Vincenzo Dario Mandato

A multicentric trial (Olympia–MITO 13) on the accuracy of laparoscopy to assess peritoneal spread in ovarian cancer

OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to prospectively evaluate the accuracy of laparoscopy performed in satellite centers (SCs) to describe intraabdominal diffusion of advanced ovarian cancer (AOC). STUDY DESIGN Patients with a clinical/radiological suspicion of AOC were included in the protocol. SCs were selected among those surgeons, spending a short intensive training period at the coordinator center (CC) to learn the application of staging laparoscopy (S-LPS) in AOC. All women underwent S-LPS at the SCs, and the surgical procedure was recorded and blindly reviewed at the CC. Calculating specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and the accuracy for each parameter with respect to the CC assessed the diagnostic performance of S-LPS. The Cohens kappa was used to test the interobserver agreement of each parameter. RESULTS One hundred sixty-eight cases were considered eligible for the study. A per-protocol analysis was performed on 120 cases. The worst laparoscopic assessable feature was mesenteric retraction, whereas the remaining variables ranged from 99.2% (peritoneal carcinomatosis) to 90% (bowel infiltration). All but 1 SC (SC number 4) reached an accuracy rate of 80% or greater for both single parameters and overall score. The Cohens kappa and the P value for overall predicitive index value were 0.685 and .01, respectively, but improved to 0.773 and .388 after removing the SC number 4 from the analysis. CONCLUSION S-LPS allows an accurate and reliable assessment of intraperitoneal diffusion of disease in AOC patients in trained gynecological oncology centers.

Effects of genistein on the endometrium: ultrasonographic evaluation.

The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of isoflavones on climacteric-related symptoms and on the endometrium in postmenopausal women ,in a prospective ,open ,randomized ,clinical trial performed at the Menopause Clinic of our Department. Seventy postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to two treatment groups receiving 12 cycles of treatment with genistein (group A) or calcium (group B). In all patients ultrasonographic endometrial thickness and Kupperman Index (KI) were evaluated at baseline and after 6 and 12 cycles of treatment. At baseline no significant difference was detected in endometrial thickness and in KI between groups A and B. After 6 and 12 cycles of treatment ,no significant difference was observed in endometrial thickness between or within groups. Endometrial thickness was lower than 5 mm in all cases before and during treatment except in two cases in group B and in one case in group A after 12 months. At 6 and 12 months ,the KI was significantly (p < 0.05) lower in group A in comparison with baseline values and group B. We conclude that genistein administration reduces climacteric symptoms in postmenopausal women and does not increase endometrial thickness.

Leiomyomatosis peritonealis disseminata in association with Currarino syndrome

BackgroundLeiomyomatosis peritonealis disseminata (LPD) is a rare disease in which multiple smooth muscle or smooth muscle-like nodules develop subperitoneally in any part of the abdominal cavity. No reports of multiple congenital malformations associated with LPD have been found in the English literature.Case presentationA 27 year-old patient referred to our gynaecology unit for pelvic pain, amenorrhoea, stress incontinence, chronic constipation and recurrent intestinal and urinary infections. Multiple congenital malformations had previously been diagnosed. Most of these had required surgical treatment in her early life: anorectal malformation with rectovestibular fistula, ectopic right ureteral orifice, megadolichoureter and hemisacrum.An ultrasound scan and computed tomography performed in our department showed an irregular, polylobate, complex 20 cm mass originating from the right pelvis that reached the right hypochondrium and the epigastrium. The patient underwent laparotomy. The three largest abdominal-pelvic masses and multiple independent nodules within the peritoneum were progressively removed. The histological diagnosis was of LPD.ConclusionThe case we report is distinctive in that a rare acquired disease, LPD, coexists with multiple congenital malformations recalling a particular subgroup of caudal regression syndrome: the Currarino syndrome.

Association of cutis laxa and genital prolapse: a case report.

Cutis laxa (CL) is an extremely inherited or acquired connective tissue disorder characterised by a markedly reduced systemic elastin content. Genital abnormalities in patients with CL have been rarely reported. We report such a case in a 48-year-old CL patient affected by genital prolapse, focusing on immunohistological and molecular biology assessment of elastin and collagen type I, III, VI content in the main uterine ligaments. The woman was referred to our department for the onset of a rapidly progressing genital prolapse and urinary incontinence. The patient underwent total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and sacrocolpopexy. Punch biopsies from both cardinal and uterosacral ligaments revealed a dramatic reduction in elastin and an increase in collagen type VI content. The present report seems to underline the central role exerted primarily by elastin in the supportive connective tissue and might contribute to the knowledge of extracellular matrix abnormalities at the basis of genital abnormalities in CL patients.

Laparoscopic versus abdominal approach to endometrial cancer: A 10-year retrospective multicenter analysis

Objective The objective of this study was to give a reality-based picture of the use of laparoscopic surgery for staging endometrial cancer patients out of the experimental setting. Methods Consecutive data of patients with endometrial cancer who underwent laparoscopic or abdominal surgical staging in 6 Italian centers were recorded. Baseline patients and tumors characteristics, surgery performed, and safety data were collected and analyzed. Results A total of 1012 subjects (403 and 609 treated by laparoscopy and laparotomy, respectively) who received surgical stadiation for endometrial cancer were included in the final analysis. The laparoscopic approach to endometrial cancer was more commonly performed in younger and nonobese patients who had received less previous surgeries, whereas the abdominal approach was preferred for the advanced stages and rare histotypes. Irrespectively to stage, the operative time was higher for the laparoscopy than laparotomy, whereas blood loss and postoperative complications were lower in the laparoscopy group than in the laparotomy group. No difference between surgical approaches was observed in complication rates in stage I endometrial cancers, whereas they were worst in higher stages. The site, but not the incidence, of recurrences differed only for advanced stage endometrial cancers. No differences in overall, disease-free, and cancer-related survival rates were also observed. Conclusions In the clinical practice, heterogeneous criteria are adopted to recur to laparoscopy for staging endometrial cancer. The safety and the feasibility of the laparoscopy are confirmed for stage I endometrial cancers, whereas they appear suboptimal for the advanced stages.

A case of mesonephric adenocarcinoma of the vagina with a 1-year follow-up

Mesonephric adenocarcinoma deriving from remnants of vaginal mesonephric ducts is one of the rarest tumors of the female genital tract with only three cases reported till date in international literature. Differential diagnosis from other aggressive tumors is complex and controversies exist in the literature regarding the biological behavior, prognosis, and optimal management strategies of these tumors. A 58-year-old woman presented with a large mass extending from the right adnexal region to the perineum and labia majora. CA125 was increased. A radical excision of the lesion with pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy was performed. A well-capsulated mesonephric adenocarcinoma in a background of vaginal mesonephric remnants was diagnosed. Tumor cells showed immunoreactivity for pancytokeratin, cytokeratin (CK), CD 10, epithelial membrane antigen, vimentin, and calretinin; indeed they were negative for carcinoembryonic antigen, CK 20, estrogen receptor, and progesterone receptor. No evidence of lymph node involvement or metastatic disease was observed. The patient did not receive any adjuvant therapy and is alive and clinically free of disease at 1-year follow-up. In spite of the aggressive biological behavior attributed in literature to mesonephric carcinomas, which is probably due to the complex differential diagnosis with other müllerian tumors, the favorable course of our patient further supports the hypothesis that malignant mesonephric carcinomas may not behave aggressively and that radical surgery alone may be curative

Bleeding patterns during continuous estradiol with different sequential progestogens therapy.

Objective: To evaluate the effects on monthly bleeding of four different progestogens administered in association with transdermal estradiol in a continuous sequential estrogen-progestin therapy (CS-EPT). Design: This prospective, open, randomized, clinical trial included 100 healthy postmenopausal women. Patients were randomized into four treatment groups, each consisting of 25 women. Treatment consisted of 50 μg/day transdermal 17β-estradiol for all women combined to receive four different progestogens (group A: medroxyprogesterone acetate, 10 mg/day; group B: nomegestrol acetate, 5 mg/day; group C: dydrogesterone, 10 mg/day; group D: micronized progesterone, 200 mg/day) per os from the 14th to 25th day of each 28-day cycle. The duration of treatment was 12 cycles. Patients were asked to record in a daily diary the occurrence of any vaginal bleeding, the days of application of each patch, the days of assumption of the different progestogens, and the exact moment of bleeding onset. Results: A total of 937 cycles could be evaluated. In 690 cycles (73.6%), regular progestogen-related bleeding was reported. Among the other cycles, we observed 73 episodes of amenorrhea (7.8%, each one lasting one cycle), 78 episodes of irregular bleeding (8.3%), and 96 episodes of spotting (10.2%). Patients receiving nomegestrol acetate had a significantly higher incidence of regular progestogen-associated bleeding in comparison with those receiving medroxyprogesterone acetate or natural progesterone, and patients receiving dydrogesterone had a significantly higher incidence of regular progestogen-associated bleeding in comparison with those receiving natural progesterone. Conclusion: Our data suggest that CS-EPT generally leads to regular withdrawal bleeding in women without uterine pathology. Micronized progesterone seems to induce more irregular bleeding episodes.

Atypical squamous cells and low squamous intraepithelial lesions in postmenopausal women: Implications for management

OBJECTIVES To determine whether the use of local Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT) affects the adequacy of colposcopic examination; to distinguish abnormal cervical smears secondary to hypoestrogenism from abnormal cervical smears due to true preneoplastic changes; and to suggest an effective management of atypical squamous cells of undeterminated significance (ASCUS) and low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (L-SIL) in menopausal women. STUDY DESIGN Two-hundred fifty-four postmenopausal women with abnormal pap smears (L-SIL or ASCUS) underwent colposcopy and HPV DNA testing. All patients with positive colposcopy underwent punch biopsy, and all patients with positive histological findings underwent surgical treatment. Patients with negative colposcopy, both satisfactory [visible Squamo-Columnar Junction (SCJ)] and unsatisfactory, were treated with local estrogenic replacement therapy (ERT) for 3 months, and repeated colposcopy and pap smears. Patients with negative colposcopy and negative pap smears after ERT were included in a 6 months cytological and colposcopic follow-up. Patients with positive colposcopy underwent punch biopsy, if colposcopy was negative and cytology was positive, patients underwent endocervical curettage. RESULTS One-hundred ninety-five had a diagnosis of ASCUS and 59 a diagnosis of L-SIL. At the first colposcopy, 39 patients showed a lesion and had an appropriate treatment. One-hundred eighty-eight in the ASCUS group and 27 in the L-SIL group had a negative colposcopy and were treated with local ERT. At first colposcopic examination, 37 of the 215 negative colposcopies resulted satisfactory and 178 of the 215 resulted unsatisfactory. After local ERT, 130 of the 178 patients had a satisfactory follow-up colposcopy. After ERT, 25 patients of 215 with initial abnormal CVS and negative colposcopy, required appropriate treatment. After ERT, 190 patients of 215 showed negative colposcopy and at cytologic follow-up showed 23 ASCUS and 167 normal CVS. CONCLUSIONS A correct diagnosis and an efficient treatment seem to be obtained with a short-time ERT followed by a short-time cytological and colposcopic follow-up. With a single course of local ERT it may be possible to distinguish between benign CVS mimicking atrophy and true preneoplastic changes. Estrogen therapy will often cause enough ectropion of the endocervical cells so that the entire SCJ can be visualized. Moreover, it may reduce the number of endocervical curettage or loop excision or cone procedure for women with inadequate colposcopic examination.

Impact of the Food and Drug Administration Safety Communication on the Use of Power Morcellator in Daily Clinical Practice: An Italian Survey.

STUDY OBJECTIVE To assess the impact of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning about power morcellation use on the daily clinical practice of Italian gynecologists. DESIGN Electronic survey mailed to the main gynecologic centers (Canadian Task Force Classification type III). SETTING Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology, IRCCS - Arcispedale S. Maria Nuova di Reggio Emilia (Italy). PATIENTS The study did not include patient data. INTERVENTION There was no intervention. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS From 490 surveys sent out, 426 replies were included in the final analysis (return rate = 86.9%). Four hundred of the 426 (93.9%) gynecologists were aware of the FDA warning. One hundred fifty of 302 (49.7%) of experienced gynecologists and 176 of 349 (50.4%) of oncology gynecologists considered laparoscopy the best approach for myomectomy. The FDA communication was considered overly restrictive by experienced and oncology gynecologists who declared that they had no intention of changing their surgical approach. Two hundred fifty of the 426 (58.7%) gynecologists declared that they would change their surgical approach only to prevent legal litigation. CONCLUSION The FDA warning also affected Italian gynecologists. Particularly, less experienced gynecologists and those without oncologic practice seem to be more interested in avoiding legal litigation rather than a real clinical risk of upstaging an unexpected leiomyosarcoma. Fear of undiagnosed sarcoma could increase the number of laparotomies.

Coexistence of Graves' disease and benign struma ovarii in a patient with marked ascites and elevated CA-125 levels

Background: Struma ovarii is the most common monodermal ovarian teratoma and consists mainly of thyroid tissue. Only 5% of patients with this tumor have features of hyperthyroidism. The pathophysiology of hyperthyroidism in struma ovarii is not clear. Case: We describe a case of benign struma ovarii, presenting with the clinical features of an ovarian cancer: large complex pelvic mass, large amount of ascites and markedly elevated CA-125 serum levels. The patient was initially treated for Graves’ disease, on the basis of ultrasonographic, laboratoristic and scintigraphic evidence. The resistance to the medical treatment led to thyroidectomy. After surgery the hyperthyroidism persisted and, suddenly, the patient presented ascites. A large pelvic mass was then diagnosed which, at the pathologic examination, was diagnosed as a struma ovarii. Conclusion: The struma ovarii always has to be considered when a pelvic mass is associated with features of hyperthyroidism.