Comparison of postoperative complications following conventional latissimus dorsi flap versus muscle-sparing latissimus dorsi flap breast reconstruction.

INTRODUCTION: Breast reconstruction is becoming increasingly important in the management of breast cancer. Among breast reconstruction with flap, latissimus dorsi flap is the most frequent technique used in France. Lipofilling's emergence led to changes for using latissimus dorsi flap in breast reconstruction. The aim of this study was to compare postoperative complications following conventional latissimus dorsi (CLD) flap versus muscle-sparing latissimus dorsi (MSLD) flap breast reconstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from 96 patients, who underwent CLD flap or MSLD flap breast reconstruction, were retrospectively collected from January 2018 to December 2019 in Georges-Francois Leclerc Cancer Center in France. Uni- and multivariate analyses, using a logistic regression, were performed to define operative factors and postoperative morbidity associated with surgical technique and evaluate whether MSLD flap could be associated with less postoperative outcome. RESULTS: After univariate analysis, factors significantly associated with MSLD flap were reduced surgical time (p<0.001), reducing seroma and punctures (p<0.001), postoperative complications of donor site (p=0.09), and a shorter length hospital stay (p<0.001). After multivariate analysis, a shorter length hospital stay was significantly associated with the muscle-sparing group (OR=0.47, 95% CI (0.30-0.73), p<0.001). DISCUSSION: This is the first French study comparing postoperative complications following the two techniques of latissimus dorsi flap breast reconstruction. In this study, the hospital stay was significantly decreased with MSLD flap compared with the CLD flap breast reconstruction. Both seem to be reliable methods with few complications.

[Surgery or not on an atypical breast lesion? Taking anxiety into account in shared decision support from a prospective cohort of 300 patients]. / Opérer ou non une lésion atypique du sein ? Prise en compte de l'anxiété dans l'aide à la décision partagée à partir d'une cohorte prospective de 300 patientes.

INTRODUCTION: Organized and individual breast screening have been accompanied by an increase in the detection of "atypical breast lesions (ABL)". Recently, the NOMAT multicenter study proposed a predictive model of the risk of developing breast cancer after detection of an ABL in order to avoid surgical removal of "low-risk" lesions. It also aimed to provide information on psychological experience, in particularly anxiety, to assist in the shared medical decision process. METHODS: Three hundred women undergoing surgery for ABL were included between 2015 and 2018 at 18 French centers. Women completed questionnaires before and after surgery assessing their level of anxiety (STAI-State, STAI-Trait), their level of tolerance to uncertainty, their perceived risk of developing a breast cancer, and their satisfaction with the management care. RESULTS: One hundred nighty nine patients completed the STAI-Status before and after surgery. Overall, a decrease in anxiety level (35.4 vs 42.7, P<0.001) was observed. Anxious temperament and greater intolerance to uncertainty were significantly associated swith decreased anxiety (33%), whereas younger age was associated with increased anxiety (8%). CONCLUSION: Surgery for ABL seems to be associated with only a few cases with an increase in anxiety and seems to increase the perception of the risk of developing breast cancer. Taking into account the psychological dimension remains in all cases essential in the process of shared therapeutic decision.

[Techniques and complications of non-genetic risk reducing mastectomies: Guidelines of the National College of French Gynecologists and Obstetricians (CNGOF)]. / Modalités et morbidité des mastectomies de réduction de risque en dehors du risque avéré de prédisposition héréditaire : recommandations du Collège national des gynécologues et obstétriciens français (CNGOF).

OBJECTIVE: Based on an updated review of the international literature covering the different surgical techniques and complications of risk reducing mastectomies (RRM) in non-genetic context, the Commission of Senology (CS) of the College National des Gynécologues Obstétriciens Français (CNGOF) aimed to establish recommendations on the techniques to be chosen and their implementation. DESIGN: The CNGOF CS, composed of 24 experts, developed these recommendations. A policy of declaration and monitoring of links of interest was applied throughout the process of making the recommendations. Similarly, the development of these recommendations did not benefit from any funding from a company marketing a health product. The CS adhered to and followed the AGREE II (Advancing guideline development, reporting and evaluation in healthcare) criteria and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) method to assess the quality of the evidence on which the recommendations were based. The potential drawbacks of making recommendations in the presence of poor quality or insufficient evidence were highlighted. METHODS: The CS considered 6 questions in 4 thematic areas, focusing on oncologic safety, risk of complications, aesthetic satisfaction and psychological impact, and preoperative modalities. RESULTS: The application of the GRADE method resulted in 7 recommendations, 6 with a high level of evidence (GRADE 1±) and 1 with a low level of evidence (GRADE 2±). CONCLUSION: There was significant agreement among the CS members on recommendations for preferred surgical techniques and practical implementation.

Lymphovascular invasion has a significant prognostic impact in patients with early breast cancer, results from a large, national, multicenter, retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: We determined the prognostic impact of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) in a large, national, multicenter, retrospective cohort of patients with early breast cancer (BC) according to numerous factors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We collected data on 17 322 early BC patients treated in 13 French cancer centers from 1991 to 2013. Survival functions were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate survival analyses were carried out using the Cox proportional hazards regression model adjusted for significant variables associated with LVI or not. Two propensity score-based matching approaches were used to balance differences in known prognostic variables associated with LVI status and to assess the impact of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) in LVI-positive luminal A-like patients. RESULTS: LVI was present in 24.3% (4205) of patients. LVI was significantly and independently associated with all clinical and pathological characteristics analyzed in the entire population and according to endocrine receptor (ER) status except for the time period in binary logistic regression. According to multivariate analyses including ER status, AC, grade, and tumor subtypes, the presence of LVI was significantly associated with a negative prognostic impact on overall (OS), disease-free (DFS), and metastasis-free survival (MFS) in all patients [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.345, HR = 1.312, and HR = 1.415, respectively; P < 0.0001], which was also observed in the propensity score-based analysis in addition to the association of AC with a significant increase in both OS and DFS in LVI-positive luminal A-like patients. LVI did not have a significant impact in either patients with ER-positive grade 3 tumors or those with AC-treated luminal A-like tumors. CONCLUSION: The presence of LVI has an independent negative prognostic impact on OS, DFS, and MFS in early BC patients, except in ER-positive grade 3 tumors and in those with luminal A-like tumors treated with AC. Therefore, LVI may indicate the existence of a subset of luminal A-like patients who may still benefit from adjuvant therapy.

Lack of prognostic impact of sentinel node micro-metastases in endocrine receptor-positive early breast cancer: results from a large multicenter cohort☆.

BACKGROUND: Prognostic impact of lymph node micro-metastases (pN1mi) has been discordantly reported in the literature. The need to clarify this point for decision-making regarding adjuvant therapy, particularly for patients with endocrine receptor (ER)-positive status and HER2-negative tumors, is further reinforced by the generalization of gene expression signatures using pN status in their recommendation algorithm. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 13 773 patients treated for ER-positive breast cancer in 13 French cancer centers from 1999 to 2014. Five categories of axillary lymph node (LN) status were defined: negative LN (pN0i-), isolated tumor cells [pN0(i+)], pN1mi, and pN1 divided into single (pN1 = 1) and multiple (pN1 > 1) macro-metastases (>2 mm). The effect of LN micro-metastases on outcomes was investigated both in the entire cohort of patients and in clinically relevant subgroups according to tumor subtypes. Propensity-score-based matching was used to balance differences in known prognostic variables associated with pN status. RESULTS: As determined by sentinel LN biopsy, 9427 patients were pN0 (68.4%), 546 pN0(i+) (4.0%), 1446 pN1mi (10.5%) and 2354 pN1 with macro-metastases (17.1%). With a median follow-up of 61.25 months, pN1 status, but not pN1mi, significantly impacted overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), metastasis-free survival (MFS), and breast-cancer-specific survival. In the subgroup of patients with known tumor subtype, pN1 = 1, as pN1 > 1, but not pN1mi, had a significant prognostic impact on OS. DFS and MFS were only impacted by pN1 > 1. Similar results were observed in the subgroup of patients with luminal A-like tumors (n = 7101). In the matched population analysis, pN1macro, but not pN1mi, had a statistically significant negative impact on MFS and OS. CONCLUSION: LN micro-metastases have no detectable prognostic impact and should not be considered as a determining factor in indicating adjuvant chemotherapy. The evaluation of the risk of recurrence using second-generation signatures should be calculated considering micro-metastases as pN0.

Delayed care for patients with newly diagnosed cancer due to COVID-19 and estimated impact on cancer mortality in France.

BACKGROUND: The impact of the first coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) wave on cancer patient management was measured within the nationwide network of the Unicancer comprehensive cancer centers in France. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The number of patients diagnosed and treated within 17 of the 18 Unicancer centers was collected in 2020 and compared with that during the same periods between 2016 and 2019. Unicancer centers treat close to 20% of cancer patients in France yearly. The reduction in the number of patients attending the Unicancer centers was analyzed per regions and cancer types. The impact of delayed care on cancer-related deaths was calculated based on different hypotheses. RESULTS: A 6.8% decrease in patients managed within Unicancer in the first 7 months of 2020 versus 2019 was observed. This reduction reached 21% during April and May, and was not compensated in June and July, nor later until November 2020. This reduction was observed only for newly diagnosed patients, while the clinical activity for previously diagnosed patients increased by 4% similar to previous years. The reduction was more pronounced in women, in breast and prostate cancers, and for patients without metastasis. Using an estimated hazard ratio of 1.06 per month of delay in diagnosis and treatment of new patients, we calculated that the delays observed in the 5-month period from March to July 2020 may result in an excess mortality due to cancer of 1000-6000 patients in coming years. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the delays in cancer patient management were observed only for newly diagnosed patients, more frequently in women, for breast cancer, prostate cancer, and nonmetastatic cancers. These delays may result is an excess risk of cancer-related deaths in the coming years.

Incidental findings in a series of 2500 gene panel tests for a genetic predisposition to cancer: Results and impact on patients.

With next generation sequencing, physicians are faced with more complex and uncertain data, particularly incidental findings (IF). Guidelines for the return of IF have been published by learned societies. However, little is known about how patients are affected by these results in a context of oncogenetic testing. Over 4 years, 2500 patients with an indication for genetic testing underwent a gene cancer panel. If an IF was detected, patients were contacted by a physician/genetic counsellor and invited to take part in a semi-structured interview to assess their understanding of the result, the change in medical care, the psychological impact, and the transmission of results to the family. Fourteen patients (0.56%) were delivered an IF in a cancer predisposition gene (RAD51C, PMS2, SDHC, RET, BRCA2, CHEK2, CDKN2A, CDH1, SUFU). Two patients did not collect the results and another two died before the return of results. Within the 10 patients recontacted, most of them reported surprise at the delivery of IF, but not anxiety. The majority felt they had chosen to obtain the result and enough information to understand it. They all initiated the recommended follow-up and did not regret the procedure. Information regarding the IF was transmitted to their offspring but siblings or second-degree relatives were not consistently informed. No major adverse psychological events were found in our experience. IF will be inherent to the development of sequencing, even for restricted gene panels, so it is important to increase our knowledge on the impact of such results in different contexts.

Management of borderline ovarian tumours during pregnancy: Results of a French multi-centre study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the diagnostic and prognostic characteristics of borderline ovarian tumours (BOTs) detected during pregnancy, and to establish an inventory of French practices. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective multi-centre case study of 14 patients treated for BOTs, diagnosed during pregnancy between 2005 and 2017, in five French pelvic cancerology expert centres, including data on clinical characteristics, histological tumour characteristics, surgical procedure, adjuvant treatments, follow-up and fertility. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 29.3 [standard deviation (SD) 6.2] years. Most BOTs were diagnosed on ultrasonography in the first trimester (85.7 %), and most of these cases (78.5 %) also underwent magnetic resonance imaging to confirm the diagnosis (true positives 54.5 %). Most patients underwent surgery during pregnancy (57 %), with complete staging surgery in two cases (14.3 %). Laparoscopy was performed more frequently than other procedures (50 %), and unilateral adnexectomy was more common than cystectomy (57.5 %). Tumour size influenced the surgical approach significantly (mean size 7.5 cm for laparoscopy, 11.9 cm for laparoconversion, 14 cm for primary laparotomy; P = 0.08), but the type of resection did not. Most patients were initially diagnosed with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IA (92.8 %) tumours, but many were upstaged after complete restaging surgery (57.1 %). Most BOTs were serous (50 %), two cases had a micropapillary component (28.5 %), and one case had a micro-invasive implant. BOTs were bilateral in two cases (14.2 %). Mean follow-up was 31.4 (SD 14.8) months. Recurrent lesions occurred in two patients (14.2 %) and no deaths have been recorded to date among the study population. CONCLUSION: BOTs remain rare, but this study - despite its small sample size - supports the hypothesis that BOTs during pregnancy have potentially aggressive characteristics.

Prognostic Value and Risk Factors of Peritoneal Carcinomatosis Recurrence for Patients with Endometrial Cancer: A Multicenter Study from the FRANCOGYN Group.

BACKGROUND: The prognosis for patients with endometrial cancer (EC) peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) recurrence has received little study. This study aimed to determine specific risk factors and prognosis of EC with PC recurrence (PCR) versus no PC recurrence (NPCR). METHODS: Data of all patients with EC who received primary surgical treatment between January 2000 and February 2017 were abstracted from the French FRANCOGYN Research Group database. Clinical and pathologic variables were compared between the two groups (PCR vs. NPCR). Multivariate analysis was performed to define prognostic factors for peritoneal recurrence. Overall survivals (OS) of patients after recurrence were compared using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: The study analyzed 1466 patients, and 257 of these patients (17.5%) had recurrence. At presentation, 63 of these patients had PC. International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages 3 and 4 disease were significantly associated with PCR versus NPCR (odds ratio 2.24; 95% confidence interval 1.23-4.07; p = 0.008). The death rate for the patients with PC was 47.6%, with a median survival of 12 months after diagnosis of recurrence. According to the histologic subtype, OS was 29 months (Q1-Q3, 13-NA) for endometrioid carcinomas, 7.5 months (Q1-Q3, 4-15) for serous carcinomas, and 10 months (Q1-Q3, 5-15) for clear cell carcinomas. Chemotherapy for treatment of PCR was associated with improved OS after recurrence (OSAR; p = 0.0025). CONCLUSION: An initial advanced stage of EC is a risk factor for PCR. For women with PCR, a diagnosis of type 1 EC recurrence more than 12 months after the initial treatment and management of PCR with chemotherapy is associated with improved OSAR. Prospective studies are needed to determine the precise optimal management required in this clinical situation and to assess the relevance of biomarkers to predict the risk of PCR for EC patients.

Prognostic factors of overall survival for patients with FIGO stage IIIc or IVa ovarian cancer treated with neo-adjuvant chemotherapy followed by interval debulking surgery: A multicenter cohort analysis from the FRANCOGYN study group.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to identify prognostic factors of overall survival in patients with FIGO stage IIIc or IVa ovarian cancer (OC) treated by neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by interval debulking surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from 483 patients with ovarian cancer were retrospectively collected, from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2016, from the FRANCOGYN database, regrouping data from 11 centers specialized in ovarian cancer treatment. Median overall survival was determined using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed to define prognostic factors of overall survival. RESULTS: The median overall survival was 52 after a median follow up of 30 months. After univariate analysis, factors significantly associated with decreased overall survival were; no pelvic and/or para-aortic lymphadenectomy (p = 0.002), residual disease (CC1/CC2/CC3) after surgery (p < 0.001), positive cytology after NAC (p < 0.001), omental disease after NAC (p = 0.002), no pathologic complete response (pCR) (p = 0.002). In multivariate analysis, factors significantly associated with decreased overall survival were; residual disease after surgery (HR = 1.93; CI95% (1.16-3.21), p = 0.01) and positive cytology after NAC (HR = 1.59; CI95% (1.01-2.55), p = 0.05). Patients with no residual disease after surgery had a median overall survival of 64 months versus 35 months for patients with residual disease. Patients with negative cytology after NAC had a median overall survival of 71 months versus 43 months for patients with positive cytology after NAC. CONCLUSION: In this first and largest French based retrospective study, complete cytoreductive surgery in ovarian cancer remains the main prognostic factor of overall survival.

[Comparing prediction performances of 18F-FDG PET and CGFL/Curie nomogram to predict pathologic complete response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for HER2-positive breast cancers]. / Comparaison des performances prédictives du TEP-TDM et du nomogramme CGFL/Curie pour prédire la réponse histologique complète après chimiothérapie néo-adjuvante des cancers du sein HER2-positifs.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the value of 18F-fluorodesoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) with CGFL/Curie nomogram to predict a pathologic complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in women with human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer treated by trastuzumab. METHODS: Fifty-one women with HER2-positive breast cancer treated with trastuzumab plus taxane-based NAC were retrospectively included from January 2005 to December 2015. For 18F-FDG PET/CT, the analyzed predictor was the maximum standardized uptake value of the primary tumor and axillary nodes after the first course of NAC (PET2.SUVmax). pCR was defined by no residual infiltrative tumor but in situ tumor was accepted. Accuracy of CGFL/Curie nomogram and PET2.SUVmax was evaluated measuring sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp), positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV). Combined prediction was evaluated testing predictor's associations. RESULTS: For CGFL/Curie nomogram's performances, Se, Sp, PPV and NPV were respectively: 76% (95%CI: 58-90%), 57% (95%CI: 43-66%), 55% (95%CI: 42-65), 77% (95%CI: 59-90%). For PET2.SUVmax's performances, Se, Sp, PPV and NPV were respectively: 67% (95%CI: 48-81%), 77% (95%CI: 64-97%), 67% (95%CI: 48-82%), 77% (95%CI: 64-87%). ROC curves for these predictors were similar; the areas under the curve were 0.6 (95%CI: 0.56-0.64) for PET2.SUVmax and 0.55 (95%CI: 0.50-0.59) for CGFL/Curie nomogram. Combined prediction was efficient with Se at 80%, VPN at 76%, Sp at 78% and VPP at 81%. CONCLUSIONS: CGFL/Curie nomogram and PET2.SUVmax were two efficient predictors of pCR in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. Combined prediction has an improved accuracy.

[Guidelines for surgical management of gynaecological cancer during pandemic COVID-19 period - FRANCOGYN group for the CNGOF]. / Prise en charge chirurgicale des cancers gynécologiques en période de pandémie COVID-19 ­ Recommandations du Groupe FRANCOGYN pour le CNGOF.

INTRODUCTION: Recommendations for the management of patients with gynecological cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic period. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Recommendations based on the consensus conference model. RESULTS: In the case of a COVID-19 positive patient, surgical management should be postponed for at least 15 days. For cervical cancer, the place of surgery must be re-evaluated in relation to radiotherapy and Radio-Chemotherapy-Concomitant and the value of lymph node staging surgeries must be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. For advanced ovarian cancers, neo-adjuvant chemotherapy should be favored even if primary cytoreduction surgery could be envisaged. It is lawful not to offer hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy during a COVID-19 pandemic. In the case of patients who must undergo interval surgery, it is possible to continue the chemotherapy and to offer surgery after 6 cycles of chemotherapy. For early stage endometrial cancer, in case of low and intermediate preoperative ESMO risk, hysterectomy with bilateral annexectomy associated with a sentinel lymph node procedure should be favored. It is possible to consider postponing surgery for 1 to 2 months in low-risk endometrial cancers (FIGO Ia stage on MRI and grade 1-2 endometrioid cancer on endometrial biopsy). For high ESMO risk, it ispossible to favor the MSKCC algorithm (combining PET-CT and sentinel lymph node biopsy) in order to omit pelvic and lumbar-aortic lymphadenectomies. CONCLUSION: During COVID-19 pandemic, patients suffering from cancer should not lose life chance, while limiting the risks associated with the virus.

Differential impact of endocrine therapy and chemotherapy on quality of life of breast cancer survivors: a prospective patient-reported outcomes analysis.

BACKGROUND: In early breast cancer (BC), there has been a trend to escalate endocrine therapy (ET) and to de-escalate chemotherapy (CT). However, the impact of ET versus CT on the quality of life (QoL) of early BC patients is unknown. Here, we characterize the independent contribution of ET and CT on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) at 2 years after diagnosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We prospectively collected PROs in 4262 eligible patients using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30/BR23 questionnaires inside CANTO trial (NCT01993498). The primary outcome was the C30 summary score (C30-SumSc) at 2 years after diagnosis. RESULTS: From eligible patients, 37.2% were premenopausal and 62.8% postmenopausal; 81.9% received ET and 52.8% CT. In the overall cohort, QoL worsened by 2 years after diagnosis in multiple functions and symptoms; exceptions included emotional function and future perspective, which improved over time. ET (Pint = 0.004), but not CT (Pint = 0.924), had a persistent negative impact on the C30-SumSc. In addition, ET negatively impacted role and social function, pain, insomnia, systemic therapy side-effects, breast symptoms and further limited emotional function and future perspective recovery. Although CT had no impact on the C30-SumSc at 2-years it was associated with deteriorated physical and cognitive function, dyspnea, financial difficulties, body image and breast symptoms. We found a differential effect of treatment by menopausal status; in premenopausal patients, CT, despite only a non-significant trend for deteriorated C30-SumSc (Pint = 0.100), was more frequently associated with QoL domains deterioration than ET, whereas in postmenopausal patients, ET was more frequently associated with QoL deterioration, namely using the C30-SumSc (Pint = 0.004). CONCLUSION(S): QoL deterioration persisted at 2 years after diagnosis with different trajectories by treatment received. ET, but not CT, had a major detrimental impact on C30-SumSc, especially in postmenopausal women. These findings highlight the need to properly select patients for adjuvant ET escalation.

Prognostic value of local relapse for patients with endometrial cancer.

BACKGROUND: The objective of our study was to determine survival and prognostic factors associated with isolated local recurrence of endometrial cancer. METHODS: Data of 1229 patients with endometrial carcinoma treated between 2000 and 2012 were extracted from maintained databases of nine French University Hospitals as well as from the Senti-Endo trial. Patients with isolated central pelvic and vaginal recurrence were selected for further analysis. RESULTS: Two hundreds and twenty five patients recurred during the inclusion period, 20 with isolated central pelvic recurrence and 23 with vaginal recurrence. Patients without recurrence had initially significantly less lymphovascular space invasion (p = 0.01), less advanced diseases (>stage II) (p < 0.001) and more often low or intermediate risk tumours than patients with local recurrence. Local recurrence was statistically associated with better overall survival than non-local recurrence (p = 0.028) but dramatically decreased overall survival when compared to patients without any recurrence (p < 0.001). The site of recurrence, i.e. vaginal or central pelvic, was significantly associated with overall survival (p = 0.015). Patients without brachytherapy at initial management were more likely to have local recurrence of their disease when compared to those without recurrence (p = 0.03). None of the prognostics factors for survival in patients with local recurrence was statistically significant in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Local recurrence is a key event in endometrial cancer evolution severely impacting overall survival. Better understanding of the factors associated with prolonged survival is mandatory to improve our management of these patients.

Patterns of care and the survival of elderly patients with high-risk endometrial cancer: A case-control study from the FRANCOGYN group.

BACKGROUND: The standard of care of endometrial cancer involves complex procedures such as pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy and omentectomy, particularly for high-risk endometrial cancer. Few data are available about these complex surgical procedures and adjuvant therapy in elderly women. We aim to examine treatment and survival of elderly women diagnosed with high-risk endometrial cancer. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a case-control study of women diagnosed between 2001 and 2013 with high-risk endometrial cancers. Women older than 70 years (n = 198) were compared with patients <70 years (n = 198) after matching on high-risk for recurrence and LVSI status. RESULTS: Elderly patients had lymphadenectomies less frequently compared with younger patients (76% vs 96%, p < 0.001) and no adjuvant treatment more frequently (17% vs 8%, p = 0.005) due to less chemotherapy being administered (23% vs 46%, p < 0.001). The 3-year DFS, CSS and OS of patients ≥70 years was 52% (43-61), 81% (74-88) and 61% (53-70), respectively. These were significantly lower than the 3-year DFS, CSS, and OS of younger patients, which was 75% (68-82) (p < 0.001), 92% (87-96) (p < 0.008) and 75% (69-82) (p = 0.018), respectively. Cox proportional hazard models found that elderly women had 57% increased risk of recurrence (hazard ratio 1.57, 95% CI 1.04-2.39) compared with younger patients. CONCLUSION: Although we found an independently significant lower DFS in elderly patients with high-risk endometrial cancer when compared with young patients, elderly women are less likely to be treated with lymphadenectomy and chemotherapy. Specific guidelines for management of elderly patients with high-risk endometrial cancer are required to improve their prognosis.

Call for Surgical Nodal Staging in Women with ESMO/ESGO/ESTRO High-Intermediate Risk Endometrial Cancer: A Multicentre Cohort Analysis from the FRANCOGYN Study Group.

BACKGROUND: The European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO)/European Society of Gynaecological Oncology (ESGO)/European Society for Radiotherapy & Oncology (ESTRO) classification for endometrial cancer (EC) now includes a high-intermediate risk (HIR) group of recurrence due to the adverse prognostic role of lymphovascular space involvement (LVSI) and grade 3 for women at intermediate risk. However, optimal surgical staging, and especially the place of lymphadenectomy, remains to be elucidated. We aimed to establish whether systematic nodal staging should be part of surgical staging for women with HIR EC. METHODS: We abstracted from a prospectively maintained multicentre database the data of 181 women with HIR EC based on uterine factors (endometrioid type 1, grade 1-2 tumors with deep (≥50%) myometrial invasion and unequivocally positive LVSI, and those with grade 3 tumors with <50% myometrial invasion regardless of LVSI status), who received primary surgical treatment between January 2001 and December 2013. We recorded frequency of lymph node (LN) metastases in those who underwent nodal staging. The secondary outcomes were overall survival and recurrence patterns. RESULTS: Overall, 145 (80.1%) women underwent nodal staging consisting of at least pelvic lymphadenectomy. Of these, 62 (42.7%) had LN disease (9.7% with micrometastases). The respective 5-year overall survival rates according to LN status were 85.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 76.5-91.4), 71.8% (95% CI 61.9-80.4) and 36.0% (95% CI 26.6-46.2) for women with negative LN, positive LN, and unstaged (p = 0.047). Unstaged women were more likely to experience nodal recurrence than surgically staged/LN negative women (p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Systematic nodal staging should be part of surgical staging for women with apparent ESMO/ESGO/ESTRO HIR EC. Sentinel LN biopsy (SLNB) could be an option in this specific setting that may possibly substitute comprehensive staging, for the identification of patients with lymphatic dissemination.

Predictive factors of pathologic complete response of HER2-positive breast cancer after preoperative chemotherapy with trastuzumab: development of a specific predictor and study of its utilities using decision curve analysis.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the Institut Gustave Roussy/M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (IGR/MDACC) nomogram in predicting pathologic complete response (pCR) to preoperative chemotherapy in a cohort of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive tumors treated with preoperative chemotherapy with trastuzumab. We then combine clinical and pathological variables associated with pCR into a new nomogram specific to HER2-positive tumors treated by preoperative chemotherapy with trastuzumab. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data from 270 patients with HER2-positive tumors treated with preoperative chemotherapy with trastuzumab at the Institut Curie and at the Georges François Leclerc Cancer Center were used to assess the IGR/MDACC nomogram and to subsequently develop a new nomogram for pCR based on multivariate logistic regression. Model performance was quantified in terms of calibration and discrimination. We studied the utility of the new nomogram using decision curve analysis. RESULTS: The IGR/MDACC nomogram was not accurate for the prediction of pCR in HER2-positive tumors treated by preoperative chemotherapy with trastuzumab, with poor discrimination (AUC = 0.54, 95% CI 0.51-0.58) and poor calibration (p = 0.01). After uni- and multivariate analysis, a new pCR nomogram was built based on T stage (TNM), hormone receptor status, and Ki67 (%). The model had good discrimination with an area under the curve (AUC) at 0.74 (95% CI 0.70-0.79) and adequate calibration (p = 0.93). By decision curve analysis, the model was shown to be relevant between thresholds of 0.3 and 0.7. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, ours is the first nomogram to predict pCR in HER2-positive tumors treated by preoperative chemotherapy with trastuzumab. To ensure generalizability, this model needs to be externally validated.

[Non-metastatic triple-negative breast cancer in 2016: Definitions and management]. / Tumeurs localisées du sein triple négatives en 2016 : définitions et prise en charge.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TN), as defined by the triple negativity in immunohistochemistry: the absence of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and the absence of overexpression or amplification of HER2, corresponds to 15 % of invasive breast cancers. This is a very heterogeneous group of tumors both at the genomic and transcriptomic level and at morphological, clinical and prognostic level. Although there are some good prognosis forms, the majority of TN tumors is characterized by a poor prognosis with a greater frequency of visceral metastases and a maximum risk of relapse in the first two years after diagnosis. Systemic adjuvant treatment with chemotherapy is almost always indicated. The surgical treatment and radiotherapy treatment should be comparable to the other subtypes and obey the same rules of oncologic surgery. TN tumors are not associated with a higher risk of locoregional relapse after conservative treatment and adjuvant radiotherapy. Optimization of systemic therapies is currently and for the last decade a challenge. A number of targeted therapies and efficiency biomarkers identification of these targeted therapies is essential to allow significant progress in optimizing systemic therapy for these tumors.

[Assessment of sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer: before or after?]. / Peut-on proposer un prélèvement du ganglion sentinelle en cas de chimiothérapie néoadjuvante dans les cancers du sein et à quel moment ?

The main goal of preoperative chemotherapy is to reduce the size of the tumor and allow conservative treatment. Neoadjuvant treatment can affect axillary status with a downstaging in one third of the cases. For these patients, the benefit of axillary node dissection is questioned and the sentinel node biopsy (SLNB) seems to be a relevant option. However, the timing of performing SLNB is still debated especially for clinical negative patients with negative axillary ultrasound before preoperative chemotherapy. For axillary positive nodes proved by biopsy/cytology before preoperative chemotherapy, SLNB can be an option if there is a good clinical and radiological response.

[Clinical practice guidelines: Benign breast tumor--Aims, methods and organization]. / Recommandations pour la pratique clinique: tumeurs bénignes du sein--Objectifs, méthodes et organisation.

Conversely to breast cancer, few data and guidelines are available to explore and manage benign breast disorders. Therefore, the Collège national des gynécologues et obstétriciens français (CNGOF - French College of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians) decided to establish clinical practice guidelines for benign breast tumour (BBT). CNGOF appointed a committee with responsibility for selecting experts, compiling questions and summarizing the recommendations. The summary of valid scientific data for each question analyzed by the experts included a level of evidence, based on the quality of the data available and defined accordingly rating scheme developed by the Haute Autorité de santé (French National Authority for Health).