Yoko Chino

Metabolic tumor burden predicts prognosis of ovarian cancer patients who receive platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy.

Volumetric parameters of positron emission tomography–computed tomography using 18F‐fludeoxyglucose (18F‐FDG PET/CT) that comprehensively reflect both metabolic activity and tumor burden are capable of predicting survival in several cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive performance of metabolic tumor burden measured by 18F‐FDG PET/CT in ovarian cancer patients who received platinum‐based adjuvant chemotherapy after cytoreductive surgery. Included in this study were 37 epithelial ovarian cancer patients. Metabolic tumor burden in terms of metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG), clinical stage, histological type, residual tumor after primary cytoreductive surgery, baseline serum carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) level, and the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) were determined, and compared for their performance in predicting progression‐free survival (PFS). Metabolic tumor volume correlated with CA125 (r = 0.547, P < 0.001), and TLG correlated with SUVmax and CA125 (SUVmax, r = 0.437, P = 0.007; CA125, r = 0.593, P < 0.001). Kaplan–Meier analysis showed a significant difference in PFS between the groups categorized by TLG (P = 0.043; log–rank test). Univariate analysis indicated that TLG was a statistically significant risk factor for poor PFS. Multivariate analysis adjusted according to the clinicopathological features was carried out for MTV, TLG, SUVmax, tumor size, and CA125. Only TLG showed a significant difference (P = 0.038), and a 3.915‐fold increase in the hazard ratio of PFS. Both MTV and TLG (especially TLG) could serve as potential surrogate biomarkers for recurrence in patients who undergo primary cytoreductive surgery followed by platinum‐based chemotherapy, and could identify patients at high risk of recurrence who need more aggressive treatment.

Different Prognostic Implications of 18F-FDG PET Between Histological Subtypes in Patients With Cervical Cancer.

AbstractThis study aimed to investigate whether the predictive values of intensity- and volume-based PET parameters are different between histological subtypes in patients with cervical cancer.Ninety patients, 65 with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and 25 with non-SCC (NSCC), who underwent pretreatment 18F-FDG PET/CT and pelvic MRI, were studied retrospectively. In addition to SUVmax and SUVmean, metabolic-tumor-volume (MTV) was determined by thresholding of 40% SUVmax and total-lesion-glycolysis (TLG) was calculated. Clinical factors and PET metabolic indices were compared between SCC and NSCC. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method with cut-offs determined by ROC analyses to stratify SCC and NSCC patients separately. Factors associated with survival were assessed with univariate and multivariate analyses using the Cox regression model.No significant differences were observed in clinical factors other than tumor size or 18F-FDG PET metabolic indices between SCC and NSCC. The Kaplan–Meier estimates of 2-year PFS and OS rates were 60% and 70% for SCC and 40% and 76% for NSCC, respectively. Multivariate analyses showed that MTV and TLG were the independent prognostic factors for PFS and OS in SCC; in contrast, SUVmax was the independent prognostic factor for PFS and OS in NSCC.Metabolic burden (MTV and TLG) could be beneficial for the prognostic prediction of cervical SCC patients; in contrast, metabolic intensity (SUVmax) could be beneficial for the prognostic prediction of NSCC patients. The different prognostic implications might be based on the differences of tissue integrity and histological heterogeneity between SCC and NSCC.

18 F-FDG/ 18 F-FES standardized uptake value ratio determined using PET predicts prognosis in uterine sarcoma

We investigated whether 16α-[18F]-fluoro-17β-estradiol (18F-FES) and 18F-fluoro-deoxyglucose (FDG) uptake measured using positron emission tomography (PET) predicted prognosis in 18 patients with different histological subtypes of uterine sarcoma. Standardized uptake values (SUVs) and 18F-FDG/18F-FES SUV ratios were determined, and their correlations with progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were examined. Ten patients died from local recurrence or metastasis, and one more experienced recurrence, during the at least 36-month follow-up period. Patients with higher 18F-FDG SUVs (> 5.5) had worse OS (p = 0.007) and tended toward worse PFS (p = 0.11), while patients with lower 18F-FES SUVs (≤ 1.5) had worse PFS (p = 0.03) and tended toward worse OS (p = 0.19). Patients with 18F-FDG/18F-FES ratios > 2.6 had worse PFS (p = 0.009) and OS (p = 0.005). The 5-year PFS and OS rates were 75% and 88% for patients with lower ratios, but were only 10% and 20% for those with higher ratios. These results suggest that pretreatment tumor 18F-FDG/18F-FES ratio is useful for predicting the prognosis of uterine sarcoma patients.

Relation between outcomes and expression of estrogen receptor-α phosphorylated at Ser167 in endometrioid endometrial cancer

Both ligand‐dependent and ligand‐independent activation of estrogen receptor (ER)α is modulated by receptor phosphorylation and results in activation of the ERα‐dependent pathways that are involved in endometrioid endometrial cancer (EEC) pathogenesis. It is also known that the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/p70 S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) and MAPK/p90 ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK) signaling pathways coordinately regulate phosphorylated‐ERα at Ser167 (p‐Ser167‐ERα). However, the expression of p‐Ser167‐ERα in EEC and its prognostic role in ECC is largely unexplored. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the expression of p‐Ser167‐ERα in ECC and its relationship with prognosis. Immunohistochemical staining of primary EEC surgical specimens (n = 103) was carried out using antibodies specific for p‐Ser167‐ERα and for p‐mTOR/p‐S6K1 and p‐MAPK/p‐RSK. The correlation of p‐Ser167‐ERα expression with clinicopathological features and survival of ECC was studied. Patients that were positive for nuclear p‐Ser167‐ERα had significantly shorter relapse‐free survival, and although the result was not significant, levels of nuclear p‐Ser167‐ERα tended to be higher in advanced‐stage ECC patients. Nuclear p‐Ser167‐ERα was significantly positively correlated with p‐MAPK and p‐S6K1, and with significantly shorter relapse‐free survival in EEC.

Evaluation of the benefit and use of the new terminology in endometrial cytology reporting system

The introduction and establishment of a new classification system for endometrial cytology, the “New Terminology in Endometrial Cytology (NTEMC) system,” which is based on the Bethesda System for uterine cervical cytology, has recently been reported. However, the clinical management for new categories in the NTEMC system, particularly atypical endometrial cells (ATEC), has not been clarified. The objective of the present study is to determine how the ATEC category should be treated and whether the introduction of the system has decreased the number of unnecessary endometrial biopsies.

The ideal strategy for cervical cancer screening in Japan: Result from the Fukui Cervical Cancer Screening Study

The aims of the Fukui Cervical Cancer Screening (FCCS) study are to determine the frequency of women with high‐risk HPV (hrHPV), whether HPV16 or HPV18 (HPV16/18), in the Japanese cancer screening population for the first time and to identify the best strategy for cervical cancer screening in Japan.

A Novel Diagnostic Strategy Using 16α-[18F]-Fluoro-17-β-Estradiol (18F-FES) PET/MRI to Achieve Complete Resection of Intravenous Leiomyomatosis in Reproductive-Age Women

Intravenous leiomyomatosis is a life-threatening leiomyoma that grows into the extrauterine venous system. A high recurrence rate has been reported in reproductive-age women who undergo only tumor excision to preserve fertility. Precise diagnosis of tumor extension is essential to achieve complete resection. A 24-year-old woman presented with hypermenorrhea. Contrast-enhanced MRI showed an intramural myoma with worm-like extension into the right parametrium. F-FES PET/MRI accurately depicted the extension with strong FES activity into the right uterine vein, whereas F-FDG PET/MRI excluded the possibility of malignancy. These modalities can be a novel strategy to manage such cases of intractable intravenous leiomyomatosis.