Surgical treatment of endometrial cancer in developing countries: reasons to consider systematic two-step surgical treatment

Management of endometrial cancer in Latin America: raising the standard of care and optimizing outcomes

Molecular characterization of endometrial cancer is allowing for increased understanding of the natural history of tumors and paving a more solid pathway for novel therapies. It is becoming increasingly apparent that molecular classification is superior to histological classification in terms of reproducibility and prognostic discrimination. In particular, the Proactive Molecular Risk Classifier for Endometrial Cancer allows classification of endometrial cancer into groups very close to those determined by the Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network-that is, DNA polymerase epsilon-mutated, mismatch repair-deficient, p53 abnormal, and non-specific molecular profile tumors. The transition from the chemotherapy era to the age of targeted agents and immunotherapy, which started later in endometrial cancer than in many other tumor types, requires widespread availability of specialized pathology and access to novel agents. Likewise, surgical expertise and state-of-the-art radiotherapy modalities are required to ensure adequate care. Nevertheless, Latin American countries still face considerable barriers to implementation of international guidelines. As we witness the dawn of precision medicine as applied to endometrial cancer, we must make continued efforts towards improving the quality of care in this region. The current article discusses some of these challenges and possible solutions.

Vaginal hysterectomy for the treatment of low-risk endometrial cancer: Surgical technique, costs, and perioperative and oncologic results

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to describe an operative technique for vaginal hysterectomy (VH) and assess the costs, perioperative, and oncological outcomes for this procedure when used in the treatment of patients with low-risk endometrial cancer (LREC).

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of medical records was conducted on patients who underwent VH to treat precursor and invasive endometrial lesions between April 2019 and November 2021 at a single center in São Paulo, Brazil.

RESULTS

Thirty-four patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean patient age was 61.9 years, and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 34. Obese patients (BMI ≥ 30) accounted for 77% of the sample. Preoperative functional capacity measures were Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) 0-1 and ECOG-2 for 91% and 9% of the patients, respectively. The mean operative time and length of hospital stay were 109 min and 1.2 days, respectively. Four patients had a conversion of the surgical route to laparotomy. No major intraoperative complications were observed. Patients who underwent surgical conversion had a greater uterine volume (227 versus 107 mL, p = 0.006) and longer operative time (177 versus 96 min, p = 0.001). The total cost associated with VH was, on average, US$ 2058.77 (R$ 10,925.91), representing 47% of the cost associated with non-vaginal routes. Twenty-eight patients received a definitive diagnosis of endometrial carcinoma; of these, three received adjuvant radiotherapy. The mean follow-up period was 34.6 months for the patients diagnosed with cancer. One case of disease recurrence occurred 16.6 months after surgery, with one death at 28.6 months of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that VH could be a feasible and cost-effective alternative for selected patients with LREC in low-resource settings.

Ten years of experience with endometrial cancer treatment in a single Brazilian institution: Patient characteristics and outcomes

Few reports have described the clinical and prognostic characteristics of endometrial cancer, which is increasing worldwide, in large patient series in Brazil. Our objective was to analyze the clinicopathological characteristics, prognostic factors, and outcomes of patients with endometrial cancer treated and followed at a tertiary Brazilian institution over a 10-year period.This retrospective study included 703 patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer who were treated at a public academic tertiary hospital between 2008 and 2018. The following parameters were analyzed: age at diagnosis, race, body mass index, serum CA125 level before treatment; histological type and grade, and surgical stage. Outcomes were reported relative to histological type, surgical staging, serum CA125, lymph-vascular space involvement (LVSI), and lymph-node metastasis.

The median patient age at diagnosis was 63 (range, 27–93) years (6.4% were <50 years). Minimally invasive surgeries were performed in 523 patients (74.4%). Regarding histological grade, 468 patients (66.5%) had low-grade endometrioid histology and 449 patients (63.9%) had stage I tumors. Tumors exceeded 2.0 cm in 601 patients (85.5%). Lymphadenectomy was performed in 551 cases (78.4%). LVSI was present in 208 of the patients’ tumors (29.5%). Ninety-three patients (13.2%) had recurrent tumors and 97 (13.7%) died from their malignant disease. The robust prognostic value of FIGO stage and lymph node status were confirmed. Other important survival predictors were histological grade and LVSI [overall survival: hazard ratio (HR) = 3.75, p < 0.001 and HR = 2.01, p = 0.001; recurrence: HR = 2.49, p = 0.004 and HR = 3.22, p = 0.001, respectively). Disease-free (p = 0.087) and overall survival (p = 0.368) did not differ significantly between patients with stage II and III disease. These results indicate that prognostic role of cervical involvement should be explored further. This study reports the characteristics and outcomes of endometrial cancer in a large population from a single institution, with systematic surgical staging, a predominance of minimally invasive procedures, and well-documented outcomes. Prognostic factors in the present study population were generally similar to those in other countries, though our patients’ tumors were larger than in studies elsewhere due to later diagnosis. Our unexpected finding of similar prognoses of stage II and III patients raises questions about the prognostic value of cervical involvement and possible differences between carcinomas originating in the lower uterine segment versus those originating in the body and fundus. The present findings can be used to guide public policies aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of endometrial cancer in Brazil and other similar countries.

L1 Cell Adhesion Molecule (L1CAM) expression in endometrioid endometrial carcinomas: A possible pre-operative surrogate of lymph vascular space invasion

Background

Risk stratification of endometrial carcinomas is primarily based on surgical staging that requires extensive retroperitoneal lymph node dissection. One of the most powerful predictor of lymph node involvement is the lymph vascular space invasion (LVSI). The objective of this study was to determine the potential of L1 Cell Adhesion Molecule (L1CAM) to predict LVSI and its association with other risk factors in endometrioid endometrial carcinomas.

Materials and methods

We studied 47 consecutive patients aged 37–88 (61.34±10.52). Twenty-three patients (48.9%) were submitted to complete surgical staging. Nine patients (19.1%) underwent surgical staging without para-aortic dissection. Seven (14.9%) were submitted to hysterectomy with no lymph node dissection. Eight patients (17.0%) only had the biopsy material for analysis. The 32 patients submitted to lymphadenectomy were staged according to the FIGO system and classified among the risk categories of the ESMO-ESGO-ESTRO guidelines. The following histological characteristics were analyzed: tumor size (mm), depth of myometrial infiltration, presence of microcystic, elongated, and fragmented (MELF) pattern of myoinvasion, and lymph vascular space invasion (LVSI). Immunohistochemical analyses of mismatch repair (MMR) proteins MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, and PMS2, p53, and L1CAM were performed in formalin-fixed paraffin embedded whole tumor tissue sections.

Results

LVSI was identified in 26/41 (63,4%) of the cases. L1CAM was positive in 8/47 (17%) cases, all of them positive for LVSI and within the high-risk category of ESMO-ESGO-ESTRO. L1CAM-positive cases were associated with high histological grade and p53 aberrant immunohistochemical profile. Besides, it showed a trend to larger tumors, greater depth of myometrial infiltration, and with a higher frequency of the MELF pattern of myoinvasion. LVSI was also associated with FIGO stage, tumor size, depth of myometrial infiltration, and tumor grade.

Conclusions

L1CAM is highly associated with LVSI and could be used as a pre-operative predictor of lymph node involvement in endometrioid endometrial carcinomas.

Introduction of robotic surgery for endometrial cancer into a Brazilian cancer service: a randomized trial evaluating perioperative clinical outcomes and costs

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcome and costs after the implementation of robotic surgery in the treatment of endometrial cancer, compared to the traditional laparoscopic approach.

METHODS

In this prospective randomized study from 2015 to 2017, eighty-nine patients with endometrial carcinoma that was clinically restricted to the uterus were randomized in robotic surgery (44 cases) and traditional laparoscopic surgery (45 cases). We compared the number of retrieved lymph nodes, total time of surgery, time of each surgical step, blood loss, length of hospital stay, major and minor complications, conversion rates and costs.

RESULTS

The ages of the patients ranged from 47 to 69 years. The median body mass index was 31.1 (21.4-54.2) in the robotic surgery arm and 31.6 (22.9-58.6) in the traditional laparoscopic arm. The median tumor sizes were 4.0 (1.5-10.0) cm and 4.0 (0.0-9.0) cm in the robotic and traditional laparoscopic surgery groups, respectively. The median total numbers of lymph nodes retrieved were 19 (3-61) and 20 (4-34) in the robotic and traditional laparoscopic surgery arms, respectively. The median total duration of the whole procedure was 319.5 (170-520) minutes in the robotic surgery arm and 248 (85-465) minutes in the traditional laparoscopic arm. Eight major complications were registered in each group. The total cost was 41% higher for robotic surgery than for traditional laparoscopic surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Robotic surgery for endometrial cancer presented equivalent perioperative morbidity to that of traditional laparoscopic surgery. The duration and total cost of robotic surgery were higher than those of traditional laparoscopic surgery.

A preoperative and intraoperative scoring system to predict nodal metastasis in endometrial cancer

OBJECTIVE

To develop a scoring system that guides surgical decision-making regarding the need to perform lymphadenectomy.

METHODS

A retrospective study was performed of patients who underwent complete surgical staging of endometrial cancer between 2003 and 2014 at three centers in Brazil. Preoperative and intraoperative risk factors were used to develop a scoring system to predict lymph node metastasis.

RESULTS

Among 329 patients included, 71 (21.6%) had positive lymph nodes and 259 (78.4%) had negative lymph nodes. The characteristics associated with nodal metastasis in univariate analysis included the level of cancer antigen 125 (P<0.001), preoperative histological grade (P<0.001), endometrial thickness (P=0.012), and pathologic features including tumor size (P<0.001), tumor extension (P<0.001), and lower uterine segment involvement (P<0.001). On multivariate logistic regression analysis, tumor grade, tumor extension, and lower uterine segment involvement remained significantly associated. The resulting scoring system showed good accuracy as demonstrated by an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.858 (95% confidence interval 0.804-0.913).

CONCLUSION

A highly accurate scoring system for the prediction of lymph node metastasis was developed on the basis of three preoperative and intraoperative risk factors. After validation, this model could greatly aid clinicians in the surgical management of endometrial cancer.

A novel model to estimate lymph node metastasis in endometrial cancer patients

OBJECTIVES:

To evaluate the postoperative pathological characteristics of hysterectomy specimens, preoperative cancer antigen (CA)-125 levels and imaging modalities in patients with endometrial cancer and to build a risk matrix model to identify and recruit patients for retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy.

METHODS:

A total of 405 patients undergoing surgical treatment for endometrial cancer were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. Clinical (age and body mass index), laboratory (CA-125), radiological (lymph node evaluation), and pathological (tumour size, grade, lymphovascular space invasion, lymph node metastasis, and myometrial invasion) parameters were used to test the ability to predict lymph node metastasis. Four parameters were selected by logistic regression to create a risk matrix for nodal metastasis.

RESULTS:

Of the 405 patients, 236 (58.3%) underwent complete pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy, 96 (23.7%) underwent nodal sampling, and 73 (18%) had no surgical lymph node assessment. The parameters predicting nodal involvement obtained through logistic regression were myometrial infiltration >50%, lymphovascular space involvement, pelvic lymph node involvement by imaging, and a CA-125 value >21.5 U/mL. According to our risk matrix, the absence of these four parameters implied a risk of lymph node metastasis of 2.7%, whereas in the presence of all four parameters the risk was 82.3%.

CONCLUSION:

Patients without deep myometrial invasion and lymphovascular space involvement on the final pathological examination and with normal CA-125 values and lymph node radiological examinations have a relatively low risk of lymph node involvement. This risk assessment matrix may be able to refer patients with high-risk parameters necessitating lymphadenectomy and to decide the risks and benefits of lymphadenectomy.