Comparison of advanced stage mucinous epithelial ovarian cancer and serous epithelial ovarian cancer with regard to chemosensitivity and survival outcome: a matched case-control study

Fertility-Sparing Surgery and Adjuvant Chemotherapy with Trastuzumab Result in Complete Remission in a Young Woman with Rare Primary Mucinous Ovarian Cancer due to ERBB2 Co-amplification with CDK12 and Chromosome 11q13.3 Amplicon: A Case Report and Literature Review

Primary mucinous ovarian carcinoma (PMOC) is a rare tumor, accounting for approximately 3% of all epithelial ovarian cancers (EOCs), with clinical risk factors and biologic features distinct from that of EOC. The prognosis for women with recurrent and high-grade PMOC remains poor, likely related to a poor response to conventional chemotherapy for EOC. A 27-year-old Chinese woman sought medical attention in January 2021 for abdominal distention from a large pelvic mass. After extensive investigations and workup, she was diagnosed with PMOC of the right ovary. Following multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussions, the patient underwent fertility-sparing surgery (FSS) (abdominal left adnexectomy, right partial oophorectomy, pelvic lymph node dissection, para-aortic lymph node dissection, omentectomy) as she yearned to preserve her fertility and the contralateral ovary appeared normal. Deep genetic analyses revealed ERBB2 co-amplification with CDK12 and chromosome 11q13.3 amplicon. Treatment with fertility-sparing surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy with trastuzumab results in complete remission. This novel strategy utilizing precise diagnostics and characterization of the histo-type of rare tumors allowed personalized targeting with optimum drug response for women who yearn fertility preservation and remission from the disease, especially when there is very limited clinical experience on management of such rare ovarian tumors.

Update on Prognostic and Predictive Markers in Mucinous Ovarian Cancer

This review includes state-of-the-art prognostic and predictive factors of mucinous ovarian cancer (MOC), a rare tumor. Clinical, pathological, and molecular features and treatment options according to prognosis are comprehensively discussed. Different clinical implications of MOC are described according to the The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage: early MOC (stage I-II) and advanced MOC (stage III-IV). Early MOC is characterized by a good prognosis. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment. Fertility-sparing surgery could be performed in patients who wish to become pregnant and that present low recurrence risk of disease. Adjuvant chemotherapy is not recommended, except in patients with high-risk clinical and pathological features. Regarding the histological features, an infiltrative growth pattern is the major prognostic factor of MOC. Furthermore, novel molecular biomarkers are emerging for tailored management of early-stage MOC. In contrast, advanced MOC is characterized by poor survival. Radical surgery is the cornerstone of treatment and adjuvant chemotherapy is recommended, although the efficacy is limited by the intrinsic chemoresistance of these tumors. Several molecular hallmarks of advanced MOC have been described in recent years (e.g., HER2 amplification, distinct methylation profiles, peculiar immunological microenvironment), but target therapy for these rare tumors is not available yet.

Disparity in the era of personalized medicine for epithelial ovarian cancer

The treatment of high-grade serous ovarian cancer and high-grade endometrioid ovarian cancer has seen significant improvements in recent years, with BRCA1/2 and homologous recombination status guiding a personalized approach which has resulted in improved patient outcomes. However, for other epithelial ovarian cancer subtypes, first-line treatment remains unchanged from the platinum-paclitaxel trials of the early 2000s. In this review, we explore novel therapeutic approaches being adopted in the treatment of clear cell, mucinous, carcinosarcoma and low-grade serous ovarian cancer and the biological rational behind them. We discuss why such disparities exist, the challenges faced in conducting dedicated trials in these rarer histologies and look towards new approaches being adopted to overcome them.

Predictors of early mortality risk in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer

Background

To improve the overall survival of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients, a more precise risk identification after completion of standard treatment will enhance patients' follow‐up surveillance and the use of individualized targeted therapy.

Aim

This study explored the potential risk predictors of early mortality in EOC patients who had standard treatment with debulking surgery and chemotherapy.

Methods

The study included 93 EOC patients who had standard treatment and were followed up between January 2011 and December 2020. The sociodemographic, clinical, and laboratory data of patients with EOC including the update on their 3‐year follow‐up status were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Early mortality is defined as the death of a patient within 3 years of completion of standard treatment. Patients' data were computed using descriptive statistics and the associations between patients' factors and the risk of early mortality were tested using the binary logistic regression model.

Results

Early deaths occurred in 36 (38.7%) of patients with EOC. In the final multivariate analyses, early tumor relapse within 6‐months of treatment completion was the only independent risk factor that predicts early mortality in EOC patients (risk ratio = 8.6, 95% confidence interval: 3.3–24.5, p < 0.01).

Conclusion

Our study suggests that early tumor relapse may be a useful surrogate of early mortality in EOC. However, our findings should be interpreted with caution pending further corroboration through an adequately powered, prospective multicenter study.

Comparison of clinical behavior between mucinous ovarian carcinoma with infiltrative and expansile invasion and high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma: a retrospective analysis

Background

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinicopathological factors and prognosis of mucinous carcinoma (MC) with infiltrative invasion, MC with expansile invasion, and high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC).

Methods

Cases of MC and HGSC between 1984 and 2019 were identified. The clinicopathological factors and prognosis of MC with infiltrative invasion or expansile invasion and HGSC were retrospectively compared. Although our present study included cases in our previous studies, we extended observational period when analysis was performed. Accordingly, our study added increased cases and survival analysis was newly conducted.

Results

After pathological review, 27 cases of MC with infiltrative invasion, 25 cases of MC with expansile invasion, and 219 cases of HGSC were included. MC had a better prognosis in terms of progression-free survival (PFS, p < 0.01) and overall survival (OS, p < 0.01) than HGSC for all International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages; however, multivariate analysis did not show statistical differences in PFS and OS. There were no statistically significant differences in PFS and OS for all FIGO stages between MC with infiltrative invasion and HGSC. However, in cases with FIGO stages II to IV, MC with infiltrative invasion had worse PFS (p < 0.01) and OS (p < 0.01) than HGSC. In univariate analysis, MC with infiltrative invasion was a worse prognostic factor for PFS (hazard ratio [HR] 2.83, p < 0.01) and OS (HR 3.83, p < 0.01) than HGSC. Compared with HGSC, MC with expansile invasion had better PFS (p < 0.01) and OS (p < 0.01). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that MC with expansile invasion was a better prognostic factor for PFS (HR 0.17, p < 0.01) and OS (HR 0.18, p = 0.03) than HGSC.

Conclusions

Compared to the prognosis of HGSC, that of MC was different according to the invasive pattern and FIGO stage. Therefore, future study may be needed to consider this association.

Options for the Treatment of Mucinous Ovarian Carcinoma

OPINION STATEMENT

Complete surgical resection is the gold-standard treatment for all mucinous ovarian carcinoma (MOC) cases. Advanced-stage disease is often additionally treated with adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy; however, these were developed largely against the more common high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma and have low efficacy in treating MOC. More effective therapeutics are needed to treat late-stage and platinum-resistant tumors; however, traditional drug development and clinical trial paradigms are a major challenge for such a rare disease. New approaches to support evidence-based treatment decisions are required, such as registry trials. Recently, a number of targeted therapies have emerged as viable treatment options in other cancer types, and for some of these, the actionable tumor mutations are also seen in MOC. Thus, a promising alternative approach to provide benefit to current MOC patients involves DNA sequencing to identify a tumor's unique mutational profile and allow matching to available targeted agents. Such a pipeline can involve special approval to administer a drug already approved for clinical use in other cancer types to a given MOC patient, or their inclusion in existing ongoing clinical trials, such as basket trials encompassing patients with tumors from a range of anatomical sites. Implementation of such personalized medicine can be boosted using improved pre-clinical models, where through a clinical research collaboration a patient's own tumor cells can be used to a test a range of putative therapies prior to administration in the clinic, enabling selection of the available pharmaceutical/s that give any given patient the best possible chance of cancer remission.

Prognostic similarity between ovarian mucinous carcinoma with expansile invasion and ovarian mucinous borderline tumor: A retrospective analysis

There is a similarity of histological features and survival between ovarian mucinous carcinoma (MC) with expansile invasion and ovarian mucinous borderline tumor (MBT). The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of MC with expansile invasion with those of MBT based on the 2020 World Health Organization (WHO) criteria.A pathological review was performed on patients with MC, ovarian MBT, and seromucinous borderline tumors that underwent surgery at our hospital between 1984 and 2019. Clinicopathological features were compared retrospectively between MC with expansile invasion and MBT.Among 83 cases of MC, 85 cases of MBT, and 12 cases of seromucinous borderline tumor, 25 MC cases with expansile invasion and 98 MBT cases were included through review. MC cases with expansile invasion were diagnosed with advanced International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages more frequently (P = .02) than that of MBT cases. In addition, patients with MC with expansile invasion received adjuvant chemotherapy more often (P < .01) than that of patients with MBT. There were no statistically significant differences in recurrence rate (P = .10) between MC with expansile invasion and MBT. Progression-free survival (PFS) was worse in MC cases with expansile invasion than that in MBT cases (P = .01). However, a multivariate analysis for PFS showed that histological subtype, FIGO stage, and adjuvant chemotherapy were not an independent prognostic factor.The prognostic outcome of MC with expansile invasion might mimic those of MBT. These results showed ovarian borderline tumor treatment could be applied to MC treatment.

Associations between DNA Damage and PD-L1 Expression in Ovarian Cancer, a Potential Biomarker for Clinical Response

Simple Summary

This work establishes that ovarian tumors contain persistent oxidative DNA damage levels that can be measured using Repair Assisted Damage Detection (RADD). The persistent DNA damage correlates with increased protein expression of PD-L1, establishing a link between genomic instability and PD-L1 expression across ovarian tumors. DNA damage may be a potential biomarker for immunotherapy.

Abstract

Programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) inhibitors are currently under investigation as a potential treatment option for ovarian cancer. Although this therapy has shown promise, its efficacy is highly variable among patients. Evidence suggests that genomic instability influences the expression of PD-L1, but little is known about this relationship in ovarian cancer. To examine the relationship between PD-L1 expression and genomic instability, we measured DNA damage using Repair Assisted Damage Detection (RADD). We then correlated the presence of persistent DNA damage in the ovarian tumor with protein expression of PD-L1 using immunohistochemistry. Ovarian tumors showed a high prevalence of oxidative DNA damage. As the level of oxidative DNA damage increased, we saw a significant correlation with PD-L1 expression. The highest correlation between DNA damage and PD-L1 expression was observed for mucinous ovarian tumors (r = 0.82), but a strong correlation was also observed for high grade serous and endometrioid tumors (r = 0.67 and 0.69, respectively). These findings link genomic instability to PD-L1 protein expression in ovarian cancer and suggest that persistent DNA damage can be used as a potential biomarker for patient selection for immunotherapy treatment.

Gastrointestinal-type chemotherapy prolongs survival in an atypical primary ovarian mucinous carcinoma: A case report

BACKGROUND

Primary ovarian mucinous carcinoma is a rare histologic subtype of epithelial ovarian carcinoma and exhibits considerable morphologic overlap with secondary tumour. It is hard to differentiate primary from metastatic ovarian mucinous carcinoma by morphological and immunohistochemical features. Because of the histologic similarity between primary ovarian mucinous carcinoma and metastatic gastrointestinal carcinoma, it has been hypothesized that ovarian mucinous carcinomas might respond better to non-gynecologic regimens. However, the standard treatment of advanced ovarian mucinous carcinoma has not reached a consensus.

CASE SUMMARY

A 56-year-old postmenopausal woman presented with repeated pain attacks in the right lower quadrant abdomen, accompanied by diarrhoea, anorexia, and weight loss for about 3 mo. The patient initially misdiagnosed as having gastrointestinal carcinoma because of similar pathological features. Based on the physical examination, tumour markers, imaging tests, and genetic tests, the patient was clinically diagnosed with ovary mucinous adenocarcinoma. Whether gastrointestinal-type chemotherapy or gynecologic chemotherapy was a favourable choice for patients with advanced ovarian mucinous cancer had not been determined. The patient received a chemotherapy regimen based on the histologic characteristics rather than the tumour origin. The patient received nine cycles of FOLFOX and bevacizumab. This was followed by seven cycles of bevacizumab maintenance therapy for 9 mo. Satisfactory therapeutic efficacy was achieved.

CONCLUSION

The genetic analysis might be used in the differential diagnosis of primary ovarian mucinous carcinoma and non-gynecologic mucinous carcinoma. Moreover, primary ovarian mucinous carcinoma patients could benefit from gastrointestinal-type chemotherapy.

Effects of Gastrointestinal-Type Chemotherapy in Women With Ovarian Mucinous Carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

To estimate whether gastrointestinal-type chemotherapy was associated with improved survival compared with standard gynecologic regimens for women with ovarian mucinous carcinoma.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with ovarian mucinous carcinoma who received postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy at two academic centers. Demographic and clinical information was abstracted from the medical records. Gastrointestinal-type chemotherapy contained 5-fluorouracil, capecitabine, irinotecan, or oxaliplatin. Gynecologic regimens included standard carboplatin or cisplatin. Bevacizumab treatment was allowed in both groups. Summary statistics were used to compare baseline characteristics; Kaplan-Meier product-limit estimator was used to compare survival outcomes.

RESULTS

Fifty-two patients received either gastrointestinal-type chemotherapy (n=26; 50%) or a standard gynecologic regimen (n=26; 50%). Three-quarters of tumors were early-stage (I or II), 68% grade 1 or 2 and 88% of patients had no gross residual disease after surgery. Patients receiving gastrointestinal-type chemotherapy were more likely to receive bevacizumab (50% vs 4%; P<.001), but there were no other differences in clinical or demographic characteristics. Unadjusted overall survival analyses showed that gastrointestinal-type chemotherapy was associated with better overall survival (hazard ratio 0.2, 95% CI 0.1-0.8), as were early stage tumors and having no gross residual disease.

CONCLUSION

Gastrointestinal-type chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab was associated with improved survival and should be considered in patients with ovarian mucinous carcinoma requiring adjuvant therapy.

An international, phase III randomized trial in patients with mucinous epithelial ovarian cancer (mEOC/GOG 0241) with long-term follow-up: and experience of conducting a clinical trial in a rare gynecological tumor

OBJECTIVES

We evaluated four different treatment regimens for advanced-stage mucinous epithelial ovarian cancer.

METHODS

We conducted a multicenter randomized factorial trial (UK and US). Patients were diagnosed with primary mEOC: FIGO stage II-IV or recurrence after stage I disease. Treatment arms were paclitaxel-carboplatin, oxaliplatin-capecitabine, paclitaxel-carboplatin-bevacizumab, or oxaliplatin-capecitabine-bevacizumab. Chemotherapy was given 3-weekly for 6 cycles, and bevacizumab (3-weekly) was continued as maintenance (for 12 cycles). Endpoints included overall-survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), toxicity and quality of life (QoL).

RESULTS

The trial stopped after 50 patients were recruited due to slow accrual. Median follow-up was 59 months. OS hazard ratios (HR) for the two main comparisons were: 0.78 (p = 0.48) for Oxal-Cape vs. Pac-Carbo (each with/without bevacizumab), and 1.04 (p = 0.92) for bevacizumab vs. no bevacizumab. Corresponding PFS HRs were: 0.84 and 0.80. Retrospective central pathology review revealed only 45% (18/40) cases with available material had confirmed primary mEOC. Among these, OS HR for Oxal-Cape vs. Pac-Carbo was 0.36 (p = 0.14); PFS HR = 0.62 (p = 0.40). Grade 3-4 toxicity was seen in 61% Pac-Carbo, 61% Oxal-Cape, 54% Pac-Carbo-Bev, and 85% Oxal-Cape-Bev. QoL was similar between the four arms.

CONCLUSION

mEOC/GOG0241 represents an example of a randomized rare tumor trial. Logistical challenges led to early termination, including difficulties in local histopathological diagnosis and accessing drugs outside their labelled indication. There was misalignment between central funders who support clinical trials in rare cancers and the deprioritisation of such work by those managing and funding research at a local level. Rare cancer trials should include centralised pathology review before treatment. Clinical trial registry number: ISRCTN83438782.

Immune System and DNA Repair Defects in Ovarian Cancer: Implications for Locoregional Approaches

In the last few years, substantial progress has been made in the treatment of ovarian cancer, with increased knowledge about the biology of the disease. Ovarian cancer is a neoplasm strongly linked to defects in DNA repair mechanisms, where deficiency in the homologous recombination (HR) system results in a better response of ovarian cancers to therapy, whether platinum-based chemotherapy, anthracyclines, or poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. More recently, it has been demonstrated that different ovarian cancer histotypes may have different immunogenicity. Interestingly, defects in HR systems are associated more frequently with higher tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, providing a rationale for developing combination therapy with immune-modulating agents and PARP inhibitors. Again, locoregional therapies combining heat shock and chemotherapy delivery have been shown to induce an anticancer immune response in vitro. Thus, the potential for locoregional therapeutic approaches that may impact the immune system, perhaps in combination with immune-modulating agents or PARP inhibitors, needs to be further explored. With this premise, we reviewed the main biological and clinical data demonstrating a strict interplay between the immune system, DNA repair mechanisms, and intraperitoneal therapies in ovarian cancer, with a focus on potential future therapeutic implications.

Comparison of stage III mucinous and serous ovarian cancer: a case-control study

Background

The purpose of this case-control study was to compare the prognoses of women with stage III mucinous ovarian carcinoma (MOC) who received maximal or optimal cytoreduction followed by paclitaxel plus carboplatin chemotherapy to those of women with stage III serous epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) treated in the similar manner.

Methods

We performed a multicenter, retrospective review to identify patients with stage III MOC at seven gynecologic oncology departments in Turkey. Eighty-one women with MOC were included. Each case was matched to two women with stage III serous EOC in terms of age, tumor grade, substage of disease, and extent of residual disease. Survival estimates were measured using Kaplan-Meier plots. Variables predictive of outcome were analyzed using Cox regression models.

Results

With a median follow-up of 54 months, the median progression-free survival (PFS) for women with stage III MOC was 18.0 months (95% CI; 13.8–22.1, SE: 2.13) compared to 29.0 months (95% CI; 24.04–33.95, SE: 2.52) in the serous group (p = 0.19). The 5-year overall survival rate of the MOC group was significantly lower than that of the serous EOC group (44.9% vs. 66.3%, respectively; p < 0.001). For the entire cohort, presence of multiple peritoneal implants (Hazard ratio [HR] 2.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.38–4.14, p = 0.002) and mucinous histology (HR 2.28; 95% CI, 1.53–3.40, p < 0.001) were identified as independent predictors of decreased OS.

Conclusion

Patients with MOC seem to be 2.3 times more likely to die of their tumors when compared to women with serous EOC.

Recent Insights into Mucinous Ovarian Carcinoma

Ovarian mucinous tumors represent a group of rare neoplasms with a still undefined cell of origin but with an apparent progression from benign to borderline to carcinoma. Even though these tumors are different from the other histological subtypes of epithelial ovarian neoplasms, they are still treated with a similar chemotherapeutic approach. Here, we review its pathogenesis, molecular alterations, (differential) diagnosis, clinical presentation and current treatment, and how recent molecular and biological information on this tumor might lead to better and more specific clinical management of patients with mucinous ovarian carcinoma.

Characteristics and outcome of the COEUR Canadian validation cohort for ovarian cancer biomarkers

BACKGROUND

Ovarian carcinoma is the most lethal gynecological malignancy due to early dissemination and acquired resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy. Reliable markers that are independent and complementary to clinical parameters are needed to improve the management of patients with this disease. The Canadian Ovarian Experimental Unified Resource (COEUR) provides researchers with biological material and associated clinical data to conduct biomarker validation studies. Using standards defined by the Canadian Tissue Repository Network (CTRNet), we have previously demonstrated the quality of the biological material from this resource. Here we describe the clinical characteristics of the COEUR cohort.

METHODS

With support from 12 Canadian ovarian cancer biobanks in Canada, we created a central retrospective cohort comprised of more than 2000 patient tissue samples with associated clinical data, including 1246 high-grade serous, 102 low-grade serous, 295 endometrioid, 259 clear cell and 89 mucinous carcinoma histotypes. A two-step reclassification process was applied to assure contemporary histological classification (histotyping). For each histotypes individually, we evaluated the association between the known clinico-pathological parameters (stage, cytoreduction, chemotherapy treatment, BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation) and patient outcome by using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazard regression analyses.

RESULTS

The median follow-up time of the cohort was 45 months and the 5-year survival rate for patients with high-grade serous carcinomas was 34%, in contrast to endometrioid carcinomas with 80% at 5 years. Survival profiles differed by histotype when stratified by stage or cytoreduction. Women with mucinous or clear cell carcinomas at advanced stage or with non-optimally debulked disease had the worst outcomes. In high-grade serous carcinoma, we observed significant association with longer survival in women harboring BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation as compared to patients without detectable mutation.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results show the expected survival rates, as compared with current literature, in each histotype suggesting that the cohort is an unbiased representation of the five major histotypes. COEUR, a one stop comprehensive biorepository, has collected mature outcome data and relevant clinical data in a comprehensive manner allowing stratified analysis.

Characteristics and outcome of the COEUR Canadian validation cohort for ovarian cancer biomarkers

BACKGROUND

Ovarian carcinoma is the most lethal gynecological malignancy due to early dissemination and acquired resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy. Reliable markers that are independent and complementary to clinical parameters are needed to improve the management of patients with this disease. The Canadian Ovarian Experimental Unified Resource (COEUR) provides researchers with biological material and associated clinical data to conduct biomarker validation studies. Using standards defined by the Canadian Tissue Repository Network (CTRNet), we have previously demonstrated the quality of the biological material from this resource. Here we describe the clinical characteristics of the COEUR cohort.

METHODS

With support from 12 Canadian ovarian cancer biobanks in Canada, we created a central retrospective cohort comprised of more than 2000 patient tissue samples with associated clinical data, including 1246 high-grade serous, 102 low-grade serous, 295 endometrioid, 259 clear cell and 89 mucinous carcinoma histotypes. A two-step reclassification process was applied to assure contemporary histological classification (histotyping). For each histotypes individually, we evaluated the association between the known clinico-pathological parameters (stage, cytoreduction, chemotherapy treatment, BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation) and patient outcome by using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazard regression analyses.

RESULTS

The median follow-up time of the cohort was 45 months and the 5-year survival rate for patients with high-grade serous carcinomas was 34%, in contrast to endometrioid carcinomas with 80% at 5 years. Survival profiles differed by histotype when stratified by stage or cytoreduction. Women with mucinous or clear cell carcinomas at advanced stage or with non-optimally debulked disease had the worst outcomes. In high-grade serous carcinoma, we observed significant association with longer survival in women harboring BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation as compared to patients without detectable mutation.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results show the expected survival rates, as compared with current literature, in each histotype suggesting that the cohort is an unbiased representation of the five major histotypes. COEUR, a one stop comprehensive biorepository, has collected mature outcome data and relevant clinical data in a comprehensive manner allowing stratified analysis.

Characteristics and outcome of the COEUR Canadian validation cohort for ovarian cancer biomarkers

BACKGROUND

Ovarian carcinoma is the most lethal gynecological malignancy due to early dissemination and acquired resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy. Reliable markers that are independent and complementary to clinical parameters are needed to improve the management of patients with this disease. The Canadian Ovarian Experimental Unified Resource (COEUR) provides researchers with biological material and associated clinical data to conduct biomarker validation studies. Using standards defined by the Canadian Tissue Repository Network (CTRNet), we have previously demonstrated the quality of the biological material from this resource. Here we describe the clinical characteristics of the COEUR cohort.

METHODS

With support from 12 Canadian ovarian cancer biobanks in Canada, we created a central retrospective cohort comprised of more than 2000 patient tissue samples with associated clinical data, including 1246 high-grade serous, 102 low-grade serous, 295 endometrioid, 259 clear cell and 89 mucinous carcinoma histotypes. A two-step reclassification process was applied to assure contemporary histological classification (histotyping). For each histotypes individually, we evaluated the association between the known clinico-pathological parameters (stage, cytoreduction, chemotherapy treatment, BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation) and patient outcome by using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazard regression analyses.

RESULTS

The median follow-up time of the cohort was 45 months and the 5-year survival rate for patients with high-grade serous carcinomas was 34%, in contrast to endometrioid carcinomas with 80% at 5 years. Survival profiles differed by histotype when stratified by stage or cytoreduction. Women with mucinous or clear cell carcinomas at advanced stage or with non-optimally debulked disease had the worst outcomes. In high-grade serous carcinoma, we observed significant association with longer survival in women harboring BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation as compared to patients without detectable mutation.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results show the expected survival rates, as compared with current literature, in each histotype suggesting that the cohort is an unbiased representation of the five major histotypes. COEUR, a one stop comprehensive biorepository, has collected mature outcome data and relevant clinical data in a comprehensive manner allowing stratified analysis.

Potential signaling pathways as therapeutic targets for overcoming chemoresistance in mucinous ovarian cancer

Cases of mucinous ovarian cancer are predominantly resistant to chemotherapies. The present review summarizes current knowledge of the therapeutic potential of targeting the Wingless (WNT) pathway, with particular emphasis on preclinical and clinical studies, for improving the chemoresistance and treatment of mucinous ovarian cancer. A review was conducted of English language literature published between January 2000 and October 2017 that concerned potential signaling pathways associated with the chemoresistance of mucinous ovarian cancer. The literature indicated that aberrant activation of growth factor and WNT signaling pathways is specifically observed in mucinous ovarian cancer. An evolutionarily conserved signaling cascade system including epidermal growth factor/RAS/RAF/mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase/extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase, phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt and WNT signaling regulates a variety of cellular functions; their crosstalk mutually enhances signaling activity and induces chemoresistance. Novel antagonists, modulators and inhibitors have been developed for targeting the components of the WNT signaling pathway, namely Frizzled, low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5/6, Dishevelled, casein kinase 1, AXIN, glycogen synthase kinase 3β and β-catenin. Targeted inhibition of WNT signaling represents a rational and promising novel approach to overcome chemoresistance, and several WNT inhibitors are being evaluated in preclinical studies. In conclusion, the WNT receptors and their downstream components may serve as novel therapeutic targets for overcoming chemoresistance in mucinous ovarian cancer.

Surgical lymph node assessment in mucinous ovarian carcinoma staging: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The proportion of women with mucinous ovarian carcinoma in whom nodal metastases are identified during staging remains unclear.

OBJECTIVES

To review the literature on surgical lymph node assessment during staging of women diagnosed with mucinous ovarian carcinoma.

SEARCH STRATEGY

A systematic search using synonyms of 'mucinous ovarian carcinoma' and 'lymph node assessment' was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Embase and the Cochrane Library.

SELECTION CRITERIA

When they covered ten or more mucinous ovarian carcinoma cases, staging surgery and minimally one of the following outcomes: prevalence of metastases, stage shift or survival data.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Studies were quality evaluated with the Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool for non-randomised studies of interventions. Outcomes were pooled using an inverse variance weighted random effects model.

MAIN RESULTS

Sixteen studies were included. In 278 women with mucinous ovarian cancer suspected to be stage I-II, a pooled proportion of 0.8% (95% CI <0.1-2.9%) had lymph node metastases and were upstaged. In those suspected of stage I (n = 184), this proportion was 0.7% (95% CI <0.1-3.8%). No difference (P = 0.287) was found in metastases between sampling at 0.0% (95% CI 0.0-3.3%) and complete pelvic and/or para-aortic lymph node dissection at 1.2% (95% CI <0.1-4.2%). One study directly compared the survival of patients staged with and without lymph node dissection and reported no significant difference.

CONCLUSIONS

Surgical lymph node assessment in women suspected of stage I-II mucinous ovarian carcinoma rarely identifies nodal metastases and consequently has no significant impact on staging.

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT

Surgical lymph node assessment in women with stage I-II mucinous ovarian cancer rarely has staging consequences.

Mucinous ovarian cancer: A therapeutic review

Mucinous ovarian cancer represents approximately 3% of epithelial ovarian cancers (EOC). Despite this seemingly low prevalence, it remains a diagnostic and therapeutic conundrum that has resulted in numerous attempts to adopt novel strategies in managing this disease. Anecdotally, there has been a prevailing notion that established gold standard systemic regimens should be substituted for those utilised in cancers such as gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies; tumours that share more biological similarities than other EOC subtypes. This review summarises the plethora of small studies which have adopted this philosophy and influenced the design of the multinational GOG142 study, which was ultimately terminated due to poor accrual. To date, there is a paucity of evidence to support delivering 'GI style' chemotherapy for mucinous ovarian cancer over and above carboplatin-paclitaxel doublet therapy. Hence there is an urge to develop studies focused on targeted therapeutic agents driven by refined mutational analysis and conducted within the context of harmonised international collaborations.

Factors Affecting Short-term Mortality in Women With Ovarian, Tubal, or Primary Peritoneal Cancer: Population-Based Cohort Analysis of English National Cancer Registration Data

Objective

International studies show lower survival rates in the United Kingdom than other countries with comparable health care systems. We report on factors associated with excess mortality in the first year after diagnosis of primary invasive epithelial ovarian, tubal, and primary peritoneal cancer.

Methods

Routinely collected national data were used for patients diagnosed in England in 2008 to 2010. A multivariate Poisson model was used to model excess mortality in 3 periods covering the first year after diagnosis, adjusting for various factors including age at diagnosis, route to diagnosis, tumor stage, tumor morphology, and treatment received.

Results

Of 14,827 women diagnosed as having ovarian cancer, 5296 (36%) died in the first year, with 1673 deaths in the first month after diagnosis. Age older than 70 years, diagnosis after an emergency presentation or by an unknown route, and unspecified or unclassified epithelial morphologies were strongly and independently associated with excess mortality in the first year after diagnosis. Of the 2100 (14%) women who fulfilled all 3 criteria, 1553 (74%) did not receive any treatment and 1774 (85%) died in the first year after diagnosis. In contrast, only 193 (4%) of the 4414 women without any of these characteristics did not receive any treatment, and only 427 (9%) died in the first year after diagnosis.

Conclusions

Although our results are based on data from England, they are likely to have implications for cancer care pathways worldwide because most of the identified factors are not specific to the UK health care system. Our results suggest the need to increase symptom awareness, promote timely general practitioner referral, and optimize diagnostic and early treatment pathways within secondary care to increase access to treatment for women with advanced-stage invasive epithelial ovarian, tubal, and primary peritoneal cancer. This process should be pursued alongside continued efforts to develop primary prevention and screening strategies.

The Clinicopathologic Characteristics and 5-year Survival Rate of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer in Yazd, Iran

Introduction

Ovarian cancer is the second most common malignancy in women, the most common cause of gynecologic cancer deaths, and most patients have advanced stage disease at the time of diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to estimate the 5-year survival of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer based on age, tumor histology, stage of disease, and type of treatment.

Methods

This study was conducted on 120 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer referred to Shahid Sadoughi hospital and Shah Vali oncology clinic of Yazd from 2006 to 2012. Demographic data and patient records were studied to evaluate the treatment outcome, pathology of the tumor, and stage of disease. Finally, the overall survival rate and tumor-free survival of patients was assessed.

Results

The mean patient age was 53.87± 14.11 years. Most participants had stage I (36.7%) or stage II (35%) disease. Serous adenocarcinoma (57.6%) was the most common pathology found in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer. The overall survival of patients in this study was significantly associated with the histological tumor type (p = 0.000) and disease stage (p = 0.0377). Stage I (84.18%) and serous adenocarcinoma (72.81%) demonstrated the best survival. The tumor-free survival rates were not associated with histology types (p = 0.079), surgical procedure (p = 0.18), or chemotherapy (p = 0.18).

Conclusion

The survival of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer was significantly associated with disease stage. Serous adenocarcinoma also had the best prognosis among the pathologies studied. Therefore, early detection of ovarian cancer can substantially increase the survival rate.

The promise and challenge of ovarian cancer models

The complexity and heterogeneity of ovarian cancer cases are difficult to reproduce in in vitro studies, which cannot adequately elucidate the molecular events involved in tumor initiation and disease metastasis. It has now become clear that, although the multiple histological subtypes of ovarian cancer are being treated with similar surgical and therapeutic approaches, they are in fact characterized by distinct phenotypes, cell of origin, and underlying key genetic and genomic alterations. Consequently, the development of more personalized treatment methodologies, which are aimed at improving patient care and prognosis, will greatly benefit from a better understanding of the key differences between various subtypes. To accomplish this, animal models of all histotypes need to be generated in order to provide accurate in vivo platforms for research and the testing of targeted treatments and immune therapies. Both genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) and xenograft models have the ability to further our understanding of key mechanisms facilitating tumorigenesis, and at the same time offer insight into enhanced imaging and treatment modalities. While genetic models may be better suited to examine oncogenic functions and interactions during tumorigenesis, patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) are likely a superior model to assess drug efficacy, especially in concurrent clinical trials, due to their similarity to the tumors from which they are derived. Genetic and avatar models possess great clinical utility and have both benefits and limitations. Additionally, the laying hen model, which spontaneously develops ovarian tumors, has inherent advantages for the study of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and recent work champions this model especially when assessing chemoprevention strategies. While high-grade ovarian serous tumors are the most prevalent form of EOC, rarer ovarian cancer variants, such as small cell ovarian carcinoma of the hypercalcemic type and transitional cell carcinoma, or non-epithelial tumors, including germ cell tumors, will also benefit from the generation of improved models to advance our understanding of tumorigenic mechanisms and the development of selective therapeutic options.

Thrombocytosis as a prognostic marker in stage III and IV serous ovarian cancer

Objective

Thrombocytosis is an adverse prognostic factor in many types of cancer. We investigated if pre-treatment increased platelet counts provide prognostic information specifically in patients with stage III and IV serous ovarian cancer which is the most common clinical presentation of ovarian cancer.

Methods

Platelet number on diagnosis of stage III and IV serous ovarian adenocarcinoma was evaluated in 91 patients for whom there were complete follow-up data on progression and survival. Survival and progression free survival of patients with normal platelet counts (150-350 ×10⁹/L) was compared with that of patients with thrombocytosis (>350×10⁹/L) by χ² and logrank tests.

Results

The median age of the patients was 66 years-old. From the 91 patients, 52 (57.1%) had normal platelet counts (median, 273×10⁹/L; range, 153-350) at diagnosis of their disease and 39 patients (42.9%) had thrombocytosis (median, 463×10⁹/L; range, 354-631). In the group of patients with normal platelet counts, 24 of the 52 patients had died with a median survival of 43 months (range, 3-100). In the group of patients with thrombocytosis, 24 of the 39 patients had died with a median survival of 23 months (range, 4-79). In the entire group of 91 patients there was a statistically significant difference of the overall survival and progression-free survival between the two groups (logrank test P=0.02 and P=0.007, respectively).

Conclusion

In this retrospective analysis of stage III and IV ovarian cancer patients, thrombocytosis at the time of diagnosis had prognostic value regarding overall survival and progression-free survival.

Safety of fertility-sparing surgery in primary mucinous carcinoma of the ovary

Purpose

The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety of fertility-sparing surgery as the treatment for patients with primary mucinous epithelial ovarian cancer.

Materials and Methods

A retrospective study of patients with mucinous ovarian cancer between 1991 and 2010 was performed. The demographics and survival outcomes were compared between patients who underwent fertility-sparing surgery and those who underwent radical surgery.

Results

A total of 110 patients underwent primary surgery. At the time of surgery, tumors appeared to be grossly confined to the ovaries in 90 patients, and evidence of metastasis was definite in 20 patients. Of the 90 patients with tumors that appeared to be grossly confined to the ovaries at surgical exploration, 35 (38.9%) underwent fertility-sparing surgery. The Kaplan- Meier curve and the log rank test showed no difference in either recurrence-free survival (p=0.792) or disease-specific survival (p=0.706) between the two groups. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in recurrence-free survival (p=0.126) or disease-specific survival (p=0.377) between the two groups, even when the analysis was limited to women below the age of 40. In a multivariate Cox model, fertility-sparing surgery had no effect on either recurrence-free survival (recurrence hazard ratio [HR], 1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.25 to 5.71) or disease-specific survival (death HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.17 to 4.60).

Conclusion

Fertility-sparing surgery in primary mucinous cancer grossly confined to the ovaries may be a safe option and one not associated with an increase in recurrence or mortality.

Trismus and diffuse polymyalgia: an unusual presentation of recurrent metastatic ovarian cancer

A 22-year-old woman first presented in 2009 with abdominal distention. The diagnosis of stage IA right ovarian tumour was made by fertility-sparing surgery. In the subsequent years, the involvement of the left ovary and metastasis to the lungs prompted further surgical intervention and chemotherapy. By 2013, she experienced insidious, debilitating and diffuse musculoskeletal pain with trismus. Polymyositis or diffuse radiculitis was suspected. Imaging studies identified enhancing lesions in the thigh musculature, temporalis, parotid gland, pterygoid, masseter, tongue, cerebellum and leptomeninges. Biopsy of one of the thigh lesions confirmed the diagnosis of mucinous adenocarcinoma. She succumbed to the disease in November 2013. This case illustrates the aggressive nature of mucinous epithelial ovarian cancer and its resilience to conventional chemotherapy. On account of its high death rate, it is recommended that the epithelial-mesenchymal transition be researched and early therapy targeted at the k-ras oncogene initiated in spite of the tumour's lower initial staging.

In vitro ovarian cancer model based on three-dimensional agarose hydrogel

To establish a typical tumor model of ovarian cancer which may be more representative and reliable than traditional monolayer culture and pellet, agarose was used as cell vehicle to engineering tumor. Selection of agarose is based on its successful application in tissue engineering with both amenable mechanical and biological properties. In this study, ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3 was encapsulated in agarose hydrogel with cell aggregates and two-dimensional culture as controls. In vitro cell proliferation was assessed by MTT and cell viability was examined at time points of 2, 4, and 6 days. The expression of tumor malignancy markers including matrix metalloproteinase 2, matrix metalloproteinase 9, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α, and vascular endothelial growth factor–A was assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that cells proliferated more rapidly in three-dimensional agarose culture than controls. Furthermore, upregulation of matrix metalloproteinase 9 and matrix metalloproteinase 2 activity and increased expression of vascular endothelial growth factor–A and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α were shown in agarose-engineered tumors. All the evidences demonstrated that agarose may provide a more favorable environment for cancer cell growth, mimicking the in vivo environment for tumor generation. The novel in vitro tumor model may be useful for the further investigation of anticancer therapeutics.