Secondary cytoreductive surgery in recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer: A prognostic analysis with 103 cases

Prognosis Following Surgery for Recurrent Ovarian Cancer and Diagnostic Criteria Predictive of Cytoreduction Success: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

For women achieving clinical remission after the completion of initial treatment for epithelial ovarian cancer, 80% with advanced-stage disease will develop recurrence. However, the standard treatment of women with recurrent platinum-sensitive diseases remains poorly defined. Secondary (SCS), tertiary (TCS) or quaternary (QCS) cytoreduction surgery for recurrence has been suggested to be associated with increased overall survival (OS). We searched five databases for studies reporting death rate, OS, cytoreduction rates, post-operative morbidity/mortality and diagnostic models predicting complete cytoreduction in a platinum-sensitive disease recurrence setting. Death rates calculated from raw data were pooled based on a random-effects model. Meta-regression/linear regression was performed to explore the role of complete or optimal cytoreduction as a moderator. Pooled death rates were 45%, 51%, 66% for SCS, TCS and QCS, respectively. Median OS for optimal cytoreduction ranged from 16-91, 24-99 and 39-135 months for SCS, TCS and QCS, respectively. Every 10% increase in complete cytoreduction rates at SCS corresponds to a 7% increase in median OS. Complete cytoreduction rates ranged from 9-100%, 35-90% and 33-100% for SCS, TCS and QCS, respectively. Major post-operative thirty-day morbidity was reported to range from 0-47%, 13-33% and 15-29% for SCS, TCS and QCS, respectively. Thirty-day post-operative mortality was 0-6%, 0-3% and 0-2% for SCS, TCS and QCS, respectively. There were two externally validated diagnostic models predicting complete cytoreduction at SCS, but none for TCS and QCS. In conclusion, our data confirm that maximal effort higher order cytoreductive surgery resulting in complete cytoreduction can improve survival.

Artificial intelligence-based risk stratification, accurate diagnosis and treatment prediction in gynecologic oncology

As data-driven science, artificial intelligence (AI) has paved a promising path toward an evolving health system teeming with thrilling opportunities for precision oncology. Notwithstanding the tremendous success of oncological AI in such fields as lung carcinoma, breast tumor and brain malignancy, less attention has been devoted to investigating the influence of AI on gynecologic oncology. Hereby, this review sheds light on the ever-increasing contribution of state-of-the-art AI techniques to the refined risk stratification and whole-course management of patients with gynecologic tumors, in particular, cervical, ovarian and endometrial cancer, centering on information and features extracted from clinical data (electronic health records), cancer imaging including radiological imaging, colposcopic images, cytological and histopathological digital images, and molecular profiling (genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics and so forth). However, there are still noteworthy challenges beyond performance validation. Thus, this work further describes the limitations and challenges faced in the real-word implementation of AI models, as well as potential solutions to address these issues.

Secondary cytoreduction in platinum sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer: an individual patient level meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To synthesize the role of secondary cytoreduction in recurrent ovarian cancer from the results of randomized studies.

METHODS

We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials which compared secondary cytoreductive surgery versus no surgery in patients with platinum sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer. Individual patient data for overall survival and progression free survival were manually extracted from published survival curves, for whole study populations and subgroups based on completeness of surgical resection and bevacizumab use, using WebPlotDigitizer software. Overall survival and progression free survival curves for each study and the combined population were reconstructed from extracted data.

RESULTS

Three studies with 1249 patients were included, of whom complete resection was achieved in 427 (34.2%) patients. In individual patient data analysis of the whole study population with 562 deaths, there was no significant difference in overall survival between the surgery and no surgery groups (median 52.8 vs 52.1 months, respectively, hazard ratio (HR) 0.94, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.80 to 1.11; p=0.5) but the surgery group had significantly longer progression free survival compared with the no surgery group (median 18.3 vs 14.4 months, respectively, HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.62 to 0.80; p<0.001). In subgroup analyses, overall survival was significantly longer in the complete cytoreduction subgroup compared with the no surgery group (median 62.0 vs 52.1 months, respectively, HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.57 to 0.92; p<0.001) while overall survival was significantly worse in the incomplete cytoreduction subgroup compared with the no surgery group (median 34.2 vs 52.1 months, respectively, HR 1.72, 95% CI 1.38 to 2.14; p<0.001). In the no bevacizumab subgroup, there was no significant overall survival difference between the surgery and no surgery groups (median 49.3 vs 47.0 months, HR 0.86, 95% CI 0.67 to 1.10; p=0.25).

CONCLUSIONS

Secondary cytoreductive surgery among women with platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer did not lead to significant benefit in overall survival although it increased progression free survival. However, overall survival was significantly longer among patients in whom complete cytoreduction was possible compared with no surgery.

Secondary Cytoreductive Surgery in Platinum-Sensitive Recurrent Ovarian Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

PURPOSE

The survival impact of secondary cytoreductive surgery in patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer was studied.

METHODS

We identified published studies from 1983 to 2021 following our inclusion criteria from MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane library. To integrate the effect size of single-arm studies, meta-analysis was performed using death rate as a primary outcome. The effect of complete cytoreduction and optimal cytoreduction on survival was evaluated using meta-regression. The pooled death rate was presented with a 95% CI. The publication bias was evaluated with the funnel plot and Egger's test, and sensitivity analysis was performed. To overcome missing death rates, the linear regression model was performed on log-transformed median overall survival (OS) time using study size as a weight.

RESULTS

Thirty-six studies with 2,805 patients reporting death rates were used for this meta-analysis of the 80 eligible studies. There was strong heterogeneity, with the P value of the Cochrane Q test of < 0.0001 and Higgins's I² statistics of 86%; thus, we considered a random effect model. The pooled death rate was 44.2% (95% CI, 39.0 to 49.5), and both the complete and optimal cytoreductions were associated with better survival outcomes as significant moderators in the meta-regression model (P < .001 and P = .005, respectively). Although 14 studies were located outside the funnel plot, Egger's test indicated no publication bias (P = .327). A sensitivity analysis excluding 14 studies showed similar results. In the linear regression model on the basis of 57 studies, the median OS time increased by 8.97% and 7.04% when the complete and optimal cytoreduction proportion increased by 10%, respectively, after adjusting other variables.

CONCLUSION

Secondary cytoreductive surgery, resulting in maximal tumor resection, significantly prolongs OS in platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer.

The survival outcome and complication of secondary cytoreductive surgery plus chemotherapy in recurrent ovarian cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective

The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess the effectiveness and safety of secondary cytoreductive surgery plus chemotherapy (SCS + CT) in recurrent ovarian cancer (ROC). Our secondary purpose was to analyze whether patients could benefit from complete resection.

Methods

We searched EMBASE, MEDLINE, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, from inception to April 2021. We used appropriate scales to assess the risk of bias. Data from included studies that reported median PFS or OS were weighted by individual study sample size, and aggregated for meta-analysis. We calculated the pooled proportion of complications within 30 days after surgery.

Results

We identified 13 articles, including three RCTs and ten retrospective cohort studies. A total of 4572 patients were included, of which 916 patients achieved complete resection, and all patients were comparable at baseline. Compared with chemotherapy alone, SCS + CT significantly improved the PFS (HR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.43–0.67) and OS (HR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.44–0.81). Contrary to the results of cohort studies, the meta-analysis of RCTs showed that SCS + CT could not bring OS benefits (HR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.66–1.3). The subgroup analysis showed the prognostic importance of complete resection. Compared with chemotherapy alone, complete resection was associated with longer PFS (HR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.45–0.61) and OS (HR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.39–0.81), while incomplete resection had no survival benefit. Additionally, complete resection could maximize survival benefit compared with incomplete resection (HR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.46–0.69; HR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.50–0.75). The pooled proportion for complications at 30 days was 21% (95% CI: 0.12–0.30), and there was no statistical difference in chemotherapy toxicity between the two groups.

Conclusion

The review indicated that SCS + CT based regimens was correlated with better clinical prognosis for patients with recurrent ovarian cancer, but the interpretation of OS should be cautious. The meta-analysis emphasizes the importance of complete resection, suggesting that the potential benefits of prolonging survival may outweigh the disadvantages of any short-term complications associated with surgery.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13048-021-00842-9.

To Enhance or Not to Enhance? The Role of Contrast Medium 18F-FDG PET/CT in Recurrent Ovarian Carcinomas

Background and Objectives: ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/X-ray computed tomography (PET/CT) represents the mainstay diagnostic procedure for suspected ovarian cancer (OC) recurrence. PET/CT can be integrated with contrast medium and in various diagnostic settings; however, the effective benefit of this procedure is still debated. We aimed to compare the diagnostic capabilities of low-dose and contrast-enhanced PET/CT (PET/ldCT and PET/ceCT) in patients with suspected ovarian cancer relapse. Materials and Methods: 122 OC patients underwent both PET/ldCT and PET/ceCT. Two groups of nuclear medicine physicians and radiologists scored the findings as positive or negative. Clinical/radiological follow-up was used as ground truth. Sensitivity, specificity, negative/positive predictive value, and accuracy were calculated at the patient and the lesion level. Results: A total of 455 and 474 lesions were identified at PET/ldCT and PET/ceCT, respectively. At the lesion level, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy were not significantly different between PET/ldCT and PET/ceCT (98%, 93.3%, 97.4%, 94.9%, and 96.9% for PET/ldCT; 99%, 95.5%, 98.3%, 97%, and 98% for PET/ceCT, p = ns). At the patient level, no significant differences in these parameters were identified (e.g., p = 0.22 and p = 0.35 for accuracy, in the peritoneum and lymph nodes, respectively). Smaller peritoneal/lymph node lesions close to physiological FDG uptake sources were found in the cases of misidentification by PET/ldCT. PET/ceCT prompted a change in clinical management in four cases (3.2%) compared to PET/ldCT. Conclusions: PET/ceCT does not perform better than PET/ldCT but can occasionally clarify doubtful peritoneal findings on PET/ldCT. To avoid unnecessary dose to the patient, PET/ceCT should be excluded in selected cases.

Expression and clinical significance of methyl-CpG binding domain protein 2 in high-grade serous ovarian cancer

Platinum resistance is an important cause of clinical recurrence and mortality of patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). Methyl-CpG binding domain protein 2 (MBD2) serves an important role in tumor progression; however, its role in HGSOC remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of MBD2 in HGSOC and its role in drug resistance and prognosis of HGSOC. MBD2 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemical staining and western blotting. The associations between MBD2 expression and clinical pathological features, platinum resistance and patient prognosis were analyzed using a χ² test, Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression analysis. Positive MBD2 expression was detected in 73 (63.5%) of the HGSOC tissue samples, whereas it was undetectable in all 16 normal tissue samples (100%) analyzed, indicating a significantly higher expression level in tumor tissues compared with normal tissues (P<0.001). Additionally, MBD2 expression was significantly higher in platinum-resistant cases compared with that in platinum-sensitive cases (P<0.05). In addition, high expression of MBD2 was negatively associated with relapse-free survival (P<0.05). In conclusion, MBD2 was demonstrated to be a potential drug target and a biomarker for poor prognosis in HGSOC.

Predicting ovarian cancer recurrence by plasma metabolic profiles before and after surgery

BACKGROUND

Previous metabolomic studies have revealed that plasma metabolic signatures may predict epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) recurrence. However, few studies have performed metabolic profiling of pre- and post-operative specimens to investigate EOC prognostic biomarkers.

OBJECTIVE

The aims of our study were to compare the predictive performance of pre- and post-operative specimens and to create a better model for recurrence by combining biomarkers from both metabolic signatures.

METHODS

Thirty-five paired plasma samples were collected from 35 EOC patients before and after surgery. The patients were followed-up until December, 2016 to obtain recurrence information. Metabolomics using rapid resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was performed to identify metabolic signatures related to EOC recurrence. The support vector machine model was employed to predict EOC recurrence using identified biomarkers.

RESULTS

Global metabolomic profiles distinguished recurrent from non-recurrent EOC using both pre- and post-operative plasma. Ten common significant biomarkers, hydroxyphenyllactic acid, uric acid, creatinine, lysine, 3-(3,5-diiodo-4-hydroxyphenyl) lactate, phosphohydroxypyruvic acid, carnitine, coproporphyrinogen, L-beta-aspartyl-L-glutamic acid and 24,25-hydroxyvitamin D3, were identified as predictive biomarkers for EOC recurrence. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC) values in pre- and post-operative plasma were 0.815 and 0.909, respectively; the AUC value after combining the two sets reached 0.964.

CONCLUSION

Plasma metabolomic analysis could be used to predict EOC recurrence. While post-operative biomarkers have a predictive advantage over pre-operative biomarkers, combining pre- and post-operative biomarkers showed the best predictive performance and has great potential for predicting recurrent EOC.