Effects of Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin and CA125 Level Variability Analysis in Platinum-refractory/resistant Recurrent Ovarian Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Ovarian cancer is a disease with significant impact, because more than half of cases exhibit recurrence despite platinum therapy. The choice of drug for cases of recurrence remains controversial, but the current option is pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the use of PLD in patients with ovarian cancer refractory or resistant to platinum-based therapy at our Department. We also examined efficacy, predictive indices of efficacy, and adverse events as well. RESULTS: In this study of PLD monotherapy for 60 platinum-refractory/resistant recurrent ovarian cancers, there was a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 4 months, median overall survival (OS) of 11 months, and the disease control rate (DCR) was 71.7%. The treatment effect can be predicted by the reduction of CA125 level after 2 courses. Patients with an increase and decrease in CA125 after 2 cycles of PLD, respectively, had a median OS of 14.5 (2-60) and 8 (2-51) months and a median PFS of 6 (2-38) months and 3 (0-47) months. CONCLUSION: PLD is clinically effective and useful because it provides a high DCR and is tolerable to adverse events. These findings can help support the use of PLD and guide physicians in their choice of treatment when encountering such cases.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Suburethral Vaginal Mucosal Necrosis after Interstitial Irradiation for Recurrent Cervical Cancer.

Patients with gynecological malignancies can develop radiation injuries, such as cystitis, proctitis, and soft tissue necrosis which have approved indications for hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). A 76-year-old Japanese woman with vaginal recurrence of cervical cancer was treated with the high-dose rate interstitial brachytherapy. Twenty-one months after the irradiation, she developed radiation necrosis on the external urethral opening. Two cycles of HBOT were performed. HBOT consisted of delivering 100% oxygen for 60 minutes at 2.4 atmospheres absolute. Pressure exposure was performed once daily, 5 days a week for 6 weeks. Eventually, the necrotic mucosa was completely replaced by the normal mucosa. No adverse effects were observed. We successfully treated a case of late adverse events of radiation therapy with HBOT. It was noninvasive and appears to be a useful treatment option which should be considered standard treatment practice.

A high-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia derived from a complete hydatidiform mole with coexisting fetus identified by short tandem repeats analysis: A case report.

A complete hydatidiform mole coexisting with a fetus (CHMCF) is a rare form of twin pregnancy. High-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) can occur after a CHMCF pregnancy, although the frequency is low. In cases of GTN, the clinical diagnosis and that based on the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) scoring system can differ. This case report concerns a patient with a choriocarcinoma that was initially diagnosed and treated as a low-risk stage III GTN following a live birth from a CHMCF pregnancy. We used short tandem repeat (STR) analysis to identify the causative pregnancy as the patient's earlier complete hydatidiform mole. Clinicians should anticipate a high-risk GTN when treating persistent trophoblastic disease (PTD) in patients with a non-typical course.

A case of nasal septal perforation caused by bevacizumab for advanced cervical cancer.

Nasal septal perforation caused by bevacizumab is rarely reported in other cancers such as ovarian cancer and breast cancer, but it has not been reported in cervical cancer. A 48-year-old woman with a medical history of chronic allergic rhinitis was diagnosed stage 4B (T2bN1M0) cervical cancer and paclitaxel and carboplatin along with bevacizumab (triweekly) were administered. After eight courses of chemotherapy, nasal septal perforation was noted. The possibility of nasal septal perforation by bevacizumab was considered by excluding other causes. We report the first case of nasal septal perforation caused by bevacizumab for advanced cervical cancer.

Long-term Outcomes of Cervical Adenocarcinoma Treated With Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy Using Paclitaxel and Cisplatin.

BACKGROUND/AIM: We retrospectively analyzed the locally advanced adenocarcinoma (AC)/adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC) of the uterine cervix treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy using cisplatin plus paclitaxel (TP-CCRT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty patients with stage IB-IVA AC/ASC were treated with whole pelvis external beam radiotherapy. A high-dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy was delivered once per week at a fractional dose of 6 Gy. For TP-CCRT, the patients received cisplatin and paclitaxel. RESULTS: A complete response was achieved in 17 patients (77.3%) in the TP-CCRT group and 4 patients (50.0%) in the P-CCRT group. The 5-year OS rate in the TP-CCRT and P-CCRT groups was 74.2% and 25.0% (p=0.0094), the central DFS rate was 58.0% and 12.5% (p=0.0267), and the distant DFS rate was 63.6% and 12.5% (p=0.0042), respectively. CONCLUSION: TP-CCRT achieves a considerably better disease control for AC of the cervix, leading to a better OS.

Hysterectomy for Recurrent/Residual Cervical Cancer Following Definitive Radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Radical hysterectomy has been used for local recurrent or persistent (LR) cervical cancer after radiotherapy (RT), but the rate of serious complications is high and tolerance is low. This study determined the efficacy, safety, and prognostic factors of adjuvant simple hysterectomy in LR cervical cancer post-RT. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 21 patients who underwent hysterectomy for LR cervical cancer post-RT in our Department between May 2007 and September 2018 were included in the study. Primary, definitive RT was performed. Histological response by definitive RT in the extirpated uterus was classified on the basis of histological response criteria: effect (Ef) 0-3. RESULTS: The 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 51.9% and 50.1%, respectively. Ef 1 was significantly associated with poorer prognosis compared to Ef 2 or Ef 3. CONCLUSION: Adjuvant hysterectomy could be a treatment of choice for LR cervical cancer post-RT.

A Phase II Study of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Followed by Extended Field Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy for Para-aortic Lymph Node Positive Cervical Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM: We conducted a phase II study of neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by extended field concurrent chemoradiotherapy in patients with cervical cancer with para-aortic node metastasis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-seven women with stage IB1-IVA cervical cancer were enrolled. RESULTS: The median age was 52 years. Thirty-four patients other than 3 progressive disease, proceeded to extended field concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The 3-year overall survival and progression-free survival rates were 70.1% and 48.5%, respectively. The 3-year overall survival according to stages was significantly worse in stage IIIB. Twelve of the 17 patients with stage IIIB died of the disease. CONCLUSION: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by extended field concurrent chemoradiotherapy may improve the prognosis of patients with stages IB and II cervical cancer with positive para-aortic node. However, new strategies should be investigated to improve a poor prognosis in stage IIIB disease with positive para-aortic node.

Direct evidence on the efficacy of GnRH agonist in recurrent steroid cell tumor-not otherwise specified.

BACKGROUND: Steroid cell tumor (SCT) not otherwise specified (NOS) is rare and recurrence and metastasis rarely occurs; therefore, reports regarding its treatment are limited. We report a case of recurrent SCT-NOS treated with gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) and successful. CASE: A 50-year-old woman underwent a staging laparotomy and diagnosed as SCT-NOS. Multiple liver tumors and intraperitoneal dissemination were detected 5 years 10 months after the initial surgery. As the immunohistochemical analysis showed positive staining for GnRH receptor, GnRHa was attempted. After the first cycle the serum testosterone level was normalized and after six cycles CT scan confirmed reduction of the tumor size. CONCLUSION: Some ovarian SCT-NOS have GnRH receptors; thus, GnRHa may have a reducing effect for these tumors without major adverse event.

High-risk gestational choriocarcinoma with an unusual presentation and the treatment course of refractory or quiescent/minimally invasive disease.

•A patient with high-risk choriocarcinoma who had refractory or quiescent/minimally invasive disease.•She was treated with seven lines of chemotherapy and salvage surgeries.•The patient had persistently low hCG levels without evidence of disease for 4 years.•Then radiological evidence of pulmonary metastasis was finally achieved, and the patient was salvaged by surgery.•It is crucial to identify the site of active disease to facilitate surgical resection and cure.

Lymphatic vessel involvement is predictive for lymph node metastasis and an important prognostic factor in endometrial cancer.

BACKGROUND: Lymphovascular space involvement is reported to be an important risk factor in endometrial cancer. This study was conducted to evaluate the separate prognostic effects of lymphatic invasion and venous invasion on the outcomes of patients with endometrial cancer. METHODS: From 2006 to 2013, 189 histologically confirmed endometrial cancer patients were examined. To study the venous invasion (v) of the endometrial cancer, Victoria blue-H&E staining-which positively stains the elastic fibers of vessels-was performed. Immunohistochemical staining with D2-40 was used to study the lymphatic invasion (ly) of the endometrial cancer. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 57 (range 25-84) years. ly(+) and/or v(+) patients were significantly more likely to present an advanced cancer stage, G3 tumor, and deep myometrial invasion than ly(-)/v(-) patients. The incidence of lymph node metastasis was high in ly(+) patients, and that of ovarian metastasis was high in v(+) patients. Lymphatic vessel invasion was significantly correlated with regional lymph node metastasis. We found a significantly higher incidence of distant metastasis in ly(+) patients. Most recurrences in ly(+)/v(-) patients occurred in lymph nodes, while those in ly(+)/v(+) patients occurred mainly at distant organs. Finally, the prognosis was significantly poorer for ly(+) patients, in whom lymphatic invasion was an independent prognostic factor along with distant metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that by separately evaluating lymphatic invasion and blood vessel invasion in endometrial cancer cases, useful information for predicting lymph node metastasis and recurrence sites as well as prognostic information can be obtained.

Therapy-free interval has prognostic value in patients with recurrent cervical cancer treated with chemotherapy following definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

PURPOSE: Patients with cervical cancer recurrence after concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) who are not candidates for surgical resection or salvage radiotherapy have a dismal prognosis. The predictive factors for the effects of chemotherapy and prognostic factors in these patients were analyzed. METHODS: We collected data for patients with recurrent cervical cancer who were primarily treated with CCRT between 2000 and 2013. Among them, 57 patients treated with only systemic chemotherapy were analyzed for the overall survival (OS), the overall response rate (ORR), and prognostic factors. RESULTS: The median age was 47 years. Inside the irradiated field recurrence occurred in 24, outside in 20 and both in 13 patients. Time to recurrence after the CCRT (i.e., therapy-free interval; TFI) were <6 months in 11, 6-12 months in 15, ≥12 months in 23 patients, and persistent disease in 8 patients. The median OS was 18 months and ORR was 15.7%. Those with a longer TFI showed a tendency for better ORR (p = 0.051) and those receiving a taxane-containing regimen showed significantly higher ORR (p = 0.0232). Multivariate analysis revealed a significant correlation between the median OS and TFI (HR = 4.688, 95% CI = 2.178-11.10, p < 0.0001) and chemotherapy response (HR = 20.08, 95% CI = 3.936-368.4, p < 0.0001). Furthermore, even in patients with stable disease, the median OS increased corresponding to the length of the TFI (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: TFI has predictive value for response to chemotherapy and prognosis of patients with recurrent cervical cancer after definitive CCRT.

Secondary uterine carcinosarcoma after concurrent chemoradiotherapy for cervical cancer: Case reports.

•Secondary uterine sarcomas occur in < 1% of patients treated with CCRT.•Secondary uterine sarcomas can occur > 5 years from CCRT.•The median survival period from the secondary tumor occurrence was only 4 months.•All our patients had heterologous carcinosarcoma of the uterine corpus.

Concurrent weekly cisplatin versus triweekly cisplatin with radiotherapy for locally advanced squamous-cell carcinoma of the cervix: a retrospective analysis from a single institution.

OBJECTIVE: To compare patients with cervical cancer who were primarily treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) using 20 mg m-2 CDDP for 5 days every 3 weeks with weekly regimens of 40 mg m-2. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 185 patients with Stage IB-IVA squamous-cell carcinoma of the cervix who were treated with CCRT between 2005 and 2013 at our hospital. The CCRT regimen consisted of cisplatin (CDDP) at 20 mg m-2 for 5 days every 3 weeks or 40 mg m-2 weekly, administered concomitantly with RT. RESULTS: The median age was 50 years (range: 22-70 years) in the triweekly group and was 50.5 years (range: 28-70 years) in the weekly group. The 5-year overall survival rate in the triweekly and weekly groups were 82.0% and 83.3%, respectively (p = 0.851); their disease-free survival rate was 79.6% and 78.1%, respectively (p = 0.672). In the triweekly group, 56 patients (50.9%) had grade 3/4 leukopenia, which was significantly higher than that of 11 patients (15%) in the weekly group (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The weekly CDDP regimen for CCRT seems better in patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics Stages IB-IVA squamous-cell carcinoma of the cervix. Advances in knowledge: The weekly CDDP regimen for CCRT seems better in patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics Stages IB-IVA squamous-cell carcinoma of the cervix.

Gestational choriocarcinoma complicated by infective endocarditis during chemotherapy.

•Little is known about the history of cancer patients complicated with IE.•It is very important to do the chemotherapy without delay for choriocarcinoma.•We report a case of choriocarcinoma complicated by IE during EMA-CO.•An accurate diagnosis/prompt treatment decisions are important for cancer with IE.