Abnormal vaginal bleeding in women with gynaecological malignancies

Analysis of related factors for pathological upgrading of cervical biopsy from CIN3 to cancer after conical resection

BACKGROUND

To investigate related factors for postoperative pathological upgrading of cervical biopsy to cervical cancer (CC) in patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN)3 after conical resection.

METHODS

This retrospective study collected data from patients diagnosed with CIN3 by cervical biopsies at the author's Hospital between January 2012 and December 2022. The primary outcome was the pathological results of patients after conical resection. The pathological findings were categorized into the pathological upgrading group if postoperative pathology indicated CC, while those with normal, inflammatory, or cervical precancerous lesions were classified into the pathological non-upgrading group. The factors associated with upgrading were identified using multivariable logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Among 511 patients, there were 125 patients in the pathological upgrading group (24.46%). The patients in the upgrading group were younger (47.68 ± 9.46 vs. 52.11 ± 7.02, P < 0.001), showed a lower proportion of menopausal women (38.40% vs. 53.02%, P = 0.0111), a lower proportion of HSIL (40.00% vs. 57.77%, P = 0.001), a higher rate of HPV-16/18 positive (25.60% vs. 17.36%, P = 0.011), a higher rate of contact bleeding (54.40% vs. 21.50%, P < 0.001), lower HDL levels (1.31 ± 0.29 vs. 1.37 ± 0.34 mmol/L, P = 0.002), higher neutrophil counts (median, 3.50 vs. 3.10 × 109/L, P = 0.001), higher red blood cell counts (4.01 ± 0.43 vs. 3.97 ± 0.47 × 1012/L, P = 0.002), higher platelet counts (204.84 ± 61.24 vs. 187.06 ± 73.66 × 109/L, P = 0.012), and a smaller platelet volume (median, 11.50 vs. 11.90 fL, P = 0.002).The multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that age (OR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.86-0.94, P < 0.001), menopausal (OR = 2.68, 95% CI: 1.38-5.22, P = 0.004), contact bleeding (OR = 4.80, 95% CI: 2.91-7.91, P < 0.001), and mean platelet volume (OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.69-0.99, P = 0.038) were independently associated with pathological upgrading from CIN3 to CC after conical resection.

CONCLUSION

Age, menopausal, contact bleeding, and mean platelet volume are risk factors of pathological upgrading from CIN3 to CC after conical resection, which could help identify high risk and susceptible patients of pathological upgrading to CC.

Second primary malignancies after ovarian cancer: A SEER-based analysis (1975-2016)

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the risk of occurrence of second primary malignancies (SPMs) in survivors of ovarian cancer (OC) using large data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Multiple primaries standardized incidence ratios (MP-SIRs) to calculate the risk of developing second primary malignancies after a diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

RESULTS

Of our included 59,880 women with OC, 3972 cases (6.6%) developed 4495 s primary malignancies over an average follow-up period of 114.39 (±102.66) months. Overall, the risk of occurrence of second primary malignancies after a diagnosis of OC was greater than what would be expected for a reference US population (SIR = 1.05, 95%CI = 1.02-1.08, p-value < 0.05). The occurrence of second myeloid malignancies and second thyroid cancer were most notable across our latency periods. Among the most significant second primary malignancies by latency were malignancies of the appendix (SIR = 14.04, 95%CI = 5.65-28.93, p-value <0.05) at 2-11 months, the small intestine (SIR = 3.15, 95%CI = 1.76-5.2, p-value <0.05) at 12-59 months, and the urinary bladder (SIR = 1.63, 95%CI = 1.3-2.02, p-value <0.05) after 10 years of an OC diagnosis.

CONCLUSION

Women with OC are at significant risk for the development of second primary malignancies across all sites, as compared to a reference US population, and may benefit from second primary malignancies site-specific screening post-diagnosis.

Red Blood Cell Transfusion Practices for Patients With Cervical Cancer Undergoing Radiotherapy

IMPORTANCE

Packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusions are used to treat anemia in patients with cervical cancer undergoing radiotherapy (RT) owing to concerns of hypoxia-induced radioresistance. In the absence of high-quality evidence informing transfusion practices for patients receiving external beam RT (EBRT) and brachytherapy, various arbitrary hemoglobin target levels are used worldwide.

OBJECTIVE

To develop consensus statements to guide PRBC transfusion practices in patients with cervical cancer receiving curative-intent RT with EBRT and brachytherapy.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This international Delphi consensus study was completed between November 1, 2019, and July 31, 2020. A total of 63 international clinical experts in gynecologic radiation oncology were invited; 39 (62%) accepted and consented to participate. Consensus building was achieved using a 3-round anonymous Delphi consensus method. Participants rated their agreement or disagreement with statements using a 5-point Likert scale. An a priori threshold of 75% or more was required for consensus.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The preplanned primary outcome of this study was to assess hemoglobin transfusion thresholds and targets for both EBRT and brachytherapy by expert consensus.

RESULTS

Response rates of 100% (39 of 39), 92% (36 of 39), and 97% (35 of 36) were achieved for the first, second, and third rounds of surveys, respectively. Twenty-three experts (59%) practiced in Canada, 11 (28%) in the United States, 3 (8%) in South America, 1 (3%) in Europe, and 1 (3%) in Asia. Consensus was reached for 44 of 103 statements (43%), which were combined to form the final 27-statement consensus guideline. No specific hemoglobin transfusion threshold was agreed on by consensus for EBRT or brachytherapy. By consensus (89% [31 of 35]), a hemoglobin transfusion target for patients who receive a PRBC transfusion should be 9 g/dL or more and less than 12 g/dL.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

This study presents the first international expert consensus guideline informing PRBC transfusion practices for patients with cervical cancer undergoing EBRT and brachytherapy. A minimum hemoglobin transfusion target of 9 g/dL was endorsed to balance tumor radiosensitivity with appropriate use of a scarce resource. Randomized clinical trials are required to evaluate the optimal transfusion threshold and target that maximize clinical benefit in this patient population.

Label-Free Quantitative Comparison of Cervical Mucus Peptides in Subjects With Endocervical Adenocarcinoma and Adenocarcinoma in Situ

Purpose:

To uncover potential diagnostic biomarkers for endocervical adenocarcinoma (EAC) and adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS).

Experimental design:

Quantitative label-free liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) peptidomics strategies were employed to profile 8 cervical mucus (CM) samples, including 3 EAC cases, 2 AIS cases and 3 normal controls (Ctrl).

Results:

Among the 3721 exclusive peptides identified, 12 (5 up-regulated and 7 down-regulated) endogenous peptides were significantly expressed in EAC compared to healthy controls (EAC/Ctrl); 10 (7 up-regulated and 3 down-regulated) endogenous peptides were significantly expressed in AIS compared to healthy controls (AIS/Ctrl); 11 (6 up-regulated and 5 down-regulated) endogenous peptides were significantly expressed in EAC compared to AIS (EAC/AIS) (absolute fold change ≥1.5, Benjamini-Hochberg adjusted p-value ≤0.05). Among these identifications, annexin A1 (ANXA1) was found to be down-regulated both in EAC and AIS, and its unique peptide (FIENEEQEYVQTVK) may be promising indicators for cervical glandular epithelial lesions.

Conclusion:

This is the first study to utilize CM peptidomics in cervical glandular malignancies, which may reveal the novel noninvasive biomarkers for EAC and AIS.

Severe Vaginal Bleeding in a Case of Renal Cell Carcinoma

Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) accounts for approximately 2-3% of all adult cancers and carries the highest mortality of the genitourinary cancers. Metastatic disease is seen in approximately 16% of cases and when present represents an advanced status. Metastasis of RCC to the vagina has rarely been cited in literature and when present can mimic primary vaginal cancer in clinical presentation and symptoms. Biopsy is performed to delineate the etiology and, in the presence of clear cells and certain immunohistochemistry markers, RCC needs to be included in the differential diagnosis. Treatment protocols are limited due to the rarity of the condition, with retrospective and comparative studies alongside cervical cancer treatment protocols serving as the basis. Herein, we describe a unique case of profuse vaginal bleeding secondary to vaginal metastases of RCC and discuss the relevant aspects of diagnosis and treatment.

Improving Knowledge and Awareness of Human Papillomavirus-Associated Gynecologic Cancers: Results from the National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program/Inside Knowledge Collaboration

BACKGROUND

Over 16,000 women are diagnosed with a human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated gynecologic cancer every year. Because most of these cancers are preventable, correct and appropriate information about the HPV vaccine and cervical cancer screening can help reduce incidence.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention created Inside Knowledge: Get the Facts About Gynecologic Cancer campaign materials, which were used by seven National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program recipients in tailored educational sessions on gynecologic cancer with women and healthcare providers in the community setting. Session participants completed presession and postsession questionnaires. Differences in knowledge and intentions were assessed using chi-square tests for women in the general public, obstetricians/gynecologists (OB/GYNs), primary care physicians (PCPs), and other healthcare providers.

RESULTS

Women's knowledge improved significantly presession to postsession that HPV causes vaginal (39%-65%, p < 0.001) and vulvar cancers (26%-60%, p < 0.001), but postsession few women correctly identified all HPV-associated gynecologic cancers (15%). From presession to postsession, more women were able to correctly identify recommended age groups for whom the HPV vaccine is recommended (15%-30%, p < 0.001), and that the Pap test only screens for cervical cancer (58%-73%, p < 0.001). Among providers, OB/GYNs had more baseline knowledge of HPV-associated gynecologic cancers than other providers. Postsession, PCPs and other providers increased their knowledge of HPV vaccine recommended age groups (33%-71% and 23%-61%, respectively), and the 3-year recommended screening interval for the Pap test (73%-91% and 63%-85%, respectively). HPV vaccine knowledge did not show significant improvement among OB/GYNs postsessions.

CONCLUSIONS

Women and healthcare providers who attended the Inside Knowledge sessions significantly improved their knowledge of HPV-associated gynecologic cancers. Additional educational activities during the sessions that support distinguishing between HPV-associated versus other gynecologic cancers and clarify HPV vaccine recommendations may help with further increases in knowledge.