Kyoko Nishikimi

Bevacizumab in frontline chemotherapy improved the survival outcome for advanced ovarian clear cell carcinoma: a multicenter retrospective analysis

Advanced ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) is associated with poor outcomes owing to chemoresistance. Bevacizumab (Bev) is increasingly being used to treat advanced ovarian cancer; however, its efficacy in OCCC remains unclear. This study evaluated the treatment outcomes of frontline bevacizumab chemotherapy in patients with OCCC. This retrospective multi-institutional study included patients diagnosed with advanced OCCC at eight institutions in Japan between 2008 and 2018. Patients were categorized into pre and post-market groups based on the Bev approval dates. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed using univariate and multivariate methods. Additionally, patients were classified into Bev-treated (Bev+) and non-Bev-treated (Bev-) groups, and their prognoses were compared. A total of 96 patients were in the pre-market group and 82 in the post-market group. The post-market group had a significantly higher proportion of patients with poor performance status and patients who underwent interval debulking surgery (p<0.01 and p<0.01, respectively). Univariate analysis demonstrated a better PFS in the post-market group (p=0.041). In multivariate analysis, better PFS (hazard ratio [HR]=0.52; p=0.002) and OS (HR=0.47; p=0.002) were observed in the post-market group than in the pre-market group. Bev+ patients had significantly better PFS and OS than Bev- patients in univariate (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively) and multivariate analyses (PFS: HR=0.36; p<0.001 and OS: HR=0.21; p=0.001, respectively). Incorporating Bev into frontline chemotherapy may improve outcomes in patients with advanced OCCC.

Intra- and postoperative complications associated with diaphragmatic surgery for advanced ovarian cancer

Diaphragmatic resection is frequently required to achieve optimal cytoreduction with no residual disease in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Pleural effusion and pneumothorax are known short-term postoperative complications of diaphragmatic resection; however, few studies have reported intraoperative and long-term postoperative complications of this procedure. We investigated the intraoperative, as well as short- and long-term postoperative complications of diaphragmatic resection. Of the patients with stage III/IV ovarian cancer, who were initially treated at our hospital between 2008 and 2020, 267 patients who underwent diaphragmatic resection were included in this study. We recorded details regarding the type of diaphragmatic resection, type of closure, and intraoperative, as well as short- and long-term postoperative complications. Of the 264 patients who underwent right-sided diaphragmatic resection, 235 underwent full-thickness resection and 29 underwent peritoneal stripping. Of the 118 patients who underwent left-sided diaphragmatic resection, 23 underwent full-thickness resection and 95 underwent peritoneal stripping. Intraoperative complications occurred in 5 patients (massive bleeding from the right hepatic vein [n=1], massive bleeding during excision of the liver adherent to the diaphragm [n=1], and lung injury [n=3]). Short-term complications included pleural effusion that necessitated drainage in 2 and pneumothorax after drain removal in 1 patient. Long-term complications included right diaphragmatic hernia in 1, left diaphragmatic hernia in 2, and pancreaticopleural fistula in 1 patient. Diaphragmatic resection was associated with a low incidence of intra- and postoperative complications, which highlights the safety of this approach for management of advanced ovarian cancer.

Microscopic diseases remain in initial disseminated sites after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for stage III/IV ovarian, tubal, and primary peritoneal cancer

This study aimed to evaluate the presence of pathological residual tumor (pRT) in each initial disseminated site after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) to assess the appropriate surgical margins during interval debulking surgery (IDS) for a favorable prognosis. This prospective descriptive study included patients with stage IIIC-IV epithelial ovarian, fallopian tubal, and peritoneal cancer. One hundred eleven patients underwent diagnostic exploratory laparotomy, and their initial intra-abdominal dissemination statuses were recorded. Any tumor >1 cm in diameter found during the exploratory laparotomy was resected during IDS even if it was macroscopically invisible after NACT. The pRT rate after NACT and negative predictive value (NPV; probability that sites with macroscopically invisible tumors have no pRT) during IDS were assessed in each disseminated site. A median of 5 NACT cycles were performed. Sites with a high incidence of pRT and low NPV included the rectosigmoid colon (71.4%, 38.6%), transverse mesentery (70.3%, 50.0%), greater omentum (68.3%, 51.7%), right diaphragm (61.9%, 48.1%), paracolic gutters (61.1%, 50.0%), and vesicouterine pouch (56.6%, 50.0%). Organs/tissues with a high incidence of pRT featured a low NPV. The median progression-free survival and overall survival in this cohort were 27.7 and 71.9 months, respectively. Even if a disseminated site >1 cm in diameter before NACT is invisible during IDS, microscopic disease remains present within it. The appropriate surgical margins for IDS with a favorable prognosis could be secured by resecting a lesion of >1 cm before NACT even if it is invisible during IDS.

Well-trained gynecologic oncologists can perform bowel resection and upper abdominal surgery safely

This study was performed to examine the safety of bowel resection and upper abdominal surgery in patients with advanced ovarian cancer performed by gynecologic oncologists after training in a monodisciplinary surgical team. We implemented a monodisciplinary surgical team consisting of specialized gynecologic oncologist for advanced ovarian cancer. In the initial learning period in 65 patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) III/IV, a gynecologic oncologist who had a certification as a general surgeon trained 2 other gynecologic oncologists in bowel resection and upper abdominal surgery for 4 years. After the initial learning period, the trained gynecologic oncologists performed surgeries without the certificated general surgeon in 195 patients with FIGO III/IV. The surgical outcomes and perioperative complications during the 2 periods were evaluated. The rates of achieving no gross disease after cytoreductive surgery were 80.0% in the initial learning period and 83.6% in the post-learning period (p=0.560). The incidence of anastomotic leakage after rectosigmoid resection, symptomatic pleural effusion or pneumothorax after right diaphragm resection, and pancreatic fistula after splenectomy with distal pancreatectomy in the 2 periods were 2 of 34 (6.0%), 1 of 33 (3.0%), and 3 of 15 (20.0%) patients in the initial learning period, and 12 of 147 (8.2%), 1 of 118 (0.8%), and 11 of 84 (13.1%) patients in the post-learning period, respectively. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups (p=0.270, p=0.440, p=0.520, respectively). Bowel resection and upper abdominal surgery can be performed safely by gynecologic oncologists.

Predictors of postoperative pancreatic fistula after splenectomy with or without distal pancreatectomy performed as a component of cytoreductive surgery for advanced ovarian cancer

Splenectomy with or without distal pancreatectomy is occasionally performed during cytoreductive surgery for advanced ovarian cancer. We investigated pre-, intra-, postoperative risk factors and predictors of clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (CR-POPF) in patients who underwent cytoreductive surgery for advanced ovarian cancer. We investigated 165 consecutive patients with ovarian, fallopian tube, and peritoneal carcinoma categorized as stage III/IV disease, who underwent splenectomy with or without distal pancreatectomy as a component of cytoreductive surgery performed as initial treatment at Chiba University Hospital. Patient characteristics, clinical factors, and surgical outcomes were compared between those with and without CR-POPF. CR-POPF occurred in 20 patients (12%). There were no significant intergroup differences in the characteristics between patients with CR-POPF and patients without CR-POPF except for operative time, intraoperative blood loss, amylase (AMY) levels in drain fluid on postoperative day (POD)1 and POD3, and pancreatic stump thickness. Multivariate analysis showed that the POD3 drain fluid AMY level was the only significant risk factor and predictor of CR-POPF in patients who underwent cytoreductive surgery for advanced ovarian cancer. The receiver operating characteristic curve of the POD3 drain fluid AMY level, which predicted development of CR-POPF showed an area under the curve of 0.77, and the optimal cut-off value of AMY was 808 U/L. A pancreatic fistula did not occur in patients with POD3 drain fluid AMY levels <130 U/L. The POD3 drain fluid AMY level can be early diagnostic predictor CR-POPF after splenectomy with or without distal pancreatectomy for advanced ovarian cancer.