Benefit of palliative chemotherapy and hospice enrollment in late-stage ovarian cancer patients.

AIM: The ideal timing for transition to best supportive care (BSC) for ovarian cancer patients is not clear. We retrospectively assessed the survival benefit of continuing chemotherapy and hospice enrollment in late-stage ovarian cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eligibility criteria included platinum and taxane treatment, clinical progression within 6 months of the last platinum dose, and progression during chemotherapy. RESULTS: Of the 55 eligible patients (median overall survival after first becoming refractory [1st Ref], 96 days), 22 received chemotherapy (Chemo group), two received radiation therapy, and 13 had medical contraindications for subsequent chemotherapy. The remaining 18 patients (BSC group) were compared with the Chemo group. The Chemo and BSC groups had similar background characteristics, except for the rate of consultation with a regional palliative care physician before or within 1 week of 1st Ref (9% vs 50%, respectively). In multivariate analysis, chemotherapy (hazard ratio 0.251, P = 0.005) and hospice enrollment (hazard ratio, 0.274, P = 0.023) were predictive factors of survival after 1st Ref. CONCLUSIONS: Chemotherapy after 1st Ref can be offered and hospice enrollment during the terminal stages is encouraged for recurrent ovarian cancer patients.

Long-term remission after multiple bone metastases following cervical cancer: A case report.

•Multiple bone metastases following cervical cancer was completed resolved.•Metastatic lesions were present within a previously irradiated zone of primary external radiation.•Concurrent chemotherapy and bisphosphonate administration is promising.

Prognostic factors for locally advanced cervical cancer treated with neoadjuvant intravenous and transuterine arterial chemotherapy followed by radical hysterectomy.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify prognostic factors associated with neoadjuvant transuterine arterial chemotherapy (TUAC) followed by type III radical hysterectomy. METHODS: The medical histories of patients with stage IB2 to IIB cervical cancer who received neoadjuvant TUAC between 1996 and 2009 at our institution were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Seventy-three patients received TUAC using cisplatin combined with intravenous nedaplatin, irinotecan, paclitaxel, or etoposide administration. Forty-seven patients (64%) had squamous cell carcinoma. The radiological response rate was 96% (95% confidence interval, 91%-100%). Radical hysterectomy was completed for 95% of enrolled patients. Examination of the resected cervical specimens showed that tumor cells were absent in 19 cases and stromal invasion was less than 3 mm in 7 cases. Among these 26 patients, 23 (32%) had pathologically negative pelvic lymph nodes and no recurrence during the follow-up period. The 5-year relapse-free survival and overall survival rates were 69% and 74%, respectively. Among 23 patients with recurrence or progressive disease, the median survival time after recurrence or progression was 12 months. In multivariate analysis, a tumor size of more than 60 mm and pathological positive lymph nodes were negative prognostic factors for overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Tumor size, pathological response, and lymph node metastases were prognostic factors for cervical cancer. The high pathological response rate associated with TUAC makes it a promising treatment for bulky cervical cancer.

Phase II trial on neoadjuvant intravenous and trans-uterine arterial chemotherapy for locally advanced bulky cervical adenocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: A phase II trial on neoadjuvant trans-uterine arterial chemotherapy (TUAC) followed by type III radical hysterectomy (RH) was conducted for patients with bulky cervical adenocarcinoma (AC). METHODS: Tumors of >4 cm were eligible. The neoadjuvant regimen comprised paclitaxel (60 mg/m(2) intravenously on days 1, 8, and 15) and cisplatin (70 mg/m(2) TUAC followed by transcatheter embolization with gelatin sponge particles on day 2) repeated every 3 weeks for 3 cycles. The primary endpoints were clinical and pathological responses. RESULTS: Twenty-two patients (median age, 51 years; range, 33-75 years) were enrolled. The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stages were IB2 (9 patients), IIA-IIB (8), IIIB (3), and IVA (2). The adeno/adenosquamous ratio was 16/6. The overall clinical response rate was 95.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 86.7-100%). RH was completed in 19 patients (86%), including 2 stage IVA patients who underwent anterior or posterior pelvic exenteration. Of the 19 patients, no residual malignant cells were found pathologically in 4; thus, the pathological complete response rate was 18% (4/22). No patients experienced grade 4 thrombocytopenia or febrile neutropenia or required platelet transfusions. The 5-year progression-free survival and overall survival rates in stages IB2-IIB were 70.0% (95%CI, 48.1-92.1%) and 69.5% (95%CI, 47.0-92.0%), respectively. The 2 patients with stage IVA tumors were alive without recurrence for 72 and 84 months after enrollment. CONCLUSIONS: TUAC showed high clinical and pathological response rates. TUAC is promising for stage IB2-IIB and IVA bulky AC.

Phase II study of interval debulking surgery followed by intraperitoneal chemotherapy for advanced ovarian cancer: a Kansai Clinical Oncology Group study (KCOG9812).

OBJECTIVE: Intraperitoneal chemotherapy (IP) is known to be effective after optimal primary debulking surgery (PDS) for ovarian cancer (OC). Here, we conducted a phase II study to investigate its effectiveness after interval debulking surgery (IDS). METHODS: Thirty-seven patients with FIGO stage IIIB-IV and suboptimal (≥1cm diameter) residual disease after PDS were enrolled. Carboplatin (AUC 4 IV, Day 1) and cisplatin (50mg/m(2) IV, Day 3) were given q21d for 3cycles. After IDS, paclitaxel (175mg/m(2) IV Day 1 or 60mg/m(2) IV Days 1, 8, and 15, since 2000) and cisplatin (75mg/m(2) IP Day 2) were given q21d for 4cycles. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS), and secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and adverse events (CTCAE ver. 2.0). Clinical manifestations at first recurrence and subsequent treatment were also surveyed. RESULTS: Of the 37 patients, high-grade, serous adenocarcinoma was found in 33. Stages IIIB, IIIC, and IV were found in 2, 24, and 11 patients, respectively. After IDS, 23 patients had no macroscopic residual tumor. No patients had permanent enterostomy, febrile neutropenia, or platelet transfusion. The treatment protocol was completed in 22 patients, and discontinued in 5 due to IP catheter-related complications. Median PFS and OS were 22 and 57months, respectively. Among the 28 patients with recurrence, 10 had no intraperitoneal disease at first recurrence. Among the 8 patients who underwent surgical cytoreduction, 6 had no residual tumor, while 2 had a <1-cm-diameter residual tumor. CONCLUSION: IP after IDS for patients with initially suboptimally debulked OC was effective.

Fertility-sparing management for bulky cervical cancer using neoadjuvant transuterine arterial chemotherapy followed by vaginal trachelectomy.

BACKGROUND: Fertility-sparing management for bulky cervical cancer remains under investigation. We investigated the safety of neoadjuvant transuterine arterial chemotherapy (TUAC) followed by a simple vaginal trachelectomy for patients with tumors larger than 3 cm in diameter who desired uterine preservation. METHODS: First, to assess the safety and efficacy of TUAC, survival and pathological complete response data from 39 patients with a diagnosis of stage IB2 to stage IIB cervical cancer who participated in 2 consecutive trials during 1997-2006 were analyzed. The neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens were a combination of TUAC using cisplatin with intravenous nedaplatin or irinotecan. Second, to assess the safety of fertility-sparing management with TUAC, medical records of patients matching the following criteria were reviewed during the same period: (1) International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stages IB1 to IIA; (2) maximum diameter of tumor, 3 cm or more; (3) squamous cell carcinoma; (4) no radiological findings of lymph node metastasis; and (5) patient's strong desire for preservation of the uterus and to undergo TUAC. RESULTS: The overall 5-year survival rate of the 39 enrolled patients was 81.0% (95% confidence interval, 64.8%-93.7%). No malignant cells were found in pathologically examined surgical specimens from 14 patients (35.9%), all of whom were alive without recurrence for more than 7 years after treatment. Based on medical records, 7 patients were eligible according to the fertility-sparing criteria, 1 patient with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IB1 cancer, 5 patients with stage IB2, and 1 patient with stage IIA. One patient with stage IB1 cancer and 2 patients with stage IB2 cancer underwent simple vaginal trachelectomy, resection of paracervical tissues, and abdominal lymphadenectomy. Their disease-free intervals were 86, 120, and 65 months, respectively. All 3 patients had regular menses after surgery but no pregnancies, for personal reasons unrelated to fertility. CONCLUSIONS: Powerful neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens resulted in a pathological complete response. Long-term disease-free interval was achieved after fertility-sparing management for bulky cervical cancer in 3 cases.