Kimio Ushijima

Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Endometrial Cancer (ACE) trial: A randomized phase II study for advanced endometrial carcinoma

AbstractThis study evaluated the feasibility and efficacy of three postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy regimens for endometrial cancer. Endometrioid cancer patients with intermediate‐risk stage I and II or high‐risk stage III and IV disease were randomly assigned to receive six cycles of either paclitaxel‐epirubicin‐carboplatin (TEC), paclitaxel‐anthracycline (doxorubicin)‐carboplatin (TAC), or dose‐dense paclitaxel‐carboplatin (ddTC). The primary end‐point was the completion rate (CRate) of six cycles of treatment. The secondary end‐points were progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). One hundred and one patients were treated as follows: 33 received TEC, 33 TAC, and 35 ddTC. The CRates for TEC, TAC, and ddTC were 94%, 64%, and 69%, respectively (P = .005). The TEC CRate was significantly higher than for the other two groups. However, the PFS and OS outcomes were not statistically different between the three groups. The 2‐year survival rates were 94%, 97%, and 97% for TEC, TAC, and ddTC, respectively. When compared to the current standard treatments for endometrial cancer, TEC is a promising candidate for a phase III trial based on its significantly superior CRate and equivalent PFS and OS. This study is registered with UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN000008911).

A phase II, open-labeled, single-arm study of dose-dense paclitaxel plus carboplatin in advanced or recurrent uterine endometrial cancer treatment: a KCOG-G1303, DOENCA trial

To determine the safety and efficacy of dose-dense (dd) paclitaxel (PTX) and carboplatin (CBDCA) in treating advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. Women aged 20-75 years with histologically confirmed endometrial cancer, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage III disease with some residual tumor, FIGO stage IV disease, recurrence after front-line curative treatment, or recurrence after second-line chemotherapy or radiotherapy were enrolled in this study. PTX (80 mg/m²) was administered intravenously (IV) to every participant on days 1, 8, and 15, and CBDCA (area under the curve of 5) was administered IV on day 1 once every 3 weeks until the disease progressed, unacceptable adverse events occurred, or consent was withdrawn. The primary endpoint was the response rate (RR), while the secondary endpoints were progression-free survival, overall survival, and adverse effects. Forty-eight participants were enrolled, and 46 were eligible to receive treatment. The patients' median age was 61 years (range, 43-76 years). Twenty-two participants had experienced recurrence, and the remaining patients had primary advanced endometrial cancer. There were 10 cases of serous carcinoma, 3 cases of endometrioid carcinoma G3, 2 cases of carcinosarcoma, and 2 cases of clear-cell carcinoma according to histology. Twenty-nine participants (63.0%) received ≥6 cycles of chemotherapy. The RR (complete, 13 cases; partial, 20 cases) was 71.3% (95% confidence interval: 59.0%-84.5%). The dd PTX with CBDCA is feasible and available as a treatment option for advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. UMIN Clinical Trials Registry Identifier: UMIN000017138.

Trends and characteristics of fertility-sparing treatment for atypical endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial cancer in Japan: a survey by the Gynecologic Oncology Committee of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology

The objective of this study was to examine the current trends in fertility-sparing (FS) treatment for young atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AEH) and endometrial cancer (EC) patients in Japan. This study was conducted by the Committee on Gynecologic Oncology of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (JSOG) in the 2017-2018 fiscal year. A nationwide, retrospective questionnaire-style survey-as performed. We collected the data of 413 patients from 102 JSOG gynecological cancer registered institutions. FS treatment was performed with medroxyprogesterone (MPA) (87.2%) or MPA + metformin (11.6%). Pathological complete remission (CR) after initial treatment was achieved in 78.2% of patients. The significant clinicopathological factors correlated to CR after initial treatment were histology (AEH vs. endometrioid carcinoma grade 1 [ECG1]), body mass index (BMI) (<25 vs. ≥25 kg/m²), and treatment period (<6 vs. ≥6 months). ECG1, time to complete remission (TTCR) ≥6 months, maintenance therapy (-), and pregnancy (-) were associated with a significantly higher risk of recurrence on multivariate analysis. The total pregnancy rate was 47%, and the live birth rate was 40.1%. Patients who received infertility treatments showed a higher live birth rate (50.6%) than those who did not (7.7%). In this survey, we confirmed that FS treatment in Japan is centered on MPA alone and in combination with metformin, and that the treatment efficacy is similar to that reported in previous reports. A multicenter survey study in Japan showed FS treatment for young AEH and EC patients in compliance with the indications is feasible.

Diagnostic accuracy and prognostic factors of uterine serous carcinoma in Japanese women: a multi-center study

This multi-center retrospective study aimed to clarify the characteristics, diagnostic accuracy, treatment outcomes, and prognostic factors of uterine serous carcinoma (USC) in Japanese women. The medical records of 193 patients who were treated between 2006 and 2008 at 24 participating institutions in the Japanese Clinical Oncology Group were examined, and pathological slides of 188 patients were re-checked through central pathology review (CPR), hematoxylin-eosin staining, and immunohistochemistry. USC was confirmed in 144 of the 188 (76.6%) patients using CPR, and only 50% were correctly diagnosed preoperatively. Forty-three patients were diagnosed with non-serous carcinoma, whereas one patient had metastasis from another organ. The average age was 65.7 years, and 19% of patients had a history of other cancers. The incidence of stage III-IV disease was 52.8%, and lymph node metastasis was found in 28.5% of patients. Extrauterine spread and distant metastasis occurred in 39% and 14% of patients, respectively. The 2-year overall survival and progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 56% and 42%, respectively. The PFS of patients with stage I and II who underwent complete staging surgery was 92.3%, and that of those without lymph node dissection or omentectomy was 33.3%. Patients with USC had a significantly worse prognosis than 43 patients with non-serous carcinoma. USC in Japanese women has characteristics different from those of endometrioid carcinoma, worse prognosis, and is difficult to diagnose preoperatively. Complete surgical staging is necessary even for early-stage disease. Additionally, new adjuvant treatment strategies, including molecular targeted therapy, should be explored.

Analysis of East Asia subgroup in Study 309/KEYNOTE-775: lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab versus treatment of physician’s choice chemotherapy in patients with previously treated advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer

In the global phase 3 Study 309/KEYNOTE-775 (NCT03517449) at the first interim analysis, lenvatinib+pembrolizumab significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and objective response rate (ORR) versus treatment of physician's choice chemotherapy (TPC) in patients with previously treated advanced/recurrent endometrial cancer (EC). This exploratory analysis evaluated outcomes in patients enrolled in East Asia at the time of prespecified final analysis. Women ≥18 years with histologically confirmed advanced, recurrent, or metastatic EC with progressive disease after 1 platinum-based chemotherapy (2 if 1 given in neoadjuvant/adjuvant setting) were enrolled. Patients were randomized 1:1 to lenvatinib 20 mg orally once daily plus pembrolizumab 200 mg intravenously every 3 weeks (≤35 cycles) or TPC (doxorubicin or paclitaxel). Primary endpoints were PFS per RECIST v1.1 by blinded independent central review and OS. No alpha was assigned for this subgroup analysis. Among 155 East Asian patients (lenvatinib+pembrolizumab, n=77; TPC, n=78), median follow-up time (data cutoff: March 1, 2022) was 34.3 (range, 25.1-43.0) months. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for PFS (lenvatinib+pembrolizumab vs. TPC) were 0.74 (0.49-1.10) and 0.64 (0.44-0.94) in the mismatch repair proficient (pMMR) and all-comer populations, respectively. HRs (95% CI) for OS were 0.68 (0.45-1.02) and 0.61 (0.41-0.90), respectively. ORRs were 36% with lenvatinib+pembrolizumab and 22% with TPC (pMMR) and 39% and 21%, respectively (all-comers). Treatment-related adverse events occurred in 97% and 96% (grade 3-5, 74% and 72%), respectively. Lenvatinib+pembrolizumab provided clinically meaningful benefit with manageable safety compared with TPC, supporting its use in East Asian patients with previously treated advanced/recurrent EC. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03517449.