Magdolna Dank

Survival Difference in Advanced-Stage Cervical and Ovarian Cancer Patients Treated with Concomitant Modulated Electro-Hyperthermia in Comparison to Classic Treatment Modalities: Results of a Pilot Study and Meta-Analysis

Background: Modulated electro-hyperthermia (mEHT) is one of the latest advancements in the field of oncological hyperthermia. Previous studies investigating mEHT revealed that it is safe and effective; however, no meta-analysis was conducted either in cervical or ovarian cancer. Methods: A single-institute pilot case series and a meta-analysis were conducted. Advanced stage cervical and ovarian cancer cases were included. In the pilot study, mEHT treatments were conducted using the Oncotherm EHY-2000+ and the EHY-2030 devices with 2–3 treatment sessions per week. Results: For the meta-analysis, a total of five studies were identified, with 160 and 31 cervical and ovarian cancer patients, respectively. In addition, 175 standard-of-care-treated cervical cancer patients were also identified as controls. The 1- and 2-year survival rate of the cervical cancer patients treated with mEHT was 87.61% [95% confidence interval (CI): 71.31–100%] and 78.13% (95% CI: 53.02–100%). Compared to the controls, the 2-year survival rates (78.13% vs. 58.86%) were significantly better in the mEHT-treated cohorts (odds ratio: 0.4143, p = 0.0441; hazard rate: 0.6607, p = 0.0103). The 1- and 2-year survival rates of ovarian cancer patients were 45.46% (95% CI: 5.97–84.95%) and 32.83% (95% CI: 0–79.57%), respectively. The result of our institutional data strengthened the results of the meta-analysis. Conclusions: Using mEHT, a significantly higher 2-year survival rate can be achieved in cervical cancer. In this setting, a wider testing/application of the modality is warranted. In the case of ovarian tumors, the available knowledge is minimal, and applicability and efficacy studies are urgently needed.

High Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte Count Is Associated with Distinct Gene Expression Profile and Longer Patient Survival in Advanced Ovarian Cancer

Cancer-related immunity plays a significant role in the outcome of ovarian cancer, but the exact mechanisms are not fully explored. A retrospective, real-life observational study was conducted including 57 advanced ovarian cancer patients. Immunohistochemistry for CD4+, CD8+, and CD45+ was used for assessing tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Furthermore, an immune-related gene expression assay was performed on 12–10 samples from patients with less than and more than 1-year overall survival (OS), respectively. A higher number of CD4+ (p = 0.0028) and CD45+ (p = 0.0221) immune cells within the tumor microenvironment were associated with longer OS of patients. In a multivariate setting, higher CD4+ T cell infiltration predicted longer OS (p = 0.0392). Twenty-three differentially expressed genes—involved in antigen presentation, costimulatory signaling, matrix remodeling, metastasis formation, and myeloid cell activity—were found when comparing the prognostic groups. It was found that tumor-infiltrating immune cell counts are associated with peculiar gene expression patterns and bear prognostic information in ovarian cancer. SOX11 expression emerged and was validated as a predictive marker for OS.