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p = 0.002, respectively). The comparison of PBI with WBI (no-boost) yielded significant differences for radiation skin reaction (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The results highlight the high sensitivity of PROMs to detect treatment-related side effects in patients with breast cancer. Thus, PROMs may be a valuable tool for quality control and may support evidence-based learning from real-world data originating from daily routine care.

Clinical Implementation and Evaluation of Auto-Segmentation Tools for Multi-Site Contouring in Radiotherapy.

Background and purpose: Tools for auto-segmentation in radiotherapy are widely available, but guidelines for clinical implementation are missing. The goal was to develop a workflow for performance evaluation of three commercial auto-segmentation tools to select one candidate for clinical implementation. Materials and Methods: One hundred patients with six treatment sites (brain, head-and-neck, thorax, abdomen, and pelvis) were included. Three sets of AI-based contours for organs-at-risk (OAR) generated by three software tools and manually drawn expert contours were blindly rated for contouring accuracy. The dice similarity coefficient (DSC), the Hausdorff distance, and a dose/volume evaluation based on the recalculation of the original treatment plan were assessed. Statistically significant differences were tested using the Kruskal-Wallis test and the post-hoc Dunn Test with Bonferroni correction. Results: The mean DSC scores compared to expert contours for all OARs combined were 0.80 ± 0.10, 0.75 ± 0.10, and 0.74 ± 0.11 for the three software tools. Physicians' rating identified equivalent or superior performance of some AI-based contours in head (eye, lens, optic nerve, brain, chiasm), thorax (e.g., heart and lungs), and pelvis and abdomen (e.g., kidney, femoral head) compared to manual contours. For some OARs, the AI models provided results requiring only minor corrections. Bowel-bag and stomach were not fit for direct use. During the interdisciplinary discussion, the physicians' rating was considered the most relevant. Conclusion: A comprehensive method for evaluation and clinical implementation of commercially available auto-segmentation software was developed. The in-depth analysis yielded clear instructions for clinical use within the radiotherapy department.

The Role of Diagnostic Hysteroscopy in the Evaluation of Fallopian Tube Patency: a Short Review.

The relevance of diagnostic hysteroscopy, especially when performed in an outpatient "office" setting, in the evaluation process of infertility has increased within the last few years. Notably, several articles on a possible role for diagnostic hysteroscopy in the assessment of Fallopian tube patency have been published recently. Three relevant articles were identified. Visualizing a "flow effect" or air bubbles dispersing through the ostia, sonographically assessed shifts in cul de sac volume, and selective Fallopian tubal cannulation are reportedly promising hysteroscopic techniques. In this review, an overview of hysteroscopy, details about diagnostic reliability, and considerations with regard to ease of use and difficulties are summarized. Based on these articles, hysteroscopic evaluation of tubal patency seems to be a promising, clinically relevant field for future clinical research.