Significance of tumor size and number of positive nodes in patients with FIGO 2018 stage IIIC1 cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the prognostic significance of tumor size and number of positive pelvic lymph nodes (PLN) in International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2018 stage IIIC1 cervical cancer patients. METHODS: Clinical data from 626 women with cervical cancer treated at Osaka International Cancer Center in 2010-2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Using the cutoff value obtained on the receiver operating characteristic analysis, the prognostic significance of tumor size and number of positive PLN in stage IIIC1 patients was first evaluated via uni- and multivariate analyses. Then, the impact of incorporating tumor size and number of positive PLN into the FIGO staging system was investigated using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Among 196 women with Stage IIIC1 disease, larger tumors (>4 cm) and multiple PLN metastases (≥4) were independent predictors of progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with stage IIIC1 cervical cancer. The PFS of patients with stage IIIC1 disease was inversely associated with the number of risk factors. Although patients with stage IIIC1 disease had significantly increased survival rates compared to those with stage IIIA or IIIB disease in the original FIGO 2018 staging system, this reversal phenomenon was resolved by incorporating larger tumors (>4 cm) and multiple PLN metastases (≥4) into the revised staging system. CONCLUSIONS: Incorporating tumor size and number of metastatic lymph nodes into the FIGO staging system allows additional risk stratification for women with stage IIIC1 cervical cancer and improves survival prediction performance.

Population-Based Survival Analysis of Stage IVB Small-Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma in Comparison to Major Histological Subtypes of Cervical Cancer.

The aim of the current study is to investigate the survival outcome of stage IVB SCNEC of the uterine cervix in comparison to major histological subtypes of cervical cancer. A population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Osaka Cancer Registry data from 1994 to 2018. All FIGO 2009 stage IVB cervical cancer patients who displayed squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), adenocarcinoma (A), adenosquamous cell carcinoma (AS), or small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SCNEC) were first identified. The patients were classified into groups according to the types of primary treatment. Then, their survival rates were examined using the Kaplan-Meier method. Overall, in a total of 1158 patients, clearly differential survival rates were observed according to the histological subtypes, and SCNEC was associated with shortest survival. When examined according to the types of primary treatments, SCNEC was associated with significantly decreased survival when compared to SCC or A/AS, except for those treated with surgery. In patients with FIGO 2009 stage IVB cervical cancer, SCNEC was associated with decreased survival when compared to SCC or A/AS. Although current treatments with either surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy have some therapeutic efficacies, to improve the prognosis, novel effective treatments specifically targeting cervical SCNEC need to be developed.

Systematic Review of the Survival Outcomes of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Women with Malignant Ovarian Germ Cell Tumors.

Randomized clinical trials assessing the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for advanced epithelial ovarian cancer have predominantly included women with high-grade serous carcinomas. The response rate and oncological outcomes of NACT for malignant ovarian germ cell tumors (MOGCT) are poorly understood. This study aimed to examine the effects of NACT on women with MOGCT by conducting a systematic review of four public search engines. Fifteen studies were identified, and a further descriptive analysis was performed for 10 original articles. In those studies, most women were treated with a bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin regimen, and one to three cycles were used in most studies. Four studies comparing NACT and primary debulking surgery showed similar complete response rates (n = 2; pooled odds ratio [OR] 0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.15-5.27), comparable overall survival (n = 3; 87.0-100% versus 70.0-100%), disease-free survival (n = 3; 87.0-100% versus 70.0-100%), recurrence rate (n = 1; OR 3.50, 95%CI 0.38-32.50), and adverse events rate from chemotherapy between the groups. In conclusion, NACT may be considered for the management of MOGCT; however, possible candidates for NACT use and an ideal number of NACT cycles remain unknown. Further studies are warranted to validate the efficacy of NACT in advanced MOGCT patients.

Port-site hernia: A potentially severe complication of minimally invasive surgery.

Key Clinical Message: Recently, the number of minimally invasive surgeries (MIS) is increasing; however, a specific postoperative complication of MIS such as port-site hernia needs to be recognized. A persistent postoperative ileus after MIS is rare and such symptoms need to be recognized as a probable sign of a port-site hernia. Abstract: Recently, minimally invasive surgery (MIS) approaches for early endometrial cancer have shown non-inferior oncologic outcomes with better perioperative morbidity than open approaches. Nevertheless, port-site hernias are a rare but specific surgical complication of MIS. Knowing the clinical presentation, surgery for port-site hernias could help clinicians manage this condition.

Relationship between Abnormal Placenta and Obstetric Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis.

The placenta has several crucial physiological functions that help maintain a normal pregnancy. Although approximately 2-4% of pregnancies are complicated by abnormal placentas, obstetric outcomes remain understudied. This study aimed to determine the outcomes and prevalence of patients with abnormal placentas by conducting a systematic review of 48 studies published between 1974 and 2022. The cumulative prevalence of circumvallate placenta, succenturiate placenta, multilobed placenta, and placenta membranacea were 1.2%, 1.0%, 0.2%, and 0.004%, respectively. Pregnancies with a circumvallate placenta were associated with an increased rate of emergent cesarean delivery, preterm birth (PTB), and placental abruption compared to those without a circumvallate placenta. The succenturiate lobe of the placenta was associated with a higher rate of emergent cesarean delivery, whereas comparative results were observed in terms of PTB, placental abruption, and placenta previa in comparison to those without a succenturiate lobe of the placenta. A comparator study that examined the outcomes of multilobed placentas found that this data is usually unavailable. Patient-level analysis (n = 15) showed high-rates of abortion (40%), placenta accreta spectrum (40%), and a low term delivery rate (13.3%) in women with placenta membranacea. Although the current evidence is insufficient to draw a robust conclusion, abnormal placentas should be recognized as a high-risk factor for adverse outcomes during pregnancy.

Comparison of the Survival Outcomes of Minimally Invasive Surgery with Open Surgery in Patients with Uterine-Confined and Node-Negative Cervical Cancer: A Population-Based Study.

We aimed to compare the oncological outcomes between Japanese women with uterine-confined and node-negative cervical cancer who underwent open surgery and those who underwent minimally invasive surgery (MIS). A population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from the Osaka Cancer Registry that ranged from 2011 to 2018. A total of 2279 patients who underwent surgical treatment for uterine-confined and node-negative cervical cancer were identified. The patients were classified into groups according to surgery type (open and MIS groups) and year of diagnosis (group one, 2011-2014; group two, 2015-2018). The oncologic outcomes were compared between the MIS and open groups. When the MIS group (n = 225) was compared with open group (n = 2054), overall, there was no significant between-group difference in terms of overall survival. Based on Kaplan-Meier estimates, the probability of overall survival at four years was 99.5% in the MIS group and 97.2% in the open group (p = 0.1110). When examined according to the year of diagnosis, there were no significant between-group differences in the overall survival in both groups one and two. In this population-based cohort study, MIS did not compromise survival outcomes when compared with conventional open surgery in Japanese patients with uterine-confined and node-negative (FIGO 2018 stage I) cervical cancer.

Novel Strategy for the Management of Cervical Multicystic Diseases.

PURPOSE: To investigate the clinical practices of diagnosing multicystic cervical lesions as a means to develop a more appropriate diagnostic algorithm for gastric-type adenocarcinoma (GAS) and its precursors. METHODS: Clinical information for 159 surgically treated patients for multicystic disease of the uterine cervix was collected from 15 hospitals. We performed a central review of the MRI and pathological findings. The MRI findings were categorized into four types including two newly proposed imaging features based on the morphology and distribution of cysts, and the diagnosis accuracy was assessed. Among the four MRI types, types 1 and 2 were categorized as benign lesions that included LEGH; type 3 were precancerous lesions (with an assumption of atypical LEGH); and type 4 were malignant lesions. RESULTS: The central pathological review identified 56 cases of LEGH, seven with GAS, four with another form of carcinoma, and 92 with benign disease. In clinical practice, over-diagnosis of malignancy (suspicion of MDA) occurred for 12/19 cases (63.2%) and under-diagnosis of malignancy occurred for 4/11 (36%). Among the 118 patients who had a preoperative MRI and underwent a hysterectomy, type 3 or 4 MRI findings in conjunction with abnormal cytology were positively indicative of premalignancy or malignancy, with a sensitivity and specificity of 61.1% and 96.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Although the correct preoperative diagnosis of cervical cancer with a multicystic lesion is challenging, the combination of cytology and MRI findings creates a more appropriate diagnostic algorithm that significantly improves the diagnostic accuracy for differentiating benign disease from premalignancy and malignancy.

Spontaneous bladder rupture attributable to a radical hysterectomy-associated neurogenic bladder in patients with cervical cancer: A case report and literature review.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Spontaneous bladder rupture (SBR) is an extremely rare urological emergency. Herein we report a rare case of SBR in a postoperative cervical cancer patient, which was attributable to bladder distension due to a radical hysterectomy-associated neurogenic bladder. CASE PRESENTATION: A 74-year-old nulliparous Japanese patient with cervical cancer (pT1b3N0M0) presented with acute abdominal pain nine days after a radical hysterectomy. The pretreatment workup included plain computed tomography (CT) revealed the presence of ascites in the absence of gastrointestinal perforation. The patient was initially diagnosed with generalized bacterial peritonitis and treated with antibiotics. Urine outflow was noted 5 days later from the vaginal stump. Subsequent contrast-enhanced CT demonstrated a bladder wall defect with presence of contrast medium in the abdominal cavity. The patient was diagnosed with SBR and was conservatively treated with antibiotics and prolonged catheterization (4 weeks); these measures showed no signs of therapeutic efficacy. The patient was subsequently treated surgically with an ileal conduit urinary diversion. The patient is currently free of disease. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: A literature review revealed that a history of pelvic radiotherapy is the main predisposing factor for SBR in women with cervical cancer. Our case serves to alert physicians that SBR should be considered a differential diagnosis in postoperative cervical cancer patients without a history of pelvic radiotherapy who experience generalized peritonitis symptoms or present as an acute abdomen. CONCLUSION: SBR can develop in cervical cancer patients without a history of radiotherapy. This differential diagnosis should be considered in patients with a radical hysterectomy-associated neurogenic bladder.

The Characteristics and Obstetric Outcomes of Type II Vasa Previa: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Vasa previa is a rare fetal life-threatening obstetric disease classified into types I and II. This study aimed to examine the characteristics and obstetric outcomes of type II vasa previa. A systematic review was performed, and 20 studies (1998-2022) were identified. The results from six studies showed that type II vasa previa accounted for 21.3% of vasa previa cases. The characteristics and obstetric outcomes (rate of assisted reproductive technology (ART), antenatal diagnosis, emergent cesarean delivery, maternal transfusion, gestational age at delivery, and neonatal mortality) were compared between type I and II vasa previa, and all outcomes of interest were similar. The association between ART and abnormal placenta (bilobed placenta or succenturiate lobe) was examined in three studies, and the results were as follows: (i) increased rate of succenturiate lobes (ART versus non-ART pregnancy; OR (odds ratio) 6.97, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.45-19.78); (ii) similar rate of abnormal placenta (cleavage-stage versus blastocyst embryo transfer); (iii) increased rate of abnormal placenta (frozen versus fresh embryo transfer; OR 2.97, 95%CI 1.10-7.96). Although the outcomes of type II vasa previa appear to be similar to those of type I vasa previa, the current evidence is insufficient for a robust conclusion.