Correlation Between Squamous Cell Carcinoma Antigen Level and the Clinicopathological Features of Early-Stage Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma and the Predictive Value of Squamous Cell Carcinoma Antigen Combined With Computed Tomography Scan for Lymph Node Metastasis

Low pretreatment prognostic nutritional index predicts unfavorable survival in stage III-IVA squamous cervical cancer undergoing chemoradiotherapy

BACKGROUND

To investigate potential predictive factors and assess the utility of systemic inflammatory and nutritional indexes as prognostic indicators for survival in patients with FIGO stage III-IVA squamous cervical cancer (squamous HR-LACC) treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

METHODS

We included consecutive patients with PET-CT diagnosed squamous HR-LACC undergoing curative chemoradiotherapy from November 2016 to April 2024. We systematically reviewed data pertaining to pretreatment clinicopathologic characteristics, hematological parameters, and treatment specifics. A range of composite inflammatory and nutritional indices were calculated, including the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio, systemic immune-inflammation index, systemic inflammation response index, pan-immune-inflammation value, and prognostic nutritional index (PNI). X-Tile software was utilized to establish optimal cut-off values based on progression-free survival (PFS). Both univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with PFS and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

Among 157 patients (median age 55) included, 136 had lymph node involvement, and 45 had para-aortic metastasis. After a median follow-up of 35 months, 47 patients had disease progression, and 22 died, yielding 3-year PFS and OS rates of 66.2% and 82.0%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that low SCC-Ag (HR: 1.518, 95% CI: 1.067-2.159, p = 0.020), para-aortic lymph node involvement (HR: 1.864, 95% CI: 1.020-3.408, p = 0.043), and low PNI (HR: 1.477, 95% CI: 1.105-1.975, p = 0.009) were independently associated with worse PFS, whereas low PNI emerged as the sole independent risk factor for diminished OS (HR = 1.525, 95% CI: 1.002-2.323, p = 0.049).

CONCLUSIONS

PNI, a readily obtainable metric based on albumin and lymphocyte count, can serve as a predictor of survival in HR-LACC patients undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Further research is necessary to ascertain whether optimizing pretreatment nutritional status, a modifiable factor, can enhance outcomes in these high-risk patients.

The value of multiparameter MRI of early cervical cancer combined with SCC-Ag in predicting its pelvic lymph node metastasis

Purpose

To investigate the value of multiparameter MRI of early cervical cancer (ECC) combined with pre-treatment serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) in predicting its pelvic lymph node metastasis (PLNM).

Material and methods

115 patients with pathologically confirmed FIGO IB1~IIA2 cervical cancer were retrospectively included and divided into the PLNM group and the non-PLNM group according to pathological results. Quantitative parameters of the primary tumor include Ktrans, Kep, Ve from dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI), ADCmean, ADCmin, ADCmax, D, D* and f from intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI) were measured. Pre-treatment serum SCC-Ag was obtained. The difference of the above parameters between the two groups were compared using the student t-test or Mann-Whitney U test. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine independent risk factors. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess the diagnostic efficacy of individual parameters and their combination in predicting PLNM from ECC.

Results

The PLNM group presented higher SCC-Ag [14.25 (6.74,36.75) ng/ml vs.2.13 (1.32,6.00) ng/ml, P<0.001] and lower Ktrans (0.51 ± 0.20 min-1 vs.0.80 ± 0.33 min-1, P < 0.001), ADCmean (0.85 ± 0.09 mm/s2 vs.1.06 ± 0.35 mm/s2, P<0.001), ADCmin [0.67 (0.61,0.75) mm/s2 vs. 0.75 (0.64,0.90) mm/s2, P = 0.012] and f (0.91 ± 0.09 vs. 0.27 ± 0.14, P = 0.001) than the non-LNM group. Multivariate analysis showed that SCC-Ag (OR = 1.154, P = 0.007), Ktrans (OR=0.003, P < 0.001) and f (OR = 0.001, P=0.036) were independent risk factors of PLNM. The combination of SCC-Ag, Ktrans and f possessed the best predicting efficacy for PLNM with an area under curve (AUC) of 0.896, which is higher than any individual parameter: SCC-Ag (0.824), Ktrans (0.797), and f (0.703). The sensitivity and specificity of the combination were 79.1% and 94.0%, respectively.

Conclusions

Quantitative parameters Ktrans and f derived from DCE-MRI and IVIM-DWI of primary tumor and SCC-Ag have great value in predicting PLNM. The diagnostic efficacy of their combination has been further improved.

Hematological indicator-based machine learning models for preoperative prediction of lymph node metastasis in cervical cancer

Background

Lymph node metastasis (LNM) is an important prognostic factor for cervical cancer (CC) and determines the treatment strategy. Hematological indicators have been reported as being useful biomarkers for the prognosis of a variety of cancers. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of machine learning models characterized by preoperative hematological indicators to predict the LNM status of CC patients before surgery.

Methods

The clinical data of 236 patients with pathologically confirmed CC were retrospectively analyzed at the Gynecology Oncology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University from November 2020 to August 2022. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) was used to select 21 features from 35 hematological indicators and for the construction of 6 machine learning predictive models, including Adaptive Boosting (AdaBoost), Gaussian Naive Bayes (GNB), and Logistic Regression (LR), as well as Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machines (SVM), and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost). Evaluation metrics of predictive models included the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), accuracy, specificity, sensitivity, and F1-score.

Results

RF has the best overall predictive performance for ten-fold cross-validation in the training set. The specific performance indicators of RF were AUC (0.910, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.820-1.000), accuracy (0.831, 95% CI: 0.702-0.960), specificity (0.835, 95% CI: 0.708-0.962), sensitivity (0.831, 95% CI: 0.702-0.960), and F1-score (0.829, 95% CI: 0.696-0.962). RF had the highest AUC in the testing set (AUC = 0.854).

Conclusion

RF based on preoperative hematological indicators that are easily available in clinical practice showed superior performance in the preoperative prediction of CC LNM. However, investigations on larger external cohorts of patients are required for further validation of our findings.

Management for Cervical Cancer Patients: A Comparison of the Guidelines from the International Scientific Societies (ESGO-NCCN-ASCO-AIOM-FIGO-BGCS-SEOM-ESMO-JSGO)

Cervical cancer continues to have a significant incidence, despite global efforts in HPV vaccination campaigns. Managing this condition involves a diverse team of healthcare professionals. Research in this field is undergoing a period of great revolution in multiple areas, and international guidelines will soon have to adapt to new scientific evidence. This could be true mainly in locally advanced stages, and it could also be true for minimal invasive surgery. This paper aims to summarize and compare the most recent recommendations published by international gynecological oncological societies for patients with cervical cancer. From their comparison, common aspects and disagreements emerged, especially in the diagnostic pathway and follow-up strategies. Several issues that remain to be debated in the literature were addressed and compared, highlighting similarities and differences, from the role of the sentinel lymph node in early stages to that of the adjuvant hysterectomy in locally advanced tumors. On the surgical side, for this last subset of patients, currently, a laparotomic approach is recommended. At the same time, the advent of immunotherapy has just opened up new and promising scenarios in systemic treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer, and international guidelines will soon introduce it into their algorithms.

Prognostic value of HPV circulating tumor DNA detection and quantification in locally advanced cervical cancer

Background

Cervical cancers are mainly caused by an oncogenic HPV. For locally advanced stages, the standard treatment is radio-chemotherapy (RTCT) followed by brachytherapy. Nevertheless, the prognosis remains highly heterogeneous between patients.

Objective

We investigated the prognostic value of HPV circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in locally advanced cervical cancers alongside that of Squamous Cell Carcinoma Antigen (SCC-A).

Methods

This single-center retrospective study included patients treated in curative intent for an IB3 to IVA squamous cell cervical cancer. Quantification of HPV ctDNA in serum collected at diagnosis was performed using a multiplex digital PCR assay for the simultaneous detection of 8 HPV genotypes.

Results

Among the 97 patients included, 76 patients (78.4%) were treated by RTCT, followed by brachytherapy for 57 patients (60%). HPV ctDNA was detected in 59/97 patients at diagnosis (60.8%). This detection was associated with lymph node invasion (p=0.04) but not with tumor stage. A high level of SCC-A at diagnosis was associated with tumor stage (p=0.008) and lymph node invasion (p=0.012). In univariate analysis, better disease-free survival (DFS) was associated with optimal RTCT regimen (p=0.002), exposure to brachytherapy (p=0.0001) and a low SCC-A at diagnosis (continuous analysis, p=0.002). Exploratory analysis revealed that 3/3 patients (100%) whose HPV ctDNA was still detectable at the end of treatment relapsed, while 6/22 patients (27.3%) whose HPV ctDNA was negative at the end of treatment relapsed.

Conclusion

HPV ctDNA detection at diagnosis of locally advanced cervical squamous cell carcinomas is frequent and related to node invasion, but not to DFS. The prognostic value of HPV ctDNA detection after treatment warrants specific studies.

18F-FDG PET/CT semi-quantitative parameters combined with SCC-Ag in predicting lymph node metastasis in stage I-II cervical cancer

Objective

To explore the value of 18F-fluordeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) semi-quantitative parameters of primary tumor combined with squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) in predicting lymph node metastasis (LNM) of cervical cancer (FIGO 2018 stage I-II).

Materials and Methods

A total of 65 patients with stage I-II cervical cancer underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT were included in our study. Comparing the primary tumor 18F-FDG PET/CT semi-quantitative parameters and SCC-Ag between the LNM group and the non-LNM group. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) were used to analyze the value of 18F-FDG PET/CT metabolic parameters and SCC-Ag in predicting LNM.

Results

There were 14 and 51 patients were classified as having LNM and NLNM. The semi-quantitative parameters, including the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), the mean standardized uptake value (SUVmean), the peak standardized uptake value (SUVpeak), the total lesion glycolysis (TLG), the metabolic tumor volume (MTV) of the tumor and SCC-Ag were all significantly higher in LNM than in NLNM (SUVmax, 16.07 ± 7.81 vs 11.19 ± 4.73, SUVmean, 9.16 ± 3.48 vs 6.29 ± 2.52, SUVpeak, 12.70 ± 5.26 vs 7.65 ± 3.26, MTV, 22.77 ± 12.36 vs 7.09 ± 5.21, TLG, 211.01 ± 154.25 vs 43.38 ± 36.17, SCC-Ag, 5.39 ± 4.56 vs 2.13 ± 2.50, all p<0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that TLG was an independent predictor of LNM in stage I-II cervical cancer (OR 1.032, 95% CI 1.013-1.052, p<0.01). Moreover, the predictive value of TLG combined with SUVpeak and SCC-Ag increased and the area under the curve increased compared SUVpeak and SCC-Ag.

Conclusion

18F-FDG PET/CT semi-quantitative parameters and SCC-Ag have promise for assessing LNM in stage I-II cervical cancer. TLG of primary tumor provides independent and increasing values in predicting LNM in stage I-II cervical cancer.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma Antigen in the Follow-up of Patients With Head and Neck Cancer

OBJECTIVE

to determine if the tumor marker squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) observed over time may contribute to the early detection of recurrence, metastasis, and second primary tumors in the follow-up of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

STUDY DESIGN

A retrospective analysis of patients with HNSCC and at least one SCC-Ag measurement was conducted. Hazard ratios (HRs) were used to determine the correlation between SCC-Ag and an event.

SETTING

patients with HNSCC, treated in the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital in The Netherlands between 2010 and 2020 were used for the analysis.

METHODS

Data from 789 patients were used on event-free survival (EFS) with time-dependent Cox models. In addition to current (most recent) SCC-Ag (also dichotomized into high and low as done for clinical practice), average SCC-Ag and change between SCC-Ag measurements (delta SCC-Ag) were considered, using restricted cubic splines to explore nonlinear relationships.

RESULTS

Dichotomized SCC-Ag values (HR = 3.01, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.17-4.18) and the delta SCC-Ag (HR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.07-1.22) predicted EFS better than models using the cumulative average or current value of SCC-Ag, also after adjusting for tumor site, stage, age, and gender. A strong association was observed when using delta SCC-Ag as a linear predictor in the subgroup of oropharynx patients (HR = 4.88, 95% CI: 2.71-8.79).

CONCLUSION

Dichotomized and delta SCC-Ag values can be important markers for EFS, during the follow-up of patients treated for HNSCC. These results were more evident in patients with oropharyngeal cancer.

Study on the preoperative value of serum SCC-Ag in predicting the stromal invasion of cervical squamous cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the preoperative value of serum SCC-Ag in predicting the stromal invasion of cervical squamous cell carcinoma.

METHODS

This study retrospectively analyzed 78 patients with early cervical squamous cell carcinoma who underwent surgery as initial treatment at the Senior Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Seventh Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from January 2018 to September 2022 was implemented. The clinicopathological characteristics were statistically compared. The ROC curve was drawn to determine the optimal critical level of  preoperative serum SCC-Ag value for predicting cervical stromal invasion.

RESULTS

The depth of myometrial invasion was not related to the age of diagnosis and HPV infection (p > 0.05), while it was related to tumor size, staging, tissue differentiation, LVSI, lymph node metastasis (LNM) and preoperative serum SCC-Ag value (p < 0.05).The area under the curve (AUC) of serum SCC-Ag value was 0.894 (p = 0.000, 95% CI 0.824-0.964), and preoperative serum SCC-Ag value 1.65 ng/ml was the best cutoff for predicting cervical stromal invasion in cervical squamous cell carcinoma. The sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis were 92.3% and 78.8%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

If the preoperative serum SCC-Ag leval more than 1.65 ng/ml in patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma, the risk of cervical stromal invasion will increase, which can provide a reference for clinical treatment.

Prediction of lymph node status in patients with early-stage cervical cancer based on radiomic features of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images

BACKGROUND

Lymph node metastasis is an important factor affecting the treatment and prognosis of patients with cervical cancer. However, the comparison of different algorithms and features to predict lymph node metastasis is not well understood. This study aimed to construct a non-invasive model for predicting lymph node metastasis in patients with cervical cancer based on clinical features combined with the radiomic features of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images.

METHODS

A total of 180 cervical cancer patients were divided into the training set (n = 126) and testing set (n = 54). In this cross-sectional study, radiomic features of MRI images and clinical features of patients were collected. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was used to filter the features. Seven machine learning methods, including eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Logistic Regression, Multinomial Naive Bayes (MNB), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Decision Tree, Random Forest, and Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT) are used to build the models. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve and area under the curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were calculated to assess the performance of the models.

RESULTS

Of these 180 patients, 49 (27.22%) patients had lymph node metastases. Five of the 122 radiomic features and 3 clinical features were used to build predictive models. Compared with other models, the MNB model was the most robust, with its AUC, specificity, and accuracy on the testing set of 0.745 (95%CI: 0.740-0.750), 0.900 (95%CI: 0.807-0.993), and 0.778 (95%CI: 0.667-0.889), respectively. Furthermore, the AUCs of the MNB models with clinical features only, radiomic features only, and combined features were 0.698 (95%CI: 0.692-0.704), 0.632 (95%CI: 0.627-0.637), and 0.745 (95%CI: 0.740-0.750), respectively.

CONCLUSION

The MNB model, which combines the radiomic features of MRI images with the clinical features of the patient, can be used as a non-invasive tool for the preoperative assessment of lymph node metastasis.

Role of squamous cell carcinoma antigen in prognostication, monitoring of treatment response, and surveillance of locally advanced cervical carcinoma

Introduction

Squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC Ag) is a sub-fraction of the tumor antigen TA-4, first isolated by Kato and Torigoe, the most commonly used tumor marker in cervical cancer. It can be used as a serum marker to detect residual disease, early local recurrence, or distant metastasis in locally advanced cervical cancer even before the clinical symptoms of recurrence or metastasis.

Methods and Materials

Between January 2018 and August 2018, 30 patients with squamous cell carcinoma cervix (FIGO) stages IB2-IVA, who received concurrent chemoradiation, followed by brachytherapy, were included in the study. Serum SCC Ag levels were collected at four time points during the course of the treatment, and their correlation with tumor and treatment factors were analyzed.

Results

As the FIGO stage increases, mean pre-treatment SCC Ag also increases. Node-positive patients had higher pre-treatment SCC Ag as compared to those who were negative (P = 0.05). There was a statistically significant decreasing trend in the mean SCC Ag at the end of EBRT (P = 0.015). After completion of treatment, 78% had a complete response, 8% had a partial response, and 14% had progressive disease with statistically significant elevation of SCC Ag at 6 weeks of follow-up (P = 0.01). Patients who progressed or had the residual disease at follow-up were found to have high pre-treatment SCC Ag values.

Conclusion

SCC Ag can be potentially used as a reference indicator of biological behavior of cervical cancer, to monitor the treatment response, and as a prognostic marker, especially in those with node-positive disease.

Clinical utility of pretreatment serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen for prognostication and decision-making in patients with early-stage cervical cancer

Background

To investigate the prognostic role of pretreatment squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) in early-stage cervical cancer (CC).

Methods

We enrolled 487 cases of pathology-proven early-stage [International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) I/II] squamous or adenosquamous CC that were treated from 2012 to 2015. Restricted cubic splines (RCS) with a full Cox regression model were used to evaluate the association between SCCA levels and survival outcomes. Recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) was used to construct a risk stratification model for overall survival (OS). The performance of the RPA-based model was assessed using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

Results

RCS analysis revealed an association between SCCA and OS and disease-free survival (DFS); SCCA ⩾2.5 ng/mL was robust for risk discrimination in our cohort. SCCA had an interaction effect with FIGO classification: Patients with FIGO I and SCCA ⩾2.5 ng/mL overlapped with those with FIGO II and SCCA < 2.5 ng/mL for OS [hazard ratio, 1.04 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.49-2.24), p = 0.903] and DFS [1.05 (0.56-1.98), p = 0.876]. RPA modeling incorporating SCCA (<2.5 ng/mL and ⩾2.5 ng/mL) and FIGO classification divided CC into three prognostic groups: RPA I, FIGO stage I, and SCCA < 2.5 ng/mL; RPA II, FIGO stage I, and SCCA ⩾ 2.5 ng/mL, or FIGO stage II and SCCA < 2.5 ng/mL; and RPA III, FIGO stage II, and SCCA ⩾ 2.5 ng/mL; with 5-year OS of 94.0%, 85.1%, and 73.5%, respectively (p < 0.001). ROC analysis confirmed that the RPA model outperformed the FIGO 2018 stage with significantly improved accuracy for survival prediction [area under the curve: RPA versus FIGO, 0.663 (95% CI: 0.619-0.705] versus 0.621 (0.576-0.664), p = 0.045]. Importantly, the RPA groupings were associated with the efficacy of treatment regimens. Surgery followed by adjuvant treatment had a higher OS (p < 0.01) and DFS (p = 0.024) than other treatments for RPA III, whereas outcomes were comparable among treatment regimens for RPA I-II.

Conclusion

Herein, the role of SCCA for prognostication was confirmed, and a robust clinicomolecular risk stratification system that outperforms conventional FIGO classification in early-stage squamous and adenosquamous CC was presented. The model correlated with the efficacy of different treatment regimes.

Amide proton transfer weighted imaging combined with dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI in predicting lymphovascular space invasion and deep stromal invasion of IB1-IIA1 cervical cancer

Objectives

To investigate the value of amide proton transfer weighted (APTw) imaging combined with dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) in predicting intermediate-risk factors of deep stromal invasion (DSI) and lymphovascular vascular space invasion (LVSI) in cervical cancer.

Methods

Seventy patients with cervical cancer who underwent MRI before operation from July 2019 to February 2022 were retrospectively included in this study. Clinical information including age, histologic subtype etc. were recorded for patients. ATPw imaging parameter APT_mean and DCE-MRI parameters K^trans, K_ep and V_e were measured and analyzed. The independent-sample t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, or Chi-square test was used to compare the differences of parameters between DSI/LVSI positive and negative groups. Logistic analysis was used to develop a combined predictive model. The receiver operating characteristic curve was for predictive performance. ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis test were used to compare the differences of consecutive parameters among multiple groups.

Results

K^trans and SCC-Ag were independent factors in predicting DSI; K^trans+SCC-Ag had the highest AUC 0.819 with sensitivity and specificity of 71.74% and 91.67%, respectively. APT_mean and K^trans were independent factors in predicting LVSI; APT_mean+K^trans had the highest AUC 0.874 with sensitivity and specificity of 92.86% and 75.00%, respectively. K^trans and Ve could discriminate coexistence of DSI and LVSI from presence of single one, APT_mean could discriminate the presence of DSI or LVSI from no risk factor presence.

Conclusion

The combination of APTw and DCE-MRI is valuable in predicting intermediate-risk factors of DSI and LVSI in cervical cancer.

Using Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning to Preoperatively Predict Lymph Node Metastasis for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer With Electronic Medical Records: Development and Validation Study

Background

Lymph node metastasis (LNM) is critical for treatment decision making of patients with resectable non–small cell lung cancer, but it is difficult to precisely diagnose preoperatively. Electronic medical records (EMRs) contain a large volume of valuable information about LNM, but some key information is recorded in free text, which hinders its secondary use.

Objective

This study aims to develop LNM prediction models based on EMRs using natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithms.

Methods

We developed a multiturn question answering NLP model to extract features about the primary tumor and lymph nodes from computed tomography (CT) reports. We then combined these features with other structured clinical characteristics to develop LNM prediction models using machine learning algorithms. We conducted extensive experiments to explore the effectiveness of the predictive models and compared them with size criteria based on CT image findings (the maximum short axis diameter of lymph node >10 mm was regarded as a metastatic node) and clinician’s evaluation. Since the NLP model may extract features with mistakes, we also calculated the concordance correlation between the predicted probabilities of models using NLP-extracted features and gold standard features to explore the influence of NLP-driven automatic extraction.

Results

Experimental results show that the random forest models achieved the best performances with 0.792 area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) value and 0.456 average precision (AP) value for pN2 LNM prediction and 0.768 AUC value and 0.524 AP value for pN1&N2 LNM prediction. And all machine learning models outperformed the size criteria and clinician’s evaluation. The concordance correlation between the random forest models using NLP-extracted features and gold standard features is 0.950 and improved to 0.984 when the top 5 important NLP-extracted features were replaced with gold standard features.

Conclusions

The LNM models developed can achieve competitive performance using only limited EMR data such as CT reports and tumor markers in comparison with the clinician’s evaluation. The multiturn question answering NLP model can extract features effectively to support the development of LNM prediction models, which may facilitate the clinical application of predictive models.

Molecular Markers to Predict Prognosis and Treatment Response in Uterine Cervical Cancer

Uterine cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality in women worldwide. Each year, over half a million new cases are estimated, resulting in more than 300,000 deaths. While less-invasive, fertility-preserving surgical procedures can be offered to women in early stages, treatment for locally advanced disease may include radical hysterectomy, primary chemoradiotherapy (CRT) or a combination of these modalities. Concurrent platinum-based chemoradiotherapy regimens remain the first-line treatments for locally advanced cervical cancer. Despite achievements such as the introduction of angiogenesis inhibitors, and more recently immunotherapies, the overall survival of women with persistent, recurrent or metastatic disease has not been extended significantly in the last decades. Furthermore, a broad spectrum of molecular markers to predict therapy response and survival and to identify patients with high- and low-risk constellations is missing. Implementation of these markers, however, may help to further improve treatment and to develop new targeted therapies. This review aims to provide comprehensive insights into the complex mechanisms of cervical cancer pathogenesis within the context of molecular markers for predicting treatment response and prognosis.

Predictive value of preoperative serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen level for lymph node metastasis in early-stage cervical squamous cell carcinoma

To explore the predictive value of preoperative serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) level for lymph node metastasis (LNM), particularly, in patients surgically treated for early-stage cervical squamous cell carcinoma.We enrolled 162 patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma stages IB to IIA following the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2009 classification. The patients had previously undergone radical surgery. Correlation of the SCC-Ag level with clinicopathological features and the predictive value of SCC-Ag for LNM were analyzed.High preoperative SCC-Ag level was correlated with FIGO stage (P = .001), tumor diameter >4 cm (P < .001), stromal infiltration (P < .001), LNM (P < .001) and lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI), (P = .045). However, it was not correlated with age, histological differentiation, parametrial involvement, and positive vaginal margin (P > .05). Univariate analysis revealed that FIGO stage (P = .015), tumor diameter (P = .044), stromal infiltration (χ2 = 10.436, P = .005), SCC-Ag ≧ 2.75 ng/mL (χ2 = 14.339, P < .001), LVSI (χ2 = 12.866, P  < .001), parametrial involvement (χ2 = 13.784, P < .001) were correlated with LNM, but not with age, histological differentiation, and positive vaginal margin. Moreover, multivariate analysis demonstrated that SCC-Ag ≧2.75 ng/mL (P = .011, OR = 3.287) and LVSI (P = .009, OR = 7.559) were independent factors affecting LNM. The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve of SCC-Ag was 0.703 (P < .001), while 2.75 ng/mL was the best cutoff value for predicting LNM. The sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis were 69.4% and 65.9%, respectively.High SCC-Ag level was revealed to be an independent risk factor for the prognosis of squamous carcinoma of the cervix before an operation. Besides, SCC-Ag (2.75 ng/mL) can be utilized as a potential marker to predict LNM in early stage cervical cancer before an operation.

Assessment of retroperitoneal lymph node status in locally advanced cervical cancer

BACKGROUND

The assessment of retroperitoneal lymph node status in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer is still a problem. This study aimed to explore the choice of these assessment methods.

METHODS

Laparoscopic retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy was performed in 96 patients with advanced cervical cancer. The positive rates of lymph node metastasis were analyzed. The values of computed tomography lymph node minimum axial diameter (MAD) and squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag), and their combination in predicting retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis were compared. High-risk factors for common iliac lymph node (CILN) and/or para-aortic lymph node (PALN) metastasis were analyzed.

RESULTS

The lymph node metastasis rate was 62.50% and the CILN and/or PALN metastasis rate was 31.25%. Overall, 96 patients had 172 visible lymph nodes. The positive rate of lymph node metastasis was significantly higher in the MAD ≥1.0 cm group (83.33%) than in the 0.5 cm ≤ MAD < 1.0 cm group (26.82%). The critical values of MAD and SCC-Ag in determining lymph node metastasis were 1.0 cm and 5.2 ng/mL, respectively. The accuracy, specificity, and Youden index of MAD ≥1.0 cm combined with SCC-Ag ≥ 5.2 ng/mL for evaluating lymph node metastasis were 75.71%, 100%, and 0.59, respectively, and were significantly different from the values for the MAD ≥1.0 cm (72.09%, 80.56%, and 0.47, respectively) and SCC-Ag ≥ 5.2 ng/mL (71.43%, 68.97%, and 0.42, respectively) groups. Correlation analysis showed that non-squamous cell carcinoma, pelvic lymph node (PLN) MAD ≥1.0 cm plus number ≥ 2, and 1 PLN MAD ≥1.0 cm with CILN and/or PALN MAD 0.5-1.0 cm were risk factors for CILN and/or PALN metastasis.

CONCLUSION

Patients with MAD ≥1.0 cm and SCC-Ag ≥ 5.2 ng/mL, as well as high risk factors for CILN and/or PALN metastasis, should undergo resection of enlarged lymph nodes below the common iliac gland and lymphadenectomy of CILN/PALN to reduce tumor burden and to clarify lymph node metastasis status for accurate guidance in follow-up treatment. Patients with MAD < 1.0 cm and SCC-Ag < 5.2 ng/mL may be treated with chemoradiotherapy directly based on imaging, given the low lymph node metastasis rate.

A preoperative radiomics model for the identification of lymph node metastasis in patients with early-stage cervical squamous cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVES

To develop and validate a radiomics model for preoperative identification of lymph node metastasis (LNM) in patients with early-stage cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC).

METHODS

Total of 190 eligible patients were randomly divided into training (n = 100) and validation (n = 90) cohorts. Handcrafted features and deep-learning features were extracted from T2W fat suppression images. The minimum redundancy maximum relevance algorithm and LASSO regression with 10-fold cross-validation were used for key features selection. A radiomics model that incorporated the handcrafted-signature, deep-signature, and squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) levels was developed by logistic regression. The model performance was assessed and validated with respect to its calibration, discrimination, and clinical usefulness.

RESULTS

Three handcrafted features and three deep-learning features were selected and used to build handcrafted- and deep-signature. The model, which incorporated the handcrafted-signature, deep-signature, and SCC-Ag, showed satisfactory calibration and discrimination in the training cohort (AUC: 0.852, 95% CI: 0.761-0.943) and the validation cohort (AUC: 0.815, 95% CI: 0.711-0.919). Decision curve analysis indicated the clinical usefulness of the radiomics model. The radiomics model yielded greater AUCs than either the radiomics signature (AUC = 0.806 and 0.779, respectively) or the SCC-Ag (AUC = 0.735 and 0.688, respectively) alone in both the training and validation cohorts.

CONCLUSION

The presented radiomics model can be used for preoperative identification of LNM in patients with early-stage CSCC. Its performance outperforms that of SCC-Ag level analysis alone.

ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE

A radiomics model incorporated radiomics signature and SCC-Ag levels demonstrated good performance in identifying LNM in patients with early-stage CSCC.

Preoperative squamous cell carcinoma antigen and albumin serum levels predict the survival of patients with stage T1-3N0M0 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a retrospective observational study

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to explore the significance of preoperative levels of squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) and albumin on the cancer-specific survival (CSS) of patients with stage T1-3N0M0 in esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC).

METHODS

The data of 308 patients who underwent esophagectomy between 1996 and 2011 were analyzed. SCC-Ag and albumin levels were measure 1 week before surgery. The optimal cutoff levels of SCC-Ag and albumin were determined using the X-Tile software, which were 1.0 μg/L and 39.8 g/L, respectively. The associations between SCC-Ag and albumin levels and clinicopathological characteristics were assessed using the χ2 test, Student's t-test and Fisher's exact test. Cox univariable and multivariable analyses were computed to identify SCC-Ag and albumin levels as independent prognostic factors related to the CSS of patients with ESCC. We used the Kaplan-Meier survival curve to determine the significance of SCC-Ag and albumin level on ESCC in the long-term follow-up.

RESULTS

The 5-year CSS rate for the entire cohort was 65.0%. There was a significant difference in CSS between the low and high SCC-Ag level groups (hazard ratio [HR], 1.828, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.203-2.778; P = 0.005). Patients with ESCC with low albumin level had a worse CSS than those with high albumin level (HR, 0.540; 95% CI, 0.348-0.838; P = 0.006). Patients with both high SCC-Ag and low albumin levels had worse 5-year CSS than patients with low SCC-Ag and high albumin levels (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative serum SCC-Ag and albumin levels can predict survival in patients ESCC with stage T1-3N0M0. Patients with ESCC with high SCC-Ag and low albumin levels may have a poor survival outcome.

The kinetic profile and clinical implication of SCC-Ag in squamous cervical cancer patients undergoing radical hysterectomy using the Simoa assay: a prospective observational study

Background

To study the kinetic profile and clinicopathological implications of squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) in cervical cancer patients who underwent surgery by a self-developed SCC-Ag single molecule assay (Simoa) prototype immunoassay.

Methods

Participants were prospectively enrolled between 04/2016 and 06/2017. Consecutive serum samples were collected at five points: day 0 (the day before surgery), postoperative day 4, weeks 2–4, months 2–4 and months 5–7. In total, 92 patients and 352 samples were included. The kinetic change in SCC-Ag levels and their associations with clinicopathological characteristics were studied.

Results

Simoa SCC-Ag was validated by comparison with the Architect assay. SCC-Ag levels measured by the Simoa assay were highly correlated with the Architect assay’s levels (Pearson’s correlation coefficient = 0.979, Passing-Bablok regression slope 0.894 (0.847 to 0.949), intercept − 0.009 (− 0.047 to 0.027)). The median values for each time-point detected by the Simoa assay were 2.49, 0.66, 0.61, 0.72, and 0.71 ng/mL, respectively. The SCC-Ag levels decreased dramatically after surgery and then stabilized and fluctuated to some extent within 6 months. Patients with certain risk factors had significantly higher SCC-Ag values than their negative counterparts before surgery and at earlier time points after surgery, while no difference existed at the end of observation. Furthermore, although patients with positive lymph nodes had sustained higher SCC-Ag levels compared to those with negative lymph nodes, similar kinetic patterns of SCC-Ag levels were observed after surgery. Patients who received postoperative treatment had significantly higher SCC-Ag values than those with surgery only at diagnosis, while no difference existed after treatment.

Conclusions

The Simoa SCC-Ag prototype was established for clinical settings. The SCC-Ag levels were higher in patients with risk factors, whereas the kinetic trend of SCC-Ag might be mainly affected by postoperative adjuvant therapy. These data indicate that the SCC-Ag level might be a good predictor for the status of cervical cancer, including disease aggressiveness and treatment response.

Predictive value of preoperative serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) level on tumor recurrence in cervical squamous cell carcinoma patients treated with radical surgery: A single-institution study

OBJECTIVE

We seek to explore the clinical significance of serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) and the optimal cut-off value for predicting tumor recurrence and survival in operable cervical squamous cell carcinoma patients.

METHODS

A total of 3471 patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma who underwent radical surgery were enrolled in this study. The cut-off value of serum SCC-Ag for tumor recurrence was calculated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate analysis was further performed.

RESULTS

The optimal cut-off value of serum SCC-Ag level for predicting tumor recurrence was calculated and set at 2.75 ng/mL. Compared to the value of 1.5 ng/mL used in clinical practice, our results showed that serum SCC-Ag level >2.75 ng/mL was closely related to extrapelvic metastases in relapsed patients (P = 0.035). Multivariate analysis showed that neither serum SCC-Ag level >1.5 ng/mL nor serum SCC-Ag level >2.75 ng/mL was independent risk factors for PFS and OS in all patients. However, among 964 patients with at least one high-risk factor (parametrial invasion, vaginal margin invasion and lymph node metastasis), serum SCC-Ag level > 2.75 ng/mL, instead of serum SCC-Ag level > 1.5 ng/mL, could be used as an independent factor affecting PFS (P = 0.018).

CONCLUSION

Preoperative serum SCC-Ag level > 2.75 ng/mL is closely related to extrapelvic recurrence, and is an independent factor for tumor recurrence and survival in cervical squamous cell carcinoma patients with high-risk factors.

The role of squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC Ag) in outcome prediction after concurrent chemoradiotherapy and treatment decisions for patients with cervical cancer

At present, the standard treatment approach for locally advanced cervical cancer is concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). An elevated pretreatment squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC Ag) level is associated with extensive tumors and poor survival for patients with cervical cancer treated with definitive CCRT. SCC Ag levels can be used to help physicians make decisions regarding surgery, avoiding the complications of double treatment modalities. Elevated SCC Ag is associated with radiotherapy resistance, and the rate of SCC Ag reduction during CCRT can predict tumor response after treatment. Moreover, the failure of SCC Ag levels to normalize posttreatment can predict tumor relapse, with a specificity higher than 70%, and adjuvant therapies should be considered for these patients. SCC Ag also plays an important role in the early detection of tumor relapse in patients with cervical cancer during follow-up after CCRT, with high sensitivity and good cost-effectiveness.

Progress in the Study of Lymph Node Metastasis in Early-stage Cervical Cancer

Spread into regional lymph node is the major route of metastasis in cervical cancer. Although lymph node status is not involved in the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics staging system of uterine cervical cancer, the presence or absence of lymph node metastasis provides important information for prognosis and treatment. In this review, we have attempted to focus on the incidence and patterns of lymph node metastasis, and the issues surrounding surgical assessment of lymph nodes. In addition, the preoperative prediction of lymph node status, as well as the intraoperative assessment by sentinel nodes will be reviewed. Finally, lymph node micrometastasis also will be discussed.