Robotic-assisted benign hysterectomy compared with laparoscopic, vaginal, and open surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The potential benefits and limitations of benign hysterectomy surgical approaches are still debated. We aimed at evaluating any differences with a systematic review and meta-analysis. PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE databases were last searched on 6/2/2021 to identify English randomized controlled trials (RCTs), prospective cohort and retrospective independent database studies published between Jan 1, 2010 and Dec 31, 2020 reporting perioperative outcomes following robotic hysterectomy versus laparoscopic, open, or vaginal approach (PROSPERO #CRD42022352718). Twenty-four articles were included that reported on 110,306 robotic, 262,715 laparoscopic, 189,237 vaginal, and 554,407 open patients. The robotic approach was associated with a shorter hospital stay (p < 0.00001), less blood loss (p = 0.009), and fewer complications (OR: 0.42 [0.27, 0.66], p = 0.0001) when compared to the open approach. The main benefit compared to the laparoscopic and vaginal approaches was a shorter hospital (R/L WMD: - 0.144 [- 0.21, - 0.08], p < 0.0001; R/V WMD: - 0.39 [- 0.70, - 0.08], p = 0.01). Other benefits seen were sensitive to the inclusion of database studies. Study type differences in outcomes, a lack of RCTs for robotic vs. open comparisons, learning curve issues, and limited robotic vs. vaginal publications are limitations. While the robotic approach was mainly comparable to the laparoscopic approach, this meta-analysis confirms the classic benefits of minimally invasive surgery when comparing robotic hysterectomy to open surgery. We also reported the advantages of robotic surgery over vaginal surgery in a patient population with a higher incidence of large uterus and prior surgery.

[Diagnostic strategy for intrauterine lesions]. / Stratégie diagnostique des lésions intra-utérines.

DIAGNOSTIC STRATEGY FOR INTRAUTERINE LESIONS The diagnostic strategy for intrauterine lesions is a question that arises very frequently in gynecological consultations. Endometrial cancer is more frequent in postmenopausal women and bleeding is the first clinical sign in more than 90% of cases. Pelvic ultrasound and endometrial biopsy have a very important place in the diagnostic strategy. After a single episode of abnormal uterine bleeding and when the ultrasound estimates the thickness of the endometrium to be less than or equal to 4 mm, it is possible to postpone further uterine exploration. In the event of recurrent abnormal uterine bleeding or when the thickness of the endometrium is greater than 4 mm in a postmenopausal woman, additional uterine explorations (hysteroscopy and histology) are recommended. If endometrial cancer is discovered, the key examination is lumbopelvic MRI.

STRATÉGIE DIAGNOSTIQUE DES LÉSIONS INTRA-UTÉRINES La stratégie diagnostique des lésions intra-utérines est une question qui se pose très fréquemment en consultation de gynécologie. Le cancer de l'endomètre survient le plus souvent chez des femmes ménopausées, et les saignements sont le premier signe clinique dans plus de 90 % des cas. L'échographie pelvienne et la biopsie d'endomètre ont une place très importante dans la stratégie diagnostique. Lors d'un épisode unique de saignement utérin anormal et lorsque l'échographie estime l'épaisseur de l'endomètre inférieure ou égale à 4 mm, il est possible de surseoir à une exploration utérine complémentaire. En cas de saignements utérins anormaux récidivants ou lorsque l'épaisseur de l'endomètre est supérieure à 4 mm chez une femme ménopausée, des explorations utérines complémentaires (hystéroscopie et histologie) sont en revanche recommandées. En cas de découverte d'un cancer de l'endomètre, l'examen clé est l'IRM lombopelvienne.

[Evolution of endometrial cancer surgery]. / Évolution de la chirurgie des cancers de l'endomètre.

Minimally invasive surgery (laparoscopic or robotic assisted) is currently recommended when surgery is envisaged, including for patients in the high risk group. The place of the uterine manipulator in this indication still needs to be clarified by prospective studies. The indocyanine green sentinel lymph node procedure has become the reference technique for lymph node staging of FIGO stages I and II regardless of histological type. Management must be carried out in a specialized institution by a team specialised in the gynaecological cancers.

Concernant le cancer de l'endomètre, lorsqu'une chirurgie est envisagée, la voie miniinvasive (coelioscopique ou robot-assistée) est actuellement recommandée, y compris pour les patientes du groupe à haut risque. La place du manipulateur utérin dans cette indication doit encore être précisée par des études prospectives. La procédure du ganglion sentinelle au vert d'indocyanine est par ailleurs devenue la technique de référence pour la stadification ganglionnaire des stades FIGO I et II quel que soit le type histologique. La prise en charge doit être assurée dans un établissement spécialisé, par une équipe spécialisée dans les cancers gynécologiques.

Residual Microscopic Peritoneal Metastases after Macroscopic Complete Cytoreductive Surgery for Advanced High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma: A Target for Folate Receptor Targeted Photodynamic Therapy?

Despite conventional treatment combining complete macroscopic cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and systemic chemotherapy, residual microscopic peritoneal metastases (mPM) may persist as the cause of peritoneal recurrence in 60% of patients. Therefore, there is a real need to specifically target these mPM to definitively eradicate any traces of the disease and improve patient survival. Therapeutic targeting method, such as photodynamic therapy, would be a promising method for such a purpose. Folate receptor alpha (FRα), as it is specifically overexpressed by cancer cells from various origins, including ovarian cancer cells, is a good target to address photosensitizing molecules. The aim of this study was to determine FRα expression by residual mPM after complete macroscopic CRS in patients with advanced high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). A prospective study conducted between 1 June 2018 and 10 July 2019 in a single referent center accredited by the European Society of Gynecological Oncology for advanced EOC surgical management. Consecutive patients presenting with advanced HGSOC and eligible for complete macroscopic CRS were included. Up to 13 peritoneal biopsies were taken from macroscopically healthy peritoneum at the end of CRS and examined for the presence of mPM. In case of detection of mPM, a systematic search for RFα expression by immunohistochemistry was performed. Twenty-six patients were included and 26.9% presented mPM. In the subgroup of patients with mPM, FRα expression was positive on diagnostic biopsy before neoadjuvant chemotherapy for 67% of patients, on macroscopic peritoneal metastases for 86% of patients, and on mPM for 75% of patients. In the subgroup of patients with no mPM, FRα expression was found on diagnostic biopsy before neoadjuvant chemotherapy in 29% of patients and on macroscopic peritoneal metastases in 78% of patients. FRα is well expressed by patients with or without mPM after complete macroscopic CRS in patients with advanced HGSOC. In addition to conventional cytoreductive surgery, the use of a therapeutic targeting method, such as photodynamic therapy, by addressing photosensitizing molecules that specifically target FRα may be studied.

Robotic Radical Trachelectomy with Primary Vaginal Closure to Spare Fertility in Young Patients with Early-Stage Cervical Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to present the surgical technique of robotic radical trachelectomy (RRT) for early-stage squamous cell cervical cancer in women with a desire to preserve fertility. DESIGN: A surgical case to illustrate the entire surgical technique of RRT and sentinel lymph node dissection. Institutional Review Board approval was not required for this video presentation. SETTING: University hospital. INTERVENTIONS: A 30-year-old patient with one child and no medical history. Pap smear and cervical biopsy were in favor of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, and a conization procedure allowed the diagnosis of a 15 mm squamous cell carcinoma (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics [FIGO] 1B1). An RRT was performed to preserve the fertility of this young patient, after bilateral sentinel lymph node dissection to ensure the absence of nodal metastasis. The trachelectomy specimen was negative at final pathology examination and the disease was confirmed as stage 1B1 (FIGO 2018). There were no surgical complications and no adjuvant treatment was indicated. Fertility-sparing surgery is acceptable for women of childbearing age who want to become pregnant. CONCLUSION: Minimally invasive surgery is safe, effective, and particularly adapted for women who wish to preserve their fertility without compromising oncological outcomes.1-2 This option may be safely proposed in expert centers for tumors smaller than 2 cm, with primary vaginal closure, and without use of a uterine manipulator.3 Complete information about oncological and obstetrical outcomes is mandatory and patients should agree to comply with a close follow-up protocol.

[Robots set up in the operating theater]. / Les robots s'installent au bloc opératoire.

"Robots set up in the operating theater. The patient's benefit after a minimally invasive approach stimulated the robotic approach of abdominal and thoracic surgical procedures. Although much more expensive, the robots improve the vision of the operating field, the precision of the gestures with a faster training course for the surgeon who operates more comfortably. Surgeons eager for technological progress quickly adopted this technique in urology and gynecology and then in thoracic and digestive procedures. In France, the support for this innovation by academic and medical institutions is limited by several factors including the supremacy of Intuitive which imposes its prices, the absence of scientifically proven superiority, the absence of surveys under the responsibility of scientific societies and the lack of criteria concerning the surgeon training."

"Les robots s'installent au bloc opératoire. Les bénéfices de l'approche mini-invasive abdominale et thoracique ont stimulé l'approche robotique. Bien que beaucoup plus coûteux, les robots améliorent la vision du champ opératoire, la précision des gestes avec un apprentissage plus rapide pour le chirurgien qui opère plus confortablement. Les chirurgiens avides de progrès technologiques s'emparent rapidement de cette technique en urologie et en gynécologie puis en thoracique et en digestif. Le monopole imposé par la société Intuitive qui impose ses prix, l'absence de supériorité démontrée scientifiquement, de registres sous la responsabilité de sociétés scientifiques et de critères concernant la formation des chirurgiens à cette nouvelle technique ne favorise pas le soutien des institutions françaises pour accompagner cette innovation."

FDG-PET/CT and Para-Aortic Staging in Endometrial Cancer. A French Multicentric Study.

BACKGROUND: FDG-PET/CT is a noninvasive examination that could be helpful for the management of endometrial cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of FDG-PET/CT in assessing para-aortic lymph-node involvement in high-risk endometrial cancer. METHODS: We performed a retrospective multicenter study including all patients who had a high-risk endometrial cancer with a preoperative FDG-PET/CT and a para-aortic lymphadenectomy (PAL) between 2009 and 2019. The main objective was to evaluate the overall performance of FDG-PET/CT. The secondary objectives were to evaluate its performances according to the histological type and according to FDG-PET/CT date (before or after hysterectomy), and to compare its overall performance with that of the MRI scan. RESULTS: We included 200 patients from six different centers. After the false positive FDG-PET/CT was reread by nuclear physicians, FDG-PET/CT had a sensitivity of 61.8%, a specificity of 89.7%, a positive predictive value of 69.4%, a negative predictive value of 86.1%, and an AUC of 0.76. There were no statistically significant differences in the performances according to either histological type and or FDG-PET/CT date. The sensitivity of FDG-PET/CT was better than that of MRI (p < 0.01), but the specificity was not (p = 0.82). CONCLUSION: Currently, FDG-PET/CT alone cannot replace PAL for the lymph node evaluation of high-risk endometrial cancers. It seems essential to reread it in multidisciplinary meetings before validating the therapeutic management of patients, particularly in the case of isolated para-aortic involvement.

Minimally invasive surgery for early-stage cervical cancer: Rediscovering the Schautheim robot-assisted procedure.

INTRODUCTION: The Laparoscopic Approach to Cervical Cancer (LACC) trial recently showed a significant inferiority of the minimally invasive surgery when we considered them both equivalent in the treatment of cervical cancer. The objective of this article is to describe and discuss the interest of the Schautheim procedure. SURGICAL TECHNIQUE: The Schautheim is the association of a radical hysterectomy by laparoscopy/robot assisted or not as described by Wertheim after a primary vaginal closure, like the first step of Schauta's hysterectomy. This technique is described in ten steps, with a video material. DISCUSSION: The return to open surgery could lead to a loss of benefits associated with the laparoscopic approach in terms of per and post-operative morbidity. One way to achieve similar results would be to prohibit the use of uterine manipulators and create a vaginal cuff. CONCLUSION: Several authors suggest that early-stage cervical cancer patients could still be operated by laparoscopy without reducing overall survival or increasing risk of recurrence if certain measures are followed.

Postoperative assessment of nosocomial transmission of COVID-19 after robotic surgical procedures during the pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: To assess potential nosocomial coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) transmission in patients who underwent robot-assisted laparoscopic procedures during the pandemic. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Prospective study in patients undergoing robot-assisted laparoscopy in urology or gynaecology within 2 academic hospitals. Patients underwent local preoperative COVID-19 screening using a symptoms questionnaire. Patients with suspicious screening underwent coronavirus real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and were excluded from robotic surgery if positive. Patients with symptoms postsurgery were systematically tested for coronavirus by RT-PCR. One-month postsurgery, all patients had a telephone consultation to evaluate COVID-19 symptoms. RESULTS: Sixty-eight patients underwent robotic surgery during the study period (median age: 63-years [IQR: 53-70], 1.8 male: female ratio). Oncology was the main indication for robotic surgery (n = 62, 91.2%) and 26 patients (38.2%) received a chest CT-scan prior to surgery. Eleven patients (16.2%) were symptomatic after surgery of whom only 1 tested positive for coronavirus by RT-PCR (1.5%) and was transferred to COVID-19 unit with no life-threatening condition. No attending surgeon was diagnosed with COVID-19 during the study. CONCLUSIONS: Robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery seemed safe in the era of COVID-19 as long as all recommended precautions are followed. The rate of nosocomial COVID-19 transmission was extremely low despite the fact that we only used RT-PCR testing in symptomatic patients during the preoperative work-up. Larger cohort is needed to validate these results.

Microscopic Peritoneal Residual Disease after Complete Macroscopic Cytoreductive Surgery for Advanced High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Epithelial ovarian cancers (EOC) are usually diagnosed at an advanced stage and managed by complete macroscopic cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and systemic chemotherapy. Peritoneal recurrence occurs in 60% of patients and may be due to microscopic peritoneal metastases (mPM) which are neither eradicated by surgery nor controlled by systemic chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to assess and quantify the prevalence of residual mPM after complete macroscopic CRS in patients with advanced high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). METHODS: A prospective study conducted between 1 June 2018 and 10 July 2019 in a single referent center accredited by the European Society of Gynecological Oncology for advanced EOC management. Consecutive patients presenting with advanced HGSOC and eligible for complete macroscopic CRS were included. Up to 13 peritoneal biopsies were taken from macroscopically healthy peritoneum at the end of CRS and examined for the presence of mPM. A mathematical model was designed to determine the probability of presenting at least one mPM after CRS. RESULTS: 26 patients were included and 26.9% presented mPM. There were no differences in characteristics between patients with or without identified mPM. After mathematical analysis, the probability that mPM remained after complete macroscopic CRS in patients with EOC was 98.14%. CONCLUSION: Microscopic PM is systematically present after complete macroscopic CRS for EOC and could be a relevant therapeutic target. Adjuvant locoregional strategies to conventional surgery may improve survival by achieving microscopic CRS.

[First results of a breast cancer risk assessment and management consultation]. / Consultation personnalisée d'évaluation du risque de cancer du sein : premiers résultats.

INTRODUCTION: In France, participation in the organized breast cancer screening program remains insufficient. A personalized approach adapted to the risk factors for breast cancer (RBC) should make screening more efficient. A RBC evaluation consultation would therefore make it possible to personalize this screening. Here we report our initial experience. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This is a prospective study on women who were seen at the RBC evaluation consultation and analyzing: their profile, their risk assessed according to Tyrer Cuzick model (TC)±Mammorisk© (MMR), the existence of an indication of oncogenetic consultation (Eisinger and Manchester score), their satisfaction and the recommended monitoring. RESULTS: Among the women who had had a TCS and/or MMR evaluation of SCR (n=153), 76 (50%) had a high risk (n=67) or a very high risk (n=9). Almost half (47%) had a possible (15%) or certain (32%) indication to an oncogenetic consultation. Regarding this consultation, 98% of women were satisfied or very satisfied. In total, 60% of women had a change in screening methods. CONCLUSION: This RBC evaluation consultation satisfies women and for a majority of them, modifies their methods of breast cancer screening.

Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis associated with ovarian tumor: the gynecologist point of view.

BACKGROUND: Anti-NMDA receptor antibody (anti-NMDAr) encephalitis, although still a rare condition, is well known to neurologists as it is the leading cause of non-infectious acute encephalitis in young women. However, this is less well known to gynecologists, who may have a decisive role in etiological management. Indeed, in 30-60% of cases in women of childbearing age, it is associated with the presence of an ovarian teratoma, whose removal is crucial in the resolution of symptomatology. OBJECTIVES: Primary objective of our work was to present a review in a very schematic and practical way for gynecologists, about the data on anti-NMDAr encephalitis in terms of epidemiology, clinical symptomatology, treatment and prognosis. The second objective was to propose a decision tree for gynecologists to guide them, in collaboration with neurologists and anesthesiologists, after the diagnosis of NMDAr encephalitis associated with an ovarian mass. METHOD: We conducted an exhaustive review of existing data using PubMed and The Cochrane Library. Then, we illustrated this topic by presenting two typical cases from our experience. RESULTS: Anti-NMDA antibody encephalitis association with an ovarian teratoma is common, especially in women of reproductive age. Complementary examinations in search of an ovarian teratoma must therefore be systematic to envisage a possible surgical excision that may improve patient prognosis. CONCLUSION: Anti-NMDA antibody encephalitis should not be ignored by gynecologists whose role in management is central.

[Are there still indications of lymph node dissection in epithelial ovarian cancers after the LION trial?] / Reste-t-il des indications de curage ganglionnaire dans les cancers épithéliaux de l'ovaire après l'essai LION ?

In March 2019, Harter et al. published the results of the LION study (Lymphadenectomy in patients with advanced ovarian neoplasms) which raises the question of pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy for patients with advanced-stage epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). These results influenced the new French recommendations published in December 2018 by the French National Cancer Institute (INCa). Thus, it no longer seems consistent to perform a systematic lymphadenectomy for patients for whom there is no argument for nodal involvement, when a macroscopic complete peritoneal cytoreductive surgery has been performed. The question of preoperative lymph node assessment is therefore essential, whereas more than half of the patients in the LION study had metastatic lymph node involvement that was histologically proven. For the assessment of lymph node status by imaging, superior sensitivity for Positron Emission Tomography is demonstrated in comparison with CT-scan or Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Nevertheless, thoraco-abdomino-pelvic CT-scan with contrast injection remains the gold standard for this indication. In the absence of suspected involvement, supra-renal, mesenteric, coelio-hepatic, and cardio-phrenic lymphadenectomy are not recommended. Lymphadenectomies should always be performed in the other situations of EOC management apart from the rare case of stage 1 expansile subtype mucinous carcinoma. The aim of this review is to discuss lymphadenectomy indications for the surgical management of EOC by taking into account new data from the scientific literature.

[Update regarding the management of vulvar cancer: The guidelines of the Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris]. / Mise à jour concernant la prise en charge du cancer de la vulve : les recommandations de l'Assistance publique­hôpitaux de Paris.

Vulvar cancer is a rare disease, which represents 4% of gynecological tumors with an incidence of 0.5 to 1.5 per 100,000 women per year in France. Vulvar cancers are induced in 30 to 69% of cases by the presence of papillomavirus (HPV), in particular HPV 16 and 18, and can also occur in an inflammatory context. The diagnosis is made by histological examination of a vulvar biopsy. The histological subtype is a squamous cell carcinoma in 90% of cases. The 5-year survival of patients with vulvar cancer ranges from 86% for localized stages (FIGO I and II) to 57% for advanced stages (FIGO III and IVA), and 17% in case of metastatic disease (FIGO IVB). The treatment of vulvar cancer is mainly surgical, but radiotherapy and chemotherapy have become more important in recent years. Management has evolved into a personalized multidisciplinary approach, where each therapeutic decision must be discussed in a multidisciplinary consultation meeting. Surgical excision with tumor- free margins is central in the management of early stages. The indication for radiotherapy and brachytherapy should be discussed in the event that the excisional margins are positive in early stages. Radiotherapy is indicated in cases of lymph node involvement or in a neoadjuvant situation if the tumor is not immediately resectable. In this situation, it can be associated with chemotherapy. Chemotherapy alone is the treatment of diseases that are metastatic at the time of diagnosis.

How to perform a laparoscopic pelvic sentinel lymph node dissection using near-infrared fluorescence with indocyanine green in gynecological cancers.

The role of pelvic sentinel lymph node dissection (SLND) is increasing in oncological pelvic surgery, especially in the management of cervical and endometrial cancer.SLND using indocyanine green (ICG) is safe and effective, and its sensitivity is higher than with other detection methods. The advantages of ICG are its low toxicity, its confinement within the vascular compartment, its rapid excretion, and the rarity of allergic reaction. These advantages confer to this fluorescent dye a superiority over blue, which can cause anaphylactic reactions. Using ICG does not require advance planning involving nuclear protection and delayed surgery, as are mandatory when using 99Tc detection. ICG allows the surgeon to visualize the lymph nodes through the peritoneum and thus avoid wide dissection.According to European guidelines,1 the indications for SLND in cervical cancer are for patients with FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) IA1-IA2 disease, lymphovascular space involvement - positive status, without systematic pelvic lymphadenectomy - and patients with FIGO IB1-IIA1 disease, prior to systematic pelvic lymphadenectomy. Guidelines1 2 for endometrial cancer management state that SLND is indicated in cases of low-risk endometrial cancer (FIGO IA, grade 1-2), without systematic lymphadenectomy in cases of non-detection, with the technique being preferable to systematic lymphadenectomy in cases of intermediate-risk endometrial cancer (FIGO IB, grade 1-2, or FIGO IA, grade 3).2 Our objective is to review the technique of ICG injection and the real-time detection of pelvic SLNs using near-infrared imaging by means of a step-by-step explanation of the procedure using an instructional Video 1.