The use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced endometrial cancer

Range of Resection in Endometrial Cancer-Clinical Issues of Made-to-Measure Surgery

Endometrial cancer (EC) poses a significant health issue among women, and its incidence has been rising for a couple of decades. Surgery remains its principal treatment method and may have a curative, staging, or palliative aim. The type and extent of surgery depends on many factors, and the risks and benefits should be carefully weighed. While simple hysterectomy might be sufficient in early stage EC, modified-radical hysterectomy is sometimes indicated. In advanced disease, the evidence suggests that, similarly to ovarian cancer, optimal cytoreduction improves survival rate. The role of lymphadenectomy in EC patients has long been a controversial issue. The rationale for systematic lymphadenectomy and the procedure of the sentinel lymph node biopsy are thoroughly discussed. Finally, the impact of the molecular classification and new International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging system on EC treatment is outlined. Due to the increasing knowledge on the pathology and molecular features of EC, as well as the new advances in the adjuvant therapies, the surgical management of EC has become more complex. In the modern approach, it is essential to adjust the extent of the surgery to a specific patient, ensuring an optimal, made-to-measure personalized surgery. This narrative review focuses on the intricacies of surgical management of EC and aims at summarizing the available literature on the subject, providing an up-to-date clinical guide.

Incidence, risk factors, and a prognostic nomogram for distant metastasis in endometrial cancer: A SEER-based study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the metastatic pattern, identify the risk factors, and establish a nomogram for predicting prognosis of endometrial cancer (EC) with distant metastasis.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study of women diagnosed with EC was conducted according to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database during 2010-2017. Multivariate logistic analysis and Cox analysis were performed to identify the risk factors in promoting distant metastasis and predictors associated with overall survival (OS) in this particular subpopulation. A nomogram was then constructed and validated by the concordance index (C-index), the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), calibration plots, and decision curve analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 2799 cases of distant metastasis in EC patients were identified, with an overall incidence rate of 3.74% from 2010 to 2017. Black race, unmarried status, non-endometrioid histologic types, and grade IV were significant risk factors for distant metastasis in EC patients. Meanwhile, race, histology, grade, metastasis status, surgery, lymphadenectomy, and chemotherapy were identified as independent prognostic factors for OS. A nomogram to predict 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS was established, and presented favorable accuracy and clinical applicability. Patients were further divided into high- and low-risk groups according to the model.

CONCLUSION

The nomogram was developed as a highly accurate, individualized tool to better predict the prognosis of EC patients with distant metastasis, which would help clinicians to identify high-risk patients, and adjust and tailor their treatment strategies.

Single Institute Experience with Neo-Adjuvant Chemotherapy and Interval Debulking Surgery in Advanced Endometrial Cancer

Our study aims to review the role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by interval debulking surgery (IDS) in patients with advanced endometrial cancer. Patients with advanced endometrial cancer treated with NACT followed by IDS at our institute from January 2010 to January 2020 were recruited. Data pertaining to baseline patient characteristics, surgical details, histopathology/imaging reports, treatment and follow up details including the development of recurrence and death were collected from institutional database. Disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated using Kaplan Meier survival curves. We recruited 31 patients for our study. About 83.9% patients showed partial response and 6.4% patients responded completely to NACT with none of the patients developing disease progression. Complete cytoreduction was achieved in 90.3% patients, optimal cytoreduction in 3.2% patients while 6.5% patients had suboptimal surgery. On completion of primary treatment, complete remission was achieved by 80.6% patients while 16.1% patients had progressive disease. Median follow up period was 21 months (range 1- 61 months). During follow up period, 51.6% patients developed recurrent disease after achieving complete remission and 61.3% patients died of disease progression/recurrence. The median DFS and median OS of the cohort was 15 months and 21 months respectively. The 2 year DFS for the cohort was 34.1% and the 3 year OS was 30.5%. NACT followed by IDS is a reasonably good option for advanced stage endometrial cancer not amenable to primary surgery. Innovative treatments are warranted in this cluster of patients.

ROMA Index Is an Effective Predictor for Advanced Endometrial Cancer before Surgery

There is a high rate of inconformity between clinical staging and surgical-pathologic staging in endometrial cancer. Many patients with advanced endometrial cancer are preoperatively understaged and thereby do not receive the optimal therapy. Here, we aimed to develop a predictive model or biomarker for preoperative diagnosis of advanced endometrial cancer via multivariate logistic regression analysis. In this study, 259 eligible patients were included, and 195 patients were assigned to the training dataset and 64 patients to validation dataset. Age, menopause status, sterilization situation, parity, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, tumor size, and ovarian malignancy algorithm (ROMA) index were included as predictive variables, and the binary outcome was advanced endometrial cancer or not. When the P value was set as less than 0.01 in forward stepwise regression, only ROMA index was retained. The odds ratio of being positive ROMA index was 15.531 times that of negative value. The area under receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.790 in the training dataset and 0.776 in the validation dataset. The decision curve analysis curve showed that the prediction by ROMA index added more net benefits for almost all threshold probabilities. Therefore, ROMA index is an effective predictor for advanced endometrial cancer before surgery. Since ROMA index is a standard, measurable, and reliable laboratory test, it can be used as a reference tool for gynecologists to design the appropriate therapeutic schedule for patients with high-stage endometrial cancer before surgery.

Evaluation of the efficiency and safety of adjuvant chemotherapy alone for patients with advanced endometrial carcinoma: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Endometrial cancer is a tumor that affects many women. Essentially, patients who have high-risk endometrial cancer tend to have a disproportionately high rate of metastasis as well as relapse than the general population. Regardless of complete resection, individuals who are having stages III or IV cancer appear to be at substantial risk of recurrence, either locally or distantly. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are examples of systemic adjuvant treatment. However, the ideal scheduling strategy remains a mystery. Undertaking this research can help in examining the efficacy as well as safety of adjuvant chemotherapy alone in patients with advanced endometrial cancer in the future.

METHODS

To recognize all randomized controlled trials evaluating the efficacy and safety of adjuvant chemotherapy alone in those patients with advanced endometrial carcinoma, a comprehensive systematic review along with meta-analysis were undertaken in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Wanfang, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Chinese Biological Medical Database (CBM). In accordance with traditional Cochrane methodology, 2 independent authors will review search results, choose studies for inclusion, extract study characteristics and outcome data, and examine the risk of bias in the researches they pick. The P values and the I² statistic shall be employed in determining the levels of heterogeneity. Meanwhile, the heterogeneity will be explored via the use of sensitivity analyses, and the meta-analysis will be conducted utilizing the RevMan 5.3 software package.

RESULTS

Patients with advanced endometrial cancer will benefit from this research since it will offer a high-quality synthesis of existing information on the utilization of adjuvant chemotherapy alone.

CONCLUSION

The outcomes of the proposed investigation will summarize the current evidence of adjuvant chemotherapy alone for patients with advanced endometrial carcinoma.

Adjuvant and post-surgical treatment in endometrial cancer

Endometrial cancer (EC) usually presented as a localized disease at diagnosis (67%), 20% of patients diagnosed with regional spread, and distant metastasis accounted for 9%. The standard treatments include hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and pelvic with/without paraaortic lymph node dissection/biopsy. Adjuvant therapy is arranged according to risk factors and stages. Risk group classification varied among different guidelines and studies and evolved with time. Adjuvant modalities include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, chemoradiotherapy, antiangiogenesis agents, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and multi-target agents. We review the recent literature to incorporate important advances in trial results, real-world big data, and knowledge in biomarkers of EC to update appropriate adjuvant therapy and post-surgical treatment of EC patients.