Does the method of primary treatment affect the pattern of first recurrence in high-grade serous ovarian cancer?

Evolving landscape of detection and targeting miRNA/epigenetics for therapeutic strategies in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer (OC) accounts for the highest mortality rates among all gynecologic malignancies. The high mortality of OC is often associated with delayed detection, prolonged latency, enhanced metastatic potential, acquired drug resistance, and frequent recurrence. This review comprehensively explores key aspects of OC, including cancer diagnosis, mechanisms of disease resistance, and the pivotal role of epigenetic regulation, particularly by microRNAs (miRs) in cancer progression. We highlight the intricate regulatory mechanisms governing miR expression within the context of OC and the current status of epigenetic advancement in the therapeutic development and clinical trial progression. Through network analysis we elucidate the regulatory interactions between dysregulated miRs in OC and their targets which are involved in different signaling pathways. By exploring these interconnected facets and critical analysis, we endeavor to provide a nuanced understanding of the molecular dynamics underlying OC, its detection and shedding light on potential avenues for miRs and epigenetics-based therapeutic intervention and management strategies.

Habitat Radiomics Based on MRI for Predicting Platinum Resistance in Patients with High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma: A Multicenter Study

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

This study aims to explore the feasibility of MRI-based habitat radiomics for predicting response of platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC), and compared to conventional radiomics and deep learning models.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted on HGSOC patients from three hospitals. K-means algorithm was used to perform clustering on T2-weighted images (T2WI), contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images (CE-T1WI), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps. After feature extraction and selection, the radiomics model, habitat model, and deep learning model were constructed respectively to identify platinum-resistant and platinum-sensitive patients. A nomogram was developed by integrating the optimal model and clinical independent predictors. The model performance and benefit was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), net reclassification index (NRI), and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI).

RESULTS

A total of 394 eligible patients were incorporated. Three habitats were clustered, a significant difference in habitat 2 (weak enhancement, high ADC values, and moderate T2WI signal) was found between the platinum-resistant and platinum-sensitive groups (P < 0.05). Compared to the radiomics model (0.640) and deep learning model (0.603), the habitat model had a higher AUC (0.710). The nomogram, combining habitat signatures with a clinical independent predictor (neoadjuvant chemotherapy), yielded a highest AUC (0.721) among four models, with positive NRI and IDI.

CONCLUSION

MRI-based habitat radiomics had the potential to predict response of platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with HGSOC. The nomogram combining with habitat signature had a best performance and good model gains for identifying platinum-resistant patients.

Clinical value of serum tumor markers in assessing the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced ovarian cancer: single-center prospective clinical study

Objective

This study aimed to assess the clinical importance of various biomarkers, including NLR, CEA, CA199, CA125, CA153, and HE4, through dynamic testing to evaluate the effectiveness of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for individuals facing advanced ovarian cancer. This provides valuable information for tailoring treatment plans to individual patients, thereby leading to a more personalized and effective management of individuals facing ovarian cancer.

Methods

The levels of NLR, CA125, CA199, CEA, CA153, and HE4 were detected before chemotherapy and after 3 courses of chemotherapy. Patients were categorized into ineffective and effective groups according to the effectiveness of NACT. To evaluate the factors influencing NACT's effectiveness in individuals facing advanced ovarian cancer, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, predictive modeling, and multifactorial regression analysis were employed.

Results

In the effective group, the patients' age, maximum tumor diameter, and CEA and HE4 levels of the patients were significantly higher compared to those in the ineffective group (P <.05). Additionally, the difference in HE4 levels before and after treatment between the effective and ineffective groups was statistically significant (P<.05). Multifactorial analysis showed that age and maximum tumor diameter were independent risk factors impacting the effectiveness of NACT in individuals facing advanced ovarian cancer (P<.05). The ROC curve for predicting the effectiveness of NACT in individuals facing advanced ovarian cancer showed a sensitivity of 93.3% for NLR and a specificity of 92.3% for CA199. HE4 emerged as the most reliable predictor, demonstrating a specificity of 84.6% and a sensitivity of 75.3%. The area under the curve of the combined CA125 and HE4 assays for predicting the ineffectiveness of NACT in individuals facing advanced ovarian cancer was 0.825, showcasing a specificity of 74.2% and a sensitivity of 84.6%.

Conclusion

The predictive capacity for the effectiveness of NACT in individuals facing advanced ovarian cancer is notably high when considering the sensitivity of NLR and the specificity of CA199. Additionally, the combination of CA125 and HE4 assays can obtain a better predictive effect, which can accurately select patients suitable for NACT, determine the appropriate timing of the interval debulking surgery (IDS) surgery, and achieve a satisfactory tumor reduction effect.

Predicting Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Response and High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer From CT Images in Ovarian Cancer with Multitask Deep Learning: A Multicenter Study

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

Accurate prediction neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) response in ovarian cancer (OC) is essential for personalized medicine. We aimed to develop and validate a deep learning (DL) model based on pretreatment contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) images for predicting NACT responses and classifying high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) to identify patients who may benefit from NACT.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This multicenter study, which contained both retrospective and prospective studies, included consecutive OC patients (n = 757) from three hospitals. Using WHO RECIST 1.1 for the reference standard, a total of 587 women with 1761 images were included in the training and validation sets, 67 women with 201 images were included in the prospective sets, and 103 women with 309 images were included in the external sets. A multitask DL model based on the multiperiod CT image was developed to predict NACT response and HGSOC.

RESULTS

Logistic regression analysis showed that peritoneal invasion, retinal invasion, and inguinal lymph node metastasis were independent predictors. The DL achieved promising segmentation performances with DICEmean= 0.83 (range: 0.78-0.87). For predicting NACT response, the DL model combined with clinical risk factors obtained area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs) of 0.87 (0.83-0.89), 0.88 (0.86-0.91), 0.86 (0.82-0.89), and 0.79 (0.75-0.82) in the training, validation, prospective, and external sets, respectively. The AUCs were 0.91 (0.87-0.94), 0.89 (0.86-0.91), 0.80 (0.76-0.84), and 0.80 (0.75-0.85) in four sets in HGSOC classification.

CONCLUSION

The multitask DL model developed using multiperiod CT images exhibited a promising performance for predicting NACT response and HGSOC with OC, which could provide valuable information for individualized treatment.

A retrospective analysis for investigating the relationship between FIGO stage IVA/IVB and cytoreductive surgery with prognosis in epithelial ovarian cancer

Objective

To investigate the effect of primary debulking surgery (PDS), NACT followed by interval debulking surgery (NACT-IDS), and chemotherapy alone on the prognosis of FIGO stage IV epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) with different metastatic patterns.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed 133 cases of FIGO stage IV EOC with pleural effusion (stage IVA), parenchymal metastases (stage IVB), or extra-abdominal lymph node metastases (stage IVB) at our Hospital between January 2014 and July 2021.

Results

Among 133 cases with stage IV disease, 16.5% (n=22) presented with pleural effusion, 46.6% (n=62) with parenchymal metastases, and 36.9% (n=49) with extra-abdominal lymph node metastases. Regardless of the metastatic patterns, the 90.2% (n=120) of cases who underwent PDS/NACT-IDS exhibited a significantly superior overall survival (OS) compared to the 9.8% cases (n=13) who received chemotherapy alone (32 vs 17 months, p=0.000). The cohort was further stratified into 58 cases (48.3%) with R0, 41 cases (34.2%) with R1, and 21 cases (17.5%) with R2. The median OS of cases with R0 was significantly better than that of cases with R1/R2 (74 vs 27 months, p=0.000). There was no significant difference in median OS between PDS and NACT-IDS (43 vs 31 months, p=0.676), as well as between FIGO IVA and IVB (35 vs 31 months, p=0.582). Additionally, the metastatic patterns and the number of neoadjuvant chemotherapy cycles (≤4 or >4) did not demonstrate any prognostic significance for median OS (p=0.820 and 33 vs 26 months, p=0.280, respectively).

Conclusion

Regardless of FIGO IVA and IVB stages or metastatic patterns, patients diagnosed with stage IV EOC may benefit from cytoreductive surgery with abdominal R0, compared with chemotherapy alone.

Impact of pattern of recurrence on post-relapse survival according to surgical timing in patients with advanced ovarian cancer

OBJECTIVE

Our study aimed to evaluate the association between timing of cytoreductive surgery and pattern of presentation of the first recurrence in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. We also aimed to assess the impact of the pattern of recurrence on post-relapse overall survival according to surgical timing.

METHODS

This retrospective multicenter study evaluated patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IIIC-IV ovarian cancer. Patients had undergone either primary debulking surgery, early interval debulking surgery after 3-4 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, or delayed debulking surgery after 6 cycles, with minimal or no residual disease, between January 2008 and December 2015. Survival analyses were conducted using the Log-rank test and the Cox model. Cumulative incidences of the different patterns of recurrence were estimated using a competing risks methodology.

RESULTS

A total of 549 patients were included: 175 (31.9%) patients had primary, 224 (40.8%) early interval, and 150 (27.3%) delayed debulking surgery. The cumulative incidence of peritoneal recurrences at 2 years was higher with increasing neoadjuvant cycles (24.4%, 30.9% and 39.2%; p=0.019). For pleural or pulmonary recurrences, it was higher after early interval surgery (9.9%, 13.0% and 4.1%; p=0.022). Median post-relapse overall survival was 33.5 months (95% confidence interval (CI) (24.3 to 44.2)), 26.8 months (95% CI (22.8 to 32.6)), and 24.5 months (95% CI (18.6 to 29.4)) for primary, early interval, and delayed debulking surgery groups, respectively (p=0.025). The pattern of recurrence in a lymph node (hazard ratio (HR) 0.42, 95% CI (0.27 to 0.64)), delayed surgery (HR 1.53, 95% CI (1.11 to 2.13)) and time to first recurrence (HR 0.95, 95% CI (0.93 to 0.96)) were associated with post-relapse overall survival. For primary and early interval surgery, lymph node recurrences were associated with significantly longer post-relapse overall survival.

CONCLUSIONS

The pattern of first recurrence was associated with timing of surgery, with peritoneal recurrences being more frequent with the increasing number of cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Lymph node recurrences were associated with better prognosis, having higher post-relapse overall survival. This improved prognosis of lymphatic recurrences was not observed in patients who underwent delayed surgery.

Does the primary treatment sequence affect post-relapse survival in recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer? A real-world multicentre retrospective study

OBJECTIVE

To explore the impact of the primary treatment sequence (primary debulking surgery, PDS, versus neoadjuvant chemotherapy and interval debulking surgery, NACT-IDS) on post-relapse survival (PRS) and recurrence characteristics of recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer (REOC).

DESIGN

Real-world retrospective study.

SETTING

Tertiary hospitals in China.

POPULATION

A total of 853 patients with REOC at International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics stages IIIC-IV from September 2007 to June 2020. Overall, 377 and 476 patients received NACT-IDS and PDS, respectively.

METHODS

Propensity score-based inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was performed to balance the between-group differences.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Clinicopathological factors related to PRS.

RESULTS

The overall median PRS was 29.3 months (95% CI 27.0-31.5 months). Multivariate analysis before and after IPTW adjustment showed that NACT-IDS and residual R1/R2 disease were independent risk factors for PRS (p < 0.05). Patients with diffuse carcinomatosis and platinum-free interval (PFI) ≤ 12 months had a significantly worse PRS (p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that NACT-IDS was an independent risk factor for diffuse carcinomatosis (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.01-1.82, p = 0.040) and PFI ≤ 12 months (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.08-2.35, p = 0.019). In IPTW analysis, NACT-IDS was still significantly associated with diffuse carcinomatosis (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.05-1.58, p = 0.015) and PFI ≤ 12 months (OR 1.90, 95% CI 1.52-2.38, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The primary treatment sequence may affect the PRS of patients with REOC by altering the recurrence pattern and PFI duration.

Pigment epithelium-derived factor promotes peritoneal dissemination of ovarian cancer through induction of immunosuppressive macrophages

Peritoneal dissemination of ovarian cancer (OC) correlates with poor prognosis, but the mechanisms underlying the escape of OC cells from the intraperitoneal immune system have remained unknown. We here identify pigment epithelium–derived factor (PEDF) as a promoting factor of OC dissemination, which functions through induction of CD206⁺ Interleukin-10 (IL-10)–producing macrophages. High PEDF gene expression in tumors is associated with poor prognosis in OC patients. Concentrations of PEDF in ascites and serum are significantly higher in OC patients than those with more benign tumors and correlated with early recurrence of OC patients, suggesting that PEDF might serve as a prognostic biomarker. Bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) inhibitors reduce PEDF expression and limit both OC cell survival and CD206⁺ macrophage induction in the peritoneal cavity. Our results thus implicate PEDF as a driver of OC dissemination and identify a BET protein–PEDF–IL-10 axis as a promising therapeutic target for OC.

Endogenously expressed pigment epithelium–derived factor (PEDF) promotes increased survival of ovarian cancer cells in the peritoneal cavity by inducing IL-10 expression in CD206 ⁺ peritoneal macrophages.

Into the future: A pilot study combining imaging with molecular profiling to predict resectability in ovarian cancer

OBJECTIVE

We sought to determine the predictive value of combining tumor molecular subtype and computerized tomography (CT) imaging for surgical outcomes after primary cytoreductive surgery in advanced stage high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) patients.

METHODS

We identified 129 HGSOC patients who underwent pre-operative CT imaging and post-operative tumor mRNA profiling. A continuous CT-score indicative of overall disease burden was defined based on six imaging measurements of anatomic involvement. Molecular subtypes were derived from mRNA profiling of chemo-naïve tumors and classified as mesenchymal (MES) subtype (36%) or non-MES subtype (64%). Fischer exact tests and multivariate logistic regression examined residual disease and surgical complexity.

RESULTS

Women with higher CT-scores were more likely to have MES subtype tumors (p = 0.014). MES subtypes and a high CT-score were independently predictive of macroscopic disease and high surgical complexity. In multivariate models adjusting for age, stage and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, patients with a MES subtype and high CT-score had significantly elevated risk of macroscopic disease (OR = 26.7, 95% CI = [6.42, 187]) and were more likely to undergo high complexity surgery (OR = 9.53, 95% CI = [2.76, 40.6], compared to patients with non-MES tumor and low CT-score.

CONCLUSION

Preoperative CT imaging combined with tumor molecular subtyping can identify a subset of women unlikely to have resectable disease and likely to require high complexity surgery. Along with other clinical factors, these may refine predictive scores for resection and assist treatment planning. Investigating methods for pre-surgical molecular subtyping is an important next step.

Distribution of residual disease in the peritoneum following neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer and its potential therapeutic implications

INTRODUCTION

Residual disease in 'normal appearing' peritoneum is seen in nearly 30% of the patients following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for advanced ovarian cancer. The goal was to study the sequence of response in different regions, the commonest sites of occult residual disease, its incidence in different peritoneal regions and the potential therapeutic implications of these.

METHODS

This was a prospective multi-centre study (July 2018-June 2019). Pathological evaluation of cytoreductive surgery specimens was performed according to a fixed protocol. Prevalence of residual disease in different regions was used to study patterns of response and distribution of residual disease.

RESULT

In 85 patients treated between July 2018 to June 2019, microscopic disease in 'normal appearing' peritoneal regions was seen in 22 (25.2%) and in normal peritoneum around tumor nodules in 30 (35.2%) patients. Regions 4 and 8 of Sugarbaker's PCI had the highest incidence of occult disease and regions 9 and 10 the lowest. The response to chemotherapy occurred in a similar manner in over 95%- the least common site of residual disease was the small bowel mesentery, followed by upper regions (regions 1-3), omentum and middle regions (regions 0, 4, 8), lower regions (regions 5-7) and lastly the ovaries.

CONCLUSIONS

During interval CRS, based on the disease mapping provided in this manuscript, regions that have a high probability of residual disease should be explored and dissected. Complete resection of involved the peritoneal region can completely address the occult disease. The role of resection of the entire region as well as 'normal appearing' parietal peritoneal regions should be prospectively evaluated.

Primary site disease and recurrence location in ovarian cancer patients undergoing primary debulking surgery vs. interval debulking surgery

INTRODUCTION

The natural history and patterns of ovarian cancer (OC) relapse are still unclear. Recurrent disease can be peritoneal, parenchymal, or nodal. This study aims to analyze the location and pattern of OC recurrence according to the primary site of disease and to the type of surgical approach used.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

All OC patients underwent primary debulking surgery (PDS) or interval debulking surgery (IDS), with 2014 FIGO stage III-IV, and with platinum-sensitive recurrence were included in the study. Primary disease location and site of recurrences were divided into peritoneal, parenchymal, and nodal, according to the presence of peritoneal carcinomatosis, parenchymal metastasis, and nodal involvement, respectively.

RESULTS

A total of 355 patients were initially considered; of them, 295 met the inclusion criteria. Two hundred thirty-three patients obtained no macroscopic residual tumor at the end of primary surgical treatment. Primary parenchymal disease relapsed in 84.6% cases at a parenchymal site (p < 0.001), 97.2% of peritoneal diseases relapsed on the peritoneum (p < 0.001), and 100% of nodal diseases had a nodal recurrence (p < 0.001). Stratifying by the surgical approach all these correlations have been confirmed both in the PDS (p < 0.001) and IDS (p < 0.001) groups.

CONCLUSION

Our study shows that the site of relapse in cases of platinum-sensitive OC recurrence is closely related to the primary location of the disease, regardless of the type of initial treatment. Therefore, more attention during followup should be paid to areas where the initial tumor was present.

Expressions and clinical significances of STAT3 and Grim19 in epithelial ovarian cancer

This study aimed to explore the expressions of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and a gene associated with retinoid-interferon induced mortality (Grim19) in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), and to determine their correlations with tumor progression and metastasis as well as the related mechanism. Ovarian tissue specimens resected through operation in our hospital were collected, and the correlations of Grim19 and STAT3 expressions with clinicopathological indexes were detected via immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blotting. Their positions in cells were observed through immunofluorescence. IHC assay results showed that STAT3 had the lowest expression level in the normal ovary, followed by those in benign ovarian tumor and borderline ovarian tumor (BOT), but it had high expression in EOC; The expression level of Grim19 was the lowest in EOC, followed by those in BOT and benign ovarian tumor successively, while it was highly expressed in the normal ovary; The expressions of STAT3 and Grim19 presented negative correlations in all kinds of ovarian tissues (p < 0.05). The expression level of STAT3 in EOC had no obvious correlations with FIGO staging or WHO classification (p > 0.05). The expression level of Grim19 in EOC in stage FIGO III-IV was higher than that in stage FIGO I-II (p < 0.05), Grim19 expression was not obviously associated with WHO classification (p > 0.05). The expressions of Grim19 and STAT3 in lymphatic metastasis lesion had significantly positive correlations with the primary lesion (p < 0.05). The Western blotting assay results were identical with the IHC results. The immunofluorescence demonstrated that STAT3 and Grim19 were mainly localized in the cytoplasm and they were colocalized in mitochondria. In conclusion, STAT3 presents high expression in EOC tissues while Grim19 is expressed in EOC tissues at a low level, which may be related to its interaction with STAT3 as well as progression, metastasis and poor prognosis of ovarian cancer.

Aberrant sialylation in ovarian cancers

Sialylation (the covalent addition of sialic acid to the terminal end of glycoproteins or glycans), tightly regulated cell- and microenvironment-specific process and orchestrated by sialyltransferases and sialidases (neuraminidases) family, is one of the posttranslational modifications, which plays an important biological role in the maintenance of normal physiology and involves many pathological dysfunctions. Glycans have roles in all the cancer hallmarks, referring to capabilities acquired during all steps of cancer development to initiate malignant transformation (a driver of a malignant genotype), enable cancer cells to survive, proliferate, and metastasize (a consequence of a malignant phenotype), which includes sustaining proliferative signaling, evading growth suppressor, resisting cell apoptosis, enabling replicative immortality, inducing angiogenesis, reprogramming of energy metabolism, evading tumor destruction, accumulating inflammatory microenvironment, and activating invasion and accelerating metastases. Regarding the important role of altered sialylation of cancers, further knowledge about the initiation and the consequences of altered sialylation pattern in tumor cells is needed, because all may offer a better chance for developing novel therapeutic strategy. In this review, we would like to update alteration of sialylation in ovarian cancers.