Patterns and predictors of site-specific recurrence in cervical cancer after radical hysterectomy.

AIM: This study examines patterns and predictors of site-specific recurrence to explore the causes of local recurrence of cervical cancer. METHODS: Radical hysterectomy was performed in 121 patients (stage IB-IIB). Nerve-sparing was performed whenever possible. The first recurrence in local, regional, and distant areas was examined. We investigated the possibility of nerve involvement in local recurrence, focusing on paravaginal tissues containing the pelvic plexus. We provide Supporting Information on local recurrence in the paravaginal area. RESULTS: Local recurrence was an independent event from regional or distant recurrence. Local recurrence was seen only in high-risk patients, while regional and distant recurrences were not or less related to the risk category. The independent risk factors by logistic regression for local, regional, and distant recurrence were parametrial invasion, vaginal invasion, and lymph node metastasis, respectively. Local recurrence showed a comparable or more significant negative impact on survival than distant recurrence. Among seven patients with local recurrences, five had a recurrence in the paravagina. The rate of paravaginal recurrence was one in 76 early-stage and four in 45 locally advanced diseases. Four sites of paravaginal recurrence occurred on the nerve-sparing side and two on the non-nerve-sparing side. Supporting Information demonstrated histological evidence of perineural spread into the pelvic plexus and perineural invasion of the primary tumor. CONCLUSIONS: A high percentage of local recurrences are in paravaginal tissue containing the pelvic plexus. The causal association of nerve-sparing surgery and perineural invasion with local recurrence needs to be investigated in large prospective studies.

Tailored radical hysterectomy for locally advanced cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The survival and prognostic factors for locally advanced cervical cancer treated with nerve-sparing Okabayashi-Kobayashi radical hysterectomy have not been elucidated. We aimed to evaluate the oncological outcomes of those patients after radical hysterectomy with adjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted from January 2002 to December 2011. Treatment was conducted at a single tertiary center in northern Japan. We used the Okabayashi-Kobayashi radical hysterectomy with lymphadenectomy. We applied unilateral nerve preservation for stage IIA/IIB cancer if there was a one-sided extension of the disease outside the cervix. Indication for adjuvant therapy was based on Sedlis criteria. High-risk was defined as evidence of lymph node metastasis, pathological parametrial invasion, and a positive/close surgical margin. The choice of adjuvant therapy was chemotherapy which consisted of paclitaxel and cisplatin. RESULTS: The study included 76 early-stage IB1 (≤4 cm) and IIA1 cervical cancer and 45 locally advanced stage IB2 (>4 cm), IIA2, and IIB disease treated consecutively. The median follow-up was 106 (range: 6-203) months. There were 18 (15%) patients with recurrence, with five of 76 in the early-stage (7%) and 13 of 45 in the locally advanced disease (29%) (P<0.001). For locally advanced cervical cancer, pT classification (P<0.001), lymph node metastasis (P=0.007), and histology (P=0.05) were associated with locoregional recurrence. The five-year locoregional recurrence rate in the locally advanced disease was 20% and 5% in the early-stage disease (P=0.01). The five-year disease-free survival in the locally advanced cervical cancer was 71% and 93% in the early-stage disease (P<0.001). The overall survival in locally advanced disease depended on the adeno-type histology and lymph node metastasis. CONCLUSION: The tailored use of nerve-sparing Okabayashi-Kobayashi radical hysterectomy with adjuvant chemotherapy based on tumor histology and lymph node metastasis may be a possible option as a treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer in selected patients.

Galectins and Ovarian Cancer.

Ovarian cancer is known for its aggressive pathological features, including the capacity to undergo epithelial to mesenchymal transition, promoting angiogenesis, metastatic potential, chemoresistance, inhibiting apoptosis, immunosuppression and promoting stem-like features. Galectins, a family of glycan-binding proteins defined by a conserved carbohydrate recognition domain, can modulate many of these processes, enabling them to contribute to the pathology of ovarian cancer. Our goal herein was to review specific galectin members identified in the context of ovarian cancer, with emphasis on their association with clinical and pathological features, implied functions, diagnostic or prognostic potential and strategies being developed to disrupt their negative actions.

Oncological Outcomes After Okabayashi-Kobayashi Radical Hysterectomy for Early and Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer.

Importance: The role of surgery in early-stage cervical cancer has been established, but it is controversial in locally advanced cervical cancer. Objective: To determine whether a radical hysterectomy method with extended removal of paracervical tissue for locally advanced cervical cancer is associated with satisfactory oncological outcomes. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study was conducted from January 1, 2002, to December 31, 2011, and participants were patients with cervical cancer at a single tertiary center in Northern Japan. The median follow-up period was 106 months, and none of the patients were lost to follow-up at less than 60 months. Data analyses were performed from July 1, 2017, to December 31, 2018. Exposures: Patients underwent radical hysterectomy using the Okabayashi-Kobayashi method. Bilateral nerve preservation was used for stage IB1/IB2 disease and unilateral nerve preservation for stage IIA/IIB if disease extension outside the uterine cervix was 1-sided. Chemotherapy was used as the choice of adjuvant treatment for patients with an intermediate or high risk of recurrence, while some patients chose or were assigned to radiotherapy. Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes were the 5-year local control rate and 5-year overall survival rate along with risk factor analysis. Results: Of 121 consecutive patients, 76 (62.8%) had early-stage cervical cancer in 2008 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stages IB1 and IIA1 and 45 (37.2%) had locally advanced cervical cancer in stages IB2, IIA2, and IIB. The median (range) age was 42 (26-68) years. Adjuvant radiotherapy was used in 2 patients (3%) with early-stage cervical cancer and 3 (7%) of those with locally advanced cervical cancer. The 5-year local control rates for early-stage cervical cancer and locally advanced cervical cancer were 99% and 87%, respectively. The 5-year overall survival rates for early-stage cervical cancer and locally advanced cervical cancer were 95% and 82%, respectively. Cox regression analysis showed that lymph node metastasis and histology of adeno(squamous)carcinoma were independent risk factors for the overall survival of patients with cervical cancer treated with radical hysterectomy. Conclusions and Relevance: The nerve-sparing Okabayashi-Kobayashi radical hysterectomy for locally advanced cervical cancer may provide survival not inferior to radical hysterectomy or radiotherapy in published literature. The applicability of radical hysterectomy with adjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer needs to be validated by prospective comparative trials.

Bevacizumab-related gastrointestinal perforation in patients with three or more prior chemotherapy regimens: A real-world experience.

OBJECTIVE: Associations between the number of prior chemotherapy (CT) regimens and gastrointestinal (GI) perforation in patients receiving bevacizumab treatment has not been fully investigated. The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of ≥3 prior CT regimens on GI perforation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively investigated the medical records of 133 patients with gynecological cancer who received bevacizumab-containing treatment. Bevacizumab was intravenously administered at a dose of 15 mg/kg every 4 weeks. Incidence of GI perforation was compared between ≤2 and ≥3 prior CT groups. RESULTS: Twenty-three (17.3%) patients had a history of ≥3 CT; these patients received bevacizumab at 4-week intervals. The percentage of patients with prior surgery was significantly higher in the ≥3 prior CT group (95.7% vs. 70.0%, P = 0.008), while those with prior bowel resection was significantly higher in the ≥3 prior CT group (30.4% vs. 12.7%, P = 0.034). There was no significant difference in the mean number of bevacizumab cycles between the two groups (10.7 vs. 8.9, P = 0.19). While GI perforation was observed in three (2.7%) patients in the ≤2 prior CT group, no GI perforation was found in the ≥3 prior CT group (P > 0.99). CONCLUSION: A history of ≥3 prior CT did not increase the risk for GI perforation when bevacizumab is administered at a dose of 15 mg/kg every 4 weeks in our cases.

Imaging-based definition of lower uterine segment carcinoma to improve the detection sensitivity of probable Lynch syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate a magnetic resonance imaging-based definition of lower uterine segment carcinoma. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 587 consecutive patients with endometrial cancer who underwent hysterectomy. Lower uterine segment carcinoma was determined through pathological examination and magnetic resonance imaging assessment. For imaging assessment, the location of the inner lining of the uterus was classified into four equal parts on a sagittal section image. A tumor was defined as lower uterine segment carcinoma when its thickest part was located in the second or the third part from the uterine fundus. Lower uterine segment carcinoma was further divided into lower uterine segment in a narrow sense, upon which diagnosis was exclusively based on pathological findings, and lower uterine segment in a broad sense that were the remaining lower uterine segment carcinomas except lower uterine segment carcinomas in a narrow sense. The relationship between lower uterine segment carcinoma and probable Lynch syndrome was investigated. Patients with loss of MSH2, MSH6, and PMS2 expression or those with tumors with loss of MLH1 and absence of MLH1 promoter methylation were diagnosed as probable Lynch syndrome. RESULTS: Lower uterine segment carcinoma was identified in 59 (10.2%) patients. Twenty-eight (47.5%) patients were categorized as lower uterine segment in a narrow sense and 31 (52.5%) as lower uterine segment in a broad sense. Among them, probable Lynch syndrome was identified in 12 (20.3%) cases. There was no difference in clinical profiles, including the prevalence of probable Lynch syndrome between the two categories. CONCLUSIONS: A magnetic resonance imaging-based expanded definition of lower uterine segment carcinoma is likely to secure characteristics equivalent to a conventional pathology-based definition of lower uterine segment carcinoma. The novel definition of lower uterine segment carcinoma might improve the detection of probable Lynch syndrome.

Cervical laser vaporization for women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia-3.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated outcomes of laser vaporization of the cervix for women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN)-3. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 161 consecutive patients with CIN3 who were treated with cervical laser vaporization between January 2008 and December 2012. At each follow-up visit, histologically confirmed CIN2, CIN3 and invasive carcinoma were defined as treatment failures, as were high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) or atypical squamous cells that cannot exclude HSIL with subsequent treatment or lost to follow-up. Primary endpoints included long-term follow-up (at least 5 years of regular hospital visits) and treatment failure rate. Treatment failure rates were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Patients' median age was 31 years old. Median follow-up period was 67 months (interquartile range: 52-74 months). Over 5 years, 70.8% continued their follow-up visits, but significantly more patients aged ≥35 years did so (86.4%) than did those aged ≤34 years (61.8%, P = 0.0009). Treatment failure was observed in 14 (8.7%) patients, 1 of whom progressed to invasive cancer (0.6%). Cumulative treatment failure rates were 1-year: 5.1%, 2-year: 6.4% and 5-year: 9.5%. Among patients who suffered treatment failures, 57.1% initial failures occurred within the first year and 71.4% within the first 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term oncologic outcomes of cervical vaporization in CIN3 remain at a suboptimal level. The importance of a minimum of 5 years of regular hospital visits should be emphasized to patients with CIN3 who are candidates for cervical laser vaporization, especially those aged ≤34 years.

A feasibility study of sentinel lymph node mapping by cervical injection of a tracer in Japanese women with early stage endometrial cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of sentinel lymph node mapping characterized by a cervical tracer injection in endometrial cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study was carried out using data for 57 patients with endometrial carcinoma who had undergone intraoperative sentinel lymph node mapping and subsequent surgical staging. Technetium colloid and/or indocyanine green was injected into the uterine cervix and a gamma-detecting probe and/or photodynamic eye camera system was used intraoperatively to locate hot spots. RESULTS: Of the 57 patients, 52 (91.2%) had FIGO Stage I disease. Successful unilateral or bilateral mapping occurred in 54 patients (94.7%) and 46 (80.7%), respectively. The median number of sentinel lymph nodes detected was two (range, 0-5). Following sentinel lymph node mapping, 41 patients (71.9%) underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy alone and 16 (28.1%) full lymphadenectomy. The median number of lymph nodes resected was 17 (range, 8-110). Sentinel lymph nodes were involved in four patients (7.0%), two with macrometastases and two with low-volume metastases. The sensitivity and negative predictive value for detecting lymph node metastasis were both 100%. CONCLUSION: Sentinel lymph node mapping with the use of cervical tracer injection is highly feasible in Japanese women with early stage endometrial cancer.

Therapeutic significance of full lymphadenectomy in early-stage ovarian clear cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the therapeutic significance of full lymphadenectomy in early-stage ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed records of 127 consecutive patients with pT1/pT2 and M0 OCCC who were treated between January 1995 and December 2015. We compared survival outcomes between those who did and did not undergo para-aortic lymph node dissection (PAND), and analyzed independent prognostic factors (Cox proportional hazards model with backward stepwise elimination). RESULTS: Of the 127 patients, 36 (28%) did not undergo lymphadenectomy; 12 (10%) patients underwent pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) only; and 79 (62%) patients underwent both PLND and PAND. Of the 91 patients with lymphadenectomy, 11 (12%) had lymph node metastasis (LNM). The PAND⁻ and PAND⁺ groups did not significantly differ in age, distribution of pT status, radiologically enlarged lymph nodes, positive peritoneal cytology, capsule rupture, peritoneal involvement, and combined chemotherapy. Cox regression multivariate analysis confirmed that older age (hazard ratio [HR]=2.1; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.0-4.3), LNM (HR=4.4; 95% CI=1.7-11.6), and positive peritoneal cytology (HR=4.2; 95% CI=2.1-8.4) were significantly and independently related to poor disease-specific survival (DSS), but implementation of both PLND and PAND (HR=0.4; 95% CI=0.2-0.8) were significantly and independently related to longer DSS. CONCLUSION: Although few in number, there are some patients with early-stage OCCC who can benefit from full lymphadenectomy. Its therapeutic role should be continuously investigated in OCCC patients at potential risk of LNM.

Radiation therapy versus surgery for patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma who have undergone neoadjuvant chemotherapy revisited.

BACKGROUND: The therapeutic significance of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by radiation therapy (RT) was negated during the early 1990s. Here, we compared post-NAC RT to surgery for chemo-sensitive cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). METHODS: This study included 79 consecutive patients with cervical SCC who were treated by NAC followed by surgery (n = 49) or by definitive RT (n = 30). We compared characteristics and survival outcomes between the surgery and RT groups by their responses to NAC. RESULTS: Of the 79 patients, 70 (89%) had stage II-IV disease and 41 (52%) had radiological pelvic lymph node enlargement. The 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) rate of the entire cohort was 66.4% (median follow-up 54 months). Fifty-five patients (70%) achieved sufficient (complete or partial) responses to NAC. Among patients with insufficient NAC responses, the 5-year DSS rate of the surgery group (55.6%) was significantly higher than the RT group (20.0%; P = 0.044). However, among patients with sufficient responses to NAC, 5-year DSS rates did not significantly differ between the surgery and RT groups (82.3 vs 78.6%; P = 0.79) even though the RT group had many more unfavorable prognostic factors and received fewer subsequent treatments than the surgery group. CONCLUSIONS: Post-NAC survival outcomes among patients with chemo-sensitive cervical SCC who then underwent RT were not inferior to those treated with surgery, and NAC did not detract from the efficacy of subsequent RT. Among selected patients who respond favorably to NAC, RT could be a less invasive substitute for surgery without compromising treatment outcomes.

Long-term survival of patients with recurrent endometrial stromal sarcoma: a multicenter, observational study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical behavior and management outcome of recurrent endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS). METHODS: A retrospective review of charts of 10 patients with recurrent ESS was performed and relapse-free interval, relapse site, treatment, response to treatment, duration of follow-up and clinical outcome extracted. Survival outcome measures used were post-relapse survival which was defined as the time from first evidence of relapse to death from any cause. Living patients were censored at the date of last follow-up. RESULTS: The median age and median relapse-free interval at the time of initial relapse were 51.5 years and 66.5 months, respectively. The number of relapses ranged from one to five. Sixteen surgical procedures for recurrent disease included nine (56.0%) complete resections. There was no statistically significant difference between initial recurrent tumors and second/subsequent recurrent tumors in the rate of complete surgery (44.4% vs. 71.4%, respectively, p=0.36). Of the eleven evaluable occasions when hormonal therapy was used for recurrent disease, disease control was achieved in eight (72.7%). There was no difference between initial recurrent tumors and second/subsequent recurrent tumors in disease control rate by hormonal therapy (85.7% vs. 50.0%, respectively, p=0.49). The 10-year post-relapse survival rate was 90.0% and the overall median post-relapse survival 119 months (range, 7 to 216 months). CONCLUSION: Post-relapse survival of patients with ESS can be expected to be >10 years when treated by repeated surgical resection and hormonal therapy or both.

Human papillomavirus type 16 sequence variation in concurrent vulvar and penile carcinoma in a married couple.

We encountered an elderly married couple with concurrent vulvar and penile carcinoma with an Asian variant of human papillomavirus type 16. Asian variants might have an elevated risk of concurrent external genital carcinomas of a male and a female, and analysis of human papillomavirus variants might be important to understand the mechanism of carcinogenesis.

Outcomes of 83 fetuses exposed to angiotensin receptor blockers during the second or third trimesters: a literature review.

This literature review was conducted to provide better counsel to pregnant women who erroneously took angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) during the second and/or third trimesters regarding infant outcomes. Information was available on 83 fetuses in 34 literature reports, including one that we encountered recently. Fourteen pregnancies were terminated, and six were unknown regarding status of amniotic fluid volume (AFV). Fifty-eight and five fetuses did and did not show oligohydramnios, respectively, after being exposed to ARBs. Of the 58 fetuses that presented with oligohydramnios, 57 were exposed to ARBs at gestational week (GW) ⩾ 20, and 19 exhibited resolution of oligohydramnios 1-6 weeks after cessation of ARBs. The 24 mothers without oligohydramnios at delivery ceased taking ARBs earlier (GW of 26.8 ± 5.1 vs. 31.8 ± 4.0, respectively, P = 0.000) and had longer duration of gestation after cessation of ARBs (8.4 ± 5.2 vs. 0.7 ± 2.3 weeks, respectively, P = 0.000). The mothers without oligohydramnios also had better outcomes in terms of favorable infant outcomes (63% (15/24) vs. 15% (6/39), respectively, P = 0.000) and infant mortality rates (13% (3/24) vs. 56% (22/39), respectively, P = 0.001) than the 39 with oligohydramnios. Thus, a favorable outcome may be feasible if the fetuses are not indicated for prompt delivery at presentation and exhibit normal AFV or resolution of oligohydramnios after cessation of ARBs. Although the prevalence rate of oligohydramnios was high in this study, it may have been due to publication bias. A prospective study suggested a lower prevalence rate than that reported in the present study.

Central type primitive neuroectodermal tumor/neuroblastoma of the uterus: a case report.

We encountered a 63-year-old woman who had a uterine tumor with peritoneal dissemination and para-aortic lymph node metastasis. Microscopic specimens of the tumor showed a small blue round-cell tumor. Immunohistochemistry showed cells to be negative for cytokeratin AE1/3, desmin, myogenin, CD10, CD34, and CD99, focal positive for vimentin, and positive for muscle-specific actin (HHF-35), neurofilament, synaptophysin and CD56. Fluorescence in situ hybridization revealed no split signal showing Ewing sarcoma breakpoint region 1 gene translocation. Deletion of 1p36 was identified in 30% of the tumor cells. These findings are thought to be equivalent to central type primitive neuroectodermal tumors/neuroblastoma. Cytoreductive debulking surgery followed by chemotherapy, including cyclophosphamide, vincristine and adriamycin, resulted in complete remission. She has no evidence of disease at 24 months after surgery.

Successful use of dydrogesterone as maintenance therapy in recurrent endometrial stromal sarcoma: a case report.

Endometrial stromal sarcoma is known to be a hormone-dependent tumor. Efficacy of hormonal therapy including high-dose progestins, aromatase inhibitors or gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs has been reported. We report a case of recurrent endometrial stromal sarcoma, the tumor cells of which were strongly positive for CD10, estrogen and progesterone receptors. Although almost all of the pelvic tumors infiltrating the rectum or pelvic side wall remained, the patient is alive with slight disease 9 years and 6 months after the initial failure. During the treatment period of 4 years and 3 months, the patient was treated exclusively with dydrogesterone at a daily dose of 10 mg and the tumor clinically disappeared. Dydrogesterone at a daily dose of 10 mg may be effective in treating low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma.

Long-term disease-free survival in a patient with cerebral recurrence from adenocarcinoma of the fallopian tube.

Cerebral recurrence from Müllerian cancer is a rare event and prognosis of patients with such a condition is poor. We report a case of cerebral recurrence from International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics classification stage IV tubal cancer presenting with inguinal lymphadenopathy. The patient achieved more than 7 years' disease-free survival after irradiation to the brain despite the inauspicious event. The present case had a rare clinical course in terms of primary site, primary symptom, failure site, and clinical outcome. Patients with brain metastasis from Müllerian cancer have a chance for long-term survival under specified circumstances, such as solitary metastasis, no extracranial metastasis, no recurrence preceding brain metastasis and small tumor size.