Surgical and Oncological Outcome of Total Laparoscopic Radical Hysterectomy versus Radical Abdominal Hysterectomy in Early Cervical Cancer in Singapore.

INTRODUCTION: The Wertheim's radical abdominal hysterectomy (RAH) has been the traditional surgical approach for operable Stage IB cervical cancer in Singapore whereas total laparoscopic radical hysterectomy (TLRH) was introduced only in 2009. In this study, we aimed to compare the long-term surgical outcome between the two routes of surgery in our center. METHODS: This is a prospective study performed in a single large tertiary institution in Singapore. Inclusion criteria included surgically fit patients with early cervical cancer and no radiological evidence of regional or distant metastases. RESULTS: From November 2009 to December 2014, 51 TLRHs and 85 RAHs were performed. Median blood loss in the TLRH group was significantly lower than in the RAH group (300 vs. 500 mL; P = 0.002) as was median hospital stay (5 vs. 6 days; P = 0.001). Operative time was significantly higher in the TLRH group (262 vs. 228 min; P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in bladder recovery. Intraoperative complications were encountered in 2 (3.9%) TLRH patients and 1 (1.2%) RAH patient. Postoperative complications occurred in 3 (5.9%) TLRH patients and 8 (9.4%) RAH patients. With a median follow-up of 117 (range 1.6-314.6) weeks in the TLRH group and 143.3 (range 0.4-304.7) weeks in the RAH group, 9 (17.6%) TLRH patients and 7 (8.2%) RAH patients had recurrence. There was no significant difference in the overall 3-year survival between the TLRH group and the RAH group for tumor size ≤2 cm (100.0% vs. 97.0%; P = 0.37). However, there was a trend toward lower survival for the TLRH group for tumor size >2 cm (61.9% vs. 85.4%; P = 0.06). CONCLUSION: The results of our study suggest that with appropriate patient selection, TLRH can be a safe and effective procedure for the management of early cervical cancer in Singapore, especially in women with small tumors ≤2 cm but should be used with caution in women with larger tumors.

Vulvar basal cell carcinoma: clinical features and treatment outcomes from a tertiary care centre.

We retrospectively reviewed the clinical features, management and outcomes of patients diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the vulva at the Gynaecological Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, between 1 January 2000 and 28 February 2014. Patients with vulvar BCC were identified from the cancer registry, and their medical records reviewed and analysed. A total of 11 patients with vulvar BCC were identified. Mean age at diagnosis was 63 (range 30-85) years. Ethnically, ten patients were Chinese and one was Malay. Average time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis was 13.8 (range 2-60) months. The most common presenting symptoms were lump and pruritus. All patients were managed surgically. Recurrence was noted in only one patient. Vulvar BCC, although rare, has an excellent prognosis when managed appropriately. Histological diagnosis of all persistent papules, plaques and pigmented lesions is important for early diagnosis.

Extrauterine fibroids: a diagnostic challenge and a long-term battle.

Extrauterine fibroids often present a diagnostic challenge due to the unusual locations they arise from. We present a series of rare extrauterine fibroids. In recent years, these fibroids have been associated with previous morcellated hysterectomies or myomectomies. Our series of six patients were found to have extrauterine fibroids (confirmed through histology) and underwent open hysterectomy and open or laparoscopic myomectomy. Four had undergone previous laparoscopic myomectomies while the other two had no previous intra-abdominal surgeries. Postsurgical occurrence may be caused by incomplete removal of morcellated fibroid tissue. Spontaneous occurrence can be associated with congenital Müllerian system defects. Extrapolating from this hypothesis, we recommend physicians to make sure that counselling for extrauterine seeding and dissemination of unexpected malignancy is undertaken in cases of minimally invasive surgeries where morcellation is expected. Long-term tumour surveillance is thus essential in such instances.

Diagnosis and treatment of vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia.

OBJECTIVE: To audit our experience of the diagnosis and treatment of vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VAIN) in Kandang Kerbau Women's Hospital, Singapore. METHODS: The clinical records of the patients diagnosed as having VAIN at our institution in the calendar year 2009 were periodically reviewed until March 2011. RESULTS: There were 21 cases of VAIN. The mean follow-up duration was 18.2 months. The lesion grades were VAIN 1 in 9 patients (42.9%), VAIN 2 in 9 patients (42.9%), and VAIN 3 in 3 patients (14.3%). The mean patient age was 39.1 years. Sixteen patients (76.2%) were referred to our institution because of abnormal results to cytology tests and 4 patients (21.9%) were referred because of vaginal warts. The remaining patient was diagnosed from a surgical specimen. The diagnosis involved a cytology test, a colposcopic examination, an acetowhite test, a Schiller test, and a colposcopy-directed biopsy. The treatments varied and included watchful waiting but carbon dioxide laser vaporization was used the most frequently. CONCLUSION: After 6 months of follow-up 18 patients were considered cured, for an overall cure rate of 85.7%. Two patients wanted no treatment and disease remained persistent in 1 patient despite laser vaporization and intravaginal applications of imiquimod cream.

Tailoring adjuvant radiotherapy for stage IB-IIA node negative cervical carcinoma after radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection using the GOG score.

OBJECTIVE: The use of adjuvant radiotherapy for early stage node negative patients varies for different institutions. The recognized factors such as deep stromal invasion, lymph vascular space invasion, and size of tumor are the most common factors cited for adjuvant radiotherapy. Studies done have shown that this increases local control but may increase chronic toxicity rates. We report on our use of the GOG score to tailor our treatment decisions. METHODS: A review of all patients staged IB-IIA who underwent Type 3 Radical Hysterectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection (RH) from 1997 to 2007. The GOG score proposed by Delgado et al. was applied, and patients were stratified into 3 groups; <40: no adjuvant treatment, 40-120: Small Field RT (SmRT), and >120: Standard Field RT (StRT) RESULTS: A total of 126 patients matched these criteria. Sixty one patients underwent either SmRT or StRT. There were only 2 known relapses and one death due to inter current illness. The median follow up was 57 months and the 5 year Disease Free Survival was 98.2%. There were no documented Grade 3 or 4 chronic toxicities. There were significantly less (p=0.025) patients with lower limb lymphedema in the SmRT group compared to StRT. CONCLUSION: Our study confirms the utility of the GOG score to tailor radiotherapy for this cohort of patients. This has been proven to be high in efficacy and low in morbidity.

Survival outcome of women with synchronous cancers of endometrium and ovary: a 10 year retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Synchronous occurrence of endometrial and ovarian tumors is uncommon, and they affect less than 10% of women with endometrial or ovarian cancers. The aim of this study is to describe the epidemiological and clinical factors; and survival outcomes of women with these cancers. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study in a large tertiary institution in Singapore. The sample consists of women with endometrial and epithelial ovarian cancers followed up over a period of 10 years from 2000 to 2009. The epidemiological and clinical factors include age at diagnosis, histology types, grade and stage of disease. RESULTS: A total of 75 patients with synchronous ovarian and endometrial cancers were identified. However, only 46 patients met the inclusion criteria. The median follow-up was 74 months. The incidence rate for synchronous cancer is 8.7% of all epithelial ovarian cancers and 4.9% of all endometrial cancers diagnosed over this time frame. Mean age at diagnosis was 47.3 years old. The most common presenting symptom was abnormal uterine bleeding (36.9%) and 73.9% had endometrioid histology for both endometrial and ovarian cancers. The majority of the women (78%) presented were at early stages of 1 and 2. There were 6 (13.6%) cases of recurrence and the 5 year cumulative survival rate was at 84%. CONCLUSION: In our cohort, we found that majority of women afflicted with synchronous cancer of the endometrium and ovary were younger at age of diagnosis, had early stage of cancer and good survival.