[Salivary gland cancer: new therapeutic approaches]. / Cancers des glandes salivaires : nouvelles approches thérapeutiques.

Salivary gland carcinomas are rare, characterized by a diversity of histological subtypes associated with variable clinical behavior and prognosis with usually a poor response to chemotherapy. In this context, molecular alterations have been identified and represent potential therapeutic targets: overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and androgen receptors in salivary duct cancer, NOTCH mutations in adenoid cystic carcinoma, NTRK gene fusion in secretory carcinoma. Screening for these molecular alterations is mandatory in all patients with recurrent or metastatic salivary gland cancer as it may allow an individualized treatment.

Les carcinomes des glandes salivaires sont rares et se caractérisent par une grande diversité de sous-types histologiques associés à des comportements cliniques différents, à un pronostic variable et à une réponse habituellement médiocre à la chimiothérapie. Dans ce contexte, des altérations moléculaires ont été identifiées et représentent de nouvelles cibles thérapeutiques : surexpression du récepteur 2 du facteur de croissance épidermique humain (HER2) et des récepteurs aux androgènes dans le cancer des canaux salivaires, mutations activatrices de NOTCH dans le carcinome adénoïde kystique, fusion de gène NTRK dans le carcinome sécrétoire notamment. Ces altérations moléculaires doivent être recherchées chez tous les patients présentant un cancer des glandes salivaires récidivant ou métastatique et permettent d'individualiser sa prise en charge.

[Oncology: what's new in 2022]. / Oncologie : ce qui a changé en 2022.

The past year has brought several innovations in medical oncology, opening up promising new options for many solid tumors, both localized and metastatic. Immunotherapy, a real spearhead of emerging therapies in metastatic diseases, is seeing its use extend to adjuvant and neoadjuvant modalities, particularly in colon and lung cancers. 2022 also sees a great deal of focus on targeted therapies, as well as on antibody-drug conjugates, which creates new standards in both breast and lung cancers. Here we present the major advances in solid tumors.

L'année écoulée a apporté son lot d'innovations en oncologie médicale, ouvrant de nouvelles options prometteuses pour bon nombre de tumeurs solides, qu'elles soient localisées ou métastatiques. L'immunothérapie, véritable fer de lance des thérapies émergentes dans les maladies métastatiques, voit son usage s'étendre à des modalités adjuvantes et néoadjuvantes, notamment dans les cancers du côlon et du poumon. 2022 donne également la part belle aux thérapies ciblées mais aussi aux conjuguées anticorps-médicaments qui apportent de nouveaux standards tant pour les cancers du sein que du poumon. Nous vous présentons ici les avancées majeures concernant les tumeurs solides.

[2021 Oncology update]. / Oncologie.

Despite COVID-19 pandemic, which is still deeply affecting world economy and global health, medical oncology specialists keep pursuing their effort for the identification of new therapeutic options to improve patients' life expectancy and quality of life. 2021 confirms the immunotherapy efficacy, alone or in combination with other modalities, across several indications. This year, we are summarizing the new approaches in the following sectors: lung, breast, melanoma, gynecological, digestive, urological and ENT areas.

En dépit de la pandémie de Covid-19 qui continue à grandement impacter l'économie mondiale et la santé, l'oncologie médicale poursuit sa quête d'identification de nouvelles options thérapeutiques ayant pour buts la prolongation de l'espérance de vie et l'amélioration de la qualité de vie de ses patients, en nombre croissant. L'année 2021 confirme également l'efficacité de l'immunothérapie, seule ou en combinaison à d'autres modalités, dans de nombreuses indications. Cette année, nous vous résumons les nouvelles approches dans les domaines suivants: poumon, sein, mélanome, sphères gynécologique, digestive, urologique et ORL.

[2020 oncology update]. / Oncologie.

The COVID-19 pandemic that has swept around the world in early 2020 has changed our daily practice and habits. Fortunately, however, 2020 also brings its share of new approaches and therapeutic combinations as well as new therapies. These advances are improving the outcomes and quality of life of our patients across the spectrum of oncological diseases. This article summarises the latest oncological advances and novelties for 2020 in the following tumor entities : lung, breast, digestive, gynecological, urological and ENT.

La pandémie de Covid-19 survenue début 2020 dans le monde entier aura bouleversé notre pratique quotidienne et nos habitudes. Heureusement, sur le plan thérapeutique, l'année 2020 apporte également son lot de nouvelles approches et combinaisons thérapeutiques ainsi que l'introduction de nouvelles molécules, permettant d'améliorer le pronostic vital et la qualité de vie de nos patients, dans de nombreux domaines. Cet article résume les dernières avancées et nouveautés oncologiques de l'année 2020 dans les domaines suivants : poumon, sein, sphère digestive, gynécologique, urologique et ORL.

[Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma : new therapeutic approaches]. / Carcinome anaplasique de la thyroïde : nouvelles approches thérapeutiques.

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is among the most aggressive cancers with a median overall survival of 4 months and a disease-specific mortality of close to 100%. As soon as the diagnosis is suspected or established, urgent referral to an experienced multidisciplinary center is imperative. Chemotherapy has limited efficacy. Molecular analyses, together with the availability of novel targeted therapies and immunotherapies, now permit to improve outcomes. In particular, targeted therapy with dabrafenib and trametinib is indicated as first-line therapy for BRAF V600E-mutated ATC.

Le cancer anaplasique de la thyroïde (CAT) compte parmi les cancers les plus agressifs avec une survie médiane de 4 mois et une mortalité spécifique à la maladie proche de 100 %. Dès que le diagnostic est suspecté ou établi, une orientation urgente vers un centre multidisciplinaire expérimenté est essentielle. La chimiothérapie a une efficacité limitée. Les analyses moléculaires, ainsi que la disponibilité de nouvelles thérapies ciblées et d'immunothérapies, permettent désormais d'améliorer les résultats. En particulier, le CAT avec mutation BRAF V600E bénéficie d'une combinaison de thérapies ciblées par dabrafénib et tramétinib en traitement de première ligne.

Prognostic 18F-FDG PET biomarkers in metastatic mucosal and cutaneous melanoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting PD-1 and CTLA-4.

PURPOSE: To compare the prognostic value of imaging biomarkers derived from a quantitative analysis of baseline 18F-FDG-PET/CT in patients with mucosal melanoma (Muc-M) or cutaneous melanoma (Cut-M) treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). METHODS: In this retrospective monocentric study, we included 56 patients with non-resectable Muc-M (n = 24) or Cut-M (n = 32) who underwent baseline 18F-FDG-PET/CT before treatment with ICIs between 2011 and 2017. Parameters were extracted from (i) tumoral tissues: SUVmax, SUVmean, TMTV (total metabolic tumor volume), and TLG (total lesion glycolysis) and (ii) lymphoid tissues: BLR (bone marrow-to-liver SUVmax ratio) and SLR (spleen-to-liver SUVmax ratio). Association with survival and response was evaluated using Cox prediction models, Student's t tests, and Spearman's correlation respectively. p < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Majority of ICIs were anti-PD1 (92.9%, n = 52/56). All 18F-FDG-PET/CT were positive. Overall (Muc-M to Cut-M), ORR was 33%:42%, DCR was 56%:69%, median follow-up was 25.0:28.9 months, median PFS was 4.7:10.7 months, and median OS was 23.9:28.3 months. In Muc-M, increased tumor SUVmax was associated with shorter OS while it was not correlated with PFS, ORR, or DCR. In Cut-M, increased TMTV and increased BLR were independently associated with shorter OS, shorter PFS, and lower response (ORR, DCR). CONCLUSION: While all Muc-M and Cut-M were FDG avid, prognostic imaging biomarkers differed. For Muc-M patients treated with ICI, the only prognostic imaging biomarker was a high baseline maximal glycolytic activity (SUVmax), whereas for Cut-M patients, baseline metabolic tumor burden or bone marrow metabolism was negatively correlated to ICI response duration.

Evaluation of the efficacy of immunotherapy for non-resectable mucosal melanoma.

BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint inhibitors are now standard-of-care treatments for metastatic cutaneous melanoma. However, for rare sub-groups, such as mucosal melanomas, few published data are available, and with no established therapeutic guidelines. Our objective was to assess the response to anti-CTLA4 and anti-PD1 immunotherapy in patients with mucosal melanomas. METHODS: We performed a single-center, prospective cohort analysis of patients with non-surgical locally advanced and/or metastatic mucosal melanoma receiving anti-CTLA4 and/or anti-PD1 immunotherapy from 2010 to 2016. RESULTS: Forty-four patients were enrolled, including 18 (40.9%) with head and neck, 12 (27.3%) with vulvo-vaginal and 14 (31.8%) with ano-rectal primary tumours. Eleven (25%) patients had stage 3 disease, and 11 (25%) had distant metastases. The first-line immunotherapy was ipilimumab in 24 patients and pembrolizumab in 20. The objective response rate (ORR) was 8.2% (one complete response) for ipilimumab and 35% (four complete responses) for pembrolizumab. No significant difference was observed for primary tumour location. The median follow-up was 24 months (range 4-73). The median progression-free survival (PFS) in the first-line ipilimumab and pembrolizumab groups was 3 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.5-4.6] and 5 months (95% CI 2.6-33.1), respectively (p = 0.0147). CONCLUSION: In the patients with unresectable and/or metastatic mucosal melanoma, we found ORR and PFS rates comparable to those in patients with cutaneous melanoma, with no significant differences in the types of mucosal surfaces involved. Anti-PD1 therapy has a more favorable benefit-risk ratio than ipilimumab and should be used preferentially.

Immunotherapies and Future Combination Strategies for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is often diagnosed at an advanced stage and has a dismal prognosis. Nearly 10 years after the approval of cetuximab, anti-PD1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors are the first drugs that have shown any survival benefit for the treatment on platinum-refractory recurrent/metastatic (R/M) HNSCC. Furthermore, checkpoint inhibitors are better tolerated than chemotherapy. The state of the art in the treatment of R/M HNSCC is changing, thanks to improved results for checkpoint inhibitors. Results for these treatments are also awaited in curative settings and for locally advanced HNSCC. Unfortunately, the response rate of immunotherapy is low. Therefore, the identification of predictive biomarkers of response and resistance to anti-PD1/PD-L1 is a key point for better selecting patients that would benefit the most from immunotherapy. Furthermore, the combination of checkpoint inhibitors with various agents is being currently evaluated to improve the response rate, prolong response duration, and even increase the chances for a cure. In this review, we summarize the most important results regarding immune targeting agents for HNSCC, predictive biomarkers for resistance to immune therapies, and future perspectives.

The effect of ovarian stimulation on the outcome of intrauterine insemination.

PURPOSE: Although intrauterine insemination is one of the oldest techniques in reproductive medicine, its significance is still controversially discussed. Many factors have been reported as influencing pregnancy rates after IUI. The aim of this retrospective analysis is to evaluate the success rate of repeated inseminations depending on the type of ovarian stimulation. METHODS: Patients who underwent intrauterine insemination in Wiesbaden Kinderwunschzentrum between 1998 and 2010, not older than 45 years of age, with male subfertility were included in this study. On the whole, 5,346 inseminations on 2,180 patients were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Females' mean age was 34.1, ranging from 19-45 years. In 433 cycles an insemination was performed during a natural cycle. 4,020 cycles were stimulated with recombinant FSH, 596 cycles with clomiphene, 194 with urinary FSH, 103 with HMG. The pregnancy rates range from 7.4% in the clomiphene group to 14.4% in the urinary FSH group. Clomiphene stimulation seems to offer the significantly lowest pregnancy rate (p = 0.03). The other types of stimulation do not differ significantly from each other concerning the pregnancy rate. Patients under 39 years of age do not profit from any ovarian stimulation. In 40 and more years of old patients, pregnancy rates are higher, if any stimulation was performed. CONCLUSION: To sum up, clomiphene stimulation showed to offer significantly lower pregnancy rates in comparison to the natural cycle, FSH stimulation and HMG stimulation in IUI treatment. While women younger than 40 seem not to profit from any ovarian stimulation, women over 40 do profit.

Safety and Efficacy of Bevacizumab in Cancer Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

BACKGROUND: The safety of bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and digestive and nondigestive cancers is poorly documented. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated patient records of all adult cancer patients with IBD at our institution from April 2007 to May 2016 with an update in November 2019. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients with a history of IBD (Crohn's disease, n = 22; ulcerative colitis, n = 5) who were treated with bevacizumab and chemotherapy for metastatic solid tumors were identified. At the time of advanced cancer diagnosis, 18 patients had quiescent IBD, whereas 9 patients had moderately active IBD. Among those with moderately active IBD, five had received corticosteroids less than six months prior to cancer diagnosis and one had received infliximab. The treated cancers were colorectal cancer (n = 13), small bowel cancer (n = 4), non-small cell lung cancer (n = 3), breast cancer (n = 3), and other cancers (n = 4). Patients received bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy and/or as maintenance for a median of 6.7 months. Grade 2 or higher bevacizumab-related complications were proteinuria in two patients and hypertension, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and intestinal perforation in one patient each. No clinical IBD flares were observed during bevacizumab treatment. CONCLUSION: Bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy is safe in cancer patients with moderately active or quiescent IBD.

Nanobodies targeting ABCC3 for immunotargeted applications in glioblastoma.

The cancer "omics" reveal many clinically relevant alterations that are transforming the molecular characterization of glioblastomas. However, many of these findings are not yet translated into clinical practice due, in part, to the lack of non-invasive biomarkers and the limitations imposed by the blood-brain barrier. Nanobodies, camelid single-domain antibody fragments, emerge as a promising tool for immunotargeted applications for diagnosing and treating glioblastomas. Performing agnostic bioinformatic analysis from glioblastoma patient datasets, we identified ATP Binding Cassette subfamily C member 3 (ABCC3) as a suitable target for immunotargeted applications. The expression of ABCC3 is associated with poor survival and impaired response to temozolomide. Importantly, high expression of ABCC3 is restricted to glioblastoma, with negligible levels in healthy brain tissue, and further correlates with tumor grade and stemness markers. We identified three immunogenic epitopes of ABCC3 which were used to isolate nanobodies from a glioblastoma-specific phage-display nanobody library. Two nanobodies targeting ABCC3 (NbA42 and NbA213) were further characterized and demonstrated in vivo selective recognition of ABCC3 in glioblastoma xenograft mouse models upon systemic administration. We designate NbA42 and NbA213 as new candidates to implement immunotargeted applications guiding a more personalized and precise diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of glioblastoma patients.

Adjuvant systemic treatment for high-risk resected non-cutaneous melanomas: What is the evidence?

Non-cutaneous melanomas (mucosal, uveal, leptomeningeal, unknown primaries) represent around 5-10 % of all melanoma diagnoses. Non-cutaneous melanomas demonstrate differences in tumour biology, generally present with more advanced stages and have an overall poorer prognosis compared to skin melanomas. The cornerstone of their treatment is surgery followed by radiotherapy in some cases. Unfortunately, in many of these patients their melanoma will recur. Adjuvant therapy for non-cutaneous melanomas remains controversial. To date, almost all of the tested adjuvant agents have failed to demonstrate any benefit; the two randomised positive trials were criticized for methodological reasons, small sample size and conflicting results. The aim of this review is to assess the current evidence on systemic adjuvant treatments for high-risk resected non-cutaneous melanomas. We also provide a summary table with the currently recruiting clinical trials in these settings and we discuss some strategies to improve trial design in this particularly niche area of oncology.

So-Called Serous Carcinoma of the Uterine Cervix with BRCA2 Mutation: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Serous carcinoma of the uterine cervix (SCUC) is now believed to be a morphological variant of an HPV-associated endocervical adenocarcinoma or a metastasis from a serous carcinoma of the upper tract. In terms of mutational status as detected by next-generation sequencing (NGS), this controversial entity has not been characterized yet. We describe the case of a patient with a carcinoma categorized as stage IVB SCUC, initially treated with carboplatin, paclitaxel, and bevacizumab, followed by maintenance with bevacizumab. After locoregional progression, radiotherapy was administered. Unfortunately, further progression was observed, and carboplatin was resumed. Considering the presence of a BRCA2 mutation as detected by NGS, treatment with a PARP inhibitor (olaparib) was decided and allowed disease control for 6 months. We believe that BRCA mutation may be systematically searched in patients suffering from carcinomas formerly referred to as SCUC and that targeted treatments should be considered.

Diagnosis of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma by Immuno-Positron Emission Tomography.

Diagnosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) by current imaging techniques is useful and widely used in the clinic but presents several limitations and challenges, especially in small lesions that frequently cause radiological tumors infra-staging, false-positive diagnosis of metastatic tumor recurrence, and common occult micro-metastatic disease. The revolution in cancer multi-"omics" and bioinformatics has uncovered clinically relevant alterations in PDAC that still need to be integrated into patients' clinical management, urging the development of non-invasive imaging techniques against principal biomarkers to assess and incorporate this information into the clinical practice. "Immuno-PET" merges the high target selectivity and specificity of antibodies and engineered fragments toward a given tumor cell surface marker with the high spatial resolution, sensitivity, and quantitative capabilities of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging techniques. In this review, we detail and provide examples of the clinical limitations of current imaging techniques for diagnosing PDAC. Furthermore, we define the different components of immuno-PET and summarize the existing applications of this technique in PDAC. The development of novel immuno-PET methods will make it possible to conduct the non-invasive diagnosis and monitoring of patients over time using in vivo, integrated, quantifiable, 3D, whole body immunohistochemistry working like a "virtual biopsy".

Abdominal wall metastases in patients with ovarian cancer after laparoscopic surgery: incidence, risk factors, and complications.

OBJECTIVES: Laparoscopy is the standard procedure to clarify undefined ovarian masses. However, laparoscopy could induce tumor spread in ovarian cancer (OC). The aim of this study was to assess the incidence, the risk factors, and the complications of abdominal wall metastases (AWM) in patients with OC after laparoscopy. METHODS: Retrospective study of patients with primary diagnosis of OC who had laparoscopy before cytoreductive surgery and resected port sites in laparotomy between 1999 and 2008 at our institution. Patients with borderline or nonepithelial ovarian tumors were excluded. RESULTS: Of 537 patients with a first diagnosis of OC, 101 had laparoscopy before definitive operation after a median of 31 days. Histological examination at final cytoreductive surgery of the port sites was conducted in 66 patients, whereas 31 patients (47%) showed AWM. Patients experiencing AWM had higher tumor stages and peritoneal carcinomatosis. Ascites with more than 500 mL was a further independent risk factor for AWM (odds ratio: 7.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.5-35.8; P = 0.016). Abdominal wall metastasis did not impact on survival in our cohort; however, affected patients showed significant larger abdominal wall resections (mean [SD]): 41.0 (angled brace 13.1) cm versus 9.1 (angled brace 1.4) cm in comparison with patients without AWM (P = 0.013), and 2 patients developed abdominal wall recurrences. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of AWM in patients experiencing OC was considerably high when laparoscopic surgery was conducted before cytoreductive surgery. Patients experiencing AWM seem to have more surgical burden. However, our series did not show a dramatic impact of AWM on long-term outcome. Patients with highly suspected advanced OC and ascites with more than 500 mL should be referred directly to a gynecologic oncologist who is able to balance risks of laparoscopic staging and direct cytoreductive surgery.

Compliance to consensus recommendations, surgeon's experience, and introduction of a quality assurance and management program: influence on therapy of early-stage ovarian carcinoma.

State-of-the-art surgical staging and adjuvant chemotherapy in early-stage ovarian carcinoma have an impact on patient's outcome, but compliance to guidelines and consensus recommendations is still poor. This article reports on our results before and after introduction of a quality assurance and management program in our clinic in 2001. Patients with ovarian carcinoma limited to the pelvis who underwent primary surgery in our hospital from 1997 to October 2007 were eligible for this study. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the impact of compliance with our management program and physician's experience in ovarian carcinoma surgery on achieving both standards of surgery and chemotherapy. In a total of 117 women, a significant impact on adherence to guideline-defined comprehensive surgical staging was found for poor Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (odds ratio [OR], 22.16; confidence interval [CI] 3.2-152.0; P = 0.002) and year of surgery before 2001 (OR, 47.60; CI, 9.20-245.22; P < 0.001). Tumor grading less than G3 (OR, 4.14; CI, 1.20-14.22; P = 0.02) was a statistically significant predictor for receiving standard adjuvant chemotherapy. Survival analyses showed a trend toward improved survival for patients having received guideline-adopted therapy, but event numbers were too low for adequate analyses. The introduction of a quality assurance program for treatment of ovarian carcinoma represents a major improvement of patient care. It led to a higher compliance with consensus recommendations and showed already a trend toward improved outcome. Further outcome research should focus on methods for implementation of guidelines in daily practice in institutions caring for patients with ovarian carcinoma.

Carboplatin hypersensitivity: does introduction of skin test and desensitization reliably predict and avoid the problem? A prospective single-center study.

BACKGROUND: Carboplatinum-based retreatment can be regarded as a standard option in the so-called platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer, but its use can be limited by the occurrence of sometimes severe hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs). This study analyzes the value of carboplatin skin testing and desensitization. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 2004 and 2006, all patients with carboplatin reinduction chemotherapy received an intradermal injection of 0.2 microL of carboplatin and saline as negative control before chemotherapy. Carboplatin was administered in the standard way if the test was negative. If positive, carboplatin was administered after an already published desensitization protocol. RESULTS: Fifty-four patients received retreatment with carboplatinum and were submitted to skin test. Seven patients (13%) had positive skin test, whereas 4 patients developed HSRs although they had negative skin test (8.5% false-negative rate). Skin test predicted HSRs in only 64% of the afflicted patients. Desensitization was performed in all patients with positive skin test, and 5 (71%) of 7 could receive 3 to 11 further carboplatinum courses. Repeated HSRs occurred in 2 of 7 patients despite desensitization; however, none of the HSRs after desensitization were severe. CONCLUSIONS: Skin test did not reliably predict carboplatinum-induced HSR, but desensitization was demonstrated to be a rather successful strategy. Taking the low predictive value into account, we started another prospective series of administering antiallergic medication to all patients with carboplatinum retreatment and offer desensitization if any HSR occurs.

Impact of treatment guidelines and implementation of a quality assurance program on quality of care in endometrial cancer.

BACKGROUND: The treatment guidelines in the last decade have shown a trend towards increasing surgical radicality in endometrial cancer. Little information is available on the implementation of standards into clinical reality. We evaluated the adherence to standard therapy before and after introduction of an internal quality management system and determined the reasons for non-adherence. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the inhouse tumor registry was performed. Included were all patients with Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) I-III endometrial cancer and therapy at the Dr. Horst Schmidt Klinik (HSK) from 1997 to 2007. RESULTS: 206 patients with epithelial endometrial cancer in stage FIGO I-III underwent primary surgery at the HSK. 140 (68%) patients were operated as recommended by the guidelines. 20% of patients were operated less radically (17% vs. 22% before and after introduction of guidelines; p = 0.33) and 12% more radically. The latter was significantly reduced after implementation of quality management (21% vs. 7%; p = 0.004). Comorbidities and age played an important role in less-than-standard treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Adherence to guideline-based therapy for endometrial cancer can be achieved in most patients. Implementation of standards and quality assurance primarily helps to avoid surgical overtreatment but failed to reduce less-than-standard treatment radicality. The latter seemed to be more defined by patient characteristics than by institution standards.

Fertility After Ovarian Cystectomy: How Does Surgery Affect IVF/ICSI Outcomes?

Introduction For patients considering undergoing assisted reproductive techniques (ART), many concerns arise when persistent ovarian cysts are found. This large study aimed to determine how ovarian cyst removal affects success rates of IVF/ICSI therapies. Methods 550 patients who underwent an IVF/ICSI treatment between 2002 and 2011 with a persistent ovarian cyst ≤ 5 cm before treatment were analyzed retrospectively. 328 patients' preference was to undergo a laparoscopic cystectomy and 222 patients opted for a conservative management. Control subjects included 13 552 patients undergoing IVF/ICSI at the same period of time without an ovarian cyst. Results After adjusting for age, patients with ovarian cysts without surgery needed a significant higher stimulation dose than the control group (2576.4 vs. 2207.5 IU, p < 0.001). However, on average, they had 1.13 (- 0.25 - 2.01) higher oocyte number retrieved compared to the operated patients (9.0 ± 5.5 vs. 8.2 ± 5.0) (p = 0.012). Patients after surgical cyst removal had a significant lower number of oocytes retrieved (MNOR) in comparison to the control group (8.2 ± 5.0 vs. 9.5 ± 5.4) (p = 0.00). Compared to controls, operated patients had similar clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) (34.2 vs. 33.5%) OR 1.031 (95% CI 0.817 - 1.302) (p = 0.815). Compared to controls, patients without surgery showed significant lower pregnancy rate (34.2 vs. 25,7%) OR 1.428 (95% CI 1.054 - 1.936) (p = 0.002) and lower live birth rate (LBR) (21.9 vs. 13.5%) OR 1.685 (95% CI 1.143 - 2.485) (p = 0.008). Conclusions Ovarian cystectomy did not negatively impact the pregnancy rate or the live birth rate compared to controls.

Cisplatin Eligibility Issues and Alternative Regimens in Locoregionally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer: Recommendations for Clinical Practice.

Well-designed randomized trials provide the highest level of scientific evidence to guide clinical decision making. In chemoradiotherapy of locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN), data support the use of three cycles of 100 mg/m2 cisplatin given every 3 weeks concurrently with conventionally fractionated external beam radiotherapy, although a full compliance with all three cycles is reserved to only about two thirds of initially eligible cases. On an individual patient level, practicing oncologists have to determine whether the patient is a suitable candidate for this treatment or whether contraindications exist. In the latter case, an adequate alternative has to be offered. In this regard, to facilitate triaging of medical information, we reviewed available publications on this topic and prepared practice-oriented recommendations for systemic treatment concurrent to definitive and post-operative radiotherapy. Even if no contraindications for the standard-of-care cisplatin apply, clinicians may opt for alternative regimens by adjusting the peak dose, cumulative dose, or timing of cisplatin. Relative contraindications pose the major issue in clinical practice, as very limited data is available in the literature and final decisions are usually based on an expert opinion or retrospective cohort studies. In the case of absolute interdiction of cisplatin, several alternative regimens incorporating carboplatin, 5-fluorouracil, cetuximab, and docetaxel are available. At the same time, it should be kept in mind that radiotherapy alone represents a viable option with hyperfractionation being particularly beneficial in the definitive management of limited nodal disease. Ideally, all treatment propositions should be discussed within multidisciplinary tumor boards taking into account the patient- and disease-related characteristics as well as local logistics and reimbursement policies.