Borderline tumour recurrence: how quickly does the tumour grow?

This abstract describes a case of the growth of a serous borderline tumour recurrence and cyst to papillary projection ratio with associated ultrasound images. The aetiology, presentation and management of such cases are explored and compared to the literature.

Artificial Intelligence in Ultrasound Diagnoses of Ovarian Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common malignancy, with a 35% survival rate across all stages at 10 years. Ultrasound is widely used for ovarian tumour diagnosis, and accurate pre-operative diagnosis is essential for appropriate patient management. Artificial intelligence is an emerging field within gynaecology and has been shown to aid in the ultrasound diagnosis of ovarian cancers. For this study, Embase and MEDLINE databases were searched, and all original clinical studies that used artificial intelligence in ultrasound examinations for the diagnosis of ovarian malignancies were screened. Studies using histopathological findings as the standard were included. The diagnostic performance of each study was analysed, and all the diagnostic performances were pooled and assessed. The initial search identified 3726 papers, of which 63 were suitable for abstract screening. Fourteen studies that used artificial intelligence in ultrasound diagnoses of ovarian malignancies and had histopathological findings as a standard were included in the final analysis, each of which had different sample sizes and used different methods; these studies examined a combined total of 15,358 ultrasound images. The overall sensitivity was 81% (95% CI, 0.80-0.82), and specificity was 92% (95% CI, 0.92-0.93), indicating that artificial intelligence demonstrates good performance in ultrasound diagnoses of ovarian cancer. Further prospective work is required to further validate AI for its use in clinical practice.

Cardiovascular Mortality in Ovarian Cancer Patients: An Analysis of Patient Characteristics Using the SEER Database.

Background and Objectives: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major contributor to the high mortality rate among individuals with ovarian cancer. Nevertheless, there is limited understanding regarding the specific patient attributes that might impact the risk of CVD in this group. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed using the SEER database to analyze primary ovarian cancer cases from 2000 to 2019. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to identify patient characteristics linked to cardiovascular mortality. Results: The cohort included 41,930 cases of patients who were alive, 54,829 cases of cancer-related deaths, 3003 cases of cardiovascular-related deaths, and 10,238 cases with other causes of death. Poorly differentiated cancer cells and distant metastasis were associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular mortality. Logistic regression analysis identified age, year of diagnosis, race, laterality, and staging as significant risk factors for cardiovascular cause of death. The risk of cardiovascular cause of death was lower in patients aged 31-60 and higher in those aged over 60 years old, and the risk also increased with a later year of diagnosis. Patients who were not white were at a higher risk of cardiovascular cause of death. Additionally, bilateral ovarian cancer and distant staging disease were linked to elevated risks of cardiovascular cause of death. Conclusion: Cardiovascular mortality is a significant concern in ovarian cancer patients, and several patient characteristics are associated with an increased risk. Our study suggests that targeted interventions to improve cardiovascular health in high-risk patients, such as those with comorbidities or an advanced stage at diagnosis, may improve survival in this population.

Folate receptor alpha in ovarian cancer tissue and patient serum is associated with disease burden and treatment outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Survival rates for ovarian cancer remain poor, and monitoring and prediction of therapeutic response may benefit from additional markers. Ovarian cancers frequently overexpress Folate Receptor alpha (FRα) and the soluble receptor (sFRα) is measurable in blood. Here we investigated sFRα as a potential biomarker. METHODS: We evaluated sFRα longitudinally, before and during neo-adjuvant, adjuvant and palliative therapies, and tumour FRα expression status by immunohistrochemistry. The impact of free FRα on the efficacy of anti-FRα treatments was evaluated by an antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity assay. RESULTS: Membrane and/or cytoplasmic FRα staining were observed in 52.7% tumours from 316 ovarian cancer patients with diverse histotypes. Circulating sFRα levels were significantly higher in patients, compared to healthy volunteers, specifically in patients sampled prior to neoadjuvant and palliative treatments. sFRα was associated with FRα cell membrane expression in the tumour. sFRα levels decreased alongside concurrent tumour burden in patients receiving standard therapies. High concentrations of sFRα partly reduced anti-FRα antibody tumour cell killing, an effect overcome by increased antibody doses. CONCLUSIONS: sFRα may present a non-invasive marker for tumour FRα expression, with the potential for monitoring patient response to treatment. Larger, prospective studies should evaluate FRα for assessing disease burden and response to systemic treatments.

Gynae-Oncology Surgeons' Preparedness to Undertake Colorectal Procedures during Cytoreductive Surgery for Ovarian Cancer: A Cross Sectional Survey.

Cytoreductive surgery for advanced ovarian cancer commonly involves bowel resection. Although UK gynaecological oncologists are trained in bowel surgery, the degree to which they perform bowel surgery independently varies nationally. A recent joint policy statement from the British Gynaecological Cancer Society (BGCS) emphasises the need for formalised colorectal support. An anonymous, online survey was emailed to BGCS members to assess the status of multidisciplinary working between UK gynaecological oncology and colorectal/general surgical teams. A total of 46 members responded (8.2% response rate). There was a large variety in the involvement of colorectal/general surgical teams in preoperative planning. A total of 13% of respondents had no formalised agreement for intraoperative support, 72.1% of respondents independently performed rectal peritoneal stripping and 60.5% independently performed small bowel resection. This was reduced to 27.9% for right hemicolectomy with primary anastomosis and 16.3% for left hemicolectomy with primary anastomosis. Respondents often involved colorectal support for post-operative complications. The majority of UK gynaecological oncologists involve colorectal/general surgical teams in bowel procedures, more commonly for large bowel procedures compared to small bowel and for left colon compared to right colon procedures. A total of 16.3% of respondents independently performed all surveyed bowel procedures. Future research should examine training and experience within these groups to address this disparity.

Fertility Preserving Surgery Outcomes for Ovarian Malignancy: Data from a Tertiary Cancer Centre in Central London.

Fertility Sparing Surgery (FSS) appears to be a safe means of treating early-stage ovarian cancer based on relatively limited evidence. However, there is currently insufficient evidence to aid women in counselling about their potential fertility outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess the reproductive outcomes and prognosis of women who have undergone FSS for ovarian malignancy. Between 1 June 2008 and 1 June 2018, a retrospective review of a clinical database was conducted to identify all consecutive patients who underwent FSS in a central London gynaecological oncology centre. All patients with a histological diagnosis of ovarian malignancy (excluding borderline ovarian tumours) were eligible. All identified patients were then prospectively called into a follow up and asked to complete a questionnaire about their fertility outcomes. A total of 47 women underwent FSS; 36 were included in this study. The mean age was 30.3 years (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 27.6 to 33.0 years). During the study period, 17/36 (47.2%) of the women had attempted to conceive following surgery, with a successful live birth rate of 52.9% (9/17). The mean time of recurrence was 125.3 months (95% CI: 106.5−144.1 months). The mean time to death was 139.5 months (95% CI: 124.3−154.8). The cancer grade, tumour stage and use of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) were the main factors significantly associated with the risk of recurrence and death. In conclusion, this study suggests that a large proportion of women will not attempt to conceive following FSS. For those who do attempt to conceive, the likelihood of achieving a live birth is high. However, careful counselling about the higher risk of recurrence and worse survival for women with high grade cancer, disease Stage > IA and potentially those who undergo ART is essential before contemplating FFS.

A Promising Approach for Primary Cytoreductive Surgery for Advanced Ovarian Cancer: Survival Outcomes and Step-by-Step Description of Total Retroperitoneal en-Bloc Resection of Multivisceral-Peritoneal Packet (TROMP).

(1) Background: A complete tumor resection during primary cytoreductive surgery has been reported to be the most important and perhaps the only independent prognostic factor in advanced ovarian cancers. The goal of complete cytoreduction needs to be weighed against the potential morbidities and long-term survival outcomes. (2) Methods: in this retrospective analysis of a prospectively obtained database, 208 consecutive patients with advanced ovarian cancer who underwent a conventional primary cytoreductive surgery (150 patients) or TROMP technique (58 patients) were included. Progression-free and overall survival rates were calculated using Kaplan-Meier analysis as well as the 95% confidence interval of the hazard ratio between treatment groups. (3) Results: After a median follow-up phase of more than 3 years (range 1-72 months), there are no statistically significant differences between both groups in progression-free and overall survival rates. Albeit, the TROMP group included statistically significant more advanced-stage cases compared to the conventional surgery group. (4) Conclusions: the TROMP technique is a promising tool for successful primary cytoreductive surgery in a selected group of patients with high tumor burdens in order to achieve optimal surgical results and survival outcomes without introducing any additional risks or complications.

Reconstructive Surgery versus Primary Closure following Vulvar Cancer Excision: A Wide Single-Center Experience.

(1) Background: plastic reconstruction in vulvar surgery can lead to a better treatment outcome than primary closure. This study aims to compare the preoperative parameters (co-morbidities and tumor size) and postoperative results (tumor free margins and wound healing) between the primary closure and reconstructive surgery after vulvar cancer surgery; (2) Methods: this is a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from 2009 to 2021 at a tertiary cancer institution; (3) Results: 177 patients were included in the final analysis (51 patients had primary closure PC and 126 had reconstructive surgery RS). About half (49%) of the PC patients had no co-morbidities (p = 0.043). The RS group had a 45 mm median maximal tumor diameter compared to the PC group's 23 mm (p = 0.013). More than 90% of RS and 80% of PC had tumor-free margins (p = 0.1). Both groups had anterior vulvar excision as the most common surgery (52.4% RS vs. 23.5% PC; p = 0.001). Both groups had identical rates of wound healing disorders. In a median follow-up of 39 months; recurrent disease was found in 23.5% of PC vs. 10.3% in RS (p = 0.012). In terms of overall survival there was no significant difference between the both groups; (4) Conclusions: reconstructive vulvar surgery enables enhanced complete resection rates of larger vulvar tumors with better anatomical restoration and a comparable wound recovery in comparison to primary closure. This results in a lower recurrence rate despite the increased tumor volume.

Macrophages in ovarian cancer and their interactions with monoclonal antibody therapies.

The unmet clinical need for effective treatments in ovarian cancer has yet to be addressed using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), which have largely failed to overcome tumour-associated immunosuppression, restrict cancer growth, and significantly improve survival. In recent years, experimental mAb design has moved away from solely targeting ovarian tumours and instead sought to modulate the wider tumour microenvironment (TME). Tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) may represent an attractive therapeutic target for mAbs in ovarian cancer due to their high abundance and close proximity to tumour cells and their active involvement in facilitating several pro-tumoural processes. Moreover, the expression of several antibody crystallisable fragment (Fc) receptors and broad phenotypic plasticity of TAMs provide opportunities to modulate TAM polarisation using mAbs to promote anti-tumoural phenotypes. In this review, we discuss the role of TAMs in ovarian cancer TME and the emerging strategies to target the contributions of these cells in tumour progression through the rationale design of mAbs.

Is Ultrasound a Reliable and Reproducible Method for Assessing Adnexal Masses in Pregnancy? A Systematic Review.

In this study, we aimed to systematicallyreview the current evidence regarding the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound in assessing adnexal masses in pregnancy. The Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, and EMBASE databases were searched for all types of clinical studies that utilised ultrasound for the diagnosis of adnexal masses in pregnancy. Only studies that used outcome measures of either histological diagnosis or significant regression of the adnexal mass on imaging follow-up were included. The quality of each study was assessed for risk of bias. The diagnostic performance of ultrasound in each study type was calculated, along with the pooled diagnostic performance of ultrasound in differentiating benign from malignant masses. The initial search yielded 4,915 articles, of which 2,547 qualified for abstract screening. A total of 83 articles were included in this review, including one prospective cohort study, six retrospective observational studies, seven case series, and 69 case reports. In the included studies, the total number of adnexal masses was 559. The mean patient age was 29.2 years (95% confidence interval [CI]: 28.7-29.7), with a mean gestational age at diagnosis of 13.8 weeks (95% CI: 13.2-14.4). The mean quality assessment score was 75%. The International Ovarian Tumour Analysis Simple Rules were used in two articles, whereas subjective impression was used in the remaining 81 articles. The most frequently diagnosed mass was a simple or physiological cyst (35%). The prevalence of malignancy in the entire sample was 46/559 (8%; 95% CI: 34-61%). The overall pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio of ultrasound in detecting ovarian malignancy were 64% (95% CI: 30-88%), 88% (95% CI: 64-97%), 5.6 (95% CI: 1.2-25.4), and 0.4 (95% CI: 0.15-1), respectively. In conclusion, currently, there is a lack of high-quality prospective studies to guide the management of adnexal masses in pregnancy. Ultrasound appears to have an adequate accuracy in differentiating benign from malignant masses; however, more research is required to assess the role of ultrasound models, rules, and subjective assessment in pregnancy compared to non-pregnant women.

Sentinel Lymph Node Staging with Indocyanine Green for Patients with Cervical Cancer: The Safety and Feasibility of Open Approach Using SPY-PHI Technique.

(1) Background: Sentinel lymph node staging (SLN) with indocyanine green (ICG) in cervical cancer is the standard of care in most national and international guidelines. However, the vast majority of relevant studies about the safety and feasibility of this method are conducted on minimally invasive surgery; (2) Methods: This study is a retrospective analysis of a retrospective collected database of 76 consecutive patients with cervical cancers, who were operated laparoscopically (50%), or laparotomy (50%). Sentinel nodes were defined as the ICG-positive pelvic nodes in the first and second echelons. False negative cases were defined as positive non-sentinel lymph nodes despite successful sentinel mapping or failed mapping bilaterally by per-patient assessment or unilaterally by pelvic sidewall assessment; (3) Results: Regardless of the approach (open or laparoscopic), the SLN technique achieved a total sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value (NPV) of 94.7%, 98.6%, and 94.7%, respectively in the entire sample. The bilateral detection rate was as high as 93.4% with identical results in both approaches. The sensitivity and NPV for SNL in open surgery was found to be similar to minimal access surgery; (4) Conclusions: ICG and SPY-PHI technique is a reliable tool to detect sentinel lymph nodes in cervical cancer during laparotomy.

Trigeminal neuralgia leading to a diagnosis of ovarian cancer: a timely coincidence or a case of paraneoplastic syndrome?

A 51-year-old woman was referred to oral medicine with a 2-month history of progressive paraesthesia of the right lip, chin and oral mucosa. Examination revealed decreased sensation to the right dermatone of the inferior alveolar nerve and allodynia to light touch of the lower lip. An MRI of the head revealed bilateral cisternal trigeminal nerve pathological enhancement. While blood tests suggested a connective tissue disorder as the cause of the trigeminal neuralgia, a subsequent diagnosis of high-grade serous ovarian cancer gave a differential diagnosis of paraneoplastic syndrome.

Retraction: Uterine Inversion Secondary to a Large Prolapsed Leiomyoma: Diagnostic and Management Challenges.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.7759/cureus.7168.].

An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Image-based Texture Features Extracted from Static B-mode Ultrasound Images in Distinguishing between Benign and Malignant Ovarian Masses.

Significant successes in machine learning approaches to image analysis for various applications have energized strong interest in automated diagnostic support systems for medical images. The evolving in-depth understanding of the way carcinogenesis changes the texture of cellular networks of a mass/tumor has been informing such diagnostics systems with use of more suitable image texture features and their extraction methods. Several texture features have been recently applied in discriminating malignant and benign ovarian masses by analysing B-mode images from ultrasound scan of the ovary with different levels of performance. However, comparative performance evaluation of these reported features using common sets of clinically approved images is lacking. This paper presents an empirical evaluation of seven commonly used texture features (histograms, moments of histogram, local binary patterns [256-bin and 59-bin], histograms of oriented gradients, fractal dimensions, and Gabor filter), using a collection of 242 ultrasound scan images of ovarian masses of various pathological characteristics. The evaluation examines not only the effectiveness of classification schemes based on the individual texture features but also the effectiveness of various combinations of these schemes using the simple majority-rule decision level fusion. Trained support vector machine classifiers on the individual texture features without any specific pre-processing, achieve levels of accuracy between 75% and 85% where the seven moments and the 256-bin LBP are at the lower end while the Gabor filter is at the upper end. Combining the classification results of the top k (k = 3, 5, 7) best performing features further improve the overall accuracy to a level between 86% and 90%. These evaluation results demonstrate that each of the investigated image-based texture features provides informative support in distinguishing benign or malignant ovarian masses.

Closed-Incision Negative Pressure Wound management Following Midline Laparotomy in Gynecological Oncology Operations: A Feasibility Pilot Study.

Introduction Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a cause of considerable morbidity and mortality in healthcare. Increasingly, closed-incision negative pressure wound therapy (ciNPWT) is being studied as a potential method of reducing incidence of SSI with conflicting results in the literature. Few studies however have looked at its use in the field of gynecological oncology. Objectives We aimed to compare the incidence of SSI when using ciNPWT dressings versus conventional dressings in gynecological oncology patients undergoing midline laparotomies. Methods This was a pilot study involving 14 patients receiving the ciNPWT dressing and 26 control patients. All patients were followed up for a period of 30 days. We used the American College of Surgeons (ACS) risk calculator to estimate each patient's risk of SSI in order to risk stratify the groups. Results The incidence of wound infection was 21% (3/14) in the ciNPWT group and 23% (6/26) in the control group (p=0.886). The ciNPWT group was found to be at significantly higher risk for SSI as calculated by the ACS tool (8.8% ciNPWT, 6% control, p=0.004). After stratifying for this difference in risk, still no significant difference in incidence of SSI was found between the two groups (27% (3/11) ciNPWT, 29% (2/7) control p=0.929). Conclusion The incidence of SSI does not appear to decrease by the prophylactic use of the closed-incision negative pressure wound dressing.

Transvaginal Saline Contrast Sonohystography to Investigate Postmenopausal Bleeding: A Systematic Review.

Transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) is the initial investigation of choice for postmenopausal bleeding (PMB), followed by diagnostic hysteroscopy and endometrial sampling if abnormalities are detected. Saline contrast sonohysterography (SCSH) - injection of saline through the cervix into the uterine cavity prior to TVUS - allowed increased diagnostic accuracy in women with PMB in several small, heterogeneous studies. The objectives of the current study were to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of SCSH in women with PMB, comparing findings with surgical and pathological reports, highlight the necessity of SCSH in guiding clinical decision-making, and establish if there is an increase/decrease in the number of hysteroscopies performed for PMB and, hence, the adherence of clinicians to imaging referral guidelines. The search strategy included formulating search terms identifying all synonyms of SCSH and postmenopause. The databases searched were MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. Only studies comparing SCSH to an alternative method were selected. The studies were screened and data analysis performed using content analysis. Data reduction was performed through systematic coding and the generation of themes We identified 18 studies, comprising 974 women, using SCSH to evaluate the endometrial cavity in women with PMB; most support SCSH improving diagnostic accuracy through delineating intracavitary structures. In effect, SCSH could be a first-line investigative modality to assess the uterine cavity once a larger, well-designed study has been conducted to clarify its specificity, sensitivity, and positive predictive value (PPV). Owing to its relatively non-invasive nature and potentially high diagnostic accuracy, SCSH could allow for more accurate decisions regarding the need for further investigation and subsequent management. Tweetable abstract "Saline contrast sonohysterography improves the diagnostic accuracy of the endometrium in postmenopausal bleeding."

Surgery of Benign Ovarian Masses by a Gynecological Cancer Surgeon: A Cohort Study in a Tertiary Cancer Centre.

Objectives This study aimed to evaluate diagnostic performance in characterising ovarian masses by our gynaecological oncology multidisciplinary team meeting (MDM). Surgical outcome and overall impact on patients and healthcare service were also assessed. Methods This was a prospective cohort study of all women with adnexal masses presenting to the gynaecological oncology MDM at a central London tertiary cancer centre between February 2017 and February 2018. The multidisciplinary team (MDT) outcome, imaging details, subjective opinion, tumour markers, surgical details, and final histological diagnosis were collected. Diagnostic performance was also determined. Results There were 200 eligible patients in the study period. MDM imaging review demonstrated a sensitivity of 98.4% (95% CI: 94.3% to 99.8%) and a specificity of 52% (95% CI: 40.2% to 63.7%). Thirty-five cases were false positive, either presumed invasive cancers (51%) or borderline tumours (49%). The most common histological types were serous (37%) and mucinous (31%) cystadenomas. A retrospective application of the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA) Assessment of Different NEoplasias in the adneXa (ADNEX) model suggests a potential reduction in false-positive rates (17%). Among the false-positive cases, there was no postoperative (90 days) mortality and postoperative morbidity was 14% with only grade 2 (CD2) complications according to Clavien and Dindo's CD classification. Conclusion An MDT has high sensitivity but low specificity when characterising ovarian masses referred with possible ovarian cancer to the tertiary centre. False-positive values in ovarian cancers are an important indicator of over-treatment. More research is required to assess other methods, such as the IOTA ADNEX model, to reduce the false-positive value.

Use of electrochemotherapy in women with vulvar cancer to improve quality-of-life in the palliative setting: a meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Electrochemotherapy involves the use of transient tumor permeabilization via electric pulses in combination with low-dose chemotherapeutic agents. It has recently emerged as an alternative treatment modality in vulvar cancer. The aim of this meta-analysis was to ascertain the effectiveness of electrochemotherapy in the context of palliative care. METHODS: The following databases were searched: MEDLINE, Scopus, and Cochrane Database, to identify all registered articles pertaining to palliative vulvar cancer treatment with electrochemotherapy from inception until August 2019, in line with PRISMA guidelines. A single-proportion meta-analysis was performed for the outcomes of overall response, complete response, partial response, stable disease, and progressive disease raterespectively, using the random-effect model. Sensitivity analysis was performed to address heterogeneity. RESULTS: Four studies were included totaling 104 women. The studies were of moderate quality. Pooled results from four studies rendered a summary proportion of 78.8% (95% CI 70.4% to 86.1%) for the outcome of overall response. The median age ranged between 68 and 85 years. The sample size per study ranged between eight and 61 women. The tumors' histological types included: squamous-cell carcinoma (96.2%), Paget's disease (2.9%), and malignant melanoma (0.9%). A total of 65 patients (62.5%) presented with a single nodule, whilst 39 patients (37.5%) presented with multiple nodules. Eighty-nine women (85.6%) were previously submitted to other treatment modalities. The overall response rate ranged from 73.2% to 80.9%. The pooled proportion for the outcomes of complete and partial response rate was 48.7% (95% CI 30.74% to 61.5%) and 30.2% (95% CI 21.7% to 39.4%), respectively. The follow-up ranged from 1 to 51 months. No severe adverse effects were reported. The safety profile of electrochemotherapy was favorable. CONCLUSIONS: Electrochemotherapy is an effective and minimally invasive treatment modality in the palliative care management of patients with vulvar cancer. The effective control of vulvar tumors by electrochemotherapy may contribute to improvement of quality-of-life. In light of the moderate quality of evidence, a multi-center cooperation is warranted to confirm its palliative benefit.