Rapidly evolving pelvic lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) mimicking bilateral hydrosalpinx: report of a rare case and literature review.

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) represents a rare neoplasm affecting almost exclusively women of reproductive age. This condition mainly affects the lungs, but extrapulmonary locations such as the pelvis and the retroperitoneum are possible. Clinical evaluation and ultrasound imaging are usually non-specific, and the diagnosis is obtained through surgical excision and histopathological examination. We report a very rare case of abdominal LAM in a young female patient. A thorough literature review of this rare condition with emphasis on gynecologic implications will be presented. The patient was referred for gynecologic consultation due to pelvic pain and infertility. Unfortunately, despite prompt diagnosis and treatment, the course of the disease was severe and led to patient's exitus in a short time. We encountered an extremely rare deadly pathology mimicking a very common gynecologic condition. The gynecologist must always be alert of possible unexpected conditions that will require prompt attention.

Anatomical distribution of sentinel lymph nodes in patients with endometrial cancer: a multicenter study.

OBJECTIVE: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping represents the standard approach in uterine confined endometrial cancer patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anatomical distribution of SLNs and the most frequent locations of nodal metastasis. METHODS: This was an observational retrospective multicenter study involving eight high volume gynecologic cancer centers in Italy. We reviewed 1576 patients with a histologically confirmed diagnosis of endometrial cancer from September 2015 to June 2020. All patients underwent total hysterectomy with salpingo-ophorectomy and SLN mapping. RESULTS: A total of 3105 SLNs were mapped and removed, 2809 (90.5%) of these were bilateral and 296 (9.5%) unilateral. The overall detection rate was 93.4% (77.9% bilateral and 15.5% unilateral). The majority of SLNs (80%) and positive SLNs (77.8%) were found at the external iliac and obturator level in both endometrioid and non-endometrioid endometrial cancer. Negative SLNs were more frequent in patients with endometrioid compared with non-endometrioid cancer (91.9% vs 86.1%, p<0.0001). Older patients, a higher body mass index, and non-endometrioid histology were more likely to have 'no mapping' (p<0.0001). Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that higher body mass index and age at surgery were independent predictive factors of empty node packet and fat tissue (p=0.029 and p<0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: The most frequent sites of SLNs and metastases were located in the pelvic area below the iliac vessel bifurcation. Our findings showed that older age, a higher body mass index, and non-endometrioid histology had a negative impact on mapping.

Adjuvant chemotherapy vs. observation in stage I clear cell ovarian carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The role of adjuvant chemotherapy in surgically staged stage I clear cell ovarian cancer (OCCC) is unclear. Here, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis in order to evaluate the role of chemotherapy vs. observation in stage I OCCC. This systematic review was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; ID: #129628). A protocol was defined prior to the search include the population criteria, description of interventions, comparisons, and the outcomes of interest, according to the PRIMA guidelines. Overall, the study population included 5073 women. Stage I OCCC experienced a 5-year disease-free survival and a 5-year overall survival of 83.7% and 86.9%, respectively. Pooled data suggested that in the overall population adjuvant chemotherapy did not impact on 5-year disease free survival (test for overall effect, Z = 0.18; p = 0.86) and 5-year overall survival (test for overall effect, Z = 0.62; p = 0.53). Focusing on 2264 stage IC OCCC we observed that adjuvant correlated with an improvement in overall survival (OR: 0.70 (95%CI: 0.52 to 0.93); Z = 2.44; p = 0.01). In conclusion our study underlines that adjuvant chemotherapy could be reserved for patients with stage IC OCCC; while in stage IA and IB it could be safely omitted. Owing to the inherent biases of the studies included in the meta-analysis further prospective evidences are needed.

Lynch syndrome-related non-endometrioid endometrial cancer: analysis of outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Women with Lynch syndrome have a risk up to 40-60% of developing endometrial cancer, which is higher than their risk of developing colorectal or ovarian cancer. To date, no data on the outcomes of patients with Lynch syndrome diagnosed with non-endometrioid endometrial cancer are available. The goal of this study was to evaluate the outcome of patients with Lynch syndrome diagnosed with non-endometrioid endometrial cancer. METHODS: Data from consecutive patients diagnosed with Lynch syndrome and with a histological diagnosis of non-endometrioid endometrial cancer were retrospectively collected in two referral institutes in Italy. A case-control comparison (applying a propensity matching algorithm) was performed in order to compare patients with proven Lynch syndrome and controls. Inclusion criteria were: (a) histologically-proven endometrial cancer; (b) detection of a germline pathogenic variant in one of the MMR genes; (c) adequate follow-up. Only carriers of pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants (ie, class 5 and 4 according to the InSiGHT classification) were included in the study. Survival outcomes were assessed using KaplanMeier and Cox models. RESULTS: Overall, 137 patients with Lynch syndrome were collected. Mean patient age was 49.2 (10.9) years. Genes involved in the Lynch syndrome included MLH1, MSH2, and MSH6 in 43%, 39%, and 18% of cases, respectively. The study population included 27 patients with non-endometrioid endometrial cancer, who were matched 1:2 with patients with sporadic cancers using a propensity matching algorithm. After a median follow-up of 134 months (range 1-295), 2 (7.4%) of the 27 patients developed recurrent disease (3 and 36 months) and subsequently died of disease (7 and 91 months). Patients diagnosed with Lynch syndrome experienced better disease-free survival (HR 7.86 (95% CI 1.79 to 34.5); p=0.006) and overall survival (HR 5.33 (95% CI 1.18 to 23.9); p=0.029) than controls. CONCLUSIONS: Non-endometrioid endometrial cancer occurring in patients with Lynch syndrome might be associated with improved oncologic outcomes compared with controls. Genetic/molecular profiling should be investigated in order to better understand the mechanism underlying the prognosis.

Sentinel node mapping vs. lymphadenectomy in endometrial cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Sentinel node mapping is increasingly being utilized for endometrial cancer staging. However, only limited evidence supporting the adoption of sentinel node mapping instead of conventional lymphadenectomy is still available. Here, we aimed to review the current evidence comparing sentinel node mapping and lymphadenectomy in endometrial cancer staging. This systematic review was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews. Six comparative studies were included. Overall, 3536 patients were included: 1249 (35.3%) and 2287 (64.7%), undergoing sentinel node mapping and lymphadenectomy, respectively. Pooled data suggested that positive pelvic nodes were detected in 184 out of 1249 (14.7%) patients having sentinel node mapping and 228 out of 2287 (9.9%) patients having lymphadenectomy (OR: 2.03; (95%CI: 1.30 to 3.18); p = 0.002). No difference in detection of positive nodes located in the paraaortic was observed (OR: 93 (95%CI: 0.39 to 2.18); p = 0.86). Overall recurrence rate was 4.3% and 7.3% after sentinel node mapping and lymphadenectomy, respectively (OR: 0.90 (95%CI: 0.58 to 1.38); p = 0.63). Similarly, nodal recurrences were statistically similar between groups (1.2% vs. 1.7%; OR: 1.51 (95%CI: 0.70 to 3.29); p = 0.29). In conclusion, our meta-analysis underlines that sentinel node mapping is non-inferior to standard lymphadenectomy in term of detection of paraaortic nodal involvement and recurrence rates (any site and nodal recurrence); while, focusing on the ability to detect positive pelvic nodes, sentinel node mapping could be consider superior to lymphadenectomy. Further randomized studies are needed to asses long term effectiveness of sentinel node mapping.

Long-term results of fertility-sparing treatment for early-stage cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the long-term outcomes of young early stage cervical cancer patients wishing to preserve their childbearing potential. METHODS: Data of young (aged <40 years) patients with early stage cervical cancer were prospectively collected. All patients with stage IA2, IB1 and IB2 cervical cancer were included; they have cervical conization and pelvic node dissection performed via minimally invasive surgery. Survival outcomes were assessed with the Kaplan-Meier model. RESULTS: Overall, 32 patients met the inclusion criteria. Mean (SD) age of the population included was 33 (±4). According to the FIGO 2018 staging system, the stage of disease was IA2, IB1 and IB2 in 9 (28%), 21 (66%) and 2 (6%) cases, respectively. All patients included had cervical conization and laparoscopic pelvic node assessment, including systematic pelvic lymphadenectomy (N = 30, 94%) and sentinel node mapping (N = 2, 6%). In six (19%) patients the planned conservative treatment was discontinued. Median follow-up was 75 (range, 12-184) months. No recurrent disease was diagnosed among patients undergoing conservative treatment; while 2 out of 6 patients having definitive surgical or radiotherapy treatments developed recurrent disease. Five-year disease free and overall survivals were 94% and 97%, respectively. Considering reproductive outcomes, 11 (69%) out of 16 patients who attempted to conceive got pregnant. CONCLUSIONS: Cervical conization and pelvic nodes assessment could be considered a valid treatment modality for early-stage cervical cancer patients who are wishing to preserve their childbearing potential.

Burden of lymphatic disease predicts efficacy of adjuvant radiation and chemotherapy in FIGO 2018 stage IIICp cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Nodal involvement is one of the most important prognostic factors in cervical cancer patients. We aimed to assess the prognostic role in relation to the burden of nodal disease in stage IIICp cervical cancer. METHODS: Data on all consecutive patients diagnosed with cervical cancer undergoing primary surgery (radical hysterectomy plus lymphadenectomy) or neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical hysterectomy plus lymphadenectomy, between January 1980 and December 2017, were collected in a dedicated database. Exclusion criteria were: (1) consent withdrawal; (2) synchronous malignancies (within 5 years). Survival outcomes were assessed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox models. RESULTS: Overall, 177 (14.1%) of 1257 patients with cervical cancer were diagnosed with positive lymph nodes. After a median follow-up of 58 (range 4-175) months, 66 (37.3%) and 37 (20.9%) patients developed recurrent disease and died of disease, respectively. Via multivariate analysis, positive para-aortic nodes (HR 2.62, 95% CI 1.12 to 6.11; p=0.025) and the number of positive nodes (HR 1.06, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.11; p=0.002) correlated with worse disease-free survival. Furthermore, the number of positive nodes (HR 1.06, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.12; p=0.021) correlated with worse overall survival. Number of positive nodes (1, 2 or ≥3) strongly correlated with both disease-free survival (p<0.001, log-rank test) and overall survival (p=0.001, log-rank test). Focusing on patients receiving adjuvant radiation and chemotherapy, the number of positive lymph nodes was associated with response to treatment (p<0.001). Median disease-free survival was 100, 42, and 12 months for patients with one, two, or three or more positive lymph node(s), respectively (p<0.001, log-rank test). CONCLUSIONS: In stage IIICp cervical cancer, adjuvant radiation and chemotherapy provides adequate overall survival in patients diagnosed with only one metastatic node, while survival outcomes are poor in patients with two or more metastatic nodes. This highlights the need for innovative treatments in patients with a high burden of lymphatic disease.

Air pollutants and ovarian reserve: a systematic review of the evidence.

Background: Growing evidence indicates an association between ambient air pollution and decreased human reproductive potential. This study aims to systematically review the association between air pollutants and female ovarian reserve. Methods: The literature was searched in six electronic databases through June 2024. Screening the 136 articles retrieved for inclusion criteria resulted in the selection of 15 human observational studies that evaluated the effect of environmental pollutants on ovarian reserve markers. The study protocol was registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO, registration code: CRD42023474218). Results: The study design of the selected studies was found to be cross-sectional (2 of 15), retrospective cohort (10 of 15), prospective cohort (2 of 15), and case-control (1 of 15). The study population was distributed as follows: Asians (53%, eight studies), Americans (33%, five studies), and Europeans (14%, two studies). The main findings showed a higher body of evidence for the environmental pollutants PM2.5, PM10, and NO2, while a low body of evidence for PM1, O3, SO2, and a very low body of evidence for benzene, formaldehyde, and benzo(a)pyrene, yet consistently showing significant inverse association data. The overall methodological quality of the selected studies was rated moderated across the 14 domains of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) toolkit. Conclusion: The data suggest that increased exposure to air pollutants seems to be associated with reduced ovarian reserve, with the most substantial evidence for pollutants such as PM2.5, PM10, and NO2. However, more evidence is needed to draw conclusions about causality.

Pregnancy related cancer in Apulia. A population based linkage study.

OBJECTIVE: Despite a quite large number of papers in literature, the current incidence of pregnancy associated cancer still remains uncertain. Moreover, different inclusion criteria and time intervals considered after delivery make these data poorly comparable. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of PACs in Apulia, an Italian region, while stressing differences or similarities with other populations. STUDY DESIGN: We collected 682,173 pregnancies from national discharge forms, regarding hospitals in Apulia from January 2003 to December 2015. Our aim was not only to obtain the raw incidence of PACs but also to estimate the odds ratio (OR) for some potential risk predictors such as calendar year, age, nationality and pregnancy outcome using a logistic model. Women were sorted into different groups by age (<30, 30-34, 35-39, >=40) and by nationality (Italian or foreign nationals). Each pregnancy had two possible outcomes: delivery or abortion. RESULTS: We achieved a final cohort of 867 PACs: therefore, the raw incidence is 127.1 per 100,000 pregnancies. Breast cancer was the most common cancer (37.7 cases per 100,000 pregnancies) and as a typical feature in our population thyroid cancers followed it by incidence (22.3 per 100,000 pregnancies). Cervical cancer is, as expected, the first gynaecological cancer by incidence(3.8 per 100,000). Younger women have the lowest risk for PACs (64.5 per 100,000, OR = 1) while the highest risk for PACs was for women aged >=40 years (OR = 4.29, p < 0.05). Considering calendar years, we observed an increased OR from 2006 to 2009 (OR = 1.39 and OR = 1.41 respectively) without spotting a trend throughout the whole decade. CONCLUSIONS: The ranking of each tumour by incidence more or less reflects its demographics in reproductive age females in western countries and the incidence for any cancer is expected to grow as the rate of first deliveries in older women continues to rise. We reported noticeable differences regarding the incidence of some cancers (such as thyroid cancer) with previous literature, reflecting an epidemiologic feature of our cohort. Women older than 40 years have a more than fourfold risk for oncologic diagnosis during pregnancy, and this finding is of pivotal clinical and social importance because of the tendency of women living in developed countries to postpone childbearing.

RECIST 1.1 criteria predict recurrence-free survival in advanced ovarian cancer submitted to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus interval debulking surgery is growing treatment strategy for advanced ovarian cancer patients with unresectable disease. Here, we aimed to assess predictors of surgical unresectability and survival of patients submitted to neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus interval debulking surgery. METHODS: Data of consecutive 193 patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus interval debulking surgery were retrospectively evaluated in four Italian oncologic centers. RECIST 1.1 guidelines were used to assess response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Survival outcomes were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazard models. RESULTS: Overall, 155 (80.3%) and 38 (19.7%) patients had optimal and non-optimal cytoreduction at the time of interval debulking surgery. Via multivariate analysis, age (OR: 2.87 (95%CI: 1.29, 6.36) per 10-year increase) and radiological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (OR: 48.1 (95%CI: 6.33, 365.3)) impact on the inability to perform a complete cytoreduction. Patients having complete or partial response experienced a significant better disease-free survival than patients having stable or progressive disease at radiological examination (median disease-free survival 16.8 vs. 11.0 months; HR: 0.42 (95%CI: 0.09, 0.78); p = .001). Radiological response did not predict for overall survival (p = .719). CONCLUSIONS: RECIST1.1 response criteria might be helpful to predict surgical resectability and disease-free survival of advanced stage ovarian cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus interval debulking surgery.

BRCAmut and "founder effect": a prospective study in a single academic institution.

INTRODUCTION: About 25% of ovarian cancers can be classified as hereditary. Of these, 80-90% are correleted with the Hereditary Breast-Ovarian Cancer Syndrome (HBOC), which is linked to BRCA 1/2 genes mutations. Our study was set up to study the BRCA-mutation incidence in Apulian population affected with ovarian cancer and to understand the characteristics of the ovarian disease BRCAmut-related. RESULTS: One hundred and five Apulian patients affected by ovarian cancer with serous high grade histotype, were collected. Of these, 39% were carriers of BRCA 1/2 mutation. BRCAmut patients present a lower median age of onset, a lower percentage of neoplasms in advanced stages and a lower mortality than wild type patients; BRCA-mutated patients have longer mean values of Progression Free Survival (PFS) and Overall Survival (OS). CONCLUSIONS: Apulia is a geographical area with a significant BRCA-mutation incidence variation in the population affected by ovarian cancer. BRCAmut-related ovarian disease is characterized by an earlier median age of onset, an earlier diagnosis and a better outcome than the sporadic disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From July 2015 to October 2017, all ovarian cancer patients with serous high grade histotype referred to our Institution were prospectly collected. A BRCA-mutation genetic testing after counselling was offered to all of these patients. Clinical characteristics of all ovarian cancer patients were evaluated. Survival curves were estimated by Kaplan-Meier method and compared with log-rank test.