Long term follow-up of a phase II trial of multimodal therapy given in a "sandwich" method for stage III, IV, and recurrent endometrial cancer

Adjuvant carboplatin and paclitaxel with "sandwich" method radiotherapy for stage III or IV endometrial cancer: long-term follow-up at a single-institution

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) associated with adjuvant carboplatin and paclitaxel chemotherapy interposed with radiation for advanced endometrial cancer.

METHODS

This is a cohort study of adult women with stage III or IV endometrial cancer treated at a single institution, between April 2002 and October 2017. Tumor and treatment characteristics were recorded. Treatment consisted of 4 cycles of intravenous paclitaxel and carboplatin every 3 weeks, followed by external beam radiotherapy to the pelvis (45-50 Gy), and another 2 cycles of chemotherapy. One cohort of patients were prospectively enrolled from 2002 through 2006 and an additional cohort from 2007 to 2017, which was retrospectively analyzed. Primary endpoints for this study were DFS and OS rates which were calculated using Cox regression models.

RESULTS

Eighty-two patients with a median age of 66.5 years (range, 35-83 years) were included. Median follow-up was 46 months (range, 9-196 months). Most patients had stage IIIC disease (62.2%) and serous carcinoma histology (46.3%). Median OS was 146 months and median DFS was 71 months. A 5-year OS and DFS were 64.9% and 55.7%, respectively. Age >60 years subgroup was at a significantly higher risk of DFS event or death. Histological subtype, location of positive nodes, and cancer stage (IIIa vs. higher stage) did not correlate to a higher risk of recurrence or death.

CONCLUSION

Long term follow-up and a larger population confirm that the chemoradiotherapy sandwich method yields favorable outcomes in patients with high-risk endometrial cancer.

The "Sandwich" Schedule: A Well-Tolerated Adjuvant Treatment Both in Intermediate-High- and High-Risk Endometrial Cancer

(1) Background: In intermediate-high- and high-risk endometrial cancer (EC), radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy (CT) play a basic role. However, there is controversy regarding the optimal timing of their combination. The "sandwich" schedule involves adjuvant CT followed by RT and subsequent CT. The aim of this study is to assess the tolerability and efficacy of the "sandwich" schedule. (2) Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in two gynecological oncology units in Torino, Italy, from 1 January 2003 until 31 December 2021. Intermediate-high- and high-risk patients with available clinical data were included. Compliance with treatment, CT and RT toxicities, disease-free survival (DFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed. (3) Results: A total of 118 patients were selected: 27.1% FIGO I-II stages and 72.9% III-IV. Most of the patients (75.4%) received a carboplatin-paclitaxel combination, and as much as 94.9% of CT cycles were completed. Chemotherapy-related G3-4 toxicities were detected in 5.3% of the patients, almost half of which were hematological. Grade 2 gastrointestinal and genitourinary toxicities were reported in 8.4% and 4.2% of cases, respectively. With a median follow-up of 46 months, DFS was 77.6%, CSS was 70% and 5-year OS was 54%. (4) Conclusions: The "sandwich" schedule for CT and RT combination is an effective adjuvant treatment with low toxicity both in intermediate-high- and high-risk EC.

The current clinical approach to newly diagnosed uterine cancer

INTRODUCTION

Uterine cancer is the most common gynecologic malignancy, although fortunately, 75% of women present with early-stage disease. A major area of controversy regarding the management of the disease concerns postoperative therapy for both women with early- and advanced-stage endometrial carcinoma. Here, we review landmark evidence that can help guide clinical decision-making in the treatment of women diagnosed with endometrial cancer.

AREAS COVERED

In this review, we present the latest data driving decisions for both surgical management and postoperative therapy for women with endometrial carcinoma. Areas discussed include surgical staging, with a specific discussion on the role of sentinel lymph node mapping, and postoperative therapy, ranging from the data supporting observation for women with early-stage, low-risk disease to combination therapy for women with advanced disease. Less common histologies, such as serous and clear cell carcinoma, as well as carcinosarcoma, will also be covered. Furthermore, a section of the paper is dedicated to the current state of fertility-sparing surgery.

EXPERT OPINION

We suggest several approaches for deciding on adjuvant therapy, based on stage and histology, after comprehensive surgical staging. The role that endometrial cancer molecular subtypes will play on postoperative therapy remains to be fully investigated.

Association of chemotherapy and radiotherapy sequence with overall survival in locoregionally advanced endometrial cancer

OBJECTIVE

The optimal adjuvant management of women with FIGO Stage III-IVA endometrial cancer (EC) is unclear. While recent prospective data suggest that treatment with pelvic radiotherapy (RT) prior to chemotherapy (CT) is not associated with a survival benefit compared to CT alone, no prospective randomized trial has included a treatment arm in which CT is given before RT.

METHODS

An observational cohort study was performed on women with FIGO Stage III-IVA Type 1 (grade 1-2, endometrioid) EC who underwent hysterectomy and received multi-agent CT and/or RT from 2004 to 2014 at Commission on Cancer-accredited hospitals. Multivariable parametric accelerated failure time models were performed to estimate the association of sequence of adjuvant CT and RT with overall survival (OS) using propensity score-adjusted matched cohorts.

RESULTS

Of 5795 women identified, 1260 (21.7%) received RT only, 2465 (42.5%) received CT only, 593 (9.7%) received RT before CT, and 1506 (26.0%) received RT after CT. Women who received RT after CT experienced significantly longer 5-year OS than women who received RT before CT (5-year OS: 80.1% vs 73.3%; time-ratio (TR) = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.18-1.58, P < 0.001), CT only (68.9%; TR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.19-1.48, P < 0.001), or RT only (64.5%, TR = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.32-1.70, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

For women with advanced EC, treatment with multi-agent CT followed by RT is associated with longer OS compared with treatment with RT followed by CT or either treatment alone. These hypothesis-generating data support inclusion in future prospective trials of regimens in which multi-agent CT starts prior to RT.