Hitoshi Niikura

Prospective evaluation of sentinel node navigation surgery in Japanese patients with low-risk endometrial cancer—safety and occurrence of lymphedema

Abstract Objective The present study aimed to clarify the occurrence rate of lymphedema and prognosis in patients with endometrial cancer according to sentinel lymph node biopsy alone with intraoperative histopathological examination. Methods The study included 45 consecutive patients with endometrial cancer treated at Tohoku University Hospital between October 2014 and August 2017. All patients had endometrial carcinoma with endometrioid histology Grade 1 or Grade 2 confirmed by biopsy and stage I on magnetic resonance imaging and/or computed tomography at their preoperative evaluation. Sentinel lymph node detection was performed by radioisotope and dye. Patients who were diagnosed intraoperatively as negative for sentinel lymph node metastasis did not undergo further systematic pelvic lymphadenectomy. The occurrence rate of lymphedema and prognosis was evaluated. Results Bilateral sentinel lymph nodes were detected in 44 of 45 patients (97%). Forty-three patients underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy alone, and only two patients underwent systematic lymphadenectomy. Sentinel lymph node metastases were detected in one patient intraoperatively and two patients postoperatively as ITCs. No patients experienced recurrence. New symptomatic lower-extremity lymphedema was identified in one of 43 patients (2.3%) who underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy alone. Conclusion Sentinel lymph node biopsy alone with intraoperative histopathological diagnosis appears to be a safe and effective strategy to detect lymph node metastasis and to reduce the number of patients with lower-extremity lymphedema among patients with endometrial cancer.

Japan Society of Gynecologic Oncology 2022 guidelines for uterine cervical neoplasm treatment

The Japan Society of Gynecologic Oncology (JSGO) Guidelines 2022 for the Treatment of Uterine Cervical Cancer are revised from the 2017 guideline. This guideline aimed to provide standard care for cervical cancer, indicate appropriate current treatment methods for cervical cancer, minimize variances in treatment methods among institutions, improve disease prognosis and treatment safety, reduce the economic and psychosomatic burden of patients by promoting the performance of appropriate treatment, and enhance mutual understanding between patients and healthcare professionals. The guidelines were prepared through the consensus of the JSGO Guideline Committee, based on a careful review of evidence gathered through the literature searches and the medical health insurance system and actual clinical practice situations in Japan. The guidelines comprise seven chapters and 5 algorithms. The main features of the 2022 revision are as follows: 1) added discussed points at the final consensus meeting; 2) revised the treatment methods based on the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics 2018 staging system; 3) examined minimally invasive surgery based on Laparoscopic Approach to Cervical Cancer trial; 4) added clinical question (CQ) for treatments of rare histological types, gastric type, and small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma; 5) added CQ for intensity-modulated radiation therapy; 6) added CQ for cancer genomic profiling test; and 7) added CQ for cancer survivorship. Each recommendation is accompanied by a classification of recommendation categories based on the consensus reached by the Guideline Committee members. Here, we present the English version of the JSGO Guidelines 2022 for the Treatment of Uterine Cervical Cancer.

Revision of quality indicators for cervical cancer and trend analysis of existing indicators in Japan

Cervical cancer rates in Japan (16.0/100,000) exceed the global average rate (11.3/100,000, according to the High/Very-High Human Development Index in 2020). This necessitates the evaluation of care quality and the quality indicators (QIs) for cervical cancer that were developed in 2013 to serve this purpose. This study updated these indicators using current evidence and consensus while longitudinally examining trends in practice patterns. The revision involved reviewing existing QIs and patterns of care indicators and incorporating new indicators using the modified Delphi method. Adherence to these indicators was assessed using a linked hospital-based cancer registry-based diagnostic procedure combination database covering approximately 70% of patients with cancer in Japan. The longitudinal trends of the existing indicators were evaluated using the linear probability model. Seven new indicators were added to the existing twelve. Two of the new indicators mainly focused on early-stage surgical intervention, while one focused on advanced-stage bevacizumab combination therapy, with adherence rates of 81.7%, 0.8%, and 45.9%. Longitudinal analyses revealed significant improvements with the use of cisplatin in concurrent chemoradiotherapy for advanced-stage cervical cancer (+1%/year), oral anticancer agents as maintenance therapy after primary treatment for early-stage cervical cancer (-0.8%/year), and hysterectomy for adenocarcinoma in situ in patients above 44 years old (-2%/year). The QIs for cervical cancer in Japan have been revised based on 2022 evidence. The existing and new indicators should be continually evaluated to correspond to the latest knowledge. This will facilitate the standardization and promotion of bottom-up improvements in cervical cancer care.