Aromatase inhibitors for the treatment of endometriosis: a systematic review about efficacy, safety and early clinical development

INTRODUCTION

Pharmacotherapy has a key role in endometriosis treatment and management, however, a significant proportion of patients have only intermittent or limited benefits with current treatment options. Therefore, novel therapeutic approaches are necessary.

AREAS COVERED

This systematic review provides an overview of the efficacy and safety of aromatase inhibitors (AIs) as monotherapies and combination therapies for endometriosis. A systematic literature search was performed from January 1990 to April 2020 in the electronic database MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, and Web of Science.

EXPERT OPINION

Based on the critical role of estrogens and the rate-limiting step in the production of the estrogens represented by the aromatase enzyme, AIs are a potential therapeutic option for women affected by endometriosis. Nevertheless, further research is needed to clarify the efficacy of AIs in this setting. Adverse effects need to be investigated to clarify the preventive role of add-back therapy. On that basis, AIs should be adopted only as second-line therapy in patients who are refractory to standard treatments in the setting of scientific research. Further studies should define best dosages, appropriate add-back therapies, administration routes, treatment length, and which patients may benefit more from AIs.

Fertility-sparing management for endometrial cancer: review of the literature

INTRODUCTION

Primary surgery is effective in low-risk endometrial cancer (EC). However, in young women, this approach compromises fertility. Therefore, fertility-sparing management in the case of atypical endometrial hyperplasia, or grade 1 EC limited to the endometrium can be considered.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

We performed a literature review to identify studies involving women with EC or atypical hyperplasia who underwent fertility-sparing management. We conducted multiple bibliographic databases research from their inception to May 2020.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

Oral therapy with medroxyprogesterone acetate and megestrol acetate is recommended based on extensive experience, although without consensus on dosages and treatment length. The pooled complete response rate, recurrence rate, and pregnancy rate of EC were 76.3%, 30.7% and 52.1%, respectively. Endometrial hyperplasia was associated with better outcomes. LNG-IUSs appears an alternative treatment, particularly in patients who do not tolerate oral therapy. In a randomized controlled trial, megestrol acetate plus metformin guaranteed an earlier complete response rate than megestrol acetate alone for endometrial hyperplasia. Hysteroscopic resection followed by progestogens is associated with a higher complete response rate, live birth rate, and lower recurrence rate than oral progestogens alone. Pooled complete response, recurrence, and live birth rates were 98.1%, 4.8% and 52.6%.

CONCLUSIONS

Fertility preservation appears feasible in young patients with grade 1 EC limited to the endometrium or atypical endometrial hyperplasia. Progestins are the mainstay of such management. The addition of Metformin and hysteroscopic resection seems to provide some improvements. However, fertility preservation is not the standard approach for staging and treatment, potentially worsening oncologic outcomes.

Sentinel lymph node for endometrial cancer treatment: review of the literature

INTRODUCTION

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic malignancy and in two thirds of patients it is apparently uterine confined at presentation. Lymph nodal status represents one of the main prognostic factors. Nodal evaluation with sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping has gained more ground in clinical practice after the publication of different studies demonstrating the feasibility and accuracy of this technique. However, at the moment there are no RCTs available evaluating the long-term oncologic safety of SLN technique compared to LND. This review aims at summarizing the available evidence on oncologic outcomes between SLN mapping alone and LND. Differences in operative complications and long-term complications were also analyzed.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

The literature search was conducted in the PubMed database and it focused on comparative studies published from inception to September 2020 analyzing differences in oncological outcomes or complications between nodal evaluation with SLN technique alone and nodal evaluation with lymphadenectomy. Comparative studies with more than 10 cases, published in English, were included.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

A total of 5 retrospective comparative studies have been identified reporting data on oncologic outcomes of patients who underwent SLN mapping alone vs. LND. Non significative difference has been reported in terms of overall survival and recurrence free survival between the two groups. Six studies evaluated differences in terms of complications between the two techniques. A total of 2302 patients were identified. Postoperative complications were detected in 9.6% and 7.7% of patients who underwent lymphadenectomy and SLN mapping respectively and no significant difference was noted (P=0.3). Looking at major postoperative complications the rate in the LND group was significantly higher than in the SLN group (3.6% vs. 1.5%, P=0.02). Two of these six studies reported data on lymphatic long-term complications. The prevalence of lymphedema ranged from 0% to 1.3% in the SLN group and from 10% to 18% in the LND group. The absolute difference reported (13.35%) was similar to the one found in literature.

CONCLUSIONS

SLN mapping in apparently uterine confined disease has been demonstrated to be a feasible and accurate technique for nodal evaluation and high-quality evidence support this. Moreover, SLN mapping resulted to be associated with less major postoperative and long-term complications when compared to LDN. Conversely, high-quality evidence is not available on long-term oncologic safety of this technique compared to the standard LND. Randomized trials are requested to provide reliable data on this aspect.

Perinatal Arterial Ischemic Stroke in Fetal Vascular Malperfusion: A Case Series and Literature Review

Fetal vascular malperfusion includes a continuum of placental histologic abnormalities increasingly associated with perinatal brain injury, namely arterial ischemic stroke. Here, we describe the clinical-neuroimaging features of 5 neonates with arterial ischemic stroke and histologically proved fetal vascular malperfusion. All infarcts involved the anterior territories and were multiple in 2 patients. In 2 neonates, there were additional signs of marked dural sinus congestion, thrombosis, or both. A mixed pattern of chronic hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and acute infarcts was noted in 1 patient at birth. Systemic cardiac or thrombotic complications were present in 2 patients. These peculiar clinical-radiologic patterns may suggest fetal vascular malperfusion and should raise the suspicion of this rare, underdiagnosed condition carrying important implications in patient management, medicolegal actions, and future pregnancy counseling.

Novel drug delivery methods for improving efficacy of endometriosis treatments

INTRODUCTION

Pharmacotherapy has a key role in the management of endometriosis. However, a significant proportion of patients gains only intermittent or limited benefits. In this regard, alternative and novel drug delivery methods are of paramount importance to improve efficacy and compliance of available treatments and develop alternative medical approaches.

AREAS COVERED

This review aims to provide the reader with a complete overview of available evidence about alternative and novel drug delivery methods for endometriosis pharmacotherapy and highlight new research lines.

EXPERT OPINION

Progestins and estroprogestins, which represent the first-line therapy, are already available in different formulations, being employed for contraception. Nevertheless, evidence on their adoption is still limited for some drug delivery methods, such as vaginal rings, patches, and subcutaneous implants. Further research is needed to define better their clinical utility in patients with endometriosis. Nanotechnologies have been investigated as novel drug delivery methods able to target the drug at the disease level. However, data are very limited and preliminary, and further research is needed to consider a possible clinical application in endometriosis.

Quality of life and sexual functioning of patient affected by endometrial cancer

INTRODUCTION

Thanks to timely diagnosis and medical advancement the number of endometrial cancer (EC) patients achieving long term survival is constantly increasing and here comes the necessity to move forward with the understanding of post-treatment sexual adjustment and with the strategies to enhance sexual functioning (SF) and quality of life (QoL) in this population. In this scenario we designed this study aiming to summarize and analyze the available scientific evidence regarding QoL and especially SF in patients affected by EC who underwent surgical and adjuvant treatment.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

A preliminary research was conducted using Pubmed database with specific keywords combinations regarding SF, QoL and endometrial cancer. The main findings considered in the present review were: the study design, the number of patients included in each study, the information about pathology (histology and stage of disease), the questionnaires administered and the principal results concerning SF and QoL.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

A total of thirteen studies, between 2009 and 2018, treating the aspects of SF and QoL in patients affected by EC were extracted. The principal findings of different studies were organized in the following sections: 1) overall SF in EC patients (reasons for sexual inactivity); 2) impact of EC on SF when compared to benign gynecological disease or healthy controls-focus on surgery; 3) minimally invasive surgery versus classical laparotomic approach and SF of EC patients; 4) surgery alone versus VBT versus EBRT and SF of EC patients; 5) focus on RT; 6) the mutual correlation between sociodemographic, relational, psychological, clinical/metabolic factors and the SF of EC patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Considering the widespread diffusion of female sexual dysfunction among EC patients and the relatively good prognosis, especially in early stage disease, it undoubtedly looms the need for proactive countermeasures to maximize the sexual well-being and QoL of these patients. A wide range of intervention in a multi-modal physical and mental perspective should be considered.

Laparoscopic treatment of ovarian granulosa cells tumor developed in the pelvic anterior preperitoneal space 20 years after laparotomic salpingo-oophorectomy: case report and review of literature

Granulosa cells (GC) tumors are rare tumors which account for approximately 2-3% of all ovarian malignancies with a favorable prognosis. We report a case of a 54-year-old postmenopausal woman who developed an ovarian GC tumor in the pelvic anterior preperitoneal space 20 years after laparotomic salpingo-oophorectomy due to small part of the cyst could drop or remain entrapped into the abdominal wound during the closure of laparotomy 20 years before. Then, the patient underwent a second laparoscopic procedure with peritoneal washing, a type A radical hysterectomy, omentectomy, appendectomy, and pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy. This rare case of ovarian GC tumor developing in the site of previous laparotomy demonstrates the importance of a correct and clean surgical procedure to avoid the risk of leaving even small portions of the cyst exposing the patients to either the risk of malignancy or additional surgical procedures.Precis: This rare case of ovarian granulosa cells tumor developed from residual ovarian tissue intrapped into the abdominal wound 20 years after laparotomic ovariectomy.

Percutaneous-Assisted versus Laparoscopic Hysterectomy: A Prospective Comparison

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the feasibility of percutaneous approach, we prospectively compared our experience in percutaneous-assisted hysterectomy (PSS-H) with that in a series of laparoscopic hysterectomies (LPS-Hs).

METHODS

In this multicentric cohort study, from May 2015 to October 2017, 160 patients affected by benign and malignant gynecological conditions were considered eligible for minimally invasive surgery (MIS): 80 patients received PSS-H and 80 LPS-H. In each group, 30 cases of low-/intermediate-risk endometrial cancer were enrolled. For both groups, we documented preoperative outcomes, postoperative pain, and cosmetic outcomes.

RESULTS

No statistically significant differences were noted in baseline characteristics or operative time. We observed significant differences in estimated blood loss: median of 50 cc (PSS-H) and 100 cc (LPS-H) (p = 0.0001). In LPS-H, we reported 4 (5.0%) intraoperative complications and 1 (1.3%) in PSS-H. Thirty-day complications were 4 (5%) in PSS-H and 11 (13.8%) in LPS-H (p = 0.058). No significative differences were found in visual analog scale score, despite a relevant disparity in cosmetic outcome (p = 0.0001). For oncological cases, the 2 techniques had comparable intra- and postoperative outcomes and oncological accuracy.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, we reported that PSS-H is comparable to LPS-H for intra- and perioperative outcomes and postoperative pain, while PSS-H seems to be superior in cosmetic outcomes and patient satisfaction. PSS-H may represent a valid alternative in ultra-MIS for benign gynecological conditions and low-/intermediate-risk endometrial cancer.

The Case of a Serous Borderline Ovarian Tumor in a 15-Year Old Pregnant Adolescent: Sonographic Characteristics and Surgical Management

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to describe a rare case of a serous borderline ovarian tumor (BOT) diagnosed during pregnancy in a 15-year old adolescent.

RESULTS

The suspect of BOT was raised at a transvaginal ultrasound scan in early first trimester (at 5 weeks of amenorrhea), due to the presence of a moderately vascularized irregular papilla in the context of a unilocular low-level right ovarian cyst. The patient and her parents required termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the diagnosis of an ovarian lesion. After termination of pregnancy, the patient underwent laparoscopic enucleation of the ovarian mass, omentectomy, and peritoneal biopsies. No intra-abdominal spillage of the ovarian mass occurred, and the surgical specimens were put in an endobag and extracted transvaginally. Final pathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of a serous borderline ovarian tumor. The patient of free of disease after 8 months of follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Although rare, borderline ovarian tumors can be diagnosed in an adolescent during pregnancy. The combination of specific sonographic assessment and minimally invasive conservative surgery appears as a very effective approach in this type of patient.

KEY POINTS

· BOTs can occur in pregnant adolescents.. · Transvaginal ultrasound is crucial to suspect BOT.. · Laparoscopic conservative treatment is feasible..

Vaginal Birth after Two Previous Cesarean Sections versus Elective Repeated Cesarean: A Retrospective Study

OBJECTIVE

Trial of labor after cesarean delivery (TOLAC) is a common practice worldwide but the evidence is still scant regarding this practice in women who underwent 2 previous cesareans. The purpose of this study is to retrospectively review our experience with vaginal birth after two previous cesarean sections (VBA2C), with specific attention to the indications for previous cesarean and to the women's motivation for attempting trial of labor.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a retrospective cohort study conducted in a primary care hospital between January 2011 and December 2019. Inclusion criteria were: singleton pregnancies, absence of morphological abnormalities at ultrasonographic screening of the second trimester (or at any other stage of pregnancy), and two previous cesarean sections.

RESULTS

The final analysis included 114 cases for maternal and neonatal outcomes. In total, 40.4% of women chose trial of labor after two cesarean delivery (TOLA2C group). TOLA2C was associated with a success rate of 76.1%, a higher gestational age at birth, and a shorter hospital stay, compared with elective repeated cesarean delivery group. There were no significant differences in the rate of Apgar scores at 5 minutes <7 between both groups. The percentage of successful TOLA2C in women with prior vaginal delivery was 92.8%. Factors related to failed TOLA2C included failure to progress (3/11, 27.3%), nonreassuring fetal heart rate (3/11, 27.3%), and no onset of spontaneous labor after premature rupture of membranes (5/11, 45.4%). In the group of TOLA2C, more than 70% accepted to travel more than 45 minutes to reach our hospital, with the aim to attempt VBA2C.

CONCLUSION

TOLA2C is a possible option for both mothers and neonates in selected cases. Adequate counseling about pros and cons of TOLA2C is mandatory. The woman's motivation represents a key element to determine the success of VBA2C.

KEY POINTS

· Selection of candidates and motivation of the patients represent key elements for successful TOLA2C.. · A careful record of obstetrical history and previous deliveries can provide clinicians useful information.. · Mode of delivery in women with two previous cesareans is strongly associated with doctor's counseling..

Laparoscopic sentinel node mapping with intracervical indocyanine green injection for endometrial cancer: the SENTIFAIL study – a multicentric analysis of predictors of failed mapping

Objectives

Laparoscopy is commonly used for endometrial cancer treatment, and sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping has become the standard procedure for nodal assessment. Despite the standardization of the technique, there is no definitive data regarding its failure rate. The objective of this study is to identify factors associated with unsuccessful SLN mapping in endometrial cancer patients undergoing laparoscopic SLN mapping after intracervical indocyanine green (ICG) injection.

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated a consecutive series of endometrial cancer patients who underwent laparoscopic SLN mapping with intracervical ICG injection, in four oncological referral centers from January 2016 to July 2019. Inclusion criteria were biopsy-proven endometrial cancer, total laparoscopic approach, and intracervical ICG injection. Exclusion criteria were evidence of lymph node involvement or extrauterine disease at pre-operative imaging, synchronous invasive cancer, the use of tracers different from ICG, and the use of neoadjuvant treatment. Bilateral and failed bilateral SLN mapping groups were compared for clinical and pathological features. In patients with an unsuccessful procedure, side-specific lymphadenectomy was performed. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of failure.

Results

A total of 376 patients were included in the study. The overall bilateral and unilateral SLN detection rates were 96.3%, 76.3%, and 20.0% respectively. The failed bilateral mapping detection rate was 23.7%. The median number of sentinel nodes removed was 2.2 (range, 0–5). After multivariate analysis, lymph vascular space involvement [OR 2.4 (1.04–1.12), P=0.003], non-endometrioid histology [OR 3.0 (1.43–6.29), P=0.004], and intraoperative finding of enlarged lymph node [OR 2.3 (1.01–5.31), P=0.045] were identified as independent predictors of failure of SLN mapping.

Conclusion

Lymph vascular space involvement, non-endometrioid histology, and intra-operative finding of enlarged lymph nodes were identified as independent risk factors for unsuccessful mapping in patients undergoing laparoscopic SLN mapping.

Role of ultrasound in the detection of recurrent ovarian cancer: a review of the literature

Nowadays, no standard approaches for follow up in ovarian cancer (OC) patients exist. While the role of ultrasound (US) is well defined in primary diagnosis of OC, it is still controversial during follow-up of surgically treated OC. The aim of this narrative review is to evaluate the role described in literature of US imaging in the early detection of OC recurrences. A review of the English literature present in PubMed and SCOPUS of the past 30 years regarding the use of US in recurrent ovarian cancer (ROC) has been performed. The following keywords were searched: "ultrasound and recurrent ovarian cancer" and "intraoperative ultrasound and recurrent ovarian cancer". A total of 15 articles were selected. US was mainly adopted in the detection of recurrent pelvic disease after debulking surgery, after fertility sparing surgery (FSS) and as an intraoperative tool for localization of OC recurrences. If introduced as a standard follow-up procedure, US may have a central role in the early detection of pelvic OC recurrence, in ovarian localization of relapses of borderline ovarian tumor (BOT) and early stages disease treated with FSS; it may also play an important role in the intraoperative localization of previously suspected secondary lesions.

Laparotomy vs. minimally invasive surgery for ovarian cancer recurrence: a systematic review

The objective of the present review is to thoroughly investigate the role of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in the setting of secondary cytoreduction for ovarian cancer recurrence, comparing this approach to traditional open surgery. PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, Scopus and Web of Science databases (between 1st January 1989 and 1st January 2020), have been systematically queried to identify all articles reporting either laparoscopic or robotic-assisted secondary surgical cytoreduction for recurrent ovarian cancer. We also manually searched the reference lists of the identified studies. Only English language papers were considered. Two independent reviewers screened and identified the reports. A sub-analysis was performed including studies comparing MIS vs. open abdominal secondary cytoreduction. A total of 617 articles were considered. Among them, we included 12 retrospective studies on minimally invasive secondary cytoreduction, enrolling 372 patients (260 of whom were submitted to whether robotics or laparosopy). Three studies compared 69 patients who underwent MIS vs. 112 cases of open abdominal secondary cytoreduction. Other 9 articles described a total of 191 patients who had minimally invasive secondary cytoreduction for recurrent ovarian cancer without a comparative arm. The quality of the evidence was low. The decision regarding the use of MIS was left to surgeon's discretion; in general, the candidates to MIS were selected patients with single-site disease or few localizations of relapse. Compared to open surgery, MIS was associated with significantly lower blood loss, shorter hospital stay and less postoperative complications; the rate of complete cytoreduction to residual tumor =0 was 95.5% in MIS cases vs. 87.5% in laparotomy cases. The risk of complications was generally low. Disease-free and overall survival were comparable between groups. There is no consensus on the criteria to select patients for laparoscopic or robotic secondary cytoreduction. Intra-operative ultrasound has been proposed as a possible tool to better identify the site of recurrence and for confirmation of complete resection of disease. In conclusion, MIS is an option in selected patients with recurrent ovarian cancer, provided there is no widespread disease. Selection of patients appears of utmost importance to obtain satisfactory survival outcomes.

Obturator nerve injury in a chemo and radio-resistant patient with a locally-advanced cervical cancer after two previous uterine artery embolizations for severe vaginal bleeding: Case report and review of literature

Chemo and radiotherapy are actually the gold standard of treatment for locally-advanced cervical cancer. We report a case report showing a repaired (video 1) right obturator nerve after an incidental injury during a right internal iliac artery closure with 10 mm titanium clip for severe pelvic bleeding in a patient with locally-advanced cervical cancer. A 52 year-old postmenopausal woman with a chemo and radio-resistant locally-advanced squamous cervical cancer was admitted at our department for severe vaginal bleeding after two previous uterine artery embolizations. As a consequence of the increasing vaginal bleeding, and after a MRI-scan, an open surgical treatment was decided with a type C radical hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. During dissection of obturator, paravescical and pararectal spaces and removal of metastatic pelvic lymphnodes, a severe blood loss that required a right internal iliac artery closure with 10 mm titanium clip was observed. A right obturator nerve incidental injury during this time occurred. After an immediate grasping of the two sides of the lesion, the obturator nerve was succesfully repaired using 4-0 Prolene interrupted sutures (Ethicon, Johnson & Johnson, New Jersey, USA). The patient was regularly discharged four days after the surgical procedure without neurological deficit, paresthesia or side effects. In conclusion obturator nerve repair is an emergency procedure for treatment of patients with advanced cervical cancer, but it should be reserved for oncologic surgeons trained in extensive oncological procedures and repair of nerve and vascular injuries potentially associated with high mortality rate.

Novel preoperative predictive score to evaluate lymphovascular space involvement in endometrial cancer: an aid to the sentinel lymph node algorithm

INTRODUCTION

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) dissection has been recognized as a valid tool for staging in patients with endometrial cancer. Several factors are predictors of recurrence and survival in endometrial cancer, including positive lymphovascular space invasion. The aim of this study is to formulate a pre-operative score that, in the event of no-SLN identification, may give an estimate of the true probability of lymphovascular space invasion and guide management.

METHODOLOGY

This was a multi-institutional retrospective study conducted from January 2007 to December 2017. We included all patients with any grade endometrial tumor with a complete pathological description of the surgical specimen and with a minimum follow-up of 12 months. All patients underwent a class A hysterectomy according to Querleu and Morrow and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Lymphadenectomy was performed based on patient risk of node metastases. In order to verify the predictive capacity of the parameters associated with lymphovascular space invasion status, grading, abnormal CA125 (>35 units/ml), myometrial invasion, and tumor size, a synthetic score was calculated. The score was introduced in the receiver operating characteristic curve model in which the binary classifier was represented by the lymphovascular space invasion status. The ideal cut-off was calculated with the determination of the Youden index. Sensitivity and negative predictive value of lymphovascular space invasion score was calculated in patients with lymph node metastasis.

RESULTS

Six hundred and fourteen patients were included in the study. The average age and BMI of patients were 64.8 (range 33-88) years and 30.1 (range 17-64) respectively. Of the 284 patients who underwent lymphadenectomy, 231 (81.3%) patients had no lymph node metastases, 33 (11.6%) patients had metastatic pelvic lymph nodes, 12 (4.2%) patients had metastatic aortic lymph nodes, and eight (2.8%) patients had both pelvic and aortic metastatic lymph nodes. Lymphovascular space invasion was associated with deep myometrial infiltration (P<0.001), G3 grading (P<0.001), tumor size ≥25 mm (P=0.012), abnormal CA125 (P<0.001), recurrence (P<0.001), overall survival (P<0.001), and disease-free survival (P<0.01). Of all patients with lymphovascular space invasion, 79% had an lymphovascular space invasion score ≥5. The score ranged from a minimum score of 1 to a maximum of 7. The score shows 78.9% sensitivity (95% CI 0.6971 to 0.8594), 65.3% specificity (95% CI 0.611 to 0.693), 29.4% positive predictive value (95% CI 0.241 to 0.353), and 94.4% negative predictive value (95% CI 0.916 to 0.964).

CONCLUSION

We found that when lymphovascular space invasion score ≤4, there is a very low possibility of finding lymph nodal involvement. The preoperative lymphovascular space invasion score could complement the SLN algorithm to avoid unnecessary lymphadenectomies.

Prognostic Impact of MCPyV and TIL Subtyping in Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Evidence from a Large European Cohort of 95 Patients

Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare (∼ 2000 cases/year in the USA) but aggressive neuroendocrine neoplasm of the skin. In 2008, the Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) was found to be clonally integrated in approximately 80% of Merkel cell carcinomas. The remaining 20% have large numbers of UV-associated mutations. Importantly, both the UV-induced neoantigens in virus-negative Merkel cell carcinoma and the Merkel cell polyomavirus oncogenes that are required for virus-positive tumor growth are highly immunogenic. Indeed, antigen-specific T cells detected in patients are frequently "dysfunctional/exhausted," and the inhibitory ligand PD-L1 is often expressed by Merkel cell carcinoma cells. These data led to point our attention on the quantity and the quality of the immune response in Merkel cell carcinoma. Here, we found CD8+ lymphocytes are the only singly evaluated lymphocyte subclass that strongly influenced overall survival and disease-specific survival in Merkel cell carcinoma. In addition, we highlighted as Merkel cell polyomavirus is a strong prognostic factor and as it prompts a host immune response involving various lymphocyte subclasses (CD3, CD8, FoxP3, and PD-L1 positive) in MCC. For this reason, we proposed a novel eye-based "immunoscore" model, obtained by tumor infiltrating lymphocytes subtyping (CD3, CD8, FoxP3, and PD-L1) that could provide additional prognostic information in Merkel cell carcinoma.

Sentinel-node biopsy in early stage ovarian cancer: a prospective multicentre study (SELLY)

BACKGROUND

Systematic para-aortic and bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy is included in the standard comprehensive surgical staging in presumed early epithelial ovarian cancer. No prospective randomized evidence suggests it has potential therapeutic value, and related morbidity is not negligible.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES

To assess sensitivity, safety, and feasibility of the sentinel lymph node technique in identifying the presence of lymph node metastases in patients with early stage epithelial ovarian cancer.

STUDY HYPOTHESIS

Sentinel lymph node detection with indocyanine green can accurately predict nodal status in a cohort of women with early stage epithelial ovarian cancer.

TRIAL DESIGN

The SELLY trial is a prospective phase II interventional multicenter study.

MAJOR INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA

Inclusion criteria: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group 0-1, apparent International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage I-II, histologically proven epithelial ovarian cancer.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA

evidence of carcinomatosis, mucinous only at definitive histology.

ENDPOINTS

Primary endpoint is sensitivity (true positive rate). Secondary endpoints include safety (complications rate of the procedure) and feasibility.

SAMPLE SIZE

Assuming a sensitivity of 98.5% in predicting positive sentinel lymph nodes at histology, a pathological lymph node prevalence of 14.2%, a precision of estimate (ie, the maximum marginal error) d=5%, and a type I error α=0.05, a sample size of 160 patients is needed to test the general hypothesis (ie, to answer whether sentinel lymph nodes identified with indocyanine green can accurately predict nodal status at histology of patients with apparently early epithelial ovarian cancer). Assuming a drop-out rate of 10%, a total of 176 patients will be enrolled in the study.

ESTIMATED DATES FOR COMPLETING ACCRUAL AND PRESENTING RESULTS

The accrual should be completed by December 2020 and results should be presented by March 2021.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03563781).

Laparoscopic Excision of a 5-cm Retroaortic Relapse of Ovarian Cancer

OBJECTIVE

To demonstrate the feasibility of laparoscopic secondary cytoreduction of isolated lymph node relapse of ovarian carcinoma.

DESIGN

A video explanation of a safe excision of ovarian cancer relapse using pictures to show the anatomic landmark of the retroperitoneum guiding the procedure.

SETTING

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ospedale degli Infermi Hospital, Biella, Italy. The video was approved by the local institutional review board.

INTERVENTIONS

A 61-year-old woman was referred to our center after the diagnosis of a 5-cm bilobate lumbo-aortic relapse of ovarian cancer, 15 months after comprehensive primary surgery, performed in another center by laparotomy and chemotherapy for a stage IIIA2 disease [1-4]. By laparoscopy, extensive adhesiolysis between the small bowel and abdominal wall was performed, showing a peritoneal cavity without any signs of carcinomatosis or disease spread. The laparoscopic operation continued with opening of the preaortic retroperitoneum and exposure of the major vessels, the psoas muscles, and the ureters. The disease relapses were identified as 2 confluent bulky nodal tissues on the left and posterior aspect of the aorta. Complete laparoscopic excision of the 2 masses was achieved. Postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged from the hospital 2 days after the surgery. Final pathological examination revealed that the 2 masses removed consisted of a total of 10 and 7 metastatic nodes, respectively. The patient initiated postoperative platinum-based chemotherapy 3 weeks after the surgery, and at present, 13 months after the operation, computed tomography scan is negative, and she is free of the disease.

CONCLUSION

Laparoscopic approach to isolated relapse of ovarian cancer is feasible and safe, with fast recovery.

A standardised diagnostic approach to pituitary neuroendocrine tumours (PitNETs): a European Pituitary Pathology Group (EPPG) proposal

The 2017 World Health Organization (WHO) classification proposes to type and subtype primary adenohypophyseal tumours according to their cell lineages with the aim to establish more uniform tumour groups. The definition of atypical adenoma was removed in favour of high-risk adenoma, and the assessment of proliferative activity and invasion was recommended to diagnose aggressive tumours. Recently, the International Pituitary Pathology Club proposed to replace adenoma with the term of pituitary neuroendocrine tumour (PitNET) to better reflect the similarities between adenohypophyseal and neuroendocrine tumours of other organs. The European Pituitary Pathology Group (EPPG) endorses this terminology and develops practical recommendations for standardised reports of PitNETs that are addressed to histo- and neuropathologists. This brief report presents the results of EPPG's consensus for the reporting of PitNETs and proposes a diagnostic algorithm.

Laparoscopy versus laparotomy for surgical treatment of obese women with endometrial cancer: A cost-benefit comparative analysis

The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the cost of obese patients affected by endometrial cancer undergoing open surgery compared with minimally invasive surgery. In the retrospective cohort study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2), the economic expenditure in pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative phases of the selected patients was evaluated. Costs were analyzed for all blood tests, instrumental examinations, consultations, operating materials, drugs, gynecological examinations, hospital stay, intensive care hospitalization and management of operative complications. The average length of stay was longer for patients who underwent laparotomy, with an almost double median hospitalization cost in the open abdominal group compared with the laparoscopic group (€4,805.37 vs. €2,589.25; P<0.0001). Evaluation by another specialist (cardiologist, diabetologist, internist) was necessary in 30.9% of laparotomies vs. 10.4% of laparoscopies (P=0.003). A respiratory support was applied to 38 patients (28.8%), of whom 23 (41.8%) were in the open abdominal arm (P=0.011). Antibiotic and pain-relief therapies resulted in a significantly higher cost for the open abdominal than for the minimally-invasive approach (P=0.027). Considering all the pre-, intra- and post-operative course, the expenses for an obese patient operated by laparoscopy was €4,412.41 vs. €7,323.17 by open surgery, with an average saving of €2,911.03 in favor of minimally-invasive surgery. This study revealed that in obese patients with endometrial cancer, minimally invasive surgery is more advantageous both in terms of costs and post-operative complications. To conclude, laparoscopic surgery in obese patients allows an economic saving of ~60% less than open surgery.