Prognostic impact and causality of age on oncological outcomes in women with endometrial cancer: a multimethod analysis of the randomised PORTEC-1, PORTEC-2, and PORTEC-3 trials.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have shown that older women with endometrial cancer have a higher risk of recurrence and cancer-related death. However, it remains unclear whether older age is a causal prognostic factor, or whether other risk factors become increasingly common with age. We aimed to address this question with a unique multimethod study design using state-of-the-art statistical and causal inference techniques on datasets of three large, randomised trials. METHODS: In this multimethod analysis, data from 1801 women participating in the randomised PORTEC-1, PORTEC-2, and PORTEC-3 trials were used for statistical analyses and causal inference. The cohort included 714 patients with intermediate-risk endometrial cancer, 427 patients with high-intermediate risk endometrial cancer, and 660 patients with high-risk endometrial cancer. Associations of age with clinicopathological and molecular features were analysed using non-parametric tests. Multivariable competing risk analyses were performed to determine the independent prognostic value of age. To analyse age as a causal prognostic variable, a deep learning causal inference model called AutoCI was used. FINDINGS: Median follow-up as estimated using the reversed Kaplan-Meier method was 12·3 years (95% CI 11·9-12·6) for PORTEC-1, 10·5 years (10·2-10·7) for PORTEC-2, and 6·1 years (5·9-6·3) for PORTEC-3. Both overall recurrence and endometrial cancer-specific death significantly increased with age. Moreover, older women had a higher frequency of deep myometrial invasion, serous tumour histology, and p53-abnormal tumours. Age was an independent risk factor for both overall recurrence (hazard ratio [HR] 1·02 per year, 95% CI 1·01-1·04; p=0·0012) and endometrial cancer-specific death (HR 1·03 per year, 1·01-1·05; p=0·0012) and was identified as a significant causal variable. INTERPRETATION: This study showed that advanced age was associated with more aggressive tumour features in women with endometrial cancer, and was independently and causally related to worse oncological outcomes. Therefore, our findings suggest that older women with endometrial cancer should not be excluded from diagnostic assessments, molecular testing, and adjuvant therapy based on their age alone. FUNDING: None.

Efficacy of a nurse-led sexual rehabilitation intervention for women with gynaecological cancers receiving radiotherapy: results of a randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: The multicentre randomised SPARC trial evaluated the efficacy of a nurse-led sexual rehabilitation intervention on sexual functioning, distress, dilator use, and vaginal symptoms after radiotherapy for gynaecological cancers. METHODS: Eligible women were randomised to the rehabilitation intervention or care-as-usual. Four intervention sessions were scheduled over 12 months, with concurrent validated questionnaires and clinical assessments. Primary outcome was the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). A generalised-mixed-effects model compared groups over time. RESULTS: In total, 229 women were included (n = 112 intervention; n = 117 care-as-usual). No differences in FSFI total scores were found between groups at any timepoint (P = 0.37), with 12-month scores of 22.57 (intervention) versus 21.76 (care-as-usual). The intervention did not significantly improve dilator use, reduce sexual distress or vaginal symptoms compared to care-as-usual. At 12 months, both groups had minimal physician-reported vaginal stenosis; 70% of women were sexually active and reported no or mild vaginal symptoms. After radiotherapy and brachytherapy, 85% (intervention) versus 75% (care-as-usual) of participants reported dilation twice weekly. DISCUSSION: Sexual rehabilitation for women treated with combined (chemo)radiotherapy and brachytherapy improved before and during the SPARC trial, which likely contributed to comparable study groups. Best practice involves a sexual rehabilitation appointment 1 month post-radiotherapy, including patient information, with dilator guidance, preferably by a trained nurse, and follow-up during the first year after treatment. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03611517.

Molecular and Clinicopathologic Characterization of Mismatch Repair-Deficient Endometrial Carcinoma Not Related to MLH1 Promoter Hypermethylation.

Universal tumor screening in endometrial carcinoma (EC) is increasingly adopted to identify individuals at risk of Lynch syndrome (LS). These cases involve mismatch repair-deficient (MMRd) EC without MLH1 promoter hypermethylation (PHM). LS is confirmed through the identification of germline MMR pathogenic variants (PV). In cases where these are not detected, emerging evidence highlights the significance of double-somatic MMR gene alterations as a sporadic cause of MMRd, alongside POLE/POLD1 exonuclease domain (EDM) PV leading to secondary MMR PV. Our understanding of the incidence of different MMRd EC origins not related to MLH1-PHM, their associations with clinicopathologic characteristics, and the prognostic implications remains limited. In a combined analysis of the PORTEC-1, -2, and -3 trials (n = 1254), 84 MMRd EC not related to MLH1-PHM were identified that successfully underwent paired tumor-normal tissue next-generation sequencing of the MMR and POLE/POLD1 genes. Among these, 37% were LS associated (LS-MMRd EC), 38% were due to double-somatic hits (DS-MMRd EC), and 25% remained unexplained. LS-MMRd EC exhibited higher rates of MSH6 (52% vs 19%) or PMS2 loss (29% vs 3%) than DS-MMRd EC, and exclusively showed MMR-deficient gland foci. DS-MMRd EC had higher rates of combined MSH2/MSH6 loss (47% vs 16%), loss of >2 MMR proteins (16% vs 3%), and somatic POLE-EDM PV (25% vs 3%) than LS-MMRd EC. Clinicopathologic characteristics, including age at tumor onset and prognosis, did not differ among the various groups. Our study validates the use of paired tumor-normal next-generation sequencing to identify definitive sporadic causes in MMRd EC unrelated to MLH1-PHM. MMR immunohistochemistry and POLE-EDM mutation status can aid in the differentiation between LS-MMRd EC and DS-MMRd EC. These findings emphasize the need for integrating tumor sequencing into LS diagnostics, along with clear interpretation guidelines, to improve clinical management. Although not impacting prognosis, confirmation of DS-MMRd EC may release patients and relatives from burdensome LS surveillance.

Defining Substantial Lymphovascular Space Invasion in Endometrial Cancer.

Lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) occurs in a minority of endometrial cancer (EC) cases, and the extent of LVSI is an important risk factor for recurrence and/or metastases. Our aim was to improve the reproducibility of measuring clinically meaningful LVSI by performing a quantitative analysis of the correlation between LVSI and the risk of pelvic lymph node recurrence in EC. EC samples from PORTEC-1 and PORTEC-2 trials were retrieved and used to collect quantitative data, including the number of LVSI-positive vessels per H&E-stained slide. Using a predefined threshold for clinical relevance, the risk of pelvic lymph node recurrence risk was calculated (Kaplan-Meier method, with Cox regression) using a stepwise adjustment for the number of LVSI-positive vessels. This analysis was then repeated in the Danish Gynecological Cancer Database (DGCD) cohort. Among patients in PORTEC-1 and PORTEC-2 trials who did not receive external beam radiotherapy, the 5-yr pelvic lymph node recurrence risk was 3.3%, 6.7% (P=0.51), and 26.3% (P<0.001), respectively when 0, 1 to 3, or ≥4 vessels had LVSI involvement; similar results were obtained for the DGCD cohort. Furthermore, both the average number of tumor cells in the largest embolus and the number of LVSI-positive H&E slides differed significantly between focal LVSI and substantial LVSI. On the basis of these results, we propose a numeric threshold (≥4 LVSI-involved vessels in at least one H&E slide) for defining clinically relevant LVSI in EC, thereby adding supportive data to the semiquantitative approach. This will help guide gynecologic pathologists to differentiate between focal and substantial LVSI, especially in borderline cases.

Development of a Management Algorithm for Acute and Chronic Radiation Urethritis and Cystitis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this review was to summarize the current literature on the assessment and treatment of radiation urethritis and cystitis (RUC) for the development of an evidenced-based management algorithm. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The PubMed/MEDLINE database was searched by a multidisciplinary group of experts in January 2021. RESULTS: In total, 48 publications were identified. Three different types of RUC can be observed in clinical practice: inflammation-predominant, bleeding-predominant, and the combination of inflammation- and bleeding-RUC. There is no consensus on the optimal treatment of RUC. Inflammation-predominant RUC should be treated symptomatically based on the existence of bothersome storage or voiding lower urinary tract symptom as well as on pain. When bleeding-predominant RUC has occurred, hydration and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HOT) should be used first and, if HOT is not available, oral drugs instead (sodium pentosane polysulfate, aminocaproic acid, immunokine WF 10, conjugated estrogene, or pentoxifylline + vitamin E). If local bleeding persists, focal therapy of bleeding vessels with a laser or electrocoagulation is indicated. In case of generalized bleeding, intravesical installation should be initiated (formalin, aluminium salts, and hyaluronic acid/chondroitin). Vessel embolization is a less invasive treatment with potentially less complications and good clinical outcomes. Open- or robot-assisted surgery is indicated in patients with permanent, life-threatening bleeding, or fistulae. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of RUC, if not self-limiting, should be done according to the type of RUC and in a stepwise approach. Conservative/medical treatment (oral and topic agents) should primarily be used before invasive (transurethral) treatments.

Phase II study of definitive chemoradiation for locally advanced squamous cell cancer of the vulva: An efficacy study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate feasibility of chemoradiation as alternative for extensive surgery in patients with locally advanced vulvar cancer and to report on locoregional control, toxicity and survival. METHODS: In a multicenter, prospective phase II trial patients with locally advanced vulvar cancer were treated with locoregional radiotherapy combined with sensitizing chemotherapy (capecitabine). Treatment feasibility, percentage locoregional control, survival and toxicity were evaluated. RESULTS: 52 patients with mainly T2/T3 disease were treated according to the study protocol in 10 centers in the Netherlands from 2007 to 2019. Full dose radiotherapy (tumor dose of 64.8Gy) was delivered in 92% and full dose capecitabine in 69% of patients. Most prevalent acute ≥ grade 3 toxicities were regarding skin/mucosa and pain (54% and 37%). Late ≥grade 3 toxicity was reported for skin/mucosa (10%), fibrosis (4%), GI incontinence (4%) and stress fracture or osteoradionecrosis (4%). Twelve weeks after treatment, local clinical complete response (cCR) and regional control (RC) rates were 62% and 75%, respectively. After 2 years, local cCR persisted in 22 patients (42%) and RC was 58%. Thirty patients (58%) had no evidence of disease at end of follow-up (median 35 months). In 9 patients (17%) extensive surgery with stoma formation was needed. Progression free survival was 58%, 51% and 45% and overall survival was 76%, 66%, 52% at 1,2, and 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: Definitive capecitabine-based chemoradiation as alternative for extensive surgery is feasible in locally advanced vulvar cancer and results in considerable locoregional control with acceptable survival rates with manageable acute and late toxicity.

Patients' and clinicians' preferences in adjuvant treatment for high-risk endometrial cancer: Implications for shared decision making.

BACKGROUND: Decision making regarding adjuvant therapy for high-risk endometrial cancer is complex. The aim of this study was to determine patients' and clinicians' minimally desired survival benefit to choose chemoradiotherapy over radiotherapy alone. Moreover, influencing factors and importance of positive and negative treatment effects (i.e. attribute) were investigated. METHODS: Patients with high-risk endometrial cancer treated with adjuvant pelvic radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy and multidisciplinary gynaecologic oncology clinicians completed a trade-off questionnaire based on PORTEC-3 trial data. RESULTS: In total, 171 patients and 63 clinicians completed the questionnaire. Median minimally desired benefit to make chemoradiotherapy worthwhile was significantly higher for patients versus clinicians (10% vs 5%, p = 0.02). Both patients and clinicians rated survival benefit most important during decision making, followed by long-term symptoms. Older patients (OR 0.92 [95%CI 0.87-0.97]; p = 0.003) with comorbidity (OR 0.34 [95% CI 0.12-0.89]; p = 0.035) had lower preference for chemoradiotherapy, while patients with better numeracy skills (OR 1.2 [95%CI 1.05-1.36], p = 0.011) and chemoradiotherapy history (OR 25.0 [95%CI 8.8-91.7]; p < 0.001) had higher preference for chemoradiotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: There is a considerable difference in minimally desired survival benefit of chemoradiotherapy in high-risk endometrial cancer among and between patients and clinicians. Overall, endometrial cancer patients needed higher benefits than clinicians before preferring chemoradiotherapy.

PORTEC-4a: international randomized trial of molecular profile-based adjuvant treatment for women with high-intermediate risk endometrial cancer.

BACKGROUND: Vaginal brachytherapy is currently recommended as adjuvant treatment in patients with high-intermediate risk endometrial cancer to maximize local control and has only mild side effects and no or limited impact on quality of life. However, there is still considerable overtreatment and also some undertreatment, which may be reduced by tailoring adjuvant treatment to the patients' risk of recurrence based on molecular tumor characteristics. PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: To compare the rates of vaginal recurrence in women with high-intermediate risk endometrial cancer, treated after surgery with molecular-integrated risk profile-based recommendations for either observation, vaginal brachytherapy or external pelvic beam radiotherapy or with standard adjuvant vaginal brachytherapy STUDY HYPOTHESIS: Adjuvant treatment based on a molecular-integrated risk profile provides similar local control and recurrence-free survival as current standard adjuvant brachytherapy in patients with high-intermediate risk endometrial cancer, while sparing many patients the morbidity of adjuvant treatment and reducing healthcare costs. TRIAL DESIGN: A multicenter, international phase III randomized trial (2:1) of molecular-integrated risk profile-based adjuvant treatment (experimental arm) or adjuvant vaginal brachytherapy (standard arm). MAJOR INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Women aged 18 years and over with a histological diagnosis of high-intermediate risk endometrioid endometrial cancer after total abdominal or laparoscopic hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. High-intermediate risk factors are defined as: (i) International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IA (with invasion) and grade 3; (ii) stage IB grade 1 or 2 with age ≥60 and/or lymph-vascular space invasion; (iii) stage IB, grade 3 without lymph-vascular space invasion; or (iv) stage II (microscopic and grade 1). ENDPOINTS: The primary endpoint is vaginal recurrence. Secondary endpoints are recurrence-free and overall survival; pelvic and distant recurrence; 5-year vaginal control (including treatment for relapse); adverse events and patient-reported symptoms and quality of life; and endometrial cancer-related healthcare costs. SAMPLE SIZE: 500 eligible and evaluable patients. ESTIMATED DATES FOR COMPLETING ACCRUAL AND PRESENTING RESULTS: Estimated date for completing accrual will be late 2021. Estimated date for presentation of (first) results is expected in 2023. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03469674) and ISRCTN (11659025).

Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy versus radiotherapy alone for women with high-risk endometrial cancer (PORTEC-3): final results of an international, open-label, multicentre, randomised, phase 3 trial.

BACKGROUND: Although women with endometrial cancer generally have a favourable prognosis, those with high-risk disease features are at increased risk of recurrence. The PORTEC-3 trial was initiated to investigate the benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy during and after radiotherapy (chemoradiotherapy) versus pelvic radiotherapy alone for women with high-risk endometrial cancer. METHODS: PORTEC-3 was an open-label, international, randomised, phase 3 trial involving 103 centres in six clinical trials collaborating in the Gynaecological Cancer Intergroup. Eligible women had high-risk endometrial cancer with FIGO 2009 stage I, endometrioid-type grade 3 with deep myometrial invasion or lymph-vascular space invasion (or both), endometrioid-type stage II or III, or stage I to III with serous or clear cell histology. Women were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive radiotherapy alone (48·6 Gy in 1·8 Gy fractions given on 5 days per week) or radiotherapy and chemotherapy (consisting of two cycles of cisplatin 50 mg/m2 given during radiotherapy, followed by four cycles of carboplatin AUC5 and paclitaxel 175 mg/m2) using a biased-coin minimisation procedure with stratification for participating centre, lymphadenectomy, stage of cancer, and histological type. The co-primary endpoints were overall survival and failure-free survival. We used the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, and Cox regression analysis for final analysis by intention to treat and adjusted for stratification factors. The study was closed on Dec 20, 2013, after achieving complete accrual; follow-up is ongoing. PORTEC-3 is registered with ISRCTN, number ISRCTN14387080, and ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00411138. RESULTS: 686 women were enrolled between Nov 23, 2006, and Dec 20, 2013. 660 eligible patients were included in the final analysis, of whom 330 were assigned to chemoradiotherapy and 330 were assigned to radiotherapy. Median follow-up was 60·2 months (IQR 48·1-73·1). 5-year overall survival was 81·8% (95% CI 77·5-86·2) with chemoradiotherapy versus 76·7% (72·1-81·6) with radiotherapy (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0·76, 95% CI 0·54-1·06; p=0·11); 5-year failure-free survival was 75·5% (95% CI 70·3-79·9) versus 68·6% (63·1-73·4; HR 0·71, 95% CI 0·53-0·95; p=0·022). Grade 3 or worse adverse events during treatment occurred in 198 (60%) of 330 who received chemoradiotherapy versus 41 (12%) of 330 patients who received radiotherapy (p<0·0001). Neuropathy (grade 2 or worse) persisted significantly more often after chemoradiotherapy than after radiotherapy (20 [8%] women vs one [1%] at 3 years; p<0·0001). Most deaths were due to endometrial cancer; in four patients (two in each group), the cause of death was uncertain. One death in the radiotherapy group was due to either disease progression or late treatment complications; three deaths (two in the chemoradiotherapy group and one in the radiotherapy group) were due to either intercurrent disease or late treatment-related toxicity. INTERPRETATION: Adjuvant chemotherapy given during and after radiotherapy for high-risk endometrial cancer did not improve 5-year overall survival, although it did increase failure-free survival. Women with high-risk endometrial cancer should be individually counselled about this combined treatment. Continued follow-up is needed to evaluate long-term survival. FUNDING: Dutch Cancer Society, Cancer Research UK, National Health and Medical Research Council Project Grant and Cancer Australia, L'Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco, and Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute.

Implantation of a biodegradable rectum balloon implant: tips, Tricks and Pitfalls.

INTRODUCTION: A rectum balloon implant (RBI) is a new device to spare rectal structures during prostate cancer radiotherapy. The theoretical advantages of a RBI are to reduce the high radiation dose to the anterior rectum wall, the possibility of a post-implant correction, and their predetermined shape with consequent predictable position. OBJECTIVE: To describe, step-by-step, our mini-invasive technique for hands-free transperineal implantation of a RBI before start of radiotherapy treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We provide step-by-step instructions for optimization of the transperineal implantation procedure performed by urologists and/or radiation oncologists experienced with prostate brachytherapy and the use of the real-time bi-plane transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) probe. A RBI was performed in 15 patients with localised prostate cancer. Perioperative side-effects were reported. RESULTS: We provide 'tips and tricks' for optimizing the procedure and proper positioning of the RBI. Please watch the animation, see video in https://vimeo.com/205852376/789df4fae4. The side-effects included mild discomfort to slight pain at the perineal region in 8 out of 15 patients. Seven patients (47%) had no complaints at all. Two patients developed redness of the skin, where prompt antibiotic regimen was started with no further sequelae. One patient revealed a temporary urine retention, which resolved in a few hours following conservative treatment. Further no perioperative complications occurred. CONCLUSION: This paper describes in detail the implantation procedure for an RBI. It is a feasible, safe and very well-tolerated procedure.

A unified strategy to focal brachytherapy incorporating transperineal biopsy, image fusion, and real-time implantation with and without rectal spacer simulated in prostate phantoms.

Purpose: To develop an approach to the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer using one platform for fusion biopsy, followed by focal gland ablation utilizing permanent prostate brachytherapy with and without a rectal spacer. Material and methods: Prostate phantoms containing multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) regions of interest (ROI) underwent fusion biopsy, followed by image co-registration of positive sites to a treatment planning brachytherapy program. A partial hemi-ablation and both posterior lobes using a Mick applicator and linked stranded seeds were simulated. Dummy sources were modeled as iodine-125 (125I) with a prescribed dose of at least 210 Gy to gross tumor (GTV) and clinical target volume (CTV), as defined by mpMRI visible ROI and surrounding negative biopsy sites. Computer tomograms (CT) were performed post-implant prior to and after rectal spacer insertion. Different prostate and rectal constraints were compared with and without the spacer. Results: The intra-operative focal volumes of CTV ranged from 6.2 to 14.9 cc (mean, 11.3 cc), and the ratio of focal volume/whole prostate volume ranged between 0.19 and 0.42 (mean, 0.31). The intra- and post-operative mean focal D90 of GTV, CTV, and for the entire prostate gland was 265 Gy and 235 Gy, 214 Gy and 213 Gy, and 66.1 Gy and 57 Gy, respectively. On average, 13 mm separation was achieved between the prostate and the rectum (range, 12-14 mm) on post-operative CT. The mean doses in Gy to 2 cc of the rectum (D2cc) without spacer vs. with spacer were 39.8 Gy vs. 32.6 Gy, respectively. Conclusions: Doses above 200 Gy and the implantation of seeds in clinically significant region for focal therapy in phantoms are feasible. All rectal dosimetric parameters improved for the spacer implants, as compared with the non-spacer implants. Further validation of this concept is warranted in clinical trials.

Prediction of recurrence risk in endometrial cancer with multimodal deep learning.

Predicting distant recurrence of endometrial cancer (EC) is crucial for personalized adjuvant treatment. The current gold standard of combined pathological and molecular profiling is costly, hampering implementation. Here we developed HECTOR (histopathology-based endometrial cancer tailored outcome risk), a multimodal deep learning prognostic model using hematoxylin and eosin-stained, whole-slide images and tumor stage as input, on 2,072 patients from eight EC cohorts including the PORTEC-1/-2/-3 randomized trials. HECTOR demonstrated C-indices in internal (n = 353) and two external (n = 160 and n = 151) test sets of 0.789, 0.828 and 0.815, respectively, outperforming the current gold standard, and identified patients with markedly different outcomes (10-year distant recurrence-free probabilities of 97.0%, 77.7% and 58.1% for HECTOR low-, intermediate- and high-risk groups, respectively, by Kaplan-Meier analysis). HECTOR also predicted adjuvant chemotherapy benefit better than current methods. Morphological and genomic feature extraction identified correlates of HECTOR risk groups, some with therapeutic potential. HECTOR improves on the current gold standard and may help delivery of personalized treatment in EC.

Treatment verification in high dose rate brachytherapy using a realistic 3D printed head phantom and an imaging panel.

PURPOSE: Even though High Dose Rate (HDR) brachytherapy has good treatment outcomes in different treatment sites, treatment verification is far from widely implemented because of a lack of easily available solutions. Previously it has been shown that an imaging panel (IP) near the patient can be used to determine treatment parameters such as the dwell time and source positions in a single material pelvic phantom. In this study we will use a heterogeneous head phantom to test this IP approach, and simulate common treatment errors to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the error-detecting capabilities of the IP. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A heterogeneous head-phantom consisting of soft tissue and bone equivalent materials was 3D-printed to simulate a base of tongue treatment. An High Dose Rate treatment plan with 3 different catheters was used to simulate a treatment delivery, using dwell times ranging from 0.3 s to 4 s and inter-dwell distances of 2 mm. The IP was used to measure dwell times, positions and detect simulated errors. Measured dwell times and positions were used to calculate the delivered dose. RESULTS: Dwell times could be determined within 0.1 s. Source positions were measured with submillimeter accuracy in the plane of the IP, and average distance accuracy of 1.7 mm in three dimensions. All simulated treatment errors (catheter swap, catheter shift, afterloader errors) were detected. Dose calculations show slightly different distributions with the measured dwell positions and dwell times (gamma pass rate for 1 mm/1% of 96.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Using an IP, it was possible to verify the treatment in a realistic heterogeneous phantom and detect certain treatment errors.

Molecular Classification Predicts Response to Radiotherapy in the Randomized PORTEC-1 and PORTEC-2 Trials for Early-Stage Endometrioid Endometrial Cancer.

PURPOSE: The molecular classification of endometrial cancer (EC) has proven to have prognostic value and is predictive of response to adjuvant chemotherapy. Here, we investigate its predictive value for response to external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and vaginal brachytherapy (VBT) in early-stage endometrioid EC (EEC). METHODS: Data of the randomized PORTEC-1 trial (n = 714) comparing pelvic EBRT with no adjuvant therapy in early-stage intermediate-risk EC and the PORTEC-2 trial (n = 427) comparing VBT with EBRT in early-stage high-intermediate-risk EC were used. Locoregional (including vaginal and pelvic) recurrence-free survival was compared between treatment groups across the four molecular classes using Kaplan-Meier's methodology and log-rank tests. RESULTS: A total of 880 molecularly classified ECs, 484 from PORTEC-1 and 396 from PORTEC-2, were included. The majority were FIGO-2009 stage I EEC (97.2%). The median follow-up was 11.3 years. No locoregional recurrences were observed in EC with a pathogenic mutation of DNA polymerase-ε (POLEmut EC). In mismatch repair-deficient (MMRd) EC, locoregional recurrence-free survival was similar after EBRT (94.2%), VBT (94.2%), and no adjuvant therapy (90.3%; P = .74). In EC with a p53 abnormality (p53abn EC), EBRT (96.9%) had a substantial benefit over VBT (64.3%) and no adjuvant therapy (72.2%; P = .048). In EC with no specific molecular profile (NSMP EC), both EBRT (98.3%) and VBT (96.2%) yielded better locoregional control than no adjuvant therapy (87.7%; P < .0001). CONCLUSION: The molecular classification of EC predicts response to radiotherapy in stage I EEC and may guide adjuvant treatment decisions. Omitting radiotherapy seems to be safe in POLEmut EC. The benefit of radiotherapy seems to be limited in MMRd EC. EBRT yields a significantly better locoregional recurrence-free survival than VBT or no adjuvant therapy in p53abn EC. VBT is the treatment of choice for NSMP EC as it is as effective as EBRT and significantly better than no adjuvant therapy for locoregional tumor control.

QPOLE: A Quick, Simple, and Cheap Alternative for POLE Sequencing in Endometrial Cancer by Multiplex Genotyping Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction.

PURPOSE: Detection of 11 pathogenic variants in the POLE gene in endometrial cancer (EC) is critically important to identify women with a good prognosis and reduce overtreatment. Currently, POLE status is determined by DNA sequencing, which can be expensive, relatively time-consuming, and unavailable in hospitals without specialized equipment and personnel. This may hamper the implementation of POLE-testing in clinical practice. To overcome this, we developed and validated a rapid, low-cost POLE hotspot test by a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay, QPOLE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Primer and fluorescence-labeled 5'-nuclease probe sequences of the 11 established pathogenic POLE mutations were designed. Three assays, QPOLE-frequent for the most common mutations and QPOLE-rare-1 and QPOLE-rare-2 for the rare variants, were developed and optimized using DNA extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor tissues. The simplicity of the design enables POLE status assessment within 4-6 hours after DNA isolation. An interlaboratory external validation study was performed to determine the practical feasibility of this assay. RESULTS: Cutoffs for POLE wild-type, POLE-mutant, equivocal, and failed results were predefined on the basis of a subset of POLE mutants and POLE wild-types for the internal and external validation. For equivocal cases, additional DNA sequencing is recommended. Performance in 282 EC cases, of which 99 were POLE-mutated, demonstrated an overall accuracy of 98.6% (95% CI, 97.2 to 99.9), a sensitivity of 95.2% (95% CI, 90.7 to 99.8), and a specificity of 100%. After DNA sequencing of 8.8% equivocal cases, the final sensitivity and specificity were 96.0% (95% CI, 92.1 to 99.8) and 100%. External validation confirmed feasibility and accuracy. CONCLUSION: QPOLE is a qPCR assay that is a quick, simple, and reliable alternative for DNA sequencing. QPOLE detects all pathogenic variants in the exonuclease domain of the POLE gene. QPOLE will make low-cost POLE-testing available for all women with EC around the globe.

Clinical Behavior and Molecular Landscape of Stage I p53-Abnormal Low-Grade Endometrioid Endometrial Carcinomas.

PURPOSE: The clinical significance of the p53-abnormal (p53abn) molecular subtype in stage I low-grade endometrioid endometrial carcinoma (EEC) is debated. We aimed to review pathologic and molecular characteristics, and outcomes of stage I low-grade p53abn EEC in a large international cohort. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Previously diagnosed stage I p53abn EC (POLE-wild-type, mismatch repair-proficient) low-grade EEC from Canadian retrospective cohorts and PORTEC-1&2 trials were included. Pathology review was performed by six expert gynecologic pathologists blinded to p53 status. IHC profiling, next-generation sequencing, and shallow whole-genome sequencing was performed. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. RESULTS: We identified 55 stage I p53abn low-grade EEC among 3,387 cases (2.5%). On pathology review, 17 cases (31%) were not diagnosed as low-grade EEC by any pathologists, whereas 26 cases (47%) were diagnosed as low-grade EEC by at least three pathologists. The IHC and molecular profile of the latter cases were consistent with low-grade EEC morphology (ER/PR positivity, patchy p16 expression, PIK3CA and PTEN mutations) but they also showed features of p53abn EC (TP53 mutations, many copy-number alterations). These cases had a clinically relevant risk of disease recurrence (5-year recurrence-free survival 77%), with pelvic and/or distant recurrences observed in 12% of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: A subset of p53abn EC is morphologically low-grade EEC and exhibit genomic instability. Even for stage I disease, p53abn low-grade EEC are at substantial risk of disease recurrence. These findings highlight the clinical relevance of universal p53-testing, even in low-grade EEC, to identify women at increased risk of recurrence.

Interpretable deep learning model to predict the molecular classification of endometrial cancer from haematoxylin and eosin-stained whole-slide images: a combined analysis of the PORTEC randomised trials and clinical cohorts.

BACKGROUND: Endometrial cancer can be molecularly classified into POLEmut, mismatch repair deficient (MMRd), p53 abnormal (p53abn), and no specific molecular profile (NSMP) subgroups. We aimed to develop an interpretable deep learning pipeline for whole-slide-image-based prediction of the four molecular classes in endometrial cancer (im4MEC), to identify morpho-molecular correlates, and to refine prognostication. METHODS: This combined analysis included diagnostic haematoxylin and eosin-stained slides and molecular and clinicopathological data from 2028 patients with intermediate-to-high-risk endometrial cancer from the PORTEC-1 (n=466), PORTEC-2 (n=375), and PORTEC-3 (n=393) randomised trials and the TransPORTEC pilot study (n=110), the Medisch Spectrum Twente cohort (n=242), a case series of patients with POLEmut endometrial cancer in the Leiden Endometrial Cancer Repository (n=47), and The Cancer Genome Atlas-Uterine Corpus Endometrial Carcinoma cohort (n=395). PORTEC-3 was held out as an independent test set and a four-fold cross validation was performed. Performance was measured with the macro and class-wise area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Whole-slide images were segmented into tiles of 360 µm resized to 224 × 224 pixels. im4MEC was trained to learn tile-level morphological features with self-supervised learning and to molecularly classify whole-slide images with an attention mechanism. The top 20 tiles with the highest attention scores were reviewed to identify morpho-molecular correlates. Predictions of a nuclear classification deep learning model serve to derive interpretable morphological features. We analysed 5-year recurrence-free survival and explored prognostic refinement by molecular class using the Kaplan-Meier method. FINDINGS: im4MEC attained macro-average AUROCs of 0·874 (95% CI 0·856-0·893) on four-fold cross-validation and 0·876 on the independent test set. The class-wise AUROCs were 0·849 for POLEmut (n=51), 0·844 for MMRd (n=134), 0·883 for NSMP (n=120), and 0·928 for p53abn (n=88). POLEmut and MMRd tiles had a high density of lymphocytes, p53abn tiles had strong nuclear atypia, and the morphology of POLEmut and MMRd endometrial cancer overlapped. im4MEC highlighted a low tumour-to-stroma ratio as a potentially novel characteristic feature of the NSMP class. 5-year recurrence-free survival was significantly different between im4MEC predicted molecular classes in PORTEC-3 (log-rank p<0·0001). The ten patients with aggressive p53abn endometrial cancer that was predicted as MMRd showed inflammatory morphology and appeared to have a better prognosis than patients with correctly predicted p53abn endometrial cancer (p=0·30). The four patients with NSMP endometrial cancer that was predicted as p53abn showed higher nuclear atypia and appeared to have a worse prognosis than patients with correctly predicted NSMP (p=0·13). Patients with MMRd endometrial cancer predicted as POLEmut had an excellent prognosis, as do those with true POLEmut endometrial cancer. INTERPRETATION: We present the first interpretable deep learning model, im4MEC, for haematoxylin and eosin-based prediction of molecular endometrial cancer classification. im4MEC robustly identified morpho-molecular correlates and could enable further prognostic refinement of patients with endometrial cancer. FUNDING: The Hanarth Foundation, the Promedica Foundation, and the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology.

Association of persistent morbidity after radiotherapy with quality of life in locally advanced cervical cancer survivors.

PURPOSE: To quantify the association of persistent morbidity with different aspects of quality of life (QOL) in locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) survivors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Longitudinal outcome from the EMBRACE-I study was evaluated. Patient-reported symptoms and QOL were prospectively scored (EORTC-C30/CX24) at baseline and regular follow-ups. Physician-assessed symptoms were also reported (CTCAEv.3). Persistent symptoms were defined if present in at least half of the follow-ups. QOL items were linearly transformed into a continuous scale. Linear mixed-effects models (LMM) were applied to evaluate and quantify the association of persistent symptoms with QOL. Overall QOL deterioration was evaluated by calculating the integral difference in QOL over time obtained with LMM for patients without and with persistent symptoms. RESULTS: Out of 1416 patients enrolled, 741 with baseline and ≥ 3 late follow-ups were analyzed (median 59 months). Proportions of persistent EORTC symptoms ranged from 21.8 % to 64.9 % (bowel control and tiredness). For CTCAE the range was 11.3-28.6 % (limb edema and fatigue). Presence of any persistent symptom was associated with QOL, although with varying magnitude. Role functioning and Global health/QOL were the most impaired aspects. Fatigue and pain showed large differences, with reductions of around 20 % for most of the QOL aspects. Among organ-related symptoms, abdominal cramps showed the largest effect. CONCLUSION: Persistent symptoms are associated with QOL reductions in LACC survivors. Organ-related symptoms showed smaller differences than general symptoms such as fatigue and pain. In addition to optimizing treatment to minimize organ-related morbidity, effort should be directed towards a more comprehensive and targeted morbidity management.

Improved risk assessment of endometrial cancer by combined analysis of MSI, PI3K-AKT, Wnt/ß-catenin and P53 pathway activation.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate if analysis of genetic alterations in the main pathways involved in endometrioid type carcinogenesis (PI3K-AKT, Wnt/ß-catenin, P53-activation and MSI) improves the current risk assessment based on clinicopathological factors. METHODS: Formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) primary tumor samples of 65 patients with FIGO-stage I endometrioid type endometrial cancer (EEC) were selected from the randomized PORTEC-2 trial. Tumors were stained by immunohistochemistry for P53, PTEN and ß-catenin. Tumor DNA was isolated for sequence analysis of TP53 (exons 4 to 8), hotspot mutation analysis of KRAS (exon 1) and PI3K (exon 9 and 20) and microsatellite-instability (MSI) analysis including MLH1 promotor-methylation status. Univariate and multivariate analyses for disease-free survival (DFS) using Cox regression models were performed. RESULTS: P53 status (HR 6.7, 95%CI 1.75-26.0, p=0.006) and MSI were the strongest single genetic prognostic factors for decreased DFS, while high PI3K-AKT pathway activation showed a trend and ß-catenin was not prognostic. The combination of multiple activated pathways was the most powerful prognostic factor for decreased DFS (HR 5.0; 95%CI 1.59-15.6 p=0.006). Multiple pathway activation, found in 8% of patients, was strongly associated with aggressive clinical course. In contrast, 40% of patients had no alterations in the investigated pathways and had a very low risk of disease progression. CONCLUSIONS: Activation of multiple oncogenic pathways in EEC was the most powerful prognostic factor for decreased DFS, resulting in an individual risk assessment superior to the current approach based on clinicopathological factors.

Dose reduction in LDR brachytherapy by implanted prostate gold fiducial markers.

PURPOSE: The dosimetric impact of gold fiducial markers (FM) implanted prior to external beam radiotherapy of prostate cancer on low dose rate (LDR) brachytherapy seed implants performed in the context of combined therapy was investigated. METHODS: A virtual water phantom was designed containing a single FM. Single and multi source scenarios were investigated by performing Monte Carlo dose calculations, along with the influence of varying orientation and distance of the FM with respect to the sources. Three prostate cancer patients treated with LDR brachytherapy for a recurrence following external beam radiotherapy with implanted FM were studied as surrogate cases to combined therapy. FM and brachytherapy seeds were identified on post implant CT scans and Monte Carlo dose calculations were performed with and without FM. The dosimetric impact of the FM was evaluated by quantifying the amplitude of dose shadows and the volume of cold spots. D(90) was reported based on the post implant CT prostate contour. RESULTS: Large shadows are observed in the single source-FM scenarios. As expected from geometric considerations, the shadows are dependent on source-FM distance and orientation. Large dose reductions are observed at the distal side of FM, while at the proximal side a dose enhancement is observed. In multisource scenarios, the importance of shadows appears mitigated, although FM at the periphery of the seed distribution caused underdosage (