Investigator

Anouk Benseler

Obstetrics and Gynecology Resident · University of Toronto

ABAnouk Benseler
Papers(4)
Treatment Strategy an…Assessing para‐aortic…Simple hysterectomy <…Association of body m…
Collaborators(8)
Allan CovensAndra NicaDanielle VicusGenevieve Bouchard‐Fo…Brenna E. SwiftRachel KupetsMarcus Q. BernardiniCarlos Parra‐Herran
Institutions(3)
University Of TorontoSunnybrook Odette Can…Brigham And Womens Ho…

Papers

Treatment Strategy and Residual Disease as Determinants of Survival in Stage IVB High‐Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Study

ABSTRACT Background and Objective Stage IVB high‐grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) carries a poor prognosis. We aimed to: (1) describe the characteristics and survival of patients treated with primary cytoreductive surgery (PCS), interval cytoreductive surgery (ICS) or chemotherapy alone, (2) investigate the correlation between disease distribution and treatment type, and (3) evaluate the impact of cytoreductive surgery (CS) “aggressiveness” and outcome on survival. Methods A single‐center retrospective cohort study of Stage IVB HGSOC patients. Demographics, tumor characteristics, treatment including “aggressive” CS (upper abdominal and extraperitoneal procedures), and outcomes were analyzed using descriptive statistics and survival analysis, with nonparametric tests and Cox‐proportional hazard models. Results Of 110 patients, 24 (22%) underwent PCS, 73 (66%) ICS, and 13 (12%) chemotherapy alone. Median overall survival (OS) was 76.2 (PCS), 36.9 (ICS), and 20.1 months (chemotherapy alone) ( p  = 0.014). Supradiaphragmatic lymph‐node metastasis differed across groups ( p  = 0.042). “Aggressive” CS was performed in 53.6% of the surgical cohort, with 54.86% no‐gross‐residual (NGR), 34% optimal ≤ 1 cm ≤ and 11.3% suboptimal/aborted surgical outcome. Median OS post CS for NGR, optimal ≤ 1 cm, and suboptimal was 67.55, 35.26, and 20.97 months, respectively ( p  = 0.006). Conclusions OS for Stage IVB HGSOC follows a hierarchical pattern: PCS, ICS, and chemotherapy. Disease distribution guides treatment and residual tumor after CS correlates with survival.

Assessing para‐aortic nodal status in high‐grade endometrial cancer patients with negative pelvic sentinel lymph node biopsy

Abstract Objective To determine the accuracy of pelvic sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLN) in detecting positive para‐aortic (PA) lymph nodes in high‐grade uterine cancer, and to determine the recurrence rate in patients with high‐grade uterine cancers who did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy based on negative pelvic SLNs. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of patients with newly diagnosed, high‐grade endometrial cancer who underwent surgery, including pelvic SLNs with or without PA node dissection, at a tertiary care institution between 2015 and 2020. Baseline demographics, surgical management, pathology data, and outcomes were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and survival analysis. Results Postoperative histology of the 110 patients meeting inclusion criteria was 45.5% grade 3 endometrioid, 36.4% serous, 10.9% clear cell, and 7.3% carcinosarcoma. On final pathology, 63.7% were stage 1, and 23.6% were stage 3C with positive nodes. A total of 63 patients (57.3%) had a PA lymph node dissection (56 bilateral, 7 unilateral) in addition to the pelvic SLN. Among this group, 5.8% (95% confidence interval 1.2%–16.0%) had a positive PA node despite a negative pelvic SLN. Among those with a negative pelvic SLN and no adjuvant chemotherapy ( n  = 75), the rate of distant recurrence was 14.7%, and 3‐year recurrence‐free survival was 71.9%. Conclusion The rate of isolated PA node metastasis in high‐grade endometrial cancers despite a negative pelvic SLN may be significantly higher than the accepted rate of isolated PA node metastasis in low‐grade endometrial cancer. This supports adjuvant treatment decisions continuing to incorporate primary tumor pathology and molecular classification.

Association of body mass index and length of stay in patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery for uterine cancer: a National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) study.

Body mass index (BMI) has been associated with length of stay and post-operative complications; however, minimally invasive surgery has been proposed to mitigate this. Using real-world data of patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery for uterine cancer, we investigated the association between BMI and length of stay. Among patients discharged the same day, we explored post-operative complications associated with BMI. This was a National Surgical Quality Improvement Program retrospective cohort study including patients who underwent minimally invasive surgery for uterine cancer from 2013 to 2022. We performed a multi-variable Poisson regression to assess the association between BMI and length of stay, adjusting for a priori selected patient-level factors. In patients discharged the same day after surgery, we performed multi-variable linear regression to assess associations between BMI and the following post-operative complications: wound disruption, blood transfusion, surgical site infections, urinary tract infection, pneumonia, sepsis, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, renal insufficiency, myocardial infarction, stroke/cerebrovascular accident, and re-admission, return to the operating room, and death within 30 days. A total of 33,307 patients were included. Their median BMI was 34.2 kg/m In patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery for uterine cancer, BMI was not associated with a clinically significant increase in length of stay, and in those discharged the same day, BMI was not associated with post-operative complications. Minimally invasive surgery for uterine cancer should be considered standard of care regardless of patient BMI, and same-day discharge for patients with elevated BMI is safe.

13Works
4Papers
8Collaborators
Neoplasm StagingNeoplasm GradingOvarian NeoplasmsNeoplasm, ResidualCystadenocarcinoma, SerousPrognosisEndometrial NeoplasmsNeoplasm Recurrence, Local

Positions

Obstetrics and Gynecology Resident

University of Toronto