Neoadjuvant intraarterial infusion chemotherapy in patients with stage IB2-IIIB cervical cancer

The Evolving Role of Intra-arterial Chemotherapy in Adult and Pediatric Cancers: A Comprehensive Review

The development of intra-arterial chemotherapy (IAC) was driven by an ambition to mitigate systemic side effects, enhance the bioavailability of drugs, and optimize the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents. While the initial research on IAC primarily examined its effectiveness in treating various liver malignancies, the application of this treatment has undergone significant advancements since its introduction. The primary objective of this article is to examine the current range of utilization of IAC, both with and without radiotherapy, while also evaluating the results of relevant clinical trials. Furthermore, this article explores potential future advancements and opportunities in this field. From the scoping review of available articles, it can be concluded that IAC is an effective treatment alternative and, sometimes, a better first-line option, but there is a need for more evidence to make IAC a regular treatment option available for patients.

The comparative study for survival outcome of locally advanced cervical cancer treated by neoadjuvant arterial interventional chemotherapy or intravenous chemotherapy followed by surgery or concurrent chemoradiation

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to compare the survival outcome of 3 different treatment groups (arterial interventional chemotherapy or intravenous chemotherapy or concurrent chemoradiotherapy) for locally advanced cervical cancer.

METHODS

A total of 187 patients with pathological stage IB3-IIB cervical cancer (cervical squamous cell carcinoma, adenosquamous carcinoma, or adenocarcinoma) hospitalized in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2013 to May 2019 were included. Therefore, this article is a retrospective study. We collected data from all eligible patients. And all according to the treatment methods at that time, they were divided into three subgroups: (1) 40 patients who received neoadjuvant arterial interventional chemotherapy + surgery + postoperative chemotherapy (IA-NAC + RS), (2) 63 patients who received neoadjuvant intravenous chemotherapy + surgery + postoperative chemotherapy (IV-NAC + RS), (3) 84 patients who only received concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Notably, 108 of these patients met the 5-year follow-up period, and 187 patients met the 3-year follow-up period only. Consequently, we compared 5-year survival and 3-year survival separately. The prognosis (5-year survival and 3-year survival) of the three groups and the chemotherapy efficacy, intraoperative blood loss, operation time, and postoperative pathological risk factors of different subgroups were compared.

RESULTS

(1) There were no significant differences in the 3-year overall survival (OS) rate, 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate, 5-year OS rate, and 5-year PFS rate among the three subgroups (p > 0.05). (2) The chemotherapy response rates of IA-NAC+RS group (37.5%) and IV-NAC+RS group (25.4%) were comparable (p > 0.05). (3) The intraoperative blood loss in the IA-NAC+RS group (average 92.13±84.09 mL) was significantly lower than that in the IV-NAC+RS group (average 127.2±82.36 mL) (p < 0.05). (4) The operation time of the IA-NAC+RS group (average 231.43±63.10 min) and the IV-NAC+RS group (average 219.82±49.11 min) were comparable (p > 0.05). (5) There were no significant differences between the IA-NAC+RS group and IV-NAC+RS group in pathological lymph node metastasis, parametrial invasion, and involvement of lymphovascular space (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with surgery had the same long-term survival benefit as concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

Different prognosis of stage IIIB cervical cancer patients with lower third of vaginal invasion and those without

OBJECTIVE

Previous studies have evaluated the prognostic factors of patients with stage IIIB cervical cancer. However, there was only one study evaluating the relationship between LTI (lower third of vaginal invasion) and the prognosis of the patients with stage IIIB cervical cancer. Our research aimed to assess different therapeutic outcomes of the stage IIIB CCP (cervical cancer patients) with or without LTI.

METHODS

From December 2007 to December 2014, patients with FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 2009) stage IIIB cervical cancer admitted and treated in Zhejiang Cancer Hospital were enrolled and evaluated in this retrospective research. Different clinicopathological variables and treatment outcomes were analyzed by using multivariate and univariate Cox regression models and chi-square or Fisher's exact test.

RESULTS

The number of enrolled patients was 622, among which 74 cases were with LTI and 548 without. The two- and five-year OS (overall survival) rates in non-LTI group were 79.9% and 58.9%, and the OS rates in LTI group were 68.9% and 38.8%, respectively (P = 0.001). The two- and five-year PFS (progression-free survival) rates in non-LTI group were 63.3% and 53.1%, and the PFS rates in LTI group were 45.9% and 37.0% respectively (P = 0.002). Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that histological type, total treatment time, hydronephrosis, and treatment protocol were factors significantly affecting the PFS rates in stage IIIB CCP, and OS rates were associated with histological type, hydronephrosis, treatment protocol, and LTI.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study showed that stage IIIB CCP with LTI had worse prognosis than those without LTI.

Gene expression changes in cervical squamous cancers following neoadjuvant interventional chemoembolization

BACKGROUND

The efficacy of therapy for cervical cancer is related to the alteration of multiple molecular events and signaling networks during treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate gene expression alterations in advanced cervical cancers before- and after-trans-uterine arterial chemoembolization- (TUACE).

METHODS

Gene expression patterns in three squamous cell cervical cancers before- and after-TUACE were determined using microarray technique. Changes in AKAP12 and CA9 genes following TUACE were validated by quantitative real-time PCR.

RESULTS

Unsupervised cluster analysis revealed that the after-TUACE samples clustered together, which were separated from the before-TUACE samples. Using a 2-fold threshold, we identified 1131 differentially expressed genes that clearly discriminate after-TUACE tumors from before-TUACE tumors, including 209 up-regulated genes and 922 down-regulated genes. Pathway analysis suggests these genes represent diverse functional categories. Results from real-time PCR confirmed the expression changes detected by microarray.

CONCLUSIONS

Gene expression signature significantly changes during TUACE therapy of cervical cancer. Theses alterations provide useful information for the development of novel treatment strategies for cervical cancers on the molecular level.

Single-dose intra-arterial neoadjuvant chemotherapy while waiting for radical hysterectomy for stage IB-IIB cervical cancer

Extended wait time prior to initial surgery may increase patients' anxiety. Therefore, patients may opt to receive other available treatments to inhibit tumor growth until surgery. This retrospective study describes our experience with single-dose intra-arterial neoadjuvant chemotherapy (IANAC) to more effectively utilize the wait time prior to radical hysterectomy. A total of 12 patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IB1-IIB cervical cancer were treated with single-dose IANAC prior to radical hysterectomy. Cisplatin and paclitaxel were administered intra-arterially or intravenously, respectively. The surgical outcome, prognosis and factors affecting disease recurrence were compared between these 12 patients and 57 patients in a primary surgery alone (PS) control group. As regards surgical outcome, there were no significant differences between the two groups. During the postoperative follow-up period (median, 41 months), disease recurrence was observed in 5/12 (41.6%) IANAC cases and in 22/57 (38.5%) PS cases (median follow-up, 54 months). There was no significant difference in disease-free survival (DFS) or 3-year survival rates between IANAC and PS (91.6 vs. 71.9%, respectively). The multivariate analysis demonstrated that wait time duration (≥45 vs. <45 days) and the use of IANAC did not affect DFS. Only tumor histology (squamous vs. non-squamous) was found to be an independent prognostic factor for DFS (hazard ratio = 0.35, 95% confidence inerval: 0.145-0.8967, P=0.0292). In addition, distal recurrence was statistically more frequent in the IANAC group compared with that in the PS group (P=0.0405). Therefore, single-cycle IANAC should not be performed without careful consideration.

Down regulation of miR-143 is related with tumor size, lymph node metastasis and HPV16 infection in cervical squamous cancer

Objective

This study is to investigate the role of miR-143 expression in cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Methods

The expression level of miR-143 was examined by quantitative real-time PCR. Human papillomavirus (HPV) genotype was detected by HPV genotype detection kit. The expression level of bcl-2 was detected by immunohistochemistry.

Results

The positive rate of HPV was 78% in the patients of cervical SCC. The most prevalent genotype was HPV16, with a positive rate of 42%. The expression level of miR-143 was significantly lower in the cervical SCC tissues than that in the normal cervical tissues (Z = −2.180, P = 0.029). Down-regulated miR-143 expression was associated with tumor size, lymph node metastasis and HPV16 infection in cervical cancer patients. No significant associations were found between the expression levels of miR-143 and age, clinical stage, differentiation or lymph vascular space invasion. And, in cervical SCC patients after treatment with Taxol chemotherapy, the expression level of miR-143 was higher and the positive expression of bcl-2 protein was lower. However, the differences in expression changes of miR-143 and bcl-2 were not statistically significant (miR-143, Z = −0.763, P = 0.446; bcl-2 protein, χ² = 2.277, P = 0.131).

Conclusion

Down-regulated miR-143 is related with tumor size, lymph node metastasis and HPV16 infection in cervical SCC, but miR-143 does not participate in the Taxol sensitivity response.

Virtual slides

The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/1401279451112150.

Comparison of Neoadjuvant Intraarterial Chemotherapy Versus Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy in Patients With Stage IIIB Uterine Cervical Cancer

Background

The purpose of this study was to compare the long-term survival of patients with stage IIIB squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix treated with neoadjuvant intraarterial chemotherapy (IA-NAC) versus those treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT).

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 38 patients with stage IIIB squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix admitted between January 1994 and December 1999 who received IA-NAC followed by abdominal radical hysterectomy (ARH) or radiotherapy (RT). IA-NAC consisted of bilateral infusion via the internal iliac artery of cisplatin, bleomycin and pirarubicin for 2-3 courses. A historical control group of 64 patients who underwent primary CCRT from January 2000 to September 2007 was used for comparison.

Results

In the IA-NAC group, 12 patients (31.6%) with operable tumors underwent ARH, and the remaining 26 patients (68.4%) received RT. The response rates were 86.8% (12 complete response + 21 partial response) for IA-NAC and 98.4% (26 complete response + 37 partial response) for CCRT (P = 0.077), respectively. The 5-year overall survival and disease-free survival rates were 62.4 and 44.5% for IA-NAC and 51.1 and 46.9% for CCRT (P = 0.247 and 0.776), respectively. The 5-year overall survival and disease-free survival rates were 75.0 and 58.3% for the patients receiving IA-NAC followed by ARH, and 55.3 and 37.6% for the patients receiving IA-NAC followed by RT (P = 0.368 and 0.262), respectively.

Conclusions

In the present study, IA-NAC followed by ARH or RT and primary CCRT showed similar survival rates for stage IIIB squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix.

Clinicopathological risk factors for recurrence after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical hysterectomy in cervical cancer

Background

Cervical cancer is one of the common gynecological malignancies with a high recurrence rate after surgery. This study aimed to analyze the clinicopathological risk factors for recurrence after the surgical treatment of cervical cancer and provide the basis for the prevention of recurrence and an improvement of prognosis.

Methods

A total of 424 cervical cancer cases between 1 January 1998 and 31 December 2011 undergoing surgical treatment were studied retrospectively, of which 23 cases had recurrences. Relevant recurrence risk factors were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses between recurrence group and non-recurrence group.

Results

Using univariate analysis, tumor differentiation, clinical stage, pelvic lymph node metastasis, postoperative radiotherapy and postoperative chemotherapy were related to recurrence of cervical cancer. Multivariate COX model analysis revealed that pelvic lymph node metastasis and postoperative chemotherapy had an impact on recurrence rate. Moderately and highly differentiated tumor, advanced clinical stage, and positive pelvic lymph nodes indicated a high recurrence rate of cervical cancer. Postoperative chemotherapy and radiotherapy can effectively reduce the recurrence rate.

Conclusions

In conclusion, cervical lymph node metastasis and postoperative chemotherapy are two independent factors for recurrence of cervical cancer after radical surgery.

Robotic radical hysterectomy following neoadjuvant chemotherapy in FIGO stage IIIB cervical cancer: a case report

BACKGROUND

The management of advanced cervical cancer is challenging. The administration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by radical hysterectomy has proved to be safe in selected cases. Nevertheless, data on the use of minimally invasive surgery is lacking with this clinical application.

METHODS

A 31 year-old woman was diagnosed with a FIGO stage IIIB squamous cell cervical carcinoma. During multidisciplinary consultation it was decided that she should receive NACT, followed by robotic hysterectomy.

RESULTS

After three cycles of TIP (paclitaxel, ifosfamide and cisplatin), the patient achieved a complete clinical and radiological response. She underwent robotic type III/C2 radical hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and bilateral systematic pelvic lymphadenectomy. No complications were recorded. The complete response was confirmed at pathological examination. Two additional cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy were administered, and the patient is currently without evidence of disease at 18 months of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

In selected patients, robotics is a viable option to accomplish radical hysterectomy, including cases of advanced cervical cancer. Further experiences are needed to confirm our findings.

Matched-case comparison of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with FIGO stage IB1-IIB cervical cancer to establish selection criteria

OBJECTIVE

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for cervical cancer still remains controversial. NACT was evaluated to establish selection criteria.

METHODS

A matched-case comparison was designed for the NACT group (n=707) and primary surgery treatment (PST; n=707) group to investigate short-term responses and high/intermediate risk factors (HRFs/IRFs). The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were stratified by NACT response, HRFs/IRFs, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage and tumour size, respectively.

RESULTS

The clinical and pathological response rates were 79.3% and 14.9% in the NACT group. In comparison to the PST group, IRFs but not HRFs were significantly decreased (P<0.05), and the 5-year DFS rate was significantly improved in the NACT group (88.4% versus 83.1%, P=0.021). Moreover, the 5-year DFS and OS rates were favourably increased in the clinical responders in comparison to the PST group and the clinical non-responders (P<0.05). Compared to those of clinical non-responders, the 5-year DFS and OS rates of clinical responders, with or without HRFs, were also significantly increased (P<0.01). In stage IB2, the 5-year DFS and OS rates were significantly increased, whereas operation duration declined in the NACT group (P<0.05). For patients with stage IB tumours of 2-5 cm, the 5-year DFS and OS rates of clinical responders were significantly improved (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

NACT is a suitable option for patients with cervical cancer, especially for NACT responders and patients with stage IB, which provides a new concept of fertility preservation for young patients.

Endovascular surgery in gynecology

Endovascular surgery has presented a high evolution since 1960 with Charles Dotter, who changed the concept of catheter utilization as a mean to diagnose and introduce therapeutic in interventionist vascular environment. The first reports of bleeding control of gastrointestinal and transluminal angioplasty input the development of new techniques for endovascular access, and new materials use, such as microcatheters and embolic agents, become this procedure effective and viable for treatment of several pathologies. The embolization of several organs of human body is a procedure carried out for more than 30 years all over the world showing safety, efficacy and of simple execution. In obstetrics and gynecology, particularly, the first reports refer to pelvic hemorrhage control of varied etiology, including pelvic trauma, bladder and gynecology neoplasia, anteriovenous fistulas and puerperal hemorrhages. The embolization of uterine myoma appears in the 1990's as an alternative for treat of uterine leiomyoma, and a number of studies try to clarify the risks and benefits of this procedure. It is a multidisciplinary technique, with diagnostic and indication performed by gynecologist and the procedure done by interventional vascular radiologist. This review is a critical analysis of interventionist vascular radiologic methods and its main therapeutic indications in gynecology.

Neoadjuvant intraarterial chemotherapy for stage IIB-IIIB cervical cancer in Japanese women

Chemoradiotherapy is currently the main treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer, but neoadjuvant intraarterial chemotherapy (IA-NAC) has been reported to achieve favorable results. This study investigated the efficacy of several different IA-NAC regimens. The subjects were 55 patients with stage IIB-IIIB cervical cancer who received IA-NAC between January 1991 and April 2006. IA-NAC was administered for a total of 1-3 courses at 3-week intervals, with three different regimens being employed in chronological order. The response rate achieved with IA-NAC was 90.2% for squamous cell carcinoma, 60% for adenosquamous carcinoma and 42.9% for adenocarcinoma. Surgery was performed after IA-NAC in 36 patients, and radiotherapy alone was performed in 19 patients. The 5-year survival rate was 72.9% for patients with squamous cell carcinoma and 50% for those with adenocarcinoma or adenosquamous carcinoma. PAMF therapy (cisplatin, epirubicin, mitomycin-C and 5-fluorouracil) achieved a response rate of ≥90% for squamous cell carcinoma, as did CDDP + THP therapy (cisplatin plus pirarubicin), while PACF therapy (cisplatin, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide and 5-flurouracil) achieved a better response rate for adenosquamous carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Grade 3 or 4 hematological toxicity was significantly more common with PAMF therapy. In conclusion, IA-NAC improved the survival of patients with squamous cell carcinoma. CDDP + THP therapy achieved a high response rate with little hematologic toxicity. PACF therapy achieved a significantly higher response rate in patients with adenosquamous carcinoma or adenocarcinoma. Therefore, IA-NAC may be a therapeutic option for locally advanced cervical cancer, particularly using the above-mentioned regimens.

Comparative study of neoadjuvant chemotherapy before radical hysterectomy and radical surgery alone in stage IB2-IIA bulky cervical cancer

OBJECTIVE

To compare the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with paclitaxel plus platinum followed by radical hysterectomy with radical surgery alone in patients with stage IB2-IIA bulky cervical cancer.

METHODS

From November 1999 to September 2007, stage IB2-IIA cervical cancers with tumor diameter >4 cm, as measured by MRI, were managed with two cycles of preoperative paclitaxel and platinum. As a control group, we selected 35 patients treated with radical surgery alone.

RESULTS

There were no significant between group differences in age, tumor size, FIGO stage, level of SCC Ag, histopathologic type and grade. Operating time, estimated blood loss, the number of lymph nodes yielded and the rate of complications were similar in the two groups. In surgical specimens, lymph-vascular space invasion (LVSI), nodal metastasis and parametrial involvement did not differ significantly between the two groups. In the neoadjuvant group, pathologic tumor size was significantly smaller and fewer patients had deep cervical invasion. Radiotherapy, alone and in the form of concurrent chemoradiation, was administered to more patients treated with radical surgery alone (82.9% vs. 52.9%, p=0.006). No recurrence was observed in patients who could avoid adjuvant radiotherapy owing to improved risk factors after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. There were no significant differences in 5-year disease free and overall survival.

CONCLUSION

As neoadjuvant chemotherapy would improve pathologic prognostic factors, adjuvant radiotherapy can be avoided, without worsening the prognosis, in patients with locally advanced bulky cervical cancer. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy would be improving the quality of life after radical hysterectomy in patients with bulky cervical cancer.

New developments in the surgical therapy of cervical carcinoma

For almost a century abdominal radical hysterectomy has been the standard surgical treatment of early-stage macroscopic carcinoma of the uterine cervix. The excessive parametrial resection of the original procedures of Wertheim, Okabayashi, and Meigs has later been "tailored" to tumor extent. Systematic pelvic and eventually periaortic lymph node dissection is performed to identify and treat regional disease. Adjuvant (chemo)radiation therapy is liberally added to improve locoregional tumor control when histopathological risk factors are present. The therapeutic index of the current surgical treatment, particularly if combined with radiation, appears to be inferior to that of primary chemoradiation as an oncologically equivalent therapeutic alternative. Several avenues of new conceptual and technical developments have been used since the 1990s with the goal of improving the therapeutic index. These are: surgical staging, including sentinel node biopsy and nodal debulking; minimal access and recently robotic radical hysterectomy; fertility-preserving surgery; nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy; total mesometrial resection based on developmentally defined surgical anatomy; and supraradical hysterectomy. The superiority of these new developments over the standard treatment remains to be demonstrated by controlled prospective trials. Multimodality therapy including surgery for locally advanced disease represents another area of clinical research. Both neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical surgery, with or without adjuvant radiation, and completion surgery after (chemo)radiation are feasible and have to be compared to primary chemoradiation as the new nonsurgical treatment standard. Surgical treatment of postirradiation persisting or recurrent cervical carcinoma has been traditionally limited to pelvic exenteration for central disease. Applying the principle of developmentally derived anatomical compartments increases R0 resectability. The laterally extended endopelvic resection allows even the extirpation of a subset of visceral pelvic side wall tumors with clear margins. Many questions regarding the indication for these "ultraradical" operations, the surgery of irradiated tissues, and the optimal reconstructive procedures are still open and demand multi-institutional controlled trials to be answered.

Intraarterial cisplatin/nedaplatin and intravenous 5-fluorouracil with concurrent radiation therapy for patients with high-risk uterine cervical cancer

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the combination of intraarterial and intravenous concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CIAIV-CCRT) for the treatment of high-risk uterine cervical cancer.

METHODS

Between January 2000 and November 2004, we reviewed 45 cervical cancer patients treated by CIAIV-CCRT. The numbers of patients with stage IB2, IIA, IIB, IIIA, IIIB, and IVA were 3, 6, 14, 1, 17, and 4, respectively. Patients with stage III and IVA or patients with tumors >3 cm in diameter were enrolled in this study. Two sessions of CCRT were administered every 3 weeks using a combination of 70 mg/m2 x h(-1) cisplatin or 50 mg/m2 x h(-1) nedaplatin via the bilateral uterine artery and 2800 mg/m2 x 96 h(-1) 5-fluorouracil intravenously. Patients concurrently received external beam radiation therapy and brachytherapy. A nonrandomized control group of 47 patients who underwent radiation therapy alone between 1993 and 2000 was used for comparison.

RESULTS

Of the 45 patients, 28 (62%) exhibited complete response and 16 (36%) exhibited partial response. One IIIB patient (2%) did not show any response. The 5-year overall survival (OAS) rates in the CCRT group and control group were 80.6% and 54.9%, respectively. With regard to late toxicities, no statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups. In uni- and multivariate analyses, positive pelvic lymph node showed a statistically significant influence on the OAS in the CIAIV-CCRT group (P = 0.049).

CONCLUSION

These preliminary results suggest that CIAIV-CCRT can improve the prognosis of patients with high-risk cervical cancer.

Randomized study of preoperative chemotherapy versus primary surgery for stage IB cervical cancer

AIM

To determine the most effective treatment and long-term outcome of patients with stage IB carcinoma of the cervix.

METHODS

From January 1999 to December 2001, 106 women with cervical cancer stage IB received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (n = 52) or primary surgery (n = 54). These were randomly assigned. Clinical effects and pathological changes were simultaneously recorded.

RESULTS

The overall clinical response rate was 84.6% and included a complete response (CR) in four patients (7.7%), partial response (PR) in 40 patients (76.9%), and stable disease (SD) in the remaining eight patients (15.4%). Surgery revealed positive nodes in 9.6% neoadjuvant chemotherapy group patients and in 29.6% primary surgery group patients (P = 0.014). Similar results occurred with vascular space involvement: 27.8% in the primary surgery group compared to 9.6% in the neoadjuvant chemotherapy group (P = 0.024). However, parametrial infiltration was found in 7.4% of the patients in the primary surgery group, while only 3.8% showed it in the neoadjuvant chemotherapy group (P = 0.679). The overall 5-year survival rate was significantly higher for all patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (84.6%) than for the control group (75.9%) (P = 0.0112). The median survival time in patients with complete response and partial response to chemotherapy (83.3 months) was significantly higher than that of patients with stable disease to chemotherapy (55.2 months) (P = 0.0049). 27.3% of patients developed recurrent disease within 5 years of the primary treatment. The women with recurrence included partial response in six patients (60.0%), and stable disease in four patients (40.0%). For the other patients there was partial response and complete response in 38 patients (90.5%), and stable disease in the remaining four patients (9.5%) (P = 0.035).

CONCLUSION

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy can effectively eliminate the pathological risk factors and improve long-term survival in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer.

A case of uterine cervical cancer presenting with granulocytosis

Granulocytosis occurs in 40% of patients with lung and gastrointestinal cancers, 20% of patients with breast cancer, 30% of patients with brain tumor and ovarian cancer and 10% of patients with renal cell carcinoma. Granulocytosis occurs because of production of G-CSF, GM-CSF and IL-6. Uterine cervical carcinoma with granulocytosis as a paraneoplastic syndrome, however, has been rarely reported. We recently witnessed a case of invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix with granulocytosis. Leukocytosis developed up to 69,000/microL, and then normalized after chemo-radiotherapy. There was no evidence of infection, tumor necrosis, glucocorticoid administration, or myeloproliferative disease by examination of a bone marrow aspirate when granulocytosis appeared. This phenomenon was probably associated with the secretion of hematopoietic growth factors such as G-CSF, GM-CSF and IL-6 by the tumor. We suggest that, like some other solid tumors, cervical cancer can present with granulocytosis as a paraneoplastic syndrome.

Comparative study of chemoradiation and neoadjuvant chemotherapy effects before radical hysterectomy in stage IB?IIB bulky cervical cancer and with tumor diameter greater than 4 cm

Tumor size seems to be a determinant in the prognosis of early cervical cancer. Patients with tumor greater than 4 cm (bulky) in diameter have worse outcome. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of preoperative combined chemoradiation and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAIC) programs followed by radical hysterectomy in stage IB-IIB bulky cervical cancer. From September 1999 to April 2002, 60 patients with stage IB-IIB bulky cervical cancer were treated with preoperative external-beam radiotherapy to 45 Gy plus weekly cisplatin 50 mg/m2 or preoperative NAIC by cisplatin 50 mg/m2 and vincristin 1 mg/m2 every 7-10 days, for three courses. Surgery was performed 4-6 weeks after the completion of the preoperative treatment. There were no significant difference between age, stage, tumor size, and histopathologic type in two groups (P > 0.05). Toxicity associated with two treatment methods was usually mild. In chemoradiation group, two patients developed vesicovaginal fistula, and four patients developed long-term hydronephrosis that needed urethral stenting. Before surgery, complete and partial clinical response had no significant difference between two groups (P > 0.05). After surgery, lymph node and parametrial involvement had no significant difference between two groups (P > 0.05). In NAIC group, more patients had significantly residual tumor (P = 0.012), but residual tumor size had no significant difference between two groups (P > 0.05). Pathologic complete response was significantly higher in chemoradiation group (P = 0.004). According to the result of this study, it seems that NAIC and chemoradiation had similar effects in survival prognostic factors.

Neoadjuvant high-dose intraarterial infusion chemotherapy under percutaneous pelvic perfusion with extracorporeal chemofiltration in patients with stages IIIa–IVa cervical cancer

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to evaluate the response rate and survival of patients with locally advanced uterine cervical cancer who were treated with intraarterial infusion chemotherapy under percutaneous pelvic perfusion with extracorporeal chemofiltration (PPPEC).

METHODS

Twenty-three untreated patients with stages IIIa-IVa cervical cancer were enrolled in the study. PPPEC was administered twice at 2 weeks interval using high-dose cisplatin alone (140-250 mg/m(2)) or high-dose cisplatin plus mitomycin C (7 mg/m(2)), pepleomycin (7 mg/m(2)) and 5-fluorouracil (700 mg/m(2)). Eighteen patients in whom the tumor downstaging was confirmed underwent radical surgery following PPPEC, whereas in the remaining five patients, radiotherapy was administered.

RESULTS

Two weeks after the second PPPEC, the median volumetric tumor reduction and tumor response were 76% and 87%, respectively. Histologic response was 96%, while the tumor downstaging reached 83%. The curative surgery rate achieved was 89%. Five-year progression-free survival was 47% and 5-year survival rate was 74%.

CONCLUSION

High-dose intraarterial infusion chemotherapy under PPPEC effectively achieved tumor downstaging and resulted in the favorable performance of the subsequent radical surgery and improved the 5-year survival rate of patients with locally advanced uterine cervical cancer.

The role of radical hysterectomy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy in carcinoma of the cervix

The patient presenting with a bulky stage IB2 cervical cancer is a therapeutic challenge. None of the current surgical or radiation treatment strategies satisfactorily leads to a high rate of disease-free survival and a low risk of treatment-related complications including ovarian failure and psychosexual deficits. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy may allow for reductions in tumor bulk, thereby rendering radiation therapy more effective or surgery more feasible. Impressive clinical response rates to cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy have been achieved with acceptable toxicity. Approximately 20% of patients achieve a complete clinical response, and many also experience a complete pathologic response. There are still too few comparative studies and phase III trials to assess the effectiveness of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical surgery relative to standard treatments.

Treatment failure in vaginal cancer

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to analyze the pattern of treatment failure in patients with vaginal cancer.

METHODS

Fifty-one patients with primary vaginal cancer (registered between 1957 and 1995) were reviewed. Primary treatment consisted of surgery in 12 patients and radiation in 39 patients. In these patients, the prognosis and treatment failure were analyzed in relation to clinicopathological factors.

RESULTS

The 5-year survival rate was 100% in stage 0 (N = 5), 82% in stage I (N = 11), 70% in stage II (N = 23), 0% in stage III (N = 5), 14% in stage IV (N = 7), and 61% overall (N = 51). Although early disease had a relatively favorable prognosis, two of five patients with stage 0 disease developed local recurrence. There was no site-related difference in survival, but survival was better when the tumor occupied less than one-third of the vaginal wall compared with more than one-third. All relapses in stage 0-II patients were local recurrences, whereas treatment failure in stage III-IV patients was due to either persistent local disease or new distant metastasis.

CONCLUSION

The present findings suggest that more intensive local therapy may achieve a better prognosis for patients with early disease. Conversely, suppression of distant metastasis along with aggressive local control is needed for advanced disease. Conventional radiotherapy alone is of little value for advanced disease.

Phase I-II study of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by radical surgery in locally advanced cervical cancer

The usefulness of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) regimens has been reported; however, the effect of NAC for advanced stages (especially stage III-IVA) is thought to be insufficient. We conducted a phase I-II study of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy consisting of intra-arterial (i.a.) infusion of carboplatin and intracavitary brachytherapy in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer to achieve the new NAC method. Sixteen eligible patients included those with previously untreated stage IIB, III or IVA cancer with bulky tumor. Brachytherapy using iridium-192 was performed with concurrent i.a. chemotherapy with carboplatin (200, 300 and 400 mg/m2). Treatment was repeated every 4 weeks for a total of two cycles. Both hematologic and non-hematologic toxicities were generally mild. Grade 4 hematologic toxicity was observed in 12.5% and there were no grade III or IV non-hematologic toxicities. The optimal dose of carboplatin was determined to be 400 mg/m2. Among 16 patients, six showed complete response (37.5%) and nine showed partial response (56.3%), for an overall response rate of 93.8%. All 15 responding patients underwent radical surgery with a pelvic lymphadenectomy and postoperative radiotherapy. The combination of brachytherapy and i.a. chemotherapy with carboplatin is a promising regimen for NAC in locally advanced cervical cancer.