Recurrent female adnexal tumor of probable Wolffian origin treated with debulking surgery, imatinib and paclitaxel/carboplatin combination chemotherapy: A case report.

In view of the small number of recurrent and metastatic cases of female adnexal tumors of probable Wolffian origin (FATWO), there is a distinct lack of evidence to support recommendations regarding treatment. In the present study, a 37-year-old female was diagnosed with a left adnexal tumor and underwent a left salpingo-oophorectomy (SO). The tumor was found to arise from the left tubal fimbria and extend to the posterior leaf of the broad ligament. Pathological examination identified a number of solid, tubular and cystic architectures, with areas of hyalinization, hemorrhage and necrosis. Immunohistochemistry detected that the tumor cells were positive for cytokeratin (CK)7, vimentin, inhibin and calretinin, and negative for CK20, epithelial membrane antigen, and the estrogen and progesterone receptors. Thus, the patient was diagnosed with FATWO. Following 15 months, the patient developed recurrent tumors and subsequently underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy, a right SO and extirpation of the disseminated tumors, but with incomplete debulking. The tumor cells were immunoreactive for KIT. As there are a limited number of treatment options and few reported cases, limiting the therapy recommendations, imatinib mesylate was administered for 6 months and the tumors were temporarily stabilized for 4 months until the disease progressed. The patient underwent a further debulking surgery that did not achieve complete debulking and was subsequently administered a combination chemotherapy of paclitaxel and carboplatin. This regimen resulted in an almost complete response after 10 cycles. The tumors continued to decrease in size, and the tumors in the left side of the Douglas pouch and the right para-colic gutter were no longer detectable. To the best of our knowledge, the current study is the first to report carboplatin and paclitaxel combination therapy demonstrating a response of this degree to recurrent FATWO following the failure of imatinib treatment. However, surgical debulking remains the most effective treatment for FATWO when is it is possible. The precise role of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and molecular-targeting therapy in the treatment of recurrent or metastatic FATWO remains to be elucidated, and therefore, novel strategies to overcome this disease must be prioritized.

Prognostic factors in patients with vulvar cancer treated with primary surgery: a single-center experience.

Vulvar cancer is a relatively rare disease. The aim of this study was to investigate prognostic factors in vulvar squamous cell carcinoma patients treated with primary surgery. Forty cases of vulvar squamous cell carcinoma treated with primary surgery were retrospectively analyzed. Overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and prognostic factors were analyzed by multivariate analyses. The median age was 68 years. The FIGO stage distribution was as follows: 18 cases (45.0 %) in stage I, four cases (10.0 %) in stage II, 15 cases (37.5 %) in stage III, and three cases (7.5 %) in stage IV. A radical local excision was performed in 15 patients, and radical vulvectomy in 25 patients, and seven of these patients were treated with postoperative RT. The 5-year DSS rate was 72.6 %, and the 5-year OS rate was 70.3 %. Age and surgical margin ≤5 mm were independent prognostic factors for OS, and positive inguinal LN metastasis and surgical margin ≤5 mm were identified as independent prognostic factors for DSS. Complete radical excision is important regardless of operation mode. Adjuvant treatment should be considered for inguinal LN positive patients.

CD10 expression in the neuroendocrine carcinoma component of endometrial mixed carcinoma: association with long survival.

BACKGOUND: Endometrial mixed carcinoma with the neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) component is rare and is believed to have a poor prognosis. CD10 expression is reported to be a favorable prognostic marker for some tumors such as B-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma, but unfavorable for others. Here, we report the case of a 33-year-old woman diagnosed with endometrial mixed carcinoma with the NEC component expressing CD10 who showed a favorable outcome. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient presented with lumbago and brownish discharge from the genitals. Imaging modalities revealed a large exophytic mass in the uterine corpus, and a small one in the uterine cervix. Radical hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was performed. Microscopic examination of the endometrial and cervical masses revealed that the NEC component accounted for the maximum area in both masses. However, small areas in both lesions showed well differentiated endometrioid adenocarcinoma (WDEA) components, and histological transition between the two components was also observed. In addition to CD56 and synaptophysin expression, the NEC component was positive for CD10 but negative for estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PgR), and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). In contrast, the WDEA component expressed both ER and PgR, but neither CD10 nor neuroendocrine markers were demonstrated. The CD10 and neuroendocrine markers clearly distinguished between the NEC and WDEA components. Furthermore, retained expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and weak phosphorylated Akt expression were found, which were assumed to suppress the aggressive behavior of the tumor. The patient received postoperative chemotherapy and has survived without recurrence for 6 years after the operation. CONCLUSION: This is the first case of endometrial mixed carcinoma with the NEC component expressing CD10 that showed a long survival.

Ovarian preservation in young women with endometrial cancer of endometrioid histology.

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the frequency and risk factors of ovarian metastasis in women with endometrial cancer of endometrioid histology. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. SETTING: University of the Ryukyus Japan 1990-2011. POPULATION: Eighty-eight women ≤ 45 years of age with endometrial cancer of only endometrioid histology. METHODS: Clinicopathological factors from the medical records were used. Fisher's exact test and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze predictive factors for ovarian metastasis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Risk factors of ovarian malignancy. RESULTS: All women underwent total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and lymph node dissection. The median age was 39 years, and FIGO stage distributions were: stage I, 63 (71.6%) women; stage II, 14 (15.9%) women; and stage III, 11 (12.5%) women. Pathologically, ovarian metastasis was observed in four (4.5%) women. Only lymph node metastasis was a significant predictive factor for ovarian metastasis (p = 0.0038), and deep myometrial invasion was the only significant factor (p = 0.0085) for the prediction of lymph node metastasis. No ovarian malignancy was found in 72 women with invasion ≤ 50% myometrial depth and no enlargement of the ovaries. We observed ovarian metastasis in two (14.3%) of 14 women with deep myometrial invasion without ovarian tumor. CONCLUSION: Ovarian preservation surgery might be considered in endometrial cancer of endometrioid histology with ≤ 50% myometrial depth invasion with no ovarian mass after taking into account family history.

Radical Abdominal Trachelectomy for IB1 Cervical Cancer at 17 Weeks of Gestation: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Background. With regard to the therapy for early invasive cervical carcinoma during pregnancy, radical trachelectomy is also a treatment of choice, along with its advantages and disadvantages. Case Report. A 28-year-old woman, para 1-0-0-1, was diagnosed with FIGO stage IB1 squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix at 12 weeks of gestation. The patient underwent radical abdominal trachelectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy at 17 weeks of gestation. Her pregnancy was successfully maintained after the surgery. The patient underwent a planned cesarean section at 38 weeks of gestation. A healthy baby girl weighing 2970 g was born with an Apgar score of 8/9. The mother and child in overall good health were discharged. Ten months after the delivery, there was no clinical evidence of recurrence. Conclusions. We believe that it is appropriate to perform radical abdominal trachelectomy in the early second trimester with preserving uterine arteries, although it is a technically challenging approach. It may be possible that radical abdominal trachelectomy during pregnancy can help women avoid the triple losses of a desired pregnancy, fertility, and motherhood.

Radiotherapy- or radical surgery-induced female sexual morbidity in stages IB and II cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the sexual function in cervical cancer survivors after radiotherapy (RT) or radical surgery (RS). METHODS: This was an observational and cross-sectional study. The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) self-reported questionnaires were distributed to 175 patients after RT (RT group) or RS (RS group) and 521 healthy women (control) between 2011 and 2012. Sexual functions were compared among these 3 groups. RESULTS: Eligible 92 patients (46 in RT group, 46 in RS group) and 148 control subjects were included for analysis. There was a significant difference in median (range) FSFI total score of 5.5 (3.6-34.7) in the RT group, 18.9 (3.4-31.2) in the RS group, and 22.1 (2-34.2) in the control group (P < 0.001). The median FSFI total score in the RT group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.001). Six sexual domains (desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, pain) were all significantly affected in the RT group, and no significant differences, except pain, were observed in the RS group as compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions involving counseling and rehabilitation for female sexual function should be provided in cervical cancer survivors, especially after RT.

Acute phlegmonous esophagitis as a rare but threatening complication of chemoradiotherapy: report of a case.

Phlegmonous infection involving the digestive tract has been reported to have a poor prognosis. However, the pathogenesis and clinical features of acute phlegmonous esophagitis have remained unclear due to the rarity of the disease. We herein report a case of acute phlegmonous esophagitis that showed a fulminant course during chemoradiotherapy for uterine cancer. The patient developed septic shock 10 h after postprandial nausea and vomiting, and a computed tomographic scan showed diffuse thickening of the esophageal wall. Severe leukopenia that was refractory to the administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor persisted during the first few days. The patient fortunately survived after intensive treatment. The acute phlegmonous esophagitis of the present case might have been evoked and worsened by chemoradiotherapy due to its emetic and myelosuppressive adverse effects, respectively. Although its incidence is extremely rare, acute phlegmonous esophagitis may occur as a life-threatening complication of chemoradiotherapy.

Concurrent chemoradiotherapy for non-bulky stage IB/II cervical cancer without pelvic node enlargement.

BACKGROUND: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) has not been extensively studied in patients with small cervical cancer tumors with no pelvic node enlargement. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 55 patients with stage IB1-IIB cervical cancer and tumors of ≤40 mm with no pelvic node enlargement treated with radiotherapy (RT)-alone. RESULTS: Cancer recurred in seven patients. Patient age (≤63 years) was identified as an independent factor for better disease-free survival (DFS) (p=0.027), and tumor size (≥25 mm) had a tendency to correlate with reduced locoregional DFS (p=0.089) by the Cox hazard model. Among patients aged 63 years or less, cancer recurred in five out of 18 patients with tumors of ≥25 mm, but in only one of 10 patients with tumors of ≤24 mm. CONCLUSION: In patients with stage IB1-IIB cervical cancer and small tumors with no node enlargement, CCRT may provide a better disease control for the group aged 63 years or less and with tumor size of 25 mm or more.

Postoperative radiotherapy for uterine cervical cancer: impact of lymph node and histological type on survival.

AIM: To retrospectively analyze the treatment results of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) in patients with early-stage uterine cervical cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Records of 141 patients with stage IB-IIB uterine cervical cancer treated with PORT from 1985 to 2004 were retrospectively reviewed. The majority of patients received whole-pelvic radiotherapy with antero-posterior fields, and the total radiation doses ranged from 10.8-60 Gy (median: 50.4 Gy). The median follow-up of all 141 patients was 106 months (range: 0.8-273.7 months). RESULTS: Multivariate analysis revealed that positive lymph node status (p=0.001) and histological type (p=0.015) were independent prognostic factors for overall survival. The group with three or more involved lymph nodes was significantly more likely to have extra-pelvic recurrence when compared with the groups with no (p=0.006) and up to two lymph nodes (p=0.024), respectively. CONCLUSION: PORT yielded excellent pelvic control rates for early-stage uterine cervical cancer. Lymph node status and histological type were significant prognostic factors for overall survival of patients with these tumors.

External beam boost irradiation for clinically positive pelvic nodes in patients with uterine cervical cancer.

The purpose of this study was to retrospectively analyze the treatment results of boost external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) to clinically positive pelvic nodes in patients with uterine cervical cancer. The study population comprised 174 patients with FIGO stages 1B1-4A cervical cancer who were treated with definitive radiotherapy (RT) or concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) and high-dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy (HDR-ICBT). Patients with positive para-aortic or common iliac nodes (≥10 mm in the shortest diameter, as evaluated by CT/MRI) were ineligible for the study. Fifty-seven patients (33%) had clinically positive pelvic nodes. The median maximum diameter of the nodes was 15 mm (range, 10-60 mm) and the median number of positive lymph nodes was two (range, one to four). Fifty-two of 57 patients (91%) with positive nodes were treated with boost EBRT (6-10 Gy in three to five fractions). The median prescribed dose of EBRT for nodes was 56 Gy. The median follow-up time for all patients was 66 months (range, 3-142 months). The 5-year overall survival rate, disease-free survival rate and pelvic control rate for patients with positive and negative nodes were 73% and 92% (P = 0.001), 58% and 84% (P < 0.001), and 83% and 92% (P = 0.082), respectively. Five of 57 node-positive patients (9%) developed pelvic node recurrences. All five patients with nodal failure had concomitant cervical failure and/or distant metastases. No significant difference was observed with respect to the incidence or severity of late complications by application of boost EBRT. The current retrospective study demonstrated that boost EBRT to positive pelvic nodes achieves favorable nodal control without increasing late complications.

Long-term results and prognostic factors in patients with stage III-IVA squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy from a single institution study.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the longer-term efficacy and safety of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) incorporating high-dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy (HDR-ICBT) with a lower cumulative radiotherapy (RT) protocol and analyzed prognostic risk factors for survival among patients with FIGO stage III-IVA squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the cervix. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ninety-nine patients with FIGO stage III-IVA SCC of the cervix between 1997 and 2008 were treated with CCRT using cisplatin 20 mg/m(2) for 5 days every 3 weeks or 40 mg/m(2) weekly. Acute and late toxicities were evaluated. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. The Cox proportional hazard model was used for multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Median age was 53.5 years. Median follow-up period was 58 months (range 6-170 months). Pathologically complete response was achieved in 93 patients (96.9%). The 5-year OS and DFS were 72.0 and 69.3%, respectively. The 5-year local and distant DFS were 83.0 and 75.1%, respectively. Thirty-one patients (31.3%) experienced recurrence. Multivariate analysis showed that tumor size and pretreatment hemoglobin level remained an independent risk factor for OS and DFS. Acute toxicity was moderate. In terms of late adverse effects, 2 patients (2.0%) suffered from grade 4 late intestinal toxicity because of radiation enterocolitis, with both requiring intestinal surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that the CCRT schedule in patients with FIGO stage III-IVA SCC is efficacious and safe. In addition, the assessment of tumor size and pretreatment anemia can provide valuable prognostic information.

Concurrent chemoradiotherapy with paclitaxel and cisplatin for adenocarcinoma of the cervix.

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether cisplatin-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) has the same effect on adenocarcinoma as on squamous cell carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data for 32 patients with stage IIB-IVA cervical adenocarcinoma who were treated with radiotherapy (RT) or CCRT. Fourteen patients were treated with RT, 8 with CCRT using cisplatin alone (CCRT-P), and 10 with CCRT using cisplatin plus paclitaxel (CCRT-TP). RESULTS: Complete response was achieved in 7/14 patients in the RT group, 4/8 patients in the CCRT-P group, and 9/10 patients in the CCRT-TP group. Ten out of the 14 patients in the RT, 7/8 patients in the CCRT-P, and 2/10 patients in the CCRT-TP groups experienced locoregional recurrence. The 5-year overall survival rate in the RT, CCRT-P, and CCRT-TP groups was 7.1%, 25.0%, and 74.1%, respectively (p=0.0094). CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that CCRT-TP achieved much better local control for adenocarcinoma of the cervix, leading to a decrease in locoregional recurrence.

Cigarette smoke stimulates VEGF-C expression in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 1 and 2 lesions.

OBJECTIVE: Vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) are involved in angiogenesis, but molecular links to the most important etiological agents, human papillomavirus (HPV) and smoking, need to be clarified. METHODS: Archival samples at the first diagnosis of 64 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 1 or 2 (CIN 1/2) lesions were examined immunohistochemically using anti-VEGF-C and anti-Ki-67 antibodies. HPV types were identified from cervical samples by restriction fragment length polymorphism, which has been shown to identify at least 26 types of genital HPVs. Follow-up data were available for all patients with CIN lesions. RESULTS: Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia lesions regressed in 47 cases and were persistent in 17 cases. Twenty-two smokers, 8 former smokers, and 34 non-smokers were enrolled in the study. The median observation period was 52.3 months. Significantly higher VEGF-C expression was observed in 8 smokers with persistent CIN persistence (49.0 ± 16.6%, P < 0.01), whereas no significant difference was observed in Ki-67 expression. The median time to regression was significantly longer in the 10 smokers with high VEGF-C expression (48.3 months, P = 0.030) than that in the others. HPV was detected in 56 of the 64 cases. Thirty-two patients had high-risk HPV, 13 had intermediate-risk HPV, and 2 had low-risk HPV. No significant difference was observed among the HPV risk groups in both average Ki-67 and VEGF-C expression. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that VEGF-C may play an important role in cigarette smoking-associated cervical carcinogenesis.

Severe late complications in patients with uterine cancer treated with postoperative radiotherapy.

AIM: Severe late complications, particularly radiation enterocolitis and leg edema, remain major problems in patients with uterine cancer, who have undergone hysterectomy and postoperative external beam radiotherapy (EBRT). We carried out this retrospective analysis to identify the incidence of risk factors for such complications. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The records of 228 patients, who underwent radical hysterectomy and postoperative EBRT (uterine cervix: 149 patients; uterine corpus: 79 patients) were reviewed retrospectively. The majority of the patients (90.8%) were treated with 50 to 50.4 Gy EBRT in conventional fractionations with anteroposterior fields. Intracavitary brachytherapy (ICBT) was administered to 9 patients (3.9%), and 35 patients (15.2%) received chemotherapy. The median follow-up for all 228 patients was 81.7 months (range, 1-273 months). RESULTS: Nineteen patients (8.3%) developed severe radiation enterocolitis with a median latency of 12.6 months, and the ileum was the most frequently affected site. On multivariate analysis, smoking was an independent predictor of severe radiation enterocolitis. Nineteen patients (8.3%) developed severe leg edema with a median latency of 32.7 months. The degree of leg edema did not improve in any of the 19 patients despite intensive treatment. On multivariate analysis, addition of ICBT was an independent predictor of severe leg edema. CONCLUSION: Severe radiation enterocolitis and severe leg edema were each observed in approximately 8% of patients with uterine cancer, who underwent postoperative radiotherapy. Severe radiation enterocolitis correlated strongly with smoking, and severe leg edema correlated strongly with addition of ICBT. These factors should be considered before administering postoperative radiotherapy to uterine cancer patients.

High-risk group for locoregional recurrence in patients with stage IB-IIB squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

AIM: To identify predictive factors for locoregional recurrence in patients with FIGO stage IB-IIB cervical cancer treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data were analyzed for 123 patients with FIGO stage IB-IIB squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix between 1997 and 2007. Eligibility for CCRT included tumor size >4 cm and/or lymph node enlargement over a minimum diameter of 1 cm. RESULTS: Tumor size (≥5.2 cm) and age (<48 years) were independent predictive factors for locoregional recurrence by multivariate analysis. Based on these two factors, the patients were divided into low-risk (n=91) and high-risk (n=32) groups for locoregional recurrence. The 5-year disease-free survival for the low-risk group was 95.3%, which was significantly better than 65.5% for the high-risk group (p<0.0001). Locoregional recurrence was noted in 10 out of the 32 patients in the high-risk group compared to only 3 out of the 91 patients in the low-risk group. CONCLUSION: To improve locoregional control in the high-risk group, it may be worthwhile to consider CCRT using new radiosensitizing agents, adjuvant hysterectomy or adjuvant chemotherapy.

Impact of human papillomavirus genotype on response to treatment and survival in patients receiving radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix.

To determine the clinical implications and prognostic value of the human papillomavirus (HPV) genotype, we evaluated the various HPV types in patients receiving radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. The study population included 113 invasive squamous cell carcinoma patients treated with radiation or chemoradiation between 1993 and 2002. The median age of the patients was 61 years. Tumors were classified by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics staging as stage IB in 11 patients, stage II in 39, stage III in 57 and stage IVA in 6 patients. To investigate HPV infection and its genotypes in the tumor specimens, L1 consensus PCR was performed followed by the direct nucleotide sequencing of the PCR products. Ninety-five samples (84.1%) were positive for HPV DNA. The most prevalent type was HPV-16 (34.7%). Poorer response to radiotherapy was observed in the patients with the HPV-16 genotype, in which 7 of the 33 patients had persistent disease. Only 1 of the 10 patients with HPV-58, 1 of the 5 with HPV-31 and 5 of the 10 patients with HPV-33 had a recurrence. The 5-year survival rate was 90, 80, 69.4 and 39% in the HPV-58, HPV-31, HPV-16 and HPV-33 type groups, respectively. Patients with HPV-31 and HPV-58 types were found to have better survival, whereas patients with the HPV-33 type experienced a higher risk of death. HPV genotyping may serve as a potential biomarker of response to radiation and prognosis in cervical carcinoma patients undergoing radio- or chemoradiotherapy.

Inhibitory effect of rice bran-derived crude glycosphingolipid on colon preneoplastic biomarker lesions induced by azoxymethane in male F344 rats.

The aim of the present study was to examine whether crude glycosphingolipid (cGSL) has short-term chemopreventive effects on the preneoplastic biomarker lesions involved in carcinogen-induced rat colon carcinogenesis. We also examined whether cGSL affects cell proliferation and apoptosis in these lesions. The crude preparation was obtained by the simple ethanol extraction method. Five-week-old male F344 rats were divided into 6 groups. Rats in groups 1-4 were given subcutaneous injections of azoxymethane (AOM) (20 mg/kg body weight) once a week for 2 weeks. Starting 1 week before the first injection of AOM, the rats in groups 2, 3 and 4 were fed a diet containing 250, 1,000 and 3,000 ppm cGSL, respectively, for 5 weeks. The experiment was terminated 5 weeks after the start date, and the number of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and mucin-depleted foci (MDF) was counted. Dietary cGSL significantly inhibited the induction of ACF (group 3, P<0.01; group 4, P<0.05) and MDF (groups 2 and 3, P<0.001; group 4, P<0.05) as compared to group 1 treated with AOM alone. In groups 3 and 4, proliferating cell nuclear antigen-positive indices of epithelial cells were significantly lower than in group 1 (group 3, P<0.05; group 4, P<0.005). Caspase-3-positive indices were significantly higher in groups 3 and 4 than in group 1 (group 3, P<0.01; group 4, P<0.001). These results suggest that dietary cGSL had a potent chemopreventive effect in the present short-term colon carcinogenesis bioassays, and that this effect may be associated with the inhibition of ACF and MDF and the induction of apoptosis.

Outcome of pregnancy after laser conization: implications for infection as a causal link with preterm birth.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate a causal link between infection and preterm birth in women with a shortened cervix induced by prior laser conization. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of the outcomes of 47 singleton pregnancies with a history of laser conization. Cervical length was measured between 17 and 23 weeks of gestation. Receiver-operating characteristic curves were used to determine the best cut-off point for the cervical length for predicting spontaneous preterm birth. We measured infectious markers in 12 women who had experienced preterm labor. RESULTS: Nine women had had premature labors and three had had late abortions. The mean +/- SD cervical length was 33.1+/-9.1 mm. The optimal cut-off for predicting preterm delivery was 25 mm with a sensitivity and specificity of 75.0% and 97.1%, respectively. Concentrations of granulocyte elastase were positive in five of the six samples determined. The white blood cell count and C-reactive protein levels were elevated in four out of the six patients. Sixty-seven percent of the vaginal cultures were positive for bacteria. Chorioamnionitis was present in seven women. CONCLUSIONS: For the prediction of preterm birth in patients with a history of conization, it is helpful to look for signs of local infection when the cervical length is less than 25 mm.

Concurrent chemoradiation for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the vagina: case series and literature review.

BACKGROUND: We reviewed our experience with patients with primary squamous cell carcinoma of the vagina who received concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed six patients (median age, 60 years) with squamous cell carcinoma of the vagina who underwent CCRT between 2002 and 2005 at the University of the Ryukyus Hospital. Two patients were in International Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (FIGO) stage II, one in stage III, and three in stage IVA. All patients had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 2 or less. Tumor size ranged from 3.2 to 7.7 cm. All patients were treated with true pelvic external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT) at 50 Gy. Then two of the six patients underwent intracavitary vaginal brachy-therapy. The remaining four patients received boost EBRT with shrinking fields. Total radiation dose to the vaginal tumor ranged from 60 to 66 Gy. All patients received two or three concomitant cycles of cisplatin during EBRT. RESULTS: All six patients completed their scheduled CCRT, and achieved a clinical complete response. One stage II patient died of disease 24 months after treatment, and the stage III patient had local failure at 12 months. The remaining four patients were free of their disease at 18, 23, 33, and 55 months, respectively. One patient with stage IVA developed a vesicovaginal fistula during CCRT. Nevertheless, CCRT was well tolerated by all six patients, and no grade 3 or 4 late toxicity was observed, as evaluated by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) scoring system. CONCLUSION: CCRT is effective for primary squamous cell carcinoma of the vagina and should be considered for treatment in patients with high-risk disease having good performance status.