Advances in gynaecological oncology surgery

Comparison of the efficacy and safety of total laparoscopic hysterectomy without and with uterine manipulator combined with pelvic lymphadenectomy for early cervical cancer

OBJECTIVE

Some studies have reported that the prognosis of total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) for early-stage cervical cancer (CC) is worse than that of open surgery. And this was associated with the use of uterine manipulator or not. Therefore, this study retrospectively analyzes the efficacy and safety of TLH without uterine manipulator combined with pelvic lymphadenectomy for early-stage CC.

METHODS

Fifty-eight patients with CC (stage IB1-IIA1) who received radical hysterectomy from September 2019 to January 2020 were divided into no uterine manipulator (n = 26) and uterine manipulator group (n = 32). Then, clinical characteristics were collected and intraoperative/postoperative related indicators were compared.

RESULTS

Patients in the no uterine manipulator group had significantly higher operation time and blood loss than in the uterine manipulator group. Notably, there was no significant difference in hemoglobin change, blood transfusion rate, number of pelvic nodules, anal exhaust time, complications and recurrence rate between the two groups. Additionally, patients in the uterine manipulator group were prone to urinary retention (15.6%) and lymphocyst (12.5%), while the no uterine manipulator group exhibited high probability of bladder dysfunction (23.1%) and urinary retention (15.4%). Furthermore, the 1-year disease-free survival rate and the 1-year overall survival rate were not significantly different between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

There was no significant difference in the efficacy and safety of TLH with or without uterine manipulator combined with pelvic lymphadenectomy in the treatment of patients with early-stage CC. However, the latter requires consideration of the negative effects of high operation time and blood loss.

Conservative management of uterine adenosarcoma: lessons learned from 20 years of follow-up

Purpose

Uterine adenosarcomas (UAs) account for 5–8% of cases of uterine sarcomas. Treatment includes total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO).

Fertility preservation is an emerging concept in gynaecology oncology and is particularly relevant in UA, where cases are diagnosed as young as 15-year-old. This manuscript demonstrates a case of UA which was treated conservatively, achieved successful livebirths and underwent completion hysterectomy after two decades of follow-up.

Method

This was a retrospective case note review.

Results

An 18-year-old nulliparous woman presented with abnormal vaginal bleeding. Ultrasound identified an endometrial polyp, which was histologically diagnosed as low-grade adenosarcoma. She was advised to undergo TAH and BSO, but instead decided to preserve her fertility and opted for conservative management. She was monitored with pelvic ultrasound, hysteroscopy and endometrial biopsy bi-annually, with annual pelvic magnetic resonance imaging for 10 years which was uneventful. 11 years post-operatively she conceived following in-vitro fertilization (IVF) but suffered a miscarriage at 16 weeks likely due to cervical incompetence. She subsequently conceived with twins. She delivered spontaneously preterm at 28 weeks. Both children are alive and well. After 20 years of follow-up, she underwent a laparoscopic hysterectomy with no evidence of recurrence. She remains disease free.

Conclusion

Whilst radical completion surgery should be advised in UA, this case, in addition to all published conservatively managed cases of UA, demonstrates that conservative management is possible in appropriately selected women. Intensive monitoring post-operatively is essential owing to the risk of recurrence; however, this may pose deleterious side effects which require consideration.

Pelvic floor disorders in women with gynecologic malignancies: a systematic review

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS

Pelvic floor disorders (PFDs) negatively affect quality of life in the general population, and their prevalence in gynecologic cancer survivors has not been systematically described. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of PFDs in cancer survivors. We hypothesized that the prevalence of PFDs in the gynecologic cancer population would be higher than in the general female population.

METHODS

We searched PubMed (1809 to present), EMBASE (1974 to present), and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) through May 2017. The search combined subject headings, title, and abstract words for gynecologic cancer, PFDs, and prevalence. Any studies evaluating the prevalence of PFDs in gynecologic malignancies were included.

RESULTS

A total of 550 articles met the designated search criteria and 31 articles were included in this review. In cervical cancer survivors, before treatment the prevalences of stress urinary incontinence (SUI), urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) and fecal incontinence (FI) were 24-29%, 8-18% and 6%, respectively, and after treatment the prevalences of SUI, UUI, urinary retention, FI, fecal urge, dyspareunia and vaginal dryness were 4-76%, 4-59%, 0.4-39%, 2-34%, 3-49%, 12-58% and 15-47%, respectively. In uterine cancer survivors, before treatment the prevalences of SUI, UUI and FI were 29-36%, 15-25% and 3%, respectively, and after treatment the prevalences of urinary incontinence (UI) and dyspareunia were 2-44% and 7-39%, respectively. In vulvar cancer survivors, after treatment the prevalences of UI, SUI and FI were 4-32%, 6-20% and 1-20%, respectively. In ovarian cancer survivors, the prevalences of SUI, UUI, prolapse and sexual dysfunction were 32-42%, 15-39%, 17% and 62-75%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

PFDs are prevalent in gynecologic cancer survivors and this is an important area of clinical concern and future research.

We need an educated voice!

Newly qualified theatre nurses could benefit from a wider national availability of university based education specifically for theatre practice from which to develop both the technical and nontechnical skills of their role to enhance the delivery of optimum, safe and sensitive patient care. They would be better prepared for challenging situations and develop resilience, thereby reducing stress. The professional role of the theatre nurse would be advanced through engagement in recognised education with academic accreditation.