Does preoperative locally applied estrogen treatment facilitate prolapse-associated symptoms in postmenopausal women with symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse? A randomised controlled double-masked, placebo-controlled, multicentre study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether locally applied vaginal estrogen affects prolapse-associated complaints compared with placebo treatment in postmenopausal women prior to surgical prolapse repair. DESIGN: Randomised, double-masked, placebo-controlled, multicentre study. SETTING: Urogynaecology unit at the Medical University of Vienna and University Hospital of Tulln. POPULATION: Postmenopausal women with symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse and planned surgical prolapse repair. METHODS: Women were randomly assigned local estrogen cream or placebo cream 6 weeks preoperatively. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was differences in subjective prolapse-associated complaints after 6 weeks of treatment prior to surgery, assessed with the comprehensive German pelvic floor questionnaire. Secondary outcomes included differences in other pelvic floor-associated complaints (bladder, bowel or sexual function). RESULTS: Out of 120 women randomised, 103 (86%) remained for the final analysis. After 6 weeks of treatment the prolapse domain score did not differ between the estrogen and the placebo groups (4.4 ± 0.19 versus 4.6 ± 0.19; mean difference, -0.21; 95% CI -0.74 to 0.33; P = 0.445). Multivariate analysis, including only women receiving the intervention, showed that none of the confounding factors modified the response to estradiol. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that preoperative locally applied estrogen does not ameliorate prolapse-associated symptoms in postmenopausal women with symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Preoperative local estrogen does not ameliorate prolapse-associated symptoms in postmenopausal women with pelvic organ prolapse.

Different surgical approaches for stress urinary incontinence in women.

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) constitutes involuntary voiding as a consequence of rising intra-abdominal pressure caused by sphincter weakness. In recent years studies were published according to surgical SUI management evaluating and comparing therapy options and outcomes. Therapy options were evaluated using a Medline search, including only publications in English between 2000-2012. Key words used were: SUI, conservative and surgical treatment, midurethral sling, colposuspension. Surgical treatment options demonstrate significantly better results than conservative treatment. MUS demonstrate better subjective and objective cure rates than colposuspension; it is less invasive and more cost-effective. First line SUI therapy such as RP MUS and TVT seem to be favored when compared to transobturator techniques. Retropubic and transobturator MUS showed equivalent objective and subjective success rates. Open colposuspension is an effective treatment possibility for recurrent SUI after failed MUS. TVT, compared with other MUS, seems to show slightly better cure rates. but perioperative complications appear to be similar. Long-term results (>10 years) of repeated SUI surgery showed that the Burch procedure had the lowest 9-year cumulative incidence of repeat SUI surgery. Mini-sling techniques may be underestimated but long-time results are pending and closer monitoring of the adverse event profile must be carried out. MUS are first choice in the treatment of SUI, of which TVT, has the best cure rate. Colpussupension continues to have its place in recurrent SUI. The new mini-MUS needs a longer follow-up for final evaluation.

Patient goals after incontinence procedures: does the single-incision sling satisfy them?

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to describe short-term postoperative achievement of subjective preoperative goals for single-incision MiniArc slings, in comparison with tension-free vaginal tape (TVT). METHOD: Patients submitted to mid-urethral sling (TVT and MiniArc) procedures for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in two centers were included in this prospective study. Before surgery, the patients completed a preoperative open-ended questionnaire, in which they described their personal outcomes goals for SUI surgery and the degree of severity of their symptoms. At the first postoperative check, they were asked to assess the degree to which their goals had been met and the degree of postoperative incontinence symptoms; their grade of satisfaction was evaluated with IIQ-7, UDI-6 and a 0-10 visual analog scale. RESULTS: One hundred and eight patients (TVT n=51, MiniArc n=57) were included in this study. Incontinence symptom relief and improvement of quality of life were the most commonly described preoperative goals. Six to eight weeks after surgery, 47 patients (92.1%) after TVT and 53 (92.9%) women after single-incision slings were objectively cured (P=1). After surgery, more than 90% of the patients in both groups achieved their preoperative goals. Symptom scores improved significantly and were comparable in both groups. CONCLUSION: Our results show that self-reported achievement of preoperative goals of patients submitted to single-incision slings are comparable at the first follow-up with patients who have undergone the classic mid-urethral sling.

Adjuvant chemotherapy in early breast cancer.

Despite living in an era of progressively improved molecular characterization of breast cancer with novel prognostic and predictive tests as well as increased use of targeted therapies, adjuvant chemotherapy is still a cornerstone in the treatment of early breast cancer. Numerous clinical trials of adjuvant chemotherapy without trastuzumab have clearly shown that the effectiveness depends not only on the mere application of new substances (e.g., taxanes) but at least equally important on the way to utilize them. At present, standard adjuvant chemotherapy should include anthracyclines, taxanes and cyclophosphamide. Docetaxel is best used in three weekly intervals, while paclitaxel should be delivered either weekly or dose-dense every two weeks with G-CSF support. In high risk breast cancer patients with more than three involved axillary lymph nodes, an intensified dose-dense and sequential approach leads to significantly improved survival. Other approaches to improve the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy employ the incorporation of additional substances like capecitabine. Conversely, investigators trying to de-escalate adjuvant chemotherapy implemented taxane-containing but anthracycline-free chemotherapy. Altogether, these new approaches are awaiting further confirmatory clinical trials before they should be regarded as standard of care in early breast cancer.

The IUGA/ICS classification of complications of prosthesis and graft insertion: a comparative experience in incontinence and prolapse surgery.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: This is a presentation of case series after the use of alloplasic material in urogynaecology. METHODS: From 2004 to 2010, a total 179 patients with complications have been referred directly after the use of alloplastic material in incontinence and prolapse surgery. Of this total, 125 patients had a previous vaginal sling plasty because of urinary stress incontinence, while 54 patients underwent a prolapse surgery with mesh use. Symptoms and findings are expressed by the recently introduced International Urogynecological Association/International Continence Society (IUGA/ICS) terminology. RESULTS: The most frequent findings after vaginal sling plasty were bladder outlet obstruction, pain and tape exposure. The most frequent findings after prolapse surgery were pain and mesh erosion. The IUGA/ICS classification does not give the possibility to express functional disorders. Most revisions were done more than 2 months after surgery. After incontinence surgery, mostly the vaginal area of suture line was affected; after prolapse surgery, the vagina and the trocar passage were affected. CONCLUSIONS: Mesh complication and affected site after prolapse surgery do differ from those after incontinence surgery. The IUGA/ICS classification of mesh complication facilitates the comparison of mesh complication.

New prognostic and predictive factors in breast cancer.

There are two major questions regarding systemic therapy of breast cancer: Firstly, which patients should be treated, and secondly, how should these patients be treated? Prognostic factors aim to foresee the outcome of patients irrespective of treatment while predictive factors intend to assess the outcome of patients receiving a certain systemic therapy and thus are intimately associated with sensitivity or resistance to therapy. Ideally, a predictive factor is also a therapeutic target as it is the case with estrogen receptor (ER) or HER-2. In order to avoid over- as well as under-treatment, it is advisable to select the appropriate treatment strategy on the basis of a careful risk assessment for each individual patient. Additionally to time-honoured clinicopathological factors additional prognostic factors like urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA)/plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) or multiparameter gene-expression analyses have shown promising results especially in node-negative breast cancer. These multigene profiles offer new insights in breast cancer biology, like the important role of the tumor-associated immune system. ER, HER-2 and potentially newer prognostic factors like epithelial cell adhesion molecule (Ep-CAM) bridge the gap from prognosis to prediction and serve as therapeutic targets. This should allow us to quantify the risk of progression in each individual patient and tailor treatment accordingly, leading to a more personalized treatment recommendation.

Neutron cross-sections for next generation reactors: new data from n_TOF.

In 2002, an innovative neutron time-of-flight facility started operation at CERN: n_TOF. The main characteristics that make the new facility unique are the high instantaneous neutron flux, high resolution and wide energy range. Combined with state-of-the-art detectors and data acquisition system, these features have allowed to collect high accuracy neutron cross-section data on a variety of isotopes, many of which radioactive, of interest for Nuclear Astrophysics and for applications to advanced reactor technologies. A review of the most important results on capture and fission reactions obtained so far at n_TOF is presented, together with plans for new measurements related to nuclear industry.

Epirubicin and cyclophosphamide versus epirubicin and docetaxel as first-line therapy for women with metastatic breast cancer: final results of a randomised phase III trial.

BACKGROUND: This randomised phase III trial was carried out to compare the efficacy and safety of epirubicin and cyclophosphamide (EC) with epirubicin and docetaxel (Taxotere) (ED) as first-line chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients (n = 240) were randomly assigned to receive either ED (epirubicin 75 mg/m(2) and docetaxel 75 mg/m(2)) or EC (epirubicin 90 mg/m(2) and cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m(2)). The primary end point was objective response rate (ORR). Secondary end points were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety. RESULTS: ORR for patients randomly assigned to receive EC and ED were 42% and 47%, respectively (P = 0.63). Median PFS [10.1 versus 10.3 months; hazard ratio (HR) 0.98; log-rank P = 0.38] and OS (19.9 versus 30.0 months; HR 0.663; log-rank P = 0.21) were comparable in both arms. Although grade 3/4 leucopenia occurred more frequently with ED (81% versus 73%; P = 0.01), there were no significant differences in the incidence of febrile neutropenia and grade 3/4 infections. Grade 3/4 non-haematologic toxicity was infrequent in both arms. Congestive heart failure was observed in one patient in each arm. CONCLUSION: In this randomised trial, no differences in the efficacy study end points were observed between the two treatment arms.

Pelvic organ prolapse and overactive bladder.

AIMS: In this review we try to shed light on the following questions: *How frequently are symptoms of overactive bladder (OAB) and is detrusor overactivity (DO) present in patients with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and is there a difference from women without POP? *Does the presence of OAB symptoms depend on the prolapsed compartment and/or stage of the prolapse? *What is the possible pathophysiology of OAB in POP? *Do OAB symptoms and DO change after conservative or surgical treatment of POP? METHODS: We searched on Medline and Embase for relevant studies. We only included studies in which actual data about OAB symptoms were available. All data for prolapse surgery were without the results of concomitant stress urinary incontinence (SUI) surgery. RESULTS: Community- and hospital-based studies showed that the prevalence of OAB symptoms was greater in patients with POP than without POP. No evidence was found for a relationship between the compartment or stage of the prolapse and the presence of OAB symptoms. All treatments for POP (surgery, pessaries) resulted in an improvement in OAB symptoms. It is unclear what predicts whether OAB symptoms disappear or not. When there is concomitant DO and POP, following POP surgery DO disappear in a proportion of the patients. Bladder outlet obstruction is likely to be the most important mechanism by which POP induces OAB symptoms and DO signs. However, several other mechanisms might also play a role. CONCLUSIONS: There are strong indications that there is a causal relationship between OAB and POP.

Quality of life and adjuvant tamoxifen treatment in breast cancer patients.

About two-thirds of all breast cancer patients are treated with adjuvant hormonal therapy. Side effects of tamoxifen and their effects on physical, emotional and social functioning have been shown to impair the quality of life. Aim of this paper was to evaluate the side effects and level of influence on the physical, emotional and social functioning caused by tamoxifen treatment. For assessment of quality of life an own questionnaire was designed. Between January 2001 and December 2003, 136 women with breast cancer and adjuvant tamoxifen therapy were included in this study. Data of side effects, physical and mental health and patients' self-evaluation identified detrimental effects on patients' quality of life. Prevalence and severity of symptoms were not influenced by length of tamoxifen treatment. Patients were damaged in their constitution in respect to previous chemotherapy and pre-existing diseases; no influence was found by age or histopathological tumour characteristics. Our survey determines that breast cancer patients experience significant influence on quality of life by the negative impact on the physical, emotional and social functioning caused by tamoxifen treatment. Explicit attention to changes in quality of life should be considered as part of the standard care for women receiving adjuvant tamoxifen treatment.

Long-term outcome prediction by clinicopathological risk classification algorithms in node-negative breast cancer--comparison between Adjuvant!, St Gallen, and a novel risk algorithm used in the prospective randomized Node-Negative-Breast Cancer-3 (NNBC-3) trial.

BACKGROUND: Defining risk categories in breast cancer is of considerable clinical significance. We have developed a novel risk classification algorithm and compared its prognostic utility to the Web-based tool Adjuvant! and to the St Gallen risk classification. PATIENTS AND METHODS: After a median follow-up of 10 years, we retrospectively analyzed 410 consecutive node-negative breast cancer patients who had not received adjuvant systemic therapy. High risk was defined by any of the following criteria: (i) age <35 years, (ii) grade 3, (iii) human epithelial growth factor receptor-2 positivity, (iv) vascular invasion, (v) progesterone receptor negativity, (vi) grade 2 tumors >2 cm. All patients were also characterized using Adjuvant! and the St Gallen 2007 risk categories. We analyzed disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: The Node-Negative-Breast Cancer-3 (NNBC-3) algorithm enlarged the low-risk group to 37% as compared with Adjuvant! (17%) and St Gallen (18%), respectively. In multivariate analysis, both Adjuvant! [P = 0.027, hazard ratio (HR) 3.81, 96% confidence interval (CI) 1.16-12.47] and the NNBC-3 risk classification (P = 0.049, HR 1.95, 95% CI 1.00-3.81) significantly predicted OS, but only the NNBC-3 algorithm retained its prognostic significance in multivariate analysis for DFS (P < 0.0005). CONCLUSION: The novel NNBC-3 risk algorithm is the only clinicopathological risk classification algorithm significantly predicting DFS as well as OS.

Fetal urogenital sinus with consecutive hydrometrocolpos because of labial fusion: prenatal diagnostic difficulties and postpartal therapeutic management.

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the differential diagnoses of tumorous dilations in the fetal pelvic region detected by prenatal ultrasound and the postnatal management demonstrated on a fetus with 29 weeks of gestation with a retrovesical located bottle-like cystic structure measuring 54 x 31 x 27 mm within the pelvis. Postnatal findings were a labial fusion and a consecutive hydrometrocolpos due to a urethrovaginal fistula. METHOD: Case report of a fetus affected by an intricate cloacal anomaly. RESULTS: The long-term prognosis for this nonsyndromic form of hydrometrocolpos without any other structural defects or organic failures after operative sanitation is excellent. Final reconstruction is planned at about 12 months of age. CONCLUSION: Prenatal diagnosis of tumorous dilations in the fetal pelvic region often involves difficulties because of numerous differential diagnoses and possible presentation in late pregnancy. Magnetic resonance imaging could be a useful complementary tool for assessing these anomalies when ultrasonography is inconclusive. In some cases, the final diagnosis cannot be confirmed until after delivery.

Role of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) for prognosis in endometrial cancer.

BACKGROUND: Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) contribute to the invasiveness of many carcinomas. Here, we studied a possible association between cytosolic uPA and PA-1 concentrations in tumor tissue with prognosis in patients with endometrial cancer. METHODS: Cytosolic concentrations of uPA and PAI-1 were determined in 69 primary endothelial adenocarcinomas using an enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA). A possible influence of uPA and PAI-1 was studied by multivariate Cox regression adjusting for the established clinical prognostic factors FIGO-stage, grading, depth of invasion, diabetes mellitus and age. RESULTS: Both uPA (p=0.011) and PAI-1 (p=0.003) were associated with relapse free time using the multivariate proportional hazards model. Association with overall survival was less pronounced with p=0.021 for uPA and p=0.358 for PAI-1. Concentrations of PAI-1 increased with FIGO stage (p=0.003) and with histological grading (p=0.005). Both uPA and PAI-1 concentrations were negatively correlated with estrogen and progesterone receptor levels. CONCLUSION: The combination of high cytosolic concentrations of uPA (>5 ng/mg total protein) and high PAI-1 (>20 ng/mg total protein) may reveal a group of patients with increased risk of progression.

Effects of anemia correction with epoetin beta in patients receiving radiochemotherapy for advanced cervical cancer.

Patients with cervical cancer frequently suffer from anemia. This two-stage, adaptive-design study investigated the effect of anemia correction with epoetin beta on treatment outcomes. Patients with stage IIB-IVA cervical cancer received radiochemotherapy (RCT) and were randomized to epoetin 150 IU/kg three times weekly (n = 34) or standard care (control; n = 40) for up to 12 weeks. Primary end point for stage 1 aimed to establish a correlation between anemia correction and treatment failure (no complete response or relapsing within 6 months after RCT initiation) as a proof of concept before moving into stage 2. Secondary end points included progression/relapse-free survival, overall survival, response to RCT, hemoglobin (Hb) response, and safety. Median baseline Hb was 11.4 and 11.6 g/dL in epoetin and control groups, respectively. At treatment end point, median Hb increased by 1.3 g/dL with epoetin, but decreased by 0.7 g/dL in the control group (P < 0.0001). No significant correlation between Hb increase and treatment failure was demonstrated. There were no significant differences between epoetin and control groups in progression/relapse-free survival (29.4% vs 32.5% patients with events; P = 0.96), overall survival (23.5% vs 12.5% patients with events; P = 0.22) or overall complete response (53% vs 58%; P = 0.86). Adverse events were well matched between groups. This study shows that epoetin beta rapidly, effectively, and safely increases Hb levels in patients with cervical cancer receiving RCT. No positive correlation of Hb increase and improvement in clinical outcomes could be demonstrated.

Role of the progesterone receptor for paclitaxel resistance in primary breast cancer.

Paclitaxel plays an important role in the treatment of primary breast cancer. However, a substantial proportion of patients treated with paclitaxel does not appear to derive any benefit from this therapy. We performed a prospective study using tumour cells isolated from 50 primary breast carcinomas. Sensitivity of primary tumour cells to paclitaxel was determined in a clinically relevant range of concentrations (0.85-27.2 microg ml(-1) paclitaxel) using an ATP assay. Chemosensitivity data were used to study a possible association with immunohistochemically determined oestrogen and progesterone receptor (ER and PR) status, as well as histopathological parameters. Progesterone receptor (PR) mRNA expression was also determined by quantitative RT-PCR. We observed a clear association of the PR status with chemosensitivity to paclitaxel. Higher levels of immunohistochemically detected PR expression correlated with decreased chemosensitivity (P=0.008). Similarly, high levels of PR mRNA expression were associated with decreased paclitaxel chemosensitivity (P=0.007). Cells from carcinomas with T-stages 3 and 4 were less sensitive compared to stages 1 and 2 (P=0.013). Multiple regression analysis identified PR receptor status and T-stage as independent predictors of paclitaxel chemosensitivity, whereas the ER, N-stage, grading and age were not influential. In conclusion, in vitro sensitivity to paclitaxel was higher for PR-negative compared with PR-positive breast carcinoma cells. Thus, PR status should be considered as a possible factor of influence when designing new trials and chemotherapy protocols.

Phase II trial of docetaxel and carboplatin in recurrent platinum-sensitive ovarian, peritoneal and tubal cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Docetaxel and carboplatin are active in relapsed ovarian, peritoneal and tubal cancer. Recently, two prospective-randomized trials showed an advantage of carboplatin combination regimen with paclitaxel or gemcitabine over carboplatinum alone in platinum-sensitive cases. The question on the most effective combination with the best tolerable side effects still needs to be answered. METHODS: Eligible patients had recurrent ovarian, peritoneal or tubal cancer (platinum-free interval >6 months), performance status 0-2 and normal bone marrow, renal and hepatic function. 25 patients (age 18-75 years) were enrolled into this phase II trial. Patients with debulking operation of recurrence were excluded from this study. Docetaxel 75 mg/m(2) via 30-min infusion was given on day 1 followed by carboplatin (area under curve [AUC] 5) on day 1. The administration was repeated every 3 weeks over 6 courses. Primary endpoint of this trial was the response rate; secondary endpoints were progression-free survival, overall survival and toxicity. RESULTS: In the intent-to-treat population, there were 16 (64.0%) complete and 2 (8.0%) partial responses resulting in an overall response rate of 72.0%. Three patients (12.0%) showed a stable disease and other 2 patients (8.0%) a progression of cancer. Two patients (8.0%) were not evaluable for response. Neutropenia was the most frequent G3/G4 hematologic toxicity in 15/25 patients (60.0%); but no neutropenic fever occurred in this trial. Diarrhea G3 was the most frequent G3/G4 non-hematologic toxicity in only 3/25 patients (12.0%). Dose-limiting toxicities were hypersensitivity reaction in one and depressive mood alteration requiring therapy in another case. CONCLUSION: Carboplatin in combination with docetaxel is highly active and well tolerated in patients with recurrent platinum-sensitive ovarian, peritoneal and tubal cancer. Prospective-randomized trials comparing this with other carboplatin therapeutic doublets in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer are a possible option for the future to answer the question on the best combination regimen.

Influence of diabetes mellitus and nodal distribution in endometrial cancer and correlation to clinico-pathological prognostic factors.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the relationships between the distribution of nodal disease, clinico-pathological patterns and recurrence and survival in surgically staged cases of endometrial cancer. METHODS: Charts were abstracted from patients with endometrial carcinoma from 1985 to 1995. Data on clinicopathologic variables, adjuvant treatment, site of recurrence and survival were collected. The chi square test was used to test associations between variables. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis and Cox's proportional hazards model for multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Sixty-nine out of 181 patients underwent lymph node dissection. Twenty-three had pelvic lymph node dissection, 23 underwent pelvic and paraaortic lymph node dissection and 20 patients had lymph node sampling. The median count of removed lymph nodes was 22.4. Fifty-four lymph node dissections showed negative lymph nodes and in 15 cases there was a minimum of one positive lymph node. Overall survival was in correlation to nodal involvement with a p value of 0.0017. Patients with lymph node involvement showed significantly more recurrence than patients with negative lymph nodes (p = 0.003). The depth of myometrial invasion correlated with lymph node metastasis (p = 0.01) and patients with additional diabetes mellitus showed significantly more nodal involvement (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Endometrial cancer showed pelvic lymph node (PLN) and paraaortic lymph node (PALN) involvement. Under-diagnosis of the disease might result if there was only a PLN, but with or without PALN involvement there was no significant difference in overall survival or recurrence. There was an univariate correlation between lymph node involvement and diabetes.

MR-guided intervention in women with a family history of breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE: A study was undertaken to assess the clinical value of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging-guided interventions in women with a family history, but no personal history of breast cancer. METHODS AND PATIENTS: Retrospective review was performed on 63 consecutive women who had a family history, but no personal history of breast cancer. A total of 97 lesions were referred for an MR-guided intervention. Standardized MR examinations (1.0 T, T1-weighted 3D FLASH, 0.15 mmolGd-DTPA/kg body weight, prone position) were performed using a dedicated system which allows vacuum assisted breast biopsy or wire localization. RESULTS: Histologic findings in 87 procedures revealed 9 (10%) invasive carcinomas, 12 (14%) ductal carcinomas in situ, 2 atypical ductal hyperplasias (2.5%) and 2 atypical lobular hyperplasias (2.5%). Sixty-two (71%) benign histologic results are verified by an MR-guided intervention, retrospective correlation of imaging and histology and by subsequent follow-up. In ten lesions the indication dropped since the enhancing lesion was no longer visible. Absent enhancement was confirmed by short-term re-imaging of the noncompressed breast and by follow-up. CONCLUSION: Malignancy was found in 24%, high-risk lesions in 5% of successfully performed MR-guided biopsy procedures. A 57% of MR-detected malignancies were ductal carcinoma in situ. In 10% of the lesions the intervention was not performed, since no enhancing lesion could be reproduced at the date of anticipated intervention. Such problems may be avoided if the initial MRI is performed in the appropriate phase of the menstrual cycle and without hormonal replacement therapy.

Reconstructive surgery following resection of primary vulvar cancers.

OBJECTIVE: This study describes the surgical treatment and follow-up of 213 patients with primary vulvar cancer; particular attention is given to reconstructive surgical procedures. METHODS: The clinical and pathological parameters of the patients were recorded according to standardized procedures, and the data concerning type of operation, surgical reconstruction and postoperative course of disease (recurrence-free and overall survival) were analyzed. RESULTS: In about one-third of the cases, plastic surgery reconstruction involving skin-flaps was performed. In the present group of patients, plastic surgery procedures led to an elevated degree of operability as well as to more satisfactory results in terms of wound healing. For minor cosmetic defects, local (fasciocutaneous) skin-flaps resulted in excellent wound healing and short periods of in-patient treatment, even in patients with larger tumors. In cases exhibiting more severe wounds extending over larger areas of the vulva and its surrounding regions, similarly encouraging results were achieved using regional (myocutaneous) skin-flaps. CONCLUSION: The present study shows that reconstructive surgery of the vulva leads to good results in patients with vulvar cancer. Plastic surgery enlarges the spectrum of available operative therapy in vulvar cancer, especially in large tumors, and its application leads to a favorable oncological outcome as well as excellent cosmetic results in patients with vulvar cancer.