Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with or without nintedanib for advanced epithelial ovarian cancer: Lessons from the GINECO double-blind randomized phase II CHIVA trial.

AIM: The oral anti-angiogenic therapy nintedanib prolongs progression-free survival (PFS) when combined with chemotherapy after primary surgery for advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. The randomized phase II CHIVA trial evaluated the impact of combining nintedanib with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for epithelial ovarian cancer. METHODS: Patients with newly diagnosed unresectable FIGO stage IIIC-IV epithelial ovarian cancer received 3-4 cycles of carboplatin plus paclitaxel every 3 weeks as NACT before interval debulking surgery (IDS), followed by 2-3 post-operative cycles. Patients were randomized 2:1 to receive either nintedanib 200 mg twice daily or placebo on days 2-21 every 3 weeks during NACT (omitting peri-operative cycles), and then as maintenance therapy for up to 2 years. The primary endpoint was PFS. RESULTS: Between January 2013 and May 2015, 188 patients were randomized (124 to nintedanib, 64 to placebo). PFS was significantly inferior with nintedanib (median 14.4 versus 16.8 months with placebo; hazard ratio 1.50, p = 0.02). Overall survival (OS) was also inferior (median 37.7 versus 44.1 months, respectively; hazard ratio 1.54, p = 0.054). Nintedanib was associated with increased toxicity (grade 3/4 adverse events: 92% versus 69%, predominantly hematologic and gastrointestinal), lower response rate by RECIST (35% versus 56% before IDS), and lower IDS feasibility (58% versus 77%) versus placebo. CONCLUSIONS: Adding nintedanib to chemotherapy and in maintenance as part of NACT for advanced epithelial ovarian cancer cannot be recommended as it increases toxicity and compromises chemotherapy efficacy (IDS, PFS, OS). CLINICALTRIALS: govregistration: NCT01583322.

The promising prognostic value of vagal nerve activity at the initial management of ovarian cancer.

Objective: Identifying new modifiable prognostic markers is important for ovarian cancer (OC). Low parasympathic activity is associated with inflammation, oxidative stress and sympathetic nervous system activation. Previous studies reported that low vagal nerve activity, measured by low heart rate variability (HRV), may predict poor cancer prognosis. We aimed to examine the prognostic value of HRV in OC. Methods: This bicentric retrospective study included patients diagnosed with serous OC FIGO stage ≥IIB, between January 2015 and August 2019, with electrocardiograms (ECG) available around diagnosis. HRV was measured from ECG using the time domain parameter of standard deviation of all normal-to-normal heartbeat intervals (SDNN). Optimal SDNN cut-off was determined using the Youden index criteria of time-dependent ROC curves. We used multivariate cox proportional hazard models to investigate the association between HRV and overall survival (OS), while adjusting for well-known OC prognostic factors. Results: The 202 patients included were 65.7 years-old on average, 93% had stage FIGO IIIC/IV, 56% had complete surgical resection. Median OS was 38.6 months [95%CI:34.4-47.4]. The median SDNN was 11.1ms, with an optimal cut-off of 10ms to predict OS. OS was shorter for patients with low HRV compared to high HRV (26.4 vs 45.1 months; p<0.001). In multivariate analysis, HRV remained an independent prognostic factor with a two-fold higher risk of death among patients with low SDNN compared to those with high SDNN (HR=2.03, 95%CI=1.35-3.06, p<0.001). Conclusion: Low HRV, was associated with worse OS in OC patients, supporting previous studies on the prognostic role of HRV in cancer. If replicated in prospective studies, vagal nerve activity may be a new therapeutic target in OC.

Prognostic impact of tumor size reduction assessed by magnetic resonance imaging after radiochemotherapy in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer.

Objective: Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a key exam used for the initial assessment of loco-regional involvement of cervical cancer. In patients with locally advanced cervical cancer, MRI is used to evaluate the early response to radiochemotherapy before image-guided brachytherapy, the prognostic impact of which we aimed to study. Methods: Patients with locally advanced cervical cancer treated using concomitant radiochemotherapy followed by closure treatment between January 2010 and December 2015 were included in this study. Clinical, anatomopathological, radiological, therapeutic, and follow-up data were evaluated. Results: After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria to the initially chosen 310 patients, 232 were included for evaluation (median follow-up period, 5.3 years). The median age was 50 years (range, 25-83 years), and the median tumor size was 47.5 mm (range, 0-105 mm). Based on the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics classification system, 9 patients were in stage IB2; 20, IB3; 2, IIA; 63, IIB; 4, IIIA; 7, IIIB; and 127, IIIC1 or higher. The re-evaluation MRI was performed at the median dose of 55.5 Gy, and median reduction in tumor size was 55.2% (range, -20-100%). There was a difference between the disease-free and overall survival rates of the patients with a tumor response greater or lesser than 50%. The risk of recurrence or death reduced by 39% in patients with a tumor size reduction >50%. The overall 5-year survival rate of patients with a response greater and lesser than 50% were 77.7% and 61.5%, respectively. The 5-year disease-free survival rate for these two groups of patients were 68.8% and 51.5%, respectively. Conclusion: Our study confirms the prognostic impact of tumor size reduction using MRI data obtained after radiochemotherapy in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer.

Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TILs) in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: Heterogeneity, Prognostic Impact, and Relationship with Immune Checkpoints.

Epithelial ovarian cancers (EOC) are often diagnosed at an advanced stage with carcinomatosis and a poor prognosis. First-line treatment is based on a chemotherapy regimen combining a platinum-based drug and a taxane-based drug along with surgery. More than half of the patients will have concern about a recurrence. To improve the outcomes, new therapeutics are needed, and diverse strategies, such as immunotherapy, are currently being tested in EOC. To better understand the global immune contexture in EOC, several studies have been performed to decipher the landscape of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). CD8+ TILs are usually considered effective antitumor immune effectors that immune checkpoint inhibitors can potentially activate to reject tumor cells. To synthesize the knowledge of TILs in EOC, we conducted a review of studies published in MEDLINE or EMBASE in the last 10 years according to the PRISMA guidelines. The description and role of TILs in EOC prognosis are reviewed from the published data. The links between TILs, DNA repair deficiency, and ICs have been studied. Finally, this review describes the role of TILs in future immunotherapy for EOC.

Primary or Interval Debulking Surgery in Advanced Ovarian Cancer: a Personalized Decision-a Literature Review.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Summarize the writings published in the last 5 years on the management of surgery in the first line of treatment for advanced ovarian cancer. RECENT FINDINGS: For patients with a significant tumor burden, the neoadjuvant chemotherapy therapy (NACT) with interval debulking surgery (IDS) strategy shows comparable efficacy than primary debulking surgery (PDS) in terms of survival in randomized studies with less morbidity. Advanced epithelial ovarian cancer generates more than half cases a recurrence. First-line treatment is based on a chemotherapy regimen combining a platinum-based and a taxane-based, associated with surgery. This review considers papers of last 5 years of timing, thinking tools, and innovation in the management. The choice of strategy, PDS or IDS, would be a personalized recommendation. The challenge is to adapt the timing of the surgery to the patient's characteristics and that of her disease.

16 Months Follow Up of Patients' Behavior and Mild COVID-19 Patterns in a Large Cohort of Cancer Patients During the Pandemic.

Background: Acute severe forms of COVID-19 infection are more likely in cancer patients and growing attention has been given to the persistent symptoms of the disease after severe COVID-19. However, mild illness is the dominant clinical presentation of COVID-19 infection. To investigate patients' behavior and the short- and longer-term pattern of the disease in cancer patients with mild COVID infection, a longitudinal online survey was conducted for 16 months during the pandemic in a large cohort of cancer patients from a French COVID-19 hot spot. An online questionnaire was administered at three time points between the first wave of the pandemic in France and the fourth wave. The questionnaire was completed by 1415 to 2224 patients, which queried patients' demographics, their behavior, and COVID infection patterns. Seventy percent of the patients were female, and 40% had a comorbid condition. More than one-third of the participants had breast cancer, and half were survivors. The rate of infection was 30% during wave 1 and 10% in wave 4; most patients had a mild COVID-19 infection. Twenty-five percent of infected patients during wave 4 did not seek medical advice. At wave 4, 87% of the patients received at least one dose of vaccine. Systematic compliance to shielding measures decreased over time. The short-term pattern of mild COVID changed between wave 1 and wave 4. Twenty-two percent of infected patients experienced persistent signs for more than 6 months with a negative impact on sleep, social behavior, and increased consumption of stress-relieving drugs. Our results showed a high prevalence of long-lasting symptoms in cancer patients with mild COVID-19 infection and inadequate behavior toward the disease and prevention measures among patients.

Prognostic Impact of Stromal Immune Infiltration before and after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy (NAC) in Triple Negative Inflammatory Breast Cancers (TNIBC) Treated with Dose-Dense Dose-Intense NAC.

Inflammatory breast cancers are very aggressive, and among them, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) has the worst prognosis. While many studies have investigated the association between tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) before neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and outcome in TNBC, the impact of post-NAC TIL and TIL variation in triple negative inflammatory breast cancer (TNIBC) outcome is unknown. Between January 2010 to December 2018, all patients with TNIBC seen at the breast disease unit (Saint-Louis Hospital) were treated with dose-dense dose-intense NAC. The main objective of the study was to determine factors associated with event-free survival (EFS), particularly pathological complete response (pCR), pre- and post-NAC TIL, delta TIL and post-NAC lymphovascular invasion (LVI). After univariate analysis, post-NAC LVI (HR 2.06; CI 1.13-3.74; p = 0.02), high post-NAC TIL (HR 1.81; CI 1.07-3.06; p = 0.03) and positive delta TIL (HR 2.20; CI 1.36-3.52; p = 0.001) were significantly associated with impaired EFS. After multivariate analysis, only a positive TIL variation remained negatively associated with EFS (HR 1.88; CI 1.05-3.35; p = 0.01). TNIBC patients treated with intensive NAC who present TIL enrichment after NAC have a high risk of relapse, which could be used as a prognostic marker in TNIBC and could help to choose adjuvant post-NAC treatment.

Gynecologic symptoms and the influence on reproductive life in 386 women with hypermobility type ehlers-danlos syndrome: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS), is probably the most common disease among heritable connective tissue disorders. It affects women more than men and causes symptoms in multiple organs. It is associated with chronic pain, skin fragility and abnormal bleeding. These characteristics may hamper reproductive life. We conducted a study to evaluate the gynecologic and obstetric outcomes in women with hEDS. We also explored a possible hormonal modulation of the hEDS symptoms. The gynecologic and obstetric history of 386 consecutive women diagnosed with hEDS was collected by a standardized questionnaire and a medical consultation performed by a senior gynecologist in an expert centre for hEDS between May 2012 and December 2014. RESULTS: We observed a high frequency of gynecologic complaints, specifically: menorrhagia (76 %), dysmenorrhea (72 %) and dyspareunia (43 %). Endometriosis was not highly prevalent in this population. The obstetric outcomes were similar to those of the general French population for deliveries by cesarean section (14.6 %) and premature births (6.2 %) but the incidence of multiple spontaneous abortion (13 %) and spontaneous abortion (28 %) were significantly higher. A subset of women were sensitive to hormonal fluctuations with more severe symptoms occurring during puberty, prior to menstruation, during the postpartum period as well as on oral contraception. CONCLUSIONS: Increased awareness of the gynecological symptomatology in women with hEDS can help discriminate between endometriosis and thus prevent useless, and potentially dangerous, surgery. This study also suggests that hormonal modulation may be an appropriate treatment for a subset of women with hEDS.