Prognosis of isolated tumor cells and use of molecular classification in early stage endometrioid endometrial cancer.

OBJECTIVE: We assessed the prognosis and molecular subtypes of early stage endometrioid endometrial cancer with isolated tumor cells within sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) compared with node negative disease. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with stage IA, IB, or II endometrioid endometrial cancer and primary surgical management were identified from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2019. All SLNs underwent ultrastaging according to the institutional protocol. Patients with cytokeratin positive cells, micrometastases, and macrometastases were excluded. Clinical, pathology, and molecular subtype data were reviewed. RESULTS: Overall, 1214 patients with early stage endometrioid endometrial cancer met the inclusion criteria, of whom 1089 (90%) had node negative disease and 125 (10%) had isolated tumor cells. Compared with node negative disease, the presence of isolated tumor cells had a greater association with deep myometrial invasion, lymphovascular space invasion, receipt of adjuvant therapy, and adjuvant chemotherapy with or without radiation (p<0.01). There was no significant difference in survival rates between patients with isolated tumor cells and node negative disease (3 year progression free survival rate 94% vs 91%, respectively, p=0.21; 3 year overall survival rate 98% vs 96%, respectively, p=0.45). Progression free survival did not significantly differ among patients with isolated tumor cells who received no adjuvant therapy or chemotherapy with or without radiation (p=0.31). There was no difference in the distribution of molecular subtypes between patients with isolated tumor cells (n=28) and node negative disease (n=194; p=0.26). Three year overall survival rates differed significantly when stratifying the entire cohort by molecular subtype (p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with isolated tumor cells demonstrated less favorable uterine pathologic features and received more adjuvant treatment with similar survival compared with patients with nodenegative disease. Among the available data, molecular classification did not have a significant association with the presence of isolated tumor cells, although copy number-high status was a poor prognostic indicator in early stage endometrioid endometrial cancer.

Nivolumab for mismatch-repair-deficient or hypermutated gynecologic cancers: a phase 2 trial with biomarker analyses.

Programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors are approved for therapy of gynecologic cancers with DNA mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR), although predictors of response remain elusive. We conducted a single-arm phase 2 study of nivolumab in 35 patients with dMMR uterine or ovarian cancers. Co-primary endpoints included objective response rate (ORR) and progression-free survival at 24 weeks (PFS24). Secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), disease control rate (DCR), duration of response (DOR) and safety. Exploratory endpoints included biomarkers and molecular correlates of response. The ORR was 58.8% (97.5% confidence interval (CI): 40.7-100%), and the PFS24 rate was 64.7% (97.5% one-sided CI: 46.5-100%), meeting the pre-specified endpoints. The DCR was 73.5% (95% CI: 55.6-87.1%). At the median follow-up of 42.1 months (range, 8.9-59.8 months), median OS was not reached. One-year OS rate was 79% (95% CI: 60.9-89.4%). Thirty-two patients (91%) had a treatment-related adverse event (TRAE), including arthralgia (n = 10, 29%), fatigue (n = 10, 29%), pain (n = 10, 29%) and pruritis (n = 10, 29%); most were grade 1 or grade 2. Ten patients (29%) reported a grade 3 or grade 4 TRAE; no grade 5 events occurred. Exploratory analyses show that the presence of dysfunctional (CD8+PD-1+) or terminally dysfunctional (CD8+PD-1+TOX+) T cells and their interaction with programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1)+ cells were independently associated with PFS24. PFS24 was associated with presence of MEGF8 or SETD1B somatic mutations. This trial met its co-primary endpoints (ORR and PFS24) early, and our findings highlight several genetic and tumor microenvironment parameters associated with response to PD-1 blockade in dMMR cancers, generating rationale for their validation in larger cohorts.ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03241745 .

Molecular profiling of primary endometrioid endometrial cancer and matched lung metastases: CTNNB1 mutation as a potential driver.

•Both primary endometrial cancers (ECs) and matched lung metastases shared a common ancestor with independent evolution at each site.•The two endometrioid ECs studied acquired additional mutations during the distant metastatic process.•Subclonal CTNNB1 hotspot mutations in the two primary ECs studied became clonal in the distant metastases.

ARIA II: a randomized controlled trial of near-infrared Angiography during RectosIgmoid resection and Anastomosis in women with ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer with extensive metastatic disease involving pelvic structures often requires rectosigmoid resection for complete gross resection; however, it is associated with increased surgical morbidity. There are limited data, and none in ovarian cancer, on near-infrared assessment of perfusion in rectosigmoid resections with anastomosis. PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To compare the rate of pelvic complications (pelvic abscesses, anastomotic leaks, and infections) within 30 days of surgery with and without near-infrared assessment of perfusion at time of rectosigmoid resection and re-anastomosis in patients undergoing cytoreductive surgery for ovarian cancer. STUDY HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesize the use of near-infrared technology (intravenous indocyanine green and endoscopic near-infrared fluorescence imaging), compared with standard intra-operative assessment, to evaluate anastomotic perfusion at time of rectosigmoid resection and re-anastomosis will result in lower rates of post-operative pelvic complications. TRIAL DESIGN: This is a planned multicenter randomized controlled trial. Patients who undergo rectosigmoid resection as part of their ovarian cytoreductive surgery will be randomized 1:1 to standard assessment of anastomosis with the surgeon's usual technique (control arm) or assessment with near-infrared angiography using indocyanine green and endoscopic fluorescence imaging (experimental arm). Randomization will occur after rectosigmoid resection has been completed and the surgeon declares their plan to create a diverting ostomy. Randomization will be stratified by plan for diverting ostomy. MAJOR INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Main inclusion criteria include patients with primary or recurrent ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who are scheduled for cytoreductive surgery with suspected need for low-anterior rectosigmoid resection. PRIMARY ENDPOINT: Rate of 30-day post-operative pelvic complications. SAMPLE SIZE: 310 (155 per arm) ESTIMATED DATES FOR COMPLETING ACCRUAL AND PRESENTING RESULTS: Q2 2027 and Q4 2027, respectively. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT04878094.

Molecular and pathologic data to guide selection of patients with endometrioid endometrial cancer for ovarian preservation.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association of molecular and pathologic factors with concurrent or recurrent ovarian disease to guide ovarian preservation in endometrioid endometrial cancer. METHODS: Patients with endometrial cancer ≤50 years of age at diagnosis were grouped by elective oophorectomy versus ovarian preservation at staging (January 2010 to June 2021). Tumors were stratified by molecular sub-type and CTNNB1 mutational status with next generation sequencing and immunohistochemistry. Germline data identified patients with Lynch syndrome. Associations between molecular/pathologic features and concurrent ovarian disease in patients electing oophorectomy were compared with the Wilcoxon rank-sum and Fisher's exact tests. Associations with isolated ovarian recurrences in patients who chose ovarian preservation were examined using survival analyses. RESULTS: Among 317 patients with endometrial cancer who underwent bilateral oophorectomy, 27 (9%) had malignant ovarian tumors, of whom 11 (41%) had no gross ovarian involvement on intra-operative survey. For patients with sequencing, concurrent malignant ovarian tumors were diagnosed in 0/14 (0%) POLE, 2/48 (4%) copy number-low/no specific molecular profile, 10/22 (45%) microsatellite instability-high, and 3/6 (50%) copy number-high/TP53abnormal patients (p<0.001). Concurrent malignant ovarian tumors were present in 1/30 (3%) hotspot CTNNB1-mutated versus 10/60 (17%) wildtype/CTNNB1 non-hotspot mutated endometrial cancer patients (p=0.11) and 7/28 (25%) Lynch versus 7/74 (9%) non-Lynch syndrome patients (p=0.06). Concurrent malignant ovarian tumors were present in patients with higher grade endometrial cancer (5% grade 1 vs 20% grade 2 and 24% grade 3; p<0.001), present versus absent lymphovascular space invasion (20% vs 6%; p=0.004), positive versus negative pelvic washings (28% vs 7%; p=0.016), and ≥50% versus <50% myoinvasion (24% vs 7%; p=0.004). Of 103 patients who chose ovarian preservation, four had isolated ovarian recurrences (two had high-risk pathologic features and two had high-risk molecular features). CONCLUSIONS: The integration of molecular and pathologic data may improve risk stratification of pre-menopausal patients with endometrial cancer and enhance candidate selection for ovarian preservation.

Establishing guidelines for sentinel lymph node ultrastaging in endometrial cancer.

BACKGROUND: Many sentinel lymph node (SLN) ultrastaging protocols for endometrial cancer exist, but there is no consensus method. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to develop guidelines for size criteria in SLN evaluation for endometrial cancer, to determine whether a single cytokeratin AE1:AE3 immunohistochemical slide provides sufficient data for diagnosis, and to compare cost efficiency between current and limited ultrastaging protocols at a large tertiary care institution. METHODS: Our current SLN ultrastaging protocol consists of cutting two adjacent paraffin block sections at two levels (L1 and L2), 50 µm apart, with two slides at each level stained with hematoxylin and eosin and cytokeratin AE1:AE3 immunohistochemistry. We retrospectively reviewed digitized L1 and L2 slides of all positive ultrastaged SLNs from patients treated for endometrial cancer between January 2013 and January 2020. SLN diagnosis was defined by measuring the largest cluster of contiguous tumor cells in a single cross section: macrometastasis (>2.0 mm), micrometastasis (>0.2 to ≤2.0 mm or >200 cells), or isolated tumor cells (≤0.2 mm or ≤200 cells). Concordance between L1 and L2 results was evaluated. Cost efficiency between current (two immunohistochemical slides per block) and proposed limited (one immunohistochemical slide per block) protocols was compared. RESULTS: Digitized slides of 147 positive SLNs from 109 patients were reviewed; 4.1% of SLNs were reclassified based on refined size criteria. Complete concordance between L1 and L2 interpretations was seen in 91.8% of SLNs. A false-negative rate of 0%-0.9% in detecting micrometastasis and macrometastasis using a limited protocol was observed. Estimated charge-level savings of a limited protocol were 50% per patient. CONCLUSION: High diagnostic accuracy in SLN interpretation may be achieved using a limited ultrastaging protocol of one immunohistochemical slide per block and linear measurement of the largest cluster of contiguous tumor cells. Implementation of the proposed limited ultrastaging protocol may result in laboratory cost savings with minimal impact on health outcomes.

Moving into the modern era of molecular classification for endometrial cancer.

The molecular subtypes of endometrial carcinoma (EC) were first described by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) a decade ago. Using surrogate approaches, the molecular classification has been demonstrated to be prognostic across EC patients and to have predictive implications. Starting in 2020, the molecular classification has been incorporated into multiple guidelines as part of the risk assessment and most recently into the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging. This review article discusses the implementation of the EC molecular classification into clinical practice, the therapeutic implications, and the molecular and clinical heterogeneity of the EC molecular subtypes.

Molecular subtyping in endometrial cancer: A promising strategy to guide fertility preservation.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association of molecular subtype with progesterone response in patients with endometrial cancer (EC) or atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AEH). METHODS: Premenopausal patients aged ≤48 years with tumor-normal sequencing data who received progesterone for EC/AEH from 1/1/2010-6/30/2021 were identified. Tumors were classified as POLE-ultramutated, microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H), copy number-high (CN-H), or copy number-low (CN-L) molecular subtype. Best response to progesterone was compared by subtype. Appropriate statistical tests were performed. RESULTS: Of 20 patients, 7 (35%) had AEH and 13 (65%) had EC. Sixteen tumors (80%) were CN-L, 3 (15%) were MSI-H, and 1 (5%) was POLE-ultramutated. Median time on progesterone was 22 months (range, 3-115). Ten patients (50%) had complete response (CR); median time to CR was 9 months (range, 3-32). Four patients (20%) had stable disease (SD) and 6 (30%) had progressive disease (PD). For CN-L tumors, 10 patients (62%) had CR, 3 (19%) had SD, and 3 (19%) had PD. For MSI-H tumors, 1 patient (33%) had SD and 2 (66%) had PD. For POLE-ultramutated tumors, 1 patient had PD. Median follow-up was 48 months (range, 12-123). Four of 10 patients (40%) with CR recurred; median time from CR to recurrence was 16 months (range, 5-102). CONCLUSION: Molecular subtype may be associated with progesterone response in patients with EC/AEH. CN-L tumors had the best response, and MSI-H tumors had the poorest. Recurrence after CR is common, and close surveillance is warranted. Larger studies investigating the role of molecular classification in medical management of EC/AEH are needed.

Oncologic outcomes of robot-assisted laparoscopy versus conventional laparoscopy for the treatment of apparent early-stage endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the uterus.

OBJECTIVE: To compare long-term oncologic outcomes in patients with clinically uterine-confined endometrioid endometrial cancer who underwent surgical staging with robot-assisted (RA) versus conventional laparoscopy. METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review of patients with newly diagnosed, uterine-confined endometrioid endometrial cancer who were treated and had primary surgery at our institution between 1/1/2009-1/1/2018. Clinicopathologic, surgical, and survival data were collected. Appropriate statistical methods were applied. RESULTS: Of 1728 patients identified, 1389 (80.4%) underwent RA and 339 (19.6%) conventional laparoscopy. At diagnosis, median age was 60 years (range, 24-92) and median BMI was 30.2 kg/m2 (range, 15.1-71.5). In the RA group, patients had longer operative time (170 vs 152 min, P < .001), lower conversion rate to laparotomy (0.6% vs 4.7%, P < .001), and a higher proportion had a BMI > 40 kg/m2 (17.2% vs 11.5%, P = .01) and same-day discharge (19.2% vs 5.3%, P < .001). Overall, 93% (RA) and 90% (conventional) of patients underwent lymph node assessment (P = .1). Comparing the RA versus conventional groups, final surgical stage on pathology (P = .6), median follow-up (55.7 vs 52.9 months, P = .4), and rates of perioperative complications (9.9% vs 7.7%, P = .6), recurrence (9.5% vs 7.4%, P = .3), 5-year PFS (88.5% vs 91.0%, P = .3), and 5-year OS (92.5% vs 92.4%, P = .7) were not significantly different. No significant increase in risk of recurrence (HR = 1.2, 95% CI: 0.8-1.9, P = .3) or poorer OS outcomes (HR = 0.9, 95% CI: 0.6-1.4, P = .7) were observed in the RA group. CONCLUSION: In uterine-confined endometrioid endometrial cancers, surgical staging using RA laparoscopy was not associated with adverse survival outcomes compared to conventional laparoscopy.

Isolated vaginal recurrence in women with stage I endometrial cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To compare clinical and pathologic characteristics of women with surgical stage I endometrial carcinoma by location of first recurrence and describe characteristics of isolated vaginal recurrence. METHODS: Patients with 2009 International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology (FIGO) stage I endometrial carcinoma treated at two large cancer centers from 1/1/2009-12/31/2017 were identified. Sarcoma histology was excluded. Recurrences were grouped into isolated vaginal or extravaginal. Isolated vaginal recurrences were localized by anatomic location within the vaginal vault. Clinical and pathologic variables were compared with chi-square analysis, and Kaplan-Meier curves with log-rank tests. RESULTS: Of 2815 women identified, 278 (10%) experienced a recurrence. Sixty-one patients (2%) had an isolated vaginal recurrence, including 42 (69%) at the vaginal apex; 217 (8%) had an extravaginal recurrence, including 18 with a vaginal component. Median time to recurrence was 11 months (range, 1-68) for isolated vaginal recurrence and 20 months (range, 1-98) for extravaginal recurrence (P < .004). Of 960 patients (34%) treated with adjuvant vaginal brachytherapy (VBT), 156 (16%) recurred; 19 (2%) had an isolated vaginal recurrence, including 16 (84%) at the vaginal apex. Three-year PFS rates for isolated vaginal recurrence were 97.6% (SE ± 0.4%) with minimally invasive surgery (MIS) versus 96.9% (SE ± 1.1%) with open (P = .8), and for extravaginal recurrence were 91.8% (SE ± 0.7%) with MIS versus 90.8% (SE ± 1.8%) with open (P = .8). CONCLUSIONS: Isolated vaginal recurrences in stage I endometrial cancer are detected earlier than non-vaginal recurrences. Surgical approach does not appear to impact recurrence. Adjuvant VBT after primary surgery carries a 1%-2% risk of isolated vaginal apex recurrence.

Patient-reported symptoms after minimally invasive hysterectomy and association with postoperative complications.

OBJECTIVE: To describe patient-reported postoperative symptoms and to evaluate the use of digital symptom tracking and alerts to detect postoperative complications. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent a minimally invasive hysterectomy and enrolled in our Recovery Tracker program from 4/5/17-12/31/21. The Recovery Tracker is an at-home virtual tool used to track patient-reported postoperative symptoms for 10 days. Predefined thresholds for "red" and "yellow" alerts are based on symptom severity and timing. Data on patient demographics, surgery, and postoperative course were collected to evaluate the association of alerts with complications and compare outcomes of patients who did/did not enroll in the program. RESULTS: Of 2362 eligible patients, 1694 (71.7%) enrolled in the Recovery Tracker program. Pain was the most severe symptom, followed by fatigue. Eighty-seven patients experienced 102 complications (5.1% complication rate) and 32 experienced 39 grade ≥ 2 complications (1.9% severe complication rate). Excluding complications that occurred prior to Recovery Tracker use, 1673 patients experienced 28 grade ≥ 2 complications. Of 345 patients (20.6%) who triggered a red alert, 13 (3.8%) had a grade ≥ 2 complication. Of 1328 patients (79.4%) with no red alerts, 15 (1.13%) had a grade ≥ 2 complication. Relative risk of a grade ≥ 2 complication if a red alert was triggered was 3.25 (95% CI: 1.6-6.9, P = .002). Rate of severe complications was significantly higher among patients who did not use the tool (3.3% vs 1.9%; P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: The Recovery Tracker tool may assist in early identification of postoperative symptoms after minimally invasive hysterectomy.

Laparoscopy with or without robotic assistance does not negatively impact long-term oncologic outcomes in patients with uterine serous carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to compare outcomes between minimally invasive surgery (MIS) and laparotomy in patients with clinical stage I uterine serous carcinoma (USC). METHODS: Patients who underwent surgery for newly diagnosed USC between 11/1/1993 and 12/31/2017 were retrospectively identified and assigned to either the MIS cohort or the laparotomy cohort. Patients with conversion to laparotomy were analyzed with the MIS cohort. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests were used to compare categorical and continuous variables, respectively. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate survival and compared using the log-rank test. RESULTS: In total, 391 patients met inclusion criteria; 242 underwent MIS (35% non-robotic and 65% robotic-assisted laparoscopies) and 149 underwent laparotomy. Age, BMI, stage, and washings status did not differ between cohorts. Patients who underwent MIS were less likely to have lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI; 35.1% vs 48.3%), had fewer nodes removed (median, 9 vs 15), and lower rates of paraaortic nodal dissection (44.6% vs 65.1%). Rates of adjuvant therapy did not differ between cohorts. Median follow-up times were 63.0 months (MIS cohort) vs 71.0 months (laparotomy cohort; P = .04). Five-year PFS rates were 58.7% (MIS) vs 59.8% (laparotomy; P = .1). Five-year OS rates were 65.2% (MIS) compared to 63.5% (laparotomy; P = .2). On multivariable analysis, higher stage, deep myometrial invasion, and positive washings were associated with decreased PFS. Age ≥ 65 years, higher stage, LVSI, and positive washings were associated with shorter OS. CONCLUSIONS: MIS does not compromise outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed USC and should be offered to these patients to minimize surgical morbidity.

Integration of clinical sequencing and immunohistochemistry for the molecular classification of endometrial carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Using next generation sequencing (NGS), The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) found that endometrial carcinomas (ECs) fall under one of four molecular subtypes, and a POLE mutation status, mismatch repair (MMR) and p53 immunohistochemistry (IHC)-based surrogate has been developed. We sought to retrospectively classify and characterize a large series of unselected ECs that were prospectively subjected to clinical sequencing by utilizing clinical molecular and IHC data. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: All patients with EC with clinical tumor-normal MSK-IMPACT NGS from 2014 to 2020 (n = 2115) were classified by integrating molecular data (i.e., POLE mutation, TP53 mutation, MSIsensor score) and MMR and p53 IHC results. Survival analysis was performed for primary EC patients with upfront surgery at our institution. RESULTS: Utilizing our integrated approach, significantly more ECs were molecularly classified (1834/2115, 87%) as compared to the surrogate (1387/2115, 66%, p < 0.001), with an almost perfect agreement for classifiable cases (Kappa 0.962, 95% CI 0.949-0.975). Discrepancies were primarily due to TP53 mutations in p53-IHC-normal ECs. Of the 1834 ECs, most were of copy number (CN)-high molecular subtype (40%), followed by CN-low (32%), MSI-high (23%) and POLE (5%). Histologic and genomic variability was present amongst all molecular subtypes. Molecular classification was prognostic in early- and advanced-stage disease, including early-stage endometrioid EC. CONCLUSIONS: The integration of clinical NGS and IHC data allows for an algorithmic approach to molecularly classifying newly diagnosed EC, while overcoming issues of IHC-based genetic alteration detection. Such integrated approach will be important moving forward given the prognostic and potentially predictive information afforded by this classification.

Germline drivers of gynecologic carcinosarcomas.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the prevalence of germline pathogenic variants (gPVs) in endometrial and ovarian carcinosarcomas and determine if gPVs are drivers of carcinosarcoma. METHODS: Patients with endometrial or ovarian carcinosarcomas who underwent clinical tumor-normal sequencing from 1/1/2015 to 6/1/2021 and consented to germline assessment of ≥76 cancer predisposition genes were included. In patients with gPVs, biallelic inactivation was identified through analysis of loss of heterozygosity and somatic pathogenic alterations. RESULTS: Of 216 patients identified, 167 (77%) were diagnosed with endometrial carcinosarcoma and 49 (23%) with ovarian carcinosarcoma. Overall, 33 gPVs were observed in 29 patients (13%); 20 gPVs (61%) had biallelic loss in tumors. The rate of high-penetrance gPVs overall was 7% (16 of 216); 88% of high-penetrance gPVs had biallelic loss. In the endometrial carcinosarcoma cohort, 22 gPVs were found in 19 (11%) of 167 patients; 12 gPVs (55%) had biallelic loss in tumors, including 8 (89%) of 9 in high-penetrance gPVs. Among the ovarian carcinosarcoma cohort, 11 gPVs were found in 10 (20%) of 49 patients; 8 gPVs (73%) had biallelic loss in tumors, and all evaluable high-penetrance gPVs (n = 6) had biallelic loss. All gPVs in homologous recombination (BRCA1, BRCA2, RAD51C) and Lynch syndrome (MSH2, MSH6) genes had biallelic loss in tumors (n = 15). CONCLUSIONS: gPVs in genes affecting homologous recombination- or Lynch-associated mismatch repair exhibited biallelic inactivation within tumors, suggesting likely drivers of gynecologic carcinosarcoma. Our data support germline testing for patients with gynecologic carcinosarcomas, given implications for treatment and risk-reduction in patients and at-risk family members.

Comprehensive analysis of germline drivers in endometrial cancer.

BACKGROUND: We sought to determine the prevalence of germline pathogenic variants (gPVs) in unselected patients with endometrial cancer (EC), define biallelic gPVs within tumors, and describe their associations with clinicopathologic features. METHODS: Germline assessment of at least 76 cancer predisposition genes was performed in patients with EC undergoing clinical tumor-normal Memorial Sloan Kettering-Integrated Mutation Profiling of Actionable Cancer Targets (MSK-IMPACT) sequencing from January 1, 2015, to June 30, 2021. In patients with gPVs, biallelic alterations in ECs were identified through analysis of loss of heterozygosity and somatic PVs. Clinicopathologic variables were compared using nonparametric tests. RESULTS: Of 1625 patients with EC, 216 (13%) had gPVs, and 15 patients had 2 gPVs. There were 231 gPVs in 35 genes (75 [32%] high penetrance; 39 [17%] moderate penetrance; and 117 [51%] low, recessive, or uncertain penetrance). Compared with those without gPVs, patients with gPVs were younger (P = .002), more often White (P = .009), and less obese (P = .025) and had differences in distribution of tumor histology (P = .017) and molecular subtype (P < .001). Among 231 gPVs, 74 (32%) exhibited biallelic inactivation within tumors. For high-penetrance gPVs, 63% (47 of 75) of ECs had biallelic alterations, primarily affecting mismatch repair (MMR) and homologous recombination related genes, including BRCA1,BRCA2, RAD51D, and PALB2. Biallelic inactivation varied across molecular subtypes with highest rates in microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or copy-number (CN)-high subtypes (3 of 12 [25%] POLE, 30 of 77 [39%] MSI-H, 27 of 60 [45%] CN-high, 9 of 57 [16%] CN-low; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Of unselected patients with EC, 13% had gPVs, with 63% of gPVs in high-penetrance genes (MMR and homologous recombination) exhibiting biallelic inactivation, potentially driving cancer development. This supports germline assessment in EC given implications for treatment and cancer prevention.

Association of bowel preparation with surgical-site infection in gynecologic oncology surgery: Post-hoc analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between bowel preparation and surgical-site infection (SSI) incidence following colorectal resection during gynecologic oncology surgery. METHODS: This post-hoc analysis used data from a randomized controlled trial of patients enrolled from 03/01/2016-08/20/2019 with presumed gynecologic malignancy investigating negative-pressure wound therapy among those requiring laparotomy. Patients were treated preoperatively without bowel preparation, oral antibiotic bowel preparation (OABP), or OABP plus mechanical bowel preparation (MBP) per surgeon preference. Univariate and multivariable analyses with stepwise model selection for SSI were performed for confirmed gynecologic malignancies requiring colorectal resection. RESULTS: Of 161 cases, 15 (9%) had no preparation, 39 (24%) OABP only, and 107 (66%) OABP+MBP. The overall SSI rate was 19% (n = 31)-53% (n = 8/15) in the no preparation, 21% (n = 8/39) in the OABP alone, and 14% (n = 15/107) in the OABP+MBP groups (P = 0.003). The difference between OABP and OABP+MBP was non-significant (P = 0.44). The median length of stay was 9 (range, 6-12), 6 (range, 5-8), and 7 days (range, 6-10), respectively (P = 0.045). The overall complication rate (34%; n = 54) did not significantly vary by preparation type (P = 0.23). On univariate logistic regression analysis, OABP (OR, 0.23; 95% CI: 0.06-0.80) and OABP+MBP (OR, 0.14; 95% CI: 0.04-0.45) were associated with decreased SSI risk compared to no preparation (P = 0.004). On multivariate analysis, both methods of preparation retained a significant impact on SSI rates (P = 0.004). CONCLUSION: Bowel preparation is associated with reduced SSI incidence and is beneficial for patients undergoing gynecologic oncology surgery with anticipated colorectal resection. Further investigation is needed to determine whether OABP alone is sufficient.

High-Sensitivity Mutation Analysis of Cell-Free DNA for Disease Monitoring in Endometrial Cancer.

PURPOSE: We sought to determine whether sequencing analysis of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in patients with prospectively accrued endometrial cancer captures the mutational repertoire of the primary lesion and allows for disease monitoring. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Peripheral blood was prospectively collected from 44 newly diagnosed patients with endometrial cancer over a 24-month period (i.e., baseline, postsurgery, every 6 months after). DNA from the primary endometrial cancers was subjected to targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) of 468 cancer-related genes, and cfDNA to a high-depth NGS assay of 129 genes with molecular barcoding. Sequencing data were analyzed using validated bioinformatics methods. RESULTS: cfDNA levels correlated with surgical stage in endometrial cancers, with higher levels of cfDNA being present in advanced-stage disease. Mutations in cfDNA at baseline were detected preoperatively in 8 of 36 (22%) patients with sequencing data, all of whom were diagnosed with advanced-stage disease, high tumor volume, and/or aggressive histologic type. Of the 38 somatic mutations identified in the primary tumors also present in the cfDNA assay, 35 (92%) and 38 (100%) were detected at baseline and follow-up, respectively. In 6 patients with recurrent disease, changes in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) fraction/variant allele fractions in cfDNA during follow-up closely mirrored disease progression and therapy response, with a lead time over clinically detected recurrence in two cases. The presence of ctDNA at baseline (P < 0.001) or postsurgery (P = 0.014) was significantly associated with reduced progression-free survival. CONCLUSIONS: cfDNA sequencing analysis in patients with endometrial cancer at diagnosis has prognostic value, and serial postsurgery cfDNA analysis enables disease and treatment response monitoring. See related commentary by Grant et al., p. 305.

Sentinel lymph node mapping in patients with endometrial hyperplasia: A practice to preserve or abandon?

OBJECTIVES: To compare outcomes of patients with premalignant endometrial pathology undergoing hysterectomy with or without sentinel lymph node (SLN) removal. Outcomes of interest included surgical adverse events (AEs), cancer status on final pathology, postoperative treatment, and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) molecular risk profiles. METHODS: We retrospectively identified patients with premalignant pathology on preoperative endometrial biopsy who underwent hysterectomy with or without SLN mapping/excision at our institution from 01/01/2017-12/31/2021. Clinical, pathologic, surgical, and TCGA profiling data were abstracted. Appropriate statistical tests were used. RESULTS: Of 221 patients identified, 161 (73%) underwent hysterectomy with SLN excision and 60 (27%) underwent hysterectomy without SLN excision. Median age and body mass index were similar between groups. Median operative time was 130 min for those who underwent SLN mapping/excision versus 136 min for those who did not (p = 0.6). Thirty-day postoperative AE rates were 9% (n = 15/161) and 13% (n = 8/60), respectively (p = 0.9). Ninety-eight (44%) of 221 patients had grade 1-2 endometrioid endometrial cancer on final pathology (4 [4%] were stage IB or higher). Ten (10%) of 98 patients, all within the SLN group, received adjuvant treatment. Among all patients, of 33 (15%) with TCGA molecular classification data, 27 (82%) had copy number-low, 3 (9%) microsatellite instability-high, 2 (6%) POLE-ultramutated, and 1 (3%) copy number-high disease. CONCLUSIONS: SLN assessment appears safe, detects a small number of occult nodal metastases for those upstaged, and provides additional staging information that can guide adjuvant treatment. SLN mapping should be discussed in preoperative counseling and offered using a shared decision-making approach.

Gastric-type adenocarcinoma of the cervix: Clinical outcomes and genomic drivers.

OBJECTIVES: Gastric-type endocervical adenocarcinoma (GEA) is a rare form of cervical cancer not associated with human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. We summarize our experience with GEA at a large cancer center. METHODS: Clinical and demographic information on all patients diagnosed with GEA between June 1, 2002 and July 1, 2019 was obtained retrospectively from clinical charts. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to describe progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Tumors from a subset of patients underwent next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis. RESULTS: A total of 70 women with GEA were identified, including 43 who received initial treatment at our institution: of these 4 (9%) underwent surgery alone, 15 (35%) underwent surgery followed by adjuvant therapy, 10 (23%) were treated with definitive concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT), 7 (16%) with chemotherapy alone, and 3 (7%) with neoadjuvant CCRT and hysterectomy with or without chemotherapy. One-third (n = 14) of patients experienced disease progression, of whom 86% (n = 12) had prior CCRT. The median PFS and OS for patients with stage I GEA were 107 months (95% CI 14.8-199.2 months) and 111 months (95% CI 17-205.1 months) respectively, compared to 17 months (95% CI 5.6-28.4 months) and 33 months (95% CI 28.2-37.8 months) for patients with stages II-IV, respectively. On NGS, 4 patients (14%) had ERBB2 alterations, including 2 patients who received trastuzumab. CONCLUSIONS: GEA is an aggressive form of cervical cancer with poor PFS and OS when diagnosed at stage II or later. Further investigation is needed to identify the optimal management approach for this rare subtype.