Hutch paraureteral diverticulum complicating radical hysterectomy.

BACKGROUND: Paraureteral diverticula are abnormalities of the urinary bladder which are more common in males, and thus are infrequently encountered in the patient population of the gynecologic oncologist. CASE REPORT: A 59 year old white female, with a history of recurrent bladder cancer treated by transurethral resection, presented with an abnormal cervical cone biopsy revealing invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix". The patient had a known Hutch paraureteral diverticulum for which she was receiving prophylactic cyprofloxacin. Computed tomography revealed an 8.5 x 8 x 7 cm paraureteral diverticulum on the right. There was no hydronephrosis of either renal pelvis. Laparotomy revealed a mass, resembling a second urinary bladder, which was very closely associated with the bladder and lateral proximal vagina on the right. Since a urological consultant advised that the diverticulum should not be resected, dissection around the bladder and vagina for the radical hysterectomy was made much more difficult. CONCLUSION: The presence of a paraureteral diverticulum increases the difficulty of performing a radical hysterectomy.

Critical reassessment of second-look exploratory laparotomy for epithelial ovarian carcinoma. Minimal diagnostic and therapeutic value in patients with persistent cancer.

From 1979 to 1984, 88 women with epithelial ovarian cancer were treated with surgery and chemotherapy, achieved a clinical complete response, and then had "second-look" exploratory laparotomy to assess the pathologic status of their disease. Persistent cancer was found in 50 (57%) patients: 34 of 50 (68%) had gross tumor, which was larger than 2 cm in 12 (24%) and smaller than 2 cm in 22 (44%), and 16 (32%) had microscopic disease. Salvage therapy was as follows for these patients: whole abdominal irradiation, 29 (58%); chemotherapy, 17 (34%); intraperitoneal chromic phosphate, 1 (2%); and no further therapy, 3 (6%). With a follow-up time of 4 to 8 years, 7 (14%) patients are alive without evidence of cancer, 7 (14%) are alive with disease, 35 (70%) are dead of disease, and 1 (2%) has died of treatment complications. At 5 years, the relapse-free rate was 18% and the survival rate was 25%. Seventy-two parameters of suspected prognostic significance and 64 potential sites of tumor involvement were correlated with survival in a univariate analysis. The factors favorably affecting survival included the following: lower grade; microscopic tumor versus gross disease at second-look laparotomy; removal of the uterus; removal of the omentum; pelvic and paraaortic lymph node biopsy; negative results of a right diaphragm biopsy; and radiation therapy at Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, California. There was no survival advantage for whole abdomen irradiation compared with chemotherapy or for the patients who had their disease successfully debulked at second-look laparotomy. The above factors and others were evaluated by multivariate regression. The best model (P = 0.000004) for predicting survival included largest tumor mass (P = 0.0002), operative blood loss (P = 0.002), perioperative blood transfusion (P = 0.003), and grade (P = 0.004). The detection of persistent ovarian cancer by second-look exploratory laparotomy should identify a subgroup of patients whose conditions can be salvaged by a second-line therapy. Unfortunately, that subgroup is small (8%) and an effective salvage therapy remains to be identified.

High-dose megestrol acetate therapy of ovarian carcinoma: a phase II study by the Northern California Oncology Group.

The activity of high-dose megestrol acetate was studied in 47 patients with epithelial ovarian cancers after failure of initial chemotherapy. The dose of megestrol acetate was 800 mg/d orally (PO) for 4 weeks and then 400 mg/d until tumor progression. Patients generally had far-advanced disease. Prior therapy included cisplatin, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide (PAC) or other cisplatin-containing regimens in 37, other combinations in eight, and single agents in only two patients. Seventeen patients (36%) developed intestinal obstructions within the first 2 months on study. Tumor histology was serous in 37, endometrioid in six, and clear-cell in two. Two thirds of the tumors were histologic grade 3, and the others were grade 2. Complete remission was obtained in one patient, with time to progression of 4 months. There were three partial remissions, with times to progression of 4, 5, and 18 months. The overall response rate (complete and partial) was 8%. Three additional patients had minor remissions (3, 5, and 8 months), and five had stable disease, for 3, 4, 5, 6, and 9 months. There was no correlation of response with grade, histologic type, or site of disease, but responding patients had a longer survival from diagnosis to protocol entry and from protocol failure to death than did nonresponding patients. The major side effect of megestrol acetate was increased appetite, which caused one patient to withdraw from the study, and resulted in a 10- to 20-kg weight gain in five patients. Plasma levels of megestrol acetate averaged 600 ng/mL in the first month of therapy and decreased to approximately 400 ng/mL at 8 and 12 weeks, after the drug dosage had been reduced. Serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were markedly lower during megestrol therapy compared with pretreatment values. Megestrol acetate at 1 microgram/mL in vitro inhibited soft agar colony formation from one of 17 specimens of ovarian carcinomas. We conclude that megestrol acetate in high doses has modest, but definite, palliative effects in some patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma in whom chemotherapy has failed. A controlled trial of megestrol plus combination chemotherapy as first-line treatment of advanced ovarian carcinoma should be considered.

A critical reassessment of second-look laparotomy in epithelial ovarian carcinoma.

Eighty-eight women with epithelial ovarian carcinoma, treated by first-line chemotherapy, achieved a complete clinical response and underwent second-look laparotomy to assess the true pathologic status of their disease. Persistent tumor was found in 50 patients (57%). Thirty-two of these (36%) had obvious gross tumor, whereas, 16 (18%) had microscopic disease. Thirty-eight patients (43%) had no pathologic evidence of persistent ovarian carcinoma. With a follow-up of 6 to 60 months, 30 of these patients (79%) remain without evidence of recurrence. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed three covariates that were independently significant in predicting continued disease-free status. These included: the greatest diameter of the largest residual tumor left at the primary operation; histologic features of the tumor; and the diameter of the largest tumor aggregate found at initial operation. A mathematical model based on the most significant covariates was designed to assess the relative risk of any patient having persistent tumor at second-look laparotomy. A comparison of the predicted to actual outcome revealed a sensitivity of the model of 88%, a specificity of 71%, and an accuracy of 77%. Second-look laparotomy represents the basis on which potentially curative second-line salvage therapy can be initiated. With an increasing period of follow-up and with greater numbers of patients, it can potentially document a complete pathologic response to first-line therapy administered with curative intent, and identify patients for additional, adjunctive therapy, who are at risk of recurrence.

Outpatient use of the feeding jejunostomy catheter.

Selected cancer patients can benefit from home use of the jejunostomy catheter. The indications for this technique include chronic inability to meet basal fluid and caloric needs and risk of intestinal obstruction. This report describes the extended use of the jejunostomy catheter in 20 women with gynecologic malignancies and discusses the benefits and risks of this technique.

Second-look laparotomy in epithelial ovarian carcinoma: precise definition, sensitivity, and specificity of the operative procedure.

Twenty-five women treated with chemotherapy for epithelial ovarian carcinoma underwent "second-look" laparotomy after thorough clinical and radiographic examinations failed to detect residual tumor. Chest roentgenogram, barium enema, upper gastrointestinal series with small-bowel follow through, and abdominopelvic CAT scan were obtained in all patients prior to operation. Inspection, palpation, and multiple biopsies were performed in accordance with precise and detailed protocol requirements. Eight patients (32%) had gross tumor found at laparotomy, while 6 (24%) had no suspicion of residual disease at operation but had cytologic or microscopic evidence of tumor found on review of submitted specimens. Eleven patients (44%) had no gross or microscopic evidence of residual ovarian carcinoma. After follow-up of from 4 to 25 months, 1 of these 11 patients (9%) has suffered a recurrence. The maximum sensitivity of "second-look" laparotomy is 85.7%, and the maximum specificity is 90.9% in this series. Any additional recurrences observed over time will decrease both the sensitivity and specificity of the operation. The sites of microscopic disease support rigid adherence to a precise operative procedure which should minimize the false negative rate.