Monjri Shah

Fertility preservation in young women with epithelial ovarian cancer

Surgical management of ovarian cancer consists of hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy. In young women, this results in the loss of reproductive function and estrogen deprivation. In the current study, the authors examined the safety of fertility‐conserving surgery in premenopausal women with epithelial ovarian cancers.

Safety of Ovarian Preservation in Premenopausal Women With Endometrial Cancer

PURPOSE Oophorectomy is commonly performed in premenopausal women with endometrial cancer who undergo hysterectomy. The benefits of oophorectomy in this setting are unknown, and the procedure subjects women to the long-term sequelae of estrogen deprivation. We examined the safety of ovarian preservation in young women with endometrial cancer who underwent hysterectomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS Women < or = 45 years of age with stage I endometrial cancer recorded from 1988 to 2004 in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Database were examined. We developed Cox proportional hazards models and Kaplan-Meier curves to compare women who underwent oophorectomy with those who had ovarian preservation. RESULTS A total of 3,269 women, including 402 patients (12%) who had ovarian preservation, were identified. Younger age (P < .0001), later year of diagnosis (P = .04), residence in the eastern United States (P = .02), and low tumor grade (P < .0001) were associated with ovarian preservation. In a multivariate Cox model, ovarian preservation had no effect on either cancer-specific (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.58; 95% CI, 0.14 to 2.44) or overall (HR = 0.68; 95% CI, 0.34 to 1.35) survival. The findings were unchanged when women who received pelvic radiotherapy were excluded. CONCLUSION Ovarian preservation in premenopausal women with early-stage endometrial cancer may be safe and not associated with an increase in cancer-related mortality.

Morbidity and mortality of peripartum hysterectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To perform a population-based analysis to examine the morbidity and mortality of peripartum hysterectomy in comparison with nonobstetric hysterectomy. METHODS: Data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample were used to compare peripartum and nonobstetric hysterectomy in women younger than 50 years of age. Intraoperative, perioperative, and postoperative medical complications were examined. The outcomes of peripartum and nonobstetric hysterectomy were compared using chi square. Odds ratios were calculated using multivariable logistic regression models for each individual complication. RESULTS: A total of 4,967 women who underwent peripartum hysterectomy and 578,179 patients who had a nonobstetric hysterectomy were identified. Bladder (9% compared with 1%) and ureteral (0.7% compared with 0.1%) injuries were more common for peripartum hysterectomy (P<.001). There were no differences in the rates of intestinal or vascular injuries between peripartum and nonobstetric hysterectomy. Rates of reoperation (4% compared with 0.5%), postoperative hemorrhage (5% compared with 2%), wound complications (10% compared with 3%), and venous thromboembolism (1% compared with 0.7%) were all higher in women who underwent peripartum hysterectomy. In multivariable analysis, the odds ratio for death for peripartum compared to nonobstetric hysterectomy was 14.4 (95% confidence interval 9.84–20.98). CONCLUSION: Peripartum hysterectomy is accompanied by substantial morbidity and mortality. Compared with nonobstetric hysterectomy, the procedure is associated with increased rates of both intraoperative and postoperative complications. The mortality of peripartum hysterectomy is more than 25 times that of hysterectomy performed outside of pregnancy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II

Regionalization of care for obstetric hemorrhage and its effect on maternal mortality.

OBJECTIVE: To examine factors that influence the morbidity and mortality of peripartum hysterectomy and analyze the effect of hospital volume on maternal mortality. METHODS: We examined women who underwent peripartum hysterectomy at the time of cesarean delivery in a quality and resource utilization database. Procedure-associated intraoperative, perioperative, and postoperative medical complications, length of stay, intensive care unit use, and maternal mortality were analyzed. Hospitals were stratified into tertiles based on procedure volume and complications and compared using adjusted generalized estimating equations. Results are reported as odds ratios. RESULTS: Maternal mortality among the 2,209 women who underwent peripartum hysterectomy was 1.2%. After adjusting for other clinical and demographic factors, perioperative mortality was 71% (odds ratio 0.29, 95% confidence interval 0.10–0.88) lower in women who underwent operation at high-volume hospitals compared with those treated at low-volume facilities. Hospital volume had no effect on the rates of intraoperative injuries, medical complications, length of stay, or transfusion. In contrast, compared with women treated at low-volume centers, patients who underwent operation at high-volume hospitals had a lower incidence of perioperative surgical complications (odds ratio 0.66, 95% confidence interval 0.47–0.93) and a lower rate of intensive care unit usage (odds ratio 0.53, 95% confidence interval 0.34–0.83). CONCLUSION: Peripartum hysterectomy is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Maternal mortality is lower when the procedure is performed in high-volume hospital settings. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II

The role of radiation in improving survival for early-stage carcinosarcoma and leiomyosarcoma

OBJECTIVE We examined the effect of radiation on survival for early-stage uterine carcinosarcomas and leiomyosarcomas. STUDY DESIGN The surveillance, epidemiology, and end results database was used to identify patients with stage I/II carcinosarcomas and leiomyosarcomas. Logistic regression and Cox models were developed to determine radiation use and survival. RESULTS Among 1819 women with carcinosarcomas and 1088 women with leiomyosarcomas, radiation was administered to 667 of the patients (37%) with carcinosarcomas and to 235 of the patients (22%) with leiomyosarcomas. In a multivariate model, adjuvant radiation reduced the risk of death by 21% in women with carcinosarcomas (hazard ratio, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.7-0.9). Radiation reduced mortality rates in patients with carcinosarcomas who had not undergone node dissection but had only a marginal effect on survival in node-negative women. Adjuvant radiation had no effect on survival for early-stage leiomyosarcomas (hazard ratio, 1.1; 95% CI, 0.9-1.4). CONCLUSION Adjuvant radiotherapy improves survival for select patients with early-stage carcinosarcomas but is of limited value for leiomyosarcomas.

Predictors of massive blood loss in women with placenta accreta

OBJECTIVE We examined predictors of massive blood loss for women with placenta accreta who had undergone hysterectomy. STUDY DESIGN A retrospective review of women who underwent peripartum hysterectomy for pathologically confirmed placenta accreta was performed. Characteristics that are associated with massive blood loss (≥ 5000 mL) and large-volume transfusion (≥ 10 units packed red cells) were examined. RESULTS A total of 77 patients were identified. The median blood loss was 3000 mL, with a median of 5 units of red cells transfused. There was no association among maternal age, gravidity, number of previous deliveries, number of previous cesarean deliveries, degree of placental invasion, or antenatal bleeding and massive blood loss or large-volume transfusion (P > .05). Among women with a known diagnosis of placenta accreta, 41.7% had an estimated blood loss of ≥ 5000 mL, compared with 12.0% of those who did not receive the diagnosis antenatally with ultrasound scanning (P = .01). CONCLUSION There are few reliable predictors of massive blood loss in women with placenta accreta.

Therapeutic role of lymphadenectomy for cervical cancer

Despite the diagnostic value of lymphadenectomy for early‐stage cervical cancer, its therapeutic role is unknown. We examined the therapeutic potential of extensive lymphadenectomy in women with early‐stage cervical cancer.

Surgical Intervention in the Management of Postpartum Hemorrhage

Obstetric hemorrhage is often a sudden, life-threatening event. Successful management hinges on both preoperative preparation if hemorrhage is anticipated as well as knowledge of interventions. Uterine-sparing techniques, such as aggressive and early use of uterotonics, balloon tamponade, uterine compression sutures, arterial ligation, and selective arterial embolization, may be used to control hemorrhage. If these techniques are not adequate, the decision must be made to proceed with hysterectomy. The type of hysterectomy (subtotal vs. total) must be individualized to each patient. Hemostatic agents may be particularly useful in patients who have excessive blood loss from raw tissue surfaces.

Quality of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in patients undergoing oncologic surgery.

Objective:We analyzed use of venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis in patients undergoing oncologic surgery and examined the influence of surgeon and hospital characteristics on prophylaxis. Background:Cancer patients undergoing surgery are at high-risk for VTE. Despite the risk of VTE, the use of prophylaxis is variable. Little is known about the patient, surgeon, and hospital characteristics that influence the use of prophylaxis. Methods:Patients undergoing oncologic surgery from 2003 to 2007 and recorded in the Perspective database were analyzed. Surgeons and hospitals were stratified into volume-based tertiles for analysis. The effects of surgeon and hospital volume on use of any prophylaxis and pharmacologic prophylaxis were examined using generalized estimating equations adjusted for confounding variables. Results:In the cohort of 252,950 patients, some form of prophylaxis was given to 79% of patients whereas 46% received pharmacologic prophylaxis. The rate of VTE prophylaxis was 82.7% at high-volume hospitals compared with 75.6% at low-volume facilities (P < 0.0001). After adjustment for case mix and surgeon volume, the odds ratio for receipt of prophylaxis at high- versus low-volume hospitals was 1.40 (95% CI, 1.20–163). The odds ratio for prophylaxis for patients treated by high-volume surgeons was 1.35 (95% CI, 1.14–160) after adjusting for case mix and hospital volume. The rate of pharmacologic VTE prophylaxis was 53.1% in high-volume hospitals versus 38.8% in low-volume hospitals (P < 0.0001). Treatment at a high-volume hospital was associated with an odds ratio of 1.42 (95% CI, 1.22–1.66) for pharmacologic prophylaxis whereas the odds ratio for pharmacologic prophylaxis for patients treated by high-volume surgeons was 1.28 (95% CI, 1.08–1.51). Conclusion:VTE prophylaxis is underutilized in patients undergoing oncologic surgery. Patients treated by high-volume surgeons and at high-volume hospitals are more likely to receive appropriate prophylaxis.

Quality of perioperative venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in gynecologic surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the use of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in women undergoing gynecologic surgery and to estimate the patient, physician, and hospital characteristics associated with guideline-based prophylaxis. METHODS: A commercial database was used to examine women who underwent major gynecologic surgery from 2000 to 2010. Venous thromboembolism prophylaxis was classified as none, mechanical, pharmacologic, or a combination. Multivariable logistic regression models of factors associated with any prophylaxis and pharmacologic and combination prophylaxis were developed. RESULTS: We identified a total of 738,150 women who underwent gynecologic surgery. No prophylaxis was given to 292,034 (39.6%) women, whereas 344,068 (46.6%) received mechanical prophylaxis, 40,268 (5.5%) pharmacologic prophylaxis, and 61,780 (8.4%) combination prophylaxis. Use of prophylaxis increased from 53.5% in 2000 to 67.5% in 2010. Prophylaxis was more commonly used in older women, those with Medicare, women with more comorbidities, white women, patients treated at rural hospitals, teaching facilities, and in patients treated by high-volume surgeons and at high-volume centers (odds ratio [OR] 1.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.23–1.27, P<.05 for all). Factors associated with use of pharmacologic prophylaxis included advanced age, white race, noncommercial insurance, later year of diagnosis, greater comorbidity, treatment at large hospitals and urban facilities, and treatment by a high-volume surgeon (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.44–1.49). CONCLUSION: Despite clear recommendations from evidence-based guidelines, venous thromboembolism prophylaxis is underused in women undergoing gynecologic surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III