Sara Iacoponi

Prognostic factors associated with local recurrence in squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva

Objective To analyze the prognostic factors related to the recurrence rate of vulvar cancer. Methods Retrospective study of 87 patients diagnosed of vulvar squamous cell carcinoma diagnosed at a tertiary hospital in Madrid between January 2000 and December 2010. Results The pathological mean tumor size was 35.1±22.8 mm, with stromal invasion of 7.7±6.6 mm. The mean free margin after surgery was 16.8±10.5 mm. Among all patients, 31 (35.6%) presented local recurrence (mean time 10 months; range, 1 to 114 months) and 7 (8%) had distant metastases (mean time, 5 months; range, 1 to 114 months). We found significant differences in the mean tumor size between patients who presented a relapse and those who did not (37.6±21.3 mm vs. 28.9±12.1 mm; p=0.05). Patients with free margins equal or less than 8 mm presented a relapse rate of 52.6% vs. 43.5% of those with free margin greater than 8 mm (p=0.50). However, with a cut-off of 15 mm, we observed a local recurrence rate of 55.6% vs. 34.5%, respectively (p=0.09). When the stromal invasion cut-off was >4 mm, local recurrence rate increased up to 52.9% compared to 37.5% when the stromal invasion was ≤4 mm (p=0.20). Conclusion Tumor size, pathologic margin distance and stromal invasion seem to be the most important predictors of local vulvar recurrence. We consider the cut-off of 35 mm of tumor size, 15 mm tumor-free surgical margin and stromal invasion >4 mm, high risk predictors of local recurrence rate.

Prognostic Factors of Recurrence and Survival in Vulvar Melanoma: Subgroup Analysis of the VULvar CANcer Study.

Objective The aim of this study was to analyze the prognostic factors related to the recurrence rate and overall survival of vulval melanoma patients by means of a subgroup analysis of the VULvar CANcer study. Methods The international multicenter VULvar CANcer study involved 100 international centers, which contributed 2453 vulvar cancer cases. Of the 1727 patients finally included in the study, 42 were suffering from vulvar melanoma (2.4%). Results The mean follow-up for vulval melanoma patients was 44.1±35.7 months. Recurrence rate was 50%, and the mean recurrence-free survival was 43.5±6.6 months. For local recurrences, the mean recurrence-free interval was 63.3±8.6 months; for metastasis, 33.5±3.5 months. The 5-year recurrence-free survival rate was 28.6%. The mean overall survival for vulvar melanomas was 45.9±4 months and the 5-year overall survival rate was 78.6%. The only factor with prognostic significance regarding local recurrence of vulvar melanoma was tumor size (P = 0.003). American Joint Committee on Cancer staging was the only prognostic factor associated with metastatic disease at recurrence (P < 0.001). Finally, age of patient was significantly associated with overall survival (P < 0.001). Conclusions Tumor size and American Joint Committee on Cancer stage were independent prognostic factors associated with local and distant recurrence, respectively. Patients’ age was the only independent prognostic factor associated with overall survival.

Single-port laparoscopic extraperitoneal para-aortic lymphadenectomy.

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and the safety of single-port extraperitoneal laparoscopic para-aortic lymphadenectomy for patients with gynecologic cancer. Methods From July 2012 to January 2013, a total of 7 patients with gynecologic cancer underwent a laparoscopic pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy with a single-port device. An extraperitoneal approach was performed for para-aortic lymphadenectomy using only one 2.5-cm incision on the left side. In 6 patients, additionally, hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy with conventional laparoscopy were performed to complete the treatment. Results Aortic dissection was complete in all cases without complications. The median age of the patients was 63 years (range, 48–78 years), and the median patient body mass index was 31 kg/m2 (range, 19–38 kg/m2). The median number of para-aortic nodes was 17 (range, 10–25); the median operative time was 204 minutes (range, 120–300 minutes). The median hospital stay was 4 days (range, 3–6 days). No patient encountered postoperative complications. Conclusions This study demonstrates the feasibility of single-port laparoscopic extraperitoneal para-aortic lymphadenectomy.

Prognostic value of lymph node ratio and number of positive inguinal nodes in patients with vulvar cancer

OBJECTIVE To estimate the prognostic significance of lymph node ratio and number of positive nodes in vulvar cancer patients. METHODS This international multicenter retrospective study included patients diagnosed with vulvar cancer treated with inguinal lymphadenectomy. Lymph node ratio (LNR) is the ratio of the number of positive lymph nodes (LN) to the number of removed LN. Patients were stratified into risk groups according to LNR. LNR was correlated with clinical-pathological parameters. Survival analyses were performed. RESULTS This analysis included 745 patients. In total, 292 (39.2%) patients had positive inguinal LN. The mean (SD) number of resected and positive LN was 14.1 (7.6) and 3.0 (2.9), respectively. High LNR was associated with larger tumor size and higher tumor grade. Patients with LNRs 0% (N0), >0<20%, and >20% had 5-year overall survival (OS) rates of 90.9%, 70.7%, and 61.8%, respectively (P<0.001). LNR was associated with both local and distant recurrence-free survival (P<0.001). Patients with 0, 1, 2, 3 or >3 positive lymph nodes had 5-year OS rates of 90.9%, 70.8%, 67.8%, 70.8% and 63.4% respectively (P<0.001). In multivariate analysis, LNR (P=0.01) and FIGO stage (P<0.001), were associated with OS, whereas the number of positive nodes (P=0.8), age (P=0.2), and tumor grade (P=0.7), were not. In high-risk patients, adjuvant radiotherapy was associated with improved survival. CONCLUSIONS LNR provides useful prognostic information in vulvar cancer patients with inguinal LN resection in vulvar cancer. LNR allows for more accurate prognostic stratification of patients than number of positive nodes. LNR seems useful to select appropriate candidates for adjuvant radiation.

Prognostic factors for recurrence and survival among patients with invasive vulvar Paget disease included in the VULCAN study.

To identify prognostic factors associated with recurrence and overall survival among patients with invasive vulvar Paget disease.

European Nationality Influence in the Management of Squamous Cell Vulvar Cancer

Aims: Vulvar cancer is a rare disease. In western European countries, the incidence is 1.2 cases per 100,000 women/year. The aim of this study was to analyze the management and disease-free survival (DFS) of vulvar cancer among European countries. Methods: An international multicenter retrospective study including patients diagnosed of squamous cell vulvar cancer was performed. Countries analyzed included Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Turkey. One hundred different centers were enrolled including 1,505 squamous cell tumors treated from January 2001 until December 2005. Results: The mean free surgical margin was 9.93 mm, which was different between countries (p = 0.076); it ranged from 5.79 mm (95% CI 4.44-7.13) in Germany to 33.39 mm (95% CI 22.21-44.58) in Lithuania. The global 5-year overall survival rate was 61.4%, and the global 5-year DFS rate was 32%. DFS times were different between countries as well as the treatments carried out. The country with the shortest DFS time had 15.9 ± 3.1 months compared to the one with the longest time with 66.0 ± 17.4 months. Conclusion: Wide differences in treatments and DFS times have been observed between countries. Homogeneous management for squamous cell vulvar cancer is needed to obtain the best survival rates for all patients.

Vaginal laparoscopically assisted radical trachelectomy in cervical clear cell adenocarcinoma

Adenocarcinoma of the cervix is a rare condition that has shown an increase in incidence, especially in the 20- to 34-year-old group. Adenocarcinoma represents about 5-10% of all tumours in this area, and, among these, the clear cell type accounts for 4-9%. This type of tumour affects mainly postmenopausal women but also occurs in young women with a history of prenatal exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES). The prognosis for adenocarcinoma of the cervix is poor overall and worse for the clear cell variety. This article discusses a case of clear cell adenocarcinoma of the cervix, unrelated to intrauterine exposure to DES, in a woman of childbearing age who wished to preserve her fertility and was therefore treated by radical vaginal trachelectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy.

Imaging Technologies and Applications in Early Diagnosis and Prognosis for Breast Cancer

There is increasing interest in the development of imaging tests to screen for breast cancer, especially in high-risk groups where conventional technology falls short. Breast imaging has made huge advances in the last decade, and along with newer techniques to diagnose primary breast cancer, many novel methods are being used and look promising in detecting distant metastasis and recurrent disease and assessing response to treatment. While screening mammography, which is the most extensively studied technique, is recognized as the most effective method for early detection of breast cancer, and many screening procedures have been discussed, this modality has limitations that are the driving force behind efforts to refine existing mammography technologies and develop new ones offering improved detection of breast cancer. Recent studies have shown that these techniques can enhance the radiologist’s ability to detect cancer and assess disease extent, which is crucial in treatment planning and staging.