Adjuvant chemotherapy for early-stage cervical cancer

Effect of body contour changes on the setup and dosimetric accuracy of radiotherapy after cervical cancer surgery

Purpose

The body contour of patients with cervical cancer is prone to change between radiotherapy sessions. This study aimed to investigate the effect of body contour changes on the setup and dosimetric accuracy of radiotherapy.

Methods

15 patients with cervical cancer after surgery were randomly selected for retrospective analysis. The body contours on the once-per-week cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) were registered to the planning CT (pCT) for subsequent evaluation. A body contour conformity index (CIbody) was defined to quantify the variation of body changes. The body volume measured by CBCT was collected, and its relative difference in reference with the first CBCT was calculated and denoted by ΔVn. The relative setup errors, denoted by ΔSELR, ΔSEAP, ΔSESI, and ΔSEvec for left-right, anterior-posterior, superior-inferior, and vectorial shifts, respectively, were defined as the difference in measured setup errors between the reference and following CBCTs. The planned dose was calculated on the basis of virtual CT generated from CBCT and pCT by altering the CT body contour to fit the body on CBCT without deformable registration. The correlations between body contour changes and relative setup errors as well as dosimetric parameters were evaluated using Spearman's correlation coefficient rs .

Results

CIbody was found to be negatively correlated with the superior-inferior and vectorial relative setup errors ΔSESI (rs = -0.448, p = 0.001) and ΔSEvec (rs = -0.387, p = 0.002), and no significant correlation was found between relative setup errors and ΔVn. Moreover, ΔVn was negatively correlated with ΔD2 (rs = -0.829, p < 0.001), ΔD98 (rs = -0.797, p < 0.001), and ΔTVPIV (rs = -0.819, p < 0.001). ΔD2, ΔD98, and ΔTVPIV were negatively correlated with ΔVn (p < 0.005). No correlation was found for other examined dosimetric parameters.

Conclusion

The body contour change of patients could be associated with the setup variability. The effect of body contour changes on dose distribution is minimal. The extent of body change could be used as a metric for radiation therapists to estimate the setup errors.

Impact of different postoperative adjuvant therapies on the survival of early-stage cervical cancer patients with one intermediate-risk factor: A multicenter study of 14 years

OBJECTIVE

To compare survival outcomes of different postoperative adjuvant therapies (PATs) for early-stage cervical cancer (ECC) patients with one intermediate-risk pathological factor (IPF).

METHODS

A total of 2889 patients with stage IA1 to IIA2 cervical cancer were included in this study. Three PAT groups were identified, namely a no adjuvant therapy (NAT) group (n = 773), an adjuvant radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy (ART) group (n = 1648) and an adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) group (n = 468). Kaplan-Meier analysis and COX regression analysis were used to compare the overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) among the three groups, before and after propensity score matching (PSM).

RESULTS

The recurrence and mortality rate rates in the NAT, ART and ACT groups were 9.2%, 8.6%, and 7.9%, respectively (p = 0.737). Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated no significant differences in the NAT, ART, and ACT groups in 5-year OS rates (92.8% vs. 93.6% vs. 94.7%, p = 0.594) and DFS rates (88.7% vs. 89.6% vs. 90.5%, p = 0.772). Post-hoc tests yielded similar results, with no differences in 5-year OS and DFS (NAT vs. ART, before and after matching, p > 0.05); (NAT vs. ACT, before and after matching, p > 0.05); and (ACT vs. ART, before and after matching, p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy, chemoradiotherapy, and chemotherapy are not associated with survival outcomes of ECC patients with one IPF. Considering the side effects and impact on patients' quality of life, the PATs should be carefully considered.

Adjuvant treatment after radical surgery for cervical cancer with intermediate risk factors: is it time for an update?

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide. The preferred treatment for early stage cervical cancer is radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymph node assessment, and adjuvant therapy is suggested according to histopathological risk factors. A landmark study was published in 1999 that established 'intermediate risk' criteria for relapse, showing a benefit in recurrence free rate in patients that received pelvic radiotherapy. Furthermore, in the presence of parametrial, nodal, or vaginal margin involvement, another key study found that the addition of concurrent cisplatin based chemotherapy to radiation therapy improved progression free and overall survival for 'high risk' early cervical cancer. With the advancement in treatment modalities in surgery and radiotherapy, and the improved identification of prognostic histopathological factors, several authors have reconsidered the role of adjuvant therapy after radical hysterectomy in the presence of intermediate risk criteria. Here we review the literature on the evolution of adjuvant therapy for intermediate risk factors.

Cervical Cancer Recurrence and Patient Survival After Radical Hysterectomy Followed by Either Adjuvant Chemotherapy or Adjuvant Radiotherapy With Optional Concurrent Chemotherapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective

To compare cervical cancer recurrence and patient survival after radical hysterectomy followed by either adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) or adjuvant radiotherapy with or without concurrent chemotherapy (AR/CCRT).

Methods

We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and clinicaltrials.gov to identify studies reporting recurrence or survival of cervical cancer patients who received AC or AR/CCRT after radical hysterectomy. Data were meta-analyzed using a random-effects model, and heterogeneity was evaluated using the I² test. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed to identify potential sources of heterogeneity.

Results

The meta-analysis included 14 non-randomized studies and two randomized controlled trials, altogether involving 5,052 cervical cancer patients. AC and AR/CCRT groups did not differ significantly in rates of total or local recurrence or mortality. Nevertheless, AC was associated with significantly lower risk of distant recurrence [odds ratio (OR) 0.67, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.55-0.81] and higher rates of overall survival [hazard ratio (HR) 0.69, 95%CI 0.54-0.85] and disease-free survival rate (HR 0.77, 95%CI 0.62-0.92).

Conclusions

AC may be an effective alternative to AR/CCRT for cervical cancer patients after radical hysterectomy, especially younger women who wish to preserve their ovaries and protect them from radiation damage.

Systematic Review Registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier PROSPERO (CRD42021252518).

Toxicity Profile of Double-agent Adjuvant Chemotherapy after Concurrent Chemoradiation and Brachytherapy in Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer: Comparison with Standard Chemoradiation Protocol

Introduction: Carcinoma cervix is the most common gynecological malignancy in India and a major cause of cancer mortality and morbidity in the females despite Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Attempts are on to improved overall survival by addition of adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) to CCRT. Aim: The aim of this study is to establish toxicity profile of double-agent ACT after CCRT and ICRT in locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) and to compare it with standard chemoradiation protocol. Materials and Methods: Patients were randomized into two arms: in conventional arm (Arm 1, n = 23), patients received a standard protocol of weekly injection cisplatin 40 mg/m2 concurrently with pelvic external beam radiotherapy (5040cGy/28 fractions) followed by ICRT (03 fractions of 7 Gy each). In interventional arm (Arm 2, n = 24), patients received CCRT/ICRT protocol; and were further offered ACT with three cycles of consolidation chemotherapy using injection paclitaxel and injection carboplatin every 3 weeks after CCRT and ICRT. Results: The incidence of anemia was 14/23 (50% Grade 1) in Arm 1 and 12/24 in Arm 2 (17% Grade 1, rest higher grade). In Arm 2, 37% of patients had ≥Grade 2 neuropathy and 16% of patients had Grade 1 alopecia, whereas nil incidence was reported in Arm 1 (P = 0.005 and 0.04, respectively). Grade 3 neutropenia was observed in 4/23 (17%) patients of Arm 1 and 8/24 patients (33%) of Arm 2. None of the patients in Arm 1 required indoor supportive care while 4/24 patients (17%) were managed as an indoor patient. Among late toxicities, in Arm 2, the incidence of Grade 2 and Grade 3 anemia was 42%, whereas in Arm 1, its incidence was 22%. In Arm 1, no patient exhibited features of neuropathy, whereas, in Arm 2, 12/24 (50%) of the patients had neuropathy (P value for these two late events was <0.05 statistically significant). No therapy-induced mortality was noted. Conclusion: Exhibition of ACT with injection Paclitaxel and injection carboplatin in locally advanced carcinoma cervix is a technically viable option with manageable toxicity.

The Prognostic Significance Of Pretreatment Albumin/alkaline Phosphatase Ratio In Patients With Stage IB-IIA Cervical Cancer

Background

Pretreatment albumin/alkaline phosphatase ratio (AAPR) has been discussed about its prognostic value in several malignancies, whereas its role in cervical cancer remains unclear. In this study, we attempt to explore the prognostic significance of the AAPR in stage IB-IIA cervical cancer patients who underwent a radical hysterectomy.

Patients and methods

A total of 230 cervical cancer patients were enrolled in this retrospective study. The threshold value of AAPR was determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and multivariate analysis were performed to identify independent prognostic predictors of disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS).

Results

The optimal cut-off value of the preoperative AAPR was 0.68. Patients with AAPR<0.68 showed obviously inferior OS and DFS than those with AAPR>0.68 according to Kaplan-Meier curves (DFS: P = 0.011; OS: P = 0.017). In multivariate analysis, the preoperative AAPR showed to be an independent predictive factor for disease-free survival (DFS: P = 0.015) and overall survival (OS: P = 0.019). Moreover, subgroup analysis revealed that the lower AAPR was correlated with worse prognosis in patients with histologic grade I-II; but in those with histologic grade III, there was no significant difference between the two groups.

Conclusion

Preoperative AAPR was a potentially valuable prognostic index in stage IB-IIA cervical cancer patients. Further prospective studies are required to validate its prognostic value.

The diagnostic performance of PET/CT scans for the detection of para-aortic metastatic lymph nodes in patients with cervical cancer: A meta-analysis

Objective

We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic value of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in the detection of para-aortic lymph node metastasis in cervical cancer.

Methods

We searched the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Chinese Biological Medicine (CBM), Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang and VIP databases in all languages from their inception to September 2018. Stat15.0 software was used to obtain pooled estimates of sensitivity (SEN), specificity (SPE), positive likelihood ratio (PLR), and negative likelihood ratio (NLR) as well as a summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curves. Deek‘s funnel plot was used to assess publication bias. QUADAS-2 was used to evaluate the quality of the studies. The protocol for this meta-analysis is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42019115330).

Results

We obtained 14 studies, and the pooled estimates for sensitivity and specificity of PET/CT were 0.71 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.54–0.83) and 0.97 (95% CI = 0.93–0.98), respectively. Pooled PLR and NLR were 21.53 and 0.30, respectively. The diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) was70.59, and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.95.

Conclusion

PET/CT is an effective and important imaging method for the diagnosis of para-aortic lymph node metastasis in early cervical cancer.

Oncologic outcomes of adjuvant chemotherapy alone after radical surgery for stage IB-IIA cervical cancer patients

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the oncologic outcomes of adjuvant chemotherapy (CT) alone after radical surgery.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who underwent type C radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy with or without paraaortic lymphadenectomy for stage IB-IIA cervical cancer from March 2006 to December 2014 at 2 academic medical centers in Korea. Adjuvant CT alone for patients who met the Sedlis criteria or had lymph node (LN) involvement. Chemotherapeutic regimens consisted of either platinum alone or platinum-based combination.

RESULTS

A total of 101 consecutive patients were included in the analysis. The median age was 46.0 years (range, 23-73). Seventy-four patients (73.3%) were clinically staged as IB1; 23 and 4 patients as IB2 and IIA, respectively. The median number of retrieved pelvic and paraaortic LNs (PALNs) were 55.0 (range, 16-101) and 10.0 (range, 2-30), respectively. LN involvement was observed in 25 patients (24.8%). After the median follow-up of 65 months, 14 patients (13.9%) developed disease recurrence. In all patients, the estimated 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate and 5-year overall survival (OS) rate were 90.7% and 90.6%, respectively. In patients who met the Sedlis criteria, the 3-year DFS and 5-year OS rates were 94.6% and 90.6%, respectively. Patients with LN metastasis showed a 3-year DFS rate of 79.4% and a 5-year OS rate of 90.6%.

CONCLUSION

Adjuvant CT alone could be reasonable option for patients with surgical-pathologic risk factors after radical surgery in stage IB-IIA cervical cancer.

Systemic therapy for cervical carcinoma - current status

Two major treatment modalities in cervical cancer are radiation therapy (RT) and surgery. Chemotherapy continues to be the main form of systemic therapy adjunctive to definitive local therapies, and is used for palliation. Platinum-based regimens, administered concurrently with both definitive and postoperative RT, were demonstrated to provide significant survival benefits, whereas the beneficial effect of concurrent chemoradiotherapy in later-stage disease was smaller. The role of chemotherapy in addition to RT in IB1/IIA1 cervical cancer patients not undergoing surgery remains undefined. Likewise, the role of chemotherapy in combination with postoperative RT for patients with intermediate-risk factors for recurrence has not yet been verified. The recent standard for chemoradiotherapy is cisplatin alone administered weekly. Other cisplatin-based or non-cisplatin-based regimens have not been subjected to large clinical studies. The benefits of consolidation chemotherapy after chemoradiation for locally advanced cervical cancer are still undetermined. Neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy followed by surgery has shown survival benefits, however its role in the era of chemoradiotherapy remains unclear. The combination of cisplatin and paclitaxel is considered a standard regimen in the palliative setting. There is no standard of care for second-line systemic therapy in advanced cervical cancer. Bevacizumab combined with palliative chemotherapy (cisplatin/paclitaxel or topotecan/paclitaxel) in the first-line treatment for recurrent/metastatic cervical cancer significantly improves overall survival when compared to chemotherapy alone. The role of immunotherapy in cervical cancer remains to be established. The optimal combined modality treatment including systemic therapy for cervical tumors of non-squamous histology remains a matter of debate. Ongoing accumulation of data on genomic and proteomic characteristics provides insight into the molecular heterogeneity of cervical cancer and paves the way for developing molecularly targeted therapies.

Assessment of local treatment modalities for FIGO stage IB-IIB cervical cancer: A propensity-score matched analysis based on SEER database

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of local treatment modalities on the survival of patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IB-IIB cervical cancer, including cancer-directed surgery (CDS) alone and CDS combined with radiotherapy (RT). A total of 8,357 patients with cervical cancer between 1988 and 2013 were included in the final study cohort, including 4,298 (51.4%) patients who underwent CDS alone and 4,059 (48.6%) patients who received combination therapy. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that local treatment modalities were prognostic factors for cause-specific survival (CSS). Patients who received combination therapy had worse CSS (HR = 1.38; 95% CI = 1.20–1.59; P < 0.001). Subgroup analyses showed the prognostic effect of local treatment modalities was significantly influenced by FIGO stage. In the propensity-score matched (PSM) dataset, CDS was associated with better CSS (P < 0.001) for patients with IB-IIA cervical cancer; nevertheless, no differences were observed in CSS (P = 0.639) for patients with IIB cervical cancer. In conclusion, radical surgery was the preferred treatment for patients with IB-IIA cervical cancer, and there was no difference between radical surgery alone and combination therapy for patients with IIB cervical cancer.

Comparison of adjuvant therapy for node-positive clinical stage IB-IIB cervical cancer: Systemic chemotherapy versus pelvic irradiation

This was a nation-wide retrospective study in Japan examining women who underwent radical hysterectomy for clinical stage IB-IIB cervical cancer with pelvic and/or para-aortic lymph node metastasis between 2004 and 2008. Time to recurrence or death and patterns of disease recurrence were compared based upon the adjuvant treatment pattern: whole pelvic radiotherapy alone (n = 253), concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT, n = 502) and chemotherapy alone (n = 319). Women who received chemotherapy alone had similar recurrence (5-year rates, 36.6% vs. 34.1%, adjusted-hazard ratio [HR] 0.95, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.70-1.28, P = 0.72) and cervical cancer mortality (24.7% vs. 21.8%, adjusted-HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.67-1.38, P = 0.83) rates compared to those who received CCRT on multivariate analysis. However, when recurrence patterns were stratified, chemotherapy treatment was independently associated with decreased risk of distant recurrence (5-year cumulative rates, 19.2% vs. 24.6%, adjusted-HR 0.47, 95% CI 0.31-0.71, P < 0.001) but increased risk of local recurrence (23.9% vs. 14.3%, adjusted-HR 2.03, 95% CI 1.34-3.08, P = 0.001) compared to CCRT. Non-squamous histology, parametrial involvement and high lymph node ratio were independent predictors for local recurrence, and presence of multiple risk factors was associated with high 5-year cumulative local recurrence rate in the chemotherapy group: no risk factor 3.9%, single factor 14.2-22.1%, and multiple risk factors 27.8-71.9% (P < 0.001). In conclusion, while exhibiting different recurrence patterns, systemic chemotherapy may be as effective a postoperative treatment as radiation-based therapy in node-positive high-risk stage IB-IIB cervical cancer. When tumor exhibits certain risk factors, chemotherapy alone is likely insufficient for local control and adding pelvic irradiation to systemic chemotherapy is recommended in this subgroup.

NR2F6 Expression Correlates with Pelvic Lymph Node Metastasis and Poor Prognosis in Early-Stage Cervical Cancer

Background: There is an abnormal expression of nuclear receptor subfamily 2 group F member 6 (NR2F6) in human cancers such as breast cancer, colon cancer, and acute myelogenous leukemia. However, its clinical significance in cervical cancer has not been established. We explored NR2F6 expression and its clinicopathological significance in early-stage cervical cancer. Methods: NR2F6 expression in cervical cancer cell lines and cervical cancer tissues was determined by Western blotting, real-time PCR, and immunochemistry (IHC). NR2F6 expression in 189 human early-stage cervical cancer tissue samples was evaluated using IHC. The relevance between NR2F6 expression and early-stage cervical cancer prognosis and clinicopathological features was determined. Results: There was marked NR2F6 mRNA and protein overexpression in the cervical cancer cells and clinical tissues compared with an immortalized squamous cell line and adjacent noncancerous cervical tissues, respectively. In the 189 cervical cancer samples, NR2F6 expression was positively related to International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage (p = 0.006), squamous cell carcinoma antigen (p = 0.006), vital status (p < 0.001), tumor recurrence (p = 0.001), chemotherapy (p = 0.039), and lymph node metastasis (p < 0.001). Overall and disease-free survival was shorter in patients with early-stage cervical cancer and higher NR2F6 levels than in patients with lower levels of NR2F6. Univariate and multivariate analysis determined that NR2F6 was an independent prognostic factor of survival in early-stage cervical cancer. Conclusions: Taken together, our findings suggest that high NR2F6 expression predicts pelvic lymph node metastasis, tumor recurrence and poor prognosis in early-stage cervical cancer. NR2F6 might be a novel prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target of cervical cancer.