Conditional relative survival of cervical cancer: a Korean National Cancer Registry Study / 부인종양

Objective@#Conditional relative survival (CRS) considers changes in prognosis over time and may offer more useful estimates for survivors. We aimed to investigate CRS among patients with cervical cancer stratified by various factors that influence survival probability. @*Methods@#This nationwide retrospective study used data from the Korean Central Cancer Registry. We included 78,606 patients diagnosed with cervical cancer as their first cancer between January 1, 1996 and December 31, 2015, and who were followed until December 31, 2016. CRS and the conditional probabilities of death for the following 1 year were stratified by age at diagnosis, histology, cancer stage, treatment, year of diagnosis, and social deprivation index. @*Results@#The 5-year relative survival rate at the time of diagnosis was 80.6% for all cases. The probability of surviving an additional 5 years conditioned on having already survived 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years after diagnosis was 85.7%, 90.6%, 93.5%, 95.3%, and 94.3%, respectively.Patients with poorer initial survival estimates (older, advanced stage, non-squamous cell histology) generally showed the largest increases in CRS over time. Patients aged ≥70 years had the highest probability of death in the first year after diagnosis (24.5%), but the conditional probability of death in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th years declined abruptly to 13.1%, 7.5%, 5.4%, and 3.9%, respectively. @*Conclusions@#The CRS rates for patients with cervical cancer improved over time, particularly among patients with poorer initial prognoses. Our estimates enable patients to make better informed decisions regarding follow-up care and their personal life.

Clinical characteristics of patients with leiomyoma who undergo surgery after high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the clinical characteristics of patients who underwent surgery after high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to treat uterine leiomyoma. METHODS: From June 2016 to September 2017, patients at our hospital who underwent HIFU to treat uterine leiomyoma prior to surgery were enrolled. All patients underwent pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before and after HIFU. If 6 months had passed since the last pelvic MRI was performed, imaging was performed again before the operation. RESULTS: A total of 12 patients were analyzed. The median age was 45 (range, 28–51) years. The median body mass index was 24.9 (range, 18.1–29.2) kg/m2. The median size of the leiomyoma was 10.1 (range, 7.8–14.0) cm before HIFU, which changed to 8.75 (range, 5.9–14.8) cm after HIFU. The median size increased to 9.1 (range, 5.9–18.0) cm before the operation. Surgery was planned for several reasons, including an increase in the leiomyoma size (n=6), persistent symptoms (n=4), and newly developed lesion (n=2). The median interval between HIFU and surgery was 7 (range, 3–32) months. Ten of the 12 patients underwent laparoscopic surgery, while the others underwent laparotomy; 6 patients also underwent laparoscopic myomectomy, and 4 underwent hysterectomy. Histopathologic findings showed infarction-type necrosis surrounded by granulation tissue with the infiltration of lymphocytes and macrophages in all patients. CONCLUSION: Treatment of leiomyoma with operative procedures should be considered in selected patients with tumor size greater than 10 cm, multiple tumors, and persistent symptoms after HIFU treatment.

Preoperative diagnostic clues to ovarian pregnancy: retrospective chart review of women with ovarian and tubal pregnancy

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the preoperative diagnostic clues to ovarian pregnancy (OP). METHODS: This study conducted a retrospective chart review of 23 patients with OP and 46 patients with tubal pregnancy (TP) from October 1, 2003 to September 31, 2016 in Hanyang University Hospital. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in demographic and clinical characteristics between the two groups. The presence of an ectopic gestational sac and hemoperitoneum was significantly higher in the TP group (13.0% vs. 95.7%, P=0.000; 13.0% vs. 54.3%, P=0.001, respectively) in preoperative ultrasonogram. The OP group had more ruptured ectopic gestational sacs than the TP group (73.9% vs. 45.7%, P=0.039) in surgical findings. CONCLUSION: For the patients in whom a gestational sac is not detected in the uterus or the fallopian tubes, it is important to be aware of the possibility of OP and rupture of an ovarian gestational sac to promote early diagnosis and surgical intervention.

Surgical manual of the Korean Gynecologic Oncology Group: ovarian, tubal, and peritoneal cancers / 부인종양

The Surgery Treatment Modality Committee of the Korean Gynecologic Oncology Group has determined to develop a surgical manual to facilitate clinical trials and to improve communication between investigators by standardizing and precisely describing operating procedures. The literature on anatomic terminology, identification of surgical components, and surgical techniques were reviewed and discussed in depth to develop a surgical manual for gynecologic oncology. The surgical procedures provided here represent the minimum requirements for participating in a clinical trial. These procedures should be described in the operation record form, and the pathologic findings obtained from the procedures should be recorded in the pathologic report form. Here, we describe surgical procedure for ovarian, fallopian tubal, and peritoneal cancers.

The Role of Steroid Sulfatase as a Prognostic Factor in Patients with Endometrial Cancer

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to determine steroid sulfatase (STS) expression in endometrial cancer patients and its correlation with disease prognosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study in 59 patients who underwent surgery with histologically confirmed endometrial cancer from January 2000 to December 2011 at Hanyang University Hospital. Immuno-histochemical staining of STS was performed using rabbit polyclonal anti-STS antibody. RESULTS: Sixteen of the 59 patients (27.1%) were positive for STS expression. Disease free survival (DFS) was 129.83±8.67 [95% confidence interval (CI): 112.84-146.82] months in the STS positive group (group A) and 111.06±7.17 (95% CI: 97.01-125.10) months in the STS negative group (group B) (p=0.92). Overall survival (OS) was 129.01±9.38 (95% CI: 110.63-147.38) months and 111.16±7.10 (95% CI: 97.24-125.07) months for the groups A and B, respectively (p=0.45). Univariate analysis revealed that FIGO stage and adjuvant therapy are significantly associated with DFS and OS. However, in multivariate analysis, FIGO stage and adjuvant therapy did not show any statistical significance with DFS and OS. STS was also not significantly associated with DFS and OS in univariate and multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: STS expression was not significantly associated with DFS and OS, despite positive STS expression in 27% of endometrial cancer patients. Therefore, the role of STS as a prognostic factor in patients with endometrial cancer remains unclear and requires further research.

Safety of laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy for women with anterior wall adherence after cesarean section

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and surgical outcomes of laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) for women with anterior wall adherence after cesarean section. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of 328 women with prior cesarean section history who underwent LAVH from March 2003 to July 2013. The subjects were classified into two groups: group A, with anterior wall adherence (n=49); group B, without anterior wall adherence (n=279). We compared the demographic, clinical characteristics, and surgical outcomes of two groups. RESULTS: The median age and parity of the patients were 46 years (range, 34 to 70 years) and 2 (1 to 6). Patients with anterior wall adherence had longer operating times (175 vs. 130 minutes, P<0.05). There were no significant differences in age, parity, number of cesarean section, body mass index, specimen weight, postoperative change in hemoglobin concentration, or length of hospital stay between the two groups. There was one case from each group who sustained bladder laceration during the vaginal portion of the procedure, both repaired vaginally. There was no conversion to abdominal hysterectomy in either group. CONCLUSION: LAVH is effective and safe for women with anterior wall adherence after cesarean section.

Berberine Inhibited the Growth of Thyroid Cancer Cell Lines 8505C and TPC1

PURPOSE: Thyroid cancer is the most common malignancy in Korean females and can be treated with good prognosis. However, drugs to treat aggressive types of thyroid cancer such as poorly differentiated or anaplastic thyroid cancer have not yet been established. To that end, we analyzed the effects of berberine on human thyroid cancer cell lines to determine whether this compound is useful in the treatment of aggressive thyroid cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The two thyroid cancer cell lines 8505C and TPC1, under adherent culture conditions, were treated with berberine and analyzed for changes in cell growth, cell cycle duration, and degree of apoptosis. RESULTS: Following berberine treatment, both cell lines showed a dose-dependent reduction in growth rate. 8505C cells showed significantly increased levels of apoptosis following berberine treatment, whereas TPC1 cells showed cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase. Immunobloting of p-27 expression following berberine treatment showed that berberine induced a little up-regulation of p-27 in 8505c cells but relatively high up-regulation of p-27 in TPC1 cells. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that berberine treatment of thyroid cancer can inhibit proliferation through apoptosis and/or cell cycle arrest. Thus, berberine may be a novel anticancer drug for the treatment of poorly differentiated or anaplastic thyroid cancer.

Ultra-minilaparotomy for large benign ovarian cysts / 대한산부인과내시경학회지

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility and outcome of surgical management of large benign ovarian cysts using ultra-minilaparotomy. METHODS: Twenty-five patients underwent ultra-minilaparotomy that involved a or =10 cm. Patients' characteristics, operative time, estimated amount of blood loss (EBL), operative complications, postoperative outcomes and the pathological findings were examined. RESULTS: The mean age was 37 years (range 19 to 78 years). Body mass index were 23 (range 16 to 34). The maximum diameter of the ovarian cysts ranged from 10 to 28 cm (mean of 12 cm). The mean (range) operative time was 38 minutes (25 to 80 minutes). The median (range) EBL was 40 mL (20 to 120 mL). No patients received blood transfusion. The median (range) post-operative hospital stay was 2 days (1 to 3 days). There were no operative or post-operative complications. The surgical procedures performed were ovarian cystectomy (17 cases), unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (6 cases) and unilateral oophorectomy (2 cases). The pathology findings include eight endometriotic cysts, seven mucinous cystadenoma, five dermoid cysts, four serous cystadenoma and one ovarian fibroma. CONCLUSION: Utra-minilaparoptomy is feasible and safe minimally invasive strategy for managing patients with large ovarian cysts.

A case of successful delivery after ultrasound guided hysteroscopic removal of intrauterine device with missing tail during early pregnancy / 대한산부인과내시경학회지

In case of intrauterine pregnancy with an intrauterine device (IUD), it is recommended to remove the device because of the increased risk of abortions, septic complications and premature delivery. But removal of intrauterine devices in early pregnancy remains a troublesome problem for both doctors and patients, especially when IUD threads are not visible at the external os. If the thread of the IUD is not visible, extraction with hysteroscopy and ultrasonic guidance is advised. But due to postoperative complications such as uterine rupture or bleeding and electrolyte imbalance, many doctors prefer not to perform the procedure. IUD removal is scarcely performed that there are only 2 successful cases which were reported in Korea until today. Recently we experienced a case of an early pregnant woman with IUD in whom thread was invisible at the cervical os and IUD removal was attempted and successfully performed by ultrasound guided hysteroscopy. Pregnancy was maintained without complications until 39th week and delivered healthy baby. So we report this case with the review of articles related.

In reply: Different role of secondary cytoreductive surgery by surgeon's experience and hospital facility / 부인종양

No abstract available.

ERRATUM: Role of high risk-human papilloma virus test in the follow-up of patients who underwent conization of the cervix for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia / 부인종양

No abstract available.

Role of high risk-human papilloma virus test in the follow-up of patients who underwent conization of the cervix for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia / 부인종양

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the presence of high risk-human papilloma virus (HR-HPV) after conization of the cervix was a risk factor for persistence or recurrence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and whether HR-HPV test could be a guideline for post-therapy surveillance. METHODS: The study retrospectively analyzed data from 243 patients who underwent LLETZ or CKC of the cervix due to CIN. RESULTS: A positive HR-HPV test result which was performed between 3 and 6 months after procedure was a risk factor for persistent or recurrent cytological (p<0.001, odds ratio [OR]=22.51, 95% confidence interval [CI]=9.74-52.02) and pathological (p<0.001, OR=18.28, 95% CI=5.55-60.20) abnormalities. CONCLUSION: HR-HPV positive patients between 3 and 6 months after procedure should undergo frequent and meticulous post-therapy surveillance, while HR-HPV negative patients do not require such high-level surveillance and could undergo routine surveillance.

Prognostic factors of secondary cytoreductive surgery for patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer / 부인종양

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to identify the prognostic factors of secondary cytoreductive surgery on survival in patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer. METHODS: The medical records of all patients who underwent secondary cytoreductive surgery between May 2001 and October 2007 at the National Cancer Center, Korea were reviewed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were executed to evaluate the potential variables for overall survival. RESULTS: In total, 54 patients met the inclusion criteria. Optimal cytoreduction to or =12 months vs. 24 months for PFS or =12 months. Secondary cytoreductive surgery should be offered in selected patients and large prospective studies are needed to define the selection criteria for secondary cytoreductive surgery.

Experiences of pretreatment laparoscopic surgical staging in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer: results of a prospective study / 부인종양

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively evaluate the feasibility, safety, and survival of laparoscopic surgical staging in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer. METHODS: From Oct 2001 to Jul 2006, a total of 83 consecutive patients were eligible for inclusion and underwent laparoscopic surgical staging. RESULTS: Three patients with intraoperative great vessel injury and 1 patient in whom the colpotomizer was unable to be inserted were excluded. Laparoscopic surgical staging was feasible in 95.2% (79/83). Immediate postoperative complications were noted in 12 (15.2%) patients. Prolonged complications directly related to operative procedures numbered 2 (2.5%), and were trocar site metastases. The mean time from surgery to the start of radiotherapy (RT) or concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) was 11 (5-35) days. All patients tolerated the treatment well and completed scheduled RT or CCRT without disruption of treatment and additional admission. The rate of modification of the radiation field after surgical staging was 8.9% (7/79). Five-year progression-free survival and overall survival (OS) rates were 79% and 89%, respectively. The OS of patients with microscopic lymph node metastases, which were fully resected, were comparable to those of patients without lymph node metastasis. However, the OS of patients with macroscopic lymph node metastases that were fully resected were poorer compared with those of patients without lymph node metastasis. CONCLUSION: Pretreatment laparoscopic surgical staging is a feasible and safe treatment modality. However the survival benefit of debulking lymph nodes or full lymph node dissection is not clear.