Intrathoracic surgery as part of primary cytoreduction for advanced ovarian cancer: Going to the next level - A Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center study

Exploration and prognostic analysis of two types of high-risk ovarian cancers: clear cell vs. serous carcinoma: a population-based study

BACKGROUND

Ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) is a rare pathological histotype in ovarian cancer, while the survival rate of advanced OCCC (Stage III-IV) is substantially lower than that of the advanced serous ovarian cancer (OSC), which is the most common histotype. The goal of this study was to identify high-risk OCCC by comparing OSC and OCCC, with investigating potential risk and prognosis markers.

METHODS

Patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer from 2009 to 2018 were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program. Logistic and Cox regression models were used to identify risk and prognostic factors in high-risk OCCC patients. Cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves. Furthermore, Cox analysis was employed to build a nomogram model. The performance evaluation results were displayed using the C-index, calibration plots, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Immunohistochemically approach was used to identify the expression of the novel target (GPC3).

RESULTS

In the Cox analysis for advanced OCCC, age (45-65 years), tumor numbers (total number of in situ/malignant tumors for patient), T3-stage, bilateral tumors, and liver metastases could be defined as prognostic variables. Nomogram showed good predictive power and clinical practicality. Compared with OSC, liver metastases had a stronger impact on the prognosis of patients with OCCC. T3-stage, positive distant lymph nodes metastases, and lung metastases were risk factors for developing liver metastases. Chemotherapy was an independent prognostic factor for patient with advanced OCCC, but had no effect on CSS in patients with liver metastases (p = 0.0656), while surgery was significantly related with better CSS in these patients (p < 0.0001) (p = 0.0041). GPC3 expression was detected in all tissue sections, and GPC3 staining was predominantly found in the cytoplasm and membranes.

CONCLUSION

Advanced OCCC and OCCC with liver metastases are two types of high-risk OCCC. The constructed nomogram exhibited a satisfactory survival prediction for patients with advanced OCCC. GPC3 immunohistochemistry is expected to accumulate preclinical evidence to support the inclusion of GPC3 in OCCC targeted therapy.

Extra-abdominal cytoreductive techniques in ovarian cancer: how far can (should) we go?

Complex surgery is an essential component in the management of advanced ovarian cancer. Furthermore, achieving complete gross resection in cytoreductive surgery appears to be associated with significant survival benefits in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. The goal of this review is to demonstrate the advancement of surgical techniques in gynecologic oncology surgery, including resection of disease within the intrathoracic and inguinal regions. This progress has expanded the option of surgery to more patients, especially those who would have previously been deemed inoperable. In this review we describe the most notable studies and reports of surgical resection of ovarian cancer involving cardiophrenic/supradiaphragmatic lymph nodes, mediastinum, lung pleura or parenchyma, and the inguinal region. We also describe the growing role that video-assisted thoracic surgery has played in advanced ovarian cancer diagnosis and management. The studies, series, and reports described demonstrate that comprehensive surgical procedures outside of the abdomen or pelvis can be both safe and feasible in properly selected patients. They also suggest that resection of disease outside of the abdomen or pelvis may benefit appropriately selected patients. Future studies are necessary to identify which patients may benefit most from upfront surgery versus neoadjuvant chemotherapy when ovarian cancer metastasis is present in the thoracic or inguinal regions.

Regionalizing ovarian cancer cytoreduction to high-volume centers and the impact on patient travel in New York State

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the theoretical impact of regionalizing cytoreductive surgery for ovarian cancer (OC) to high-volume facilities on patient travel.

METHODS

We retrospectively identified patients with OC who underwent cytoreduction between 1/1/2004-12/31/2018 from the New York State Cancer Registry and Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System. Hospitals were stratified by low-volume (<21 cytoreductive surgical procedures for OC annually) and high-volume centers (≥21 procedures annually). A simulation was performed; outcomes of interest were driving distance and time between the centroid of the patient's residence zip code and the treating facility zip code.

RESULTS

Overall, 60,493 patients met inclusion criteria. Between 2004 and 2018, 210 facilities were performing cytoreductive surgery for OC in New York; 159 facilities (75.7%) met low-volume and 51 (24.3%) met high-volume criteria. Overall, 10,514 patients (17.4%) were treated at low-volume and 49,979 (82.6%) at high-volume facilities. In 2004, 78.2% of patients were treated at high-volume facilities, which increased to 84.6% in 2018 (P < .0001). Median travel distance and time for patients treated at high-volume centers was 12.2 miles (IQR, 5.6-25.5) and 23.0 min (IQR, 15.2-37.0), and 8.2 miles (IQR, 3.7-15.9) and 16.8 min (IQR, 12.4-26.0) for patients treated at low-volume centers. If cytoreductive surgery was centralized to high-volume centers, median distance and time traveled for patients originally treated at low-volume centers would be 11.2 miles (IQR, 3.8-32.3; P < .001) and 20.2 min (IQR, 13.6-43.0; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Centralizing cytoreductive surgery for OC to high-volume centers in New York would increase patient travel burden by negligible amounts of distance and time for most patients.

Survival impact and safety of intrathoracic and abdominopelvic cytoreductive surgery in advanced ovarian cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose

Achieving no residual disease is essential for increasing overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in ovarian cancer patients. However, the survival benefit of achieving no residual disease during both intrathoracic and abdominopelvic cytoreductive surgery is still unclear. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the survival benefit and safety of intrathoracic and abdominopelvic cytoreductive surgery in advanced ovarian cancer patients.

Methods

We systematically searched for studies in online databases, including PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. We used Q statistics and I-squared statistics to evaluate heterogeneity, sensitivity analysis to test the origin of heterogeneity, and Egger's and Begg's tests to evaluate publication bias.

Results

We included 4 retrospective cohort studies, including 490 patients, for analysis; these studies were assessed as high-quality studies. The combined hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for OS was 1.92 (95% CI 1.38-2.68), while the combined HR for PFS was 1.91 (95% CI 1.47-2.49). Only 19 patients in the four studies reported major complications, and 4 of these complications were surgery related.

Conclusion

The maximal extent of cytoreduction in the intrathoracic and abdominopelvic tract improves survival outcomes, including OS and PFS, in advanced ovarian cancer patients with acceptable complications.

Systematic Review Registration

PROSPERO, identifier CRD42023468096.