Hiroyuki Nomura

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine whether the number of resected pelvic lymph nodes (PLNs) affects the prognosis of endometrial cancer (EC) patients at post-operative risk of recurrence. METHODS: JGOG2043 was a randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of three chemotherapeutic regimens as adjuvant therapy in EC patients with post-operative recurrent risk. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 250 patients who underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy alone in JGOG2043. The number of resected and positive nodes and other clinicopathologic risk factors for survival were retrieved. RESULTS: There were 83 patients in the group with less than 20 PLNs removed (group A), while 167 patients had 20 or more PLNs removed (group B). There was no significant difference in patients' backgrounds between the two groups, and the rate of lymph node metastasis was not significantly different. There was a trend toward fewer pelvic recurrences in group B compared with group A (3.5% vs. 9.6%; p=0.050). Although Kaplan-Meier analysis showed no statistically significant difference in survival rates between the two groups (5-year overall survival [OS]=90.3% vs. 84.3%; p=0.199), multivariate analysis revealed that resection of 20 or more nodes is one of the independent prognostic factors (hazard ratio=0.49; 95% confidence interval=0.24-0.99; p=0.048), as well as surgical stage, high-risk histology, and advanced age for OS. CONCLUSION: Resection of 20 or more PLNs was associated with improved pelvic control and better survival outcomes in EC patients at risk of recurrence who underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy alone and were treated with adjuvant chemotherapy.

Although concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) is an effective treatment for advanced cervical cancer, its use in advanced cervical cancer with a pedunculated cervical leiomyoma remains challenging. The prognosis of recurrent cervical cancer is poor, with a low possibility of complete response (CR). In this present study, after completion of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and chemotherapy (weekly cisplatin), we performed the resection of a pedunculated cervical leiomyoma. No malignant cells were identified in the pathological specimen. After the myoma resection, no cervical tumor was observed on follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). High-dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy (HDR-ICBT) was also performed. Local control of the cervical tumor was achieved after 30 months of treatment. After CCRT, rectal hemorrhage was observed but was effectively controlled via local intervention. Twenty-four months after CCRT, the patient was given salvage chemotherapy (paclitaxel plus carboplatin) due to lymph node metastasis observed at the outside range of EBRT. Thirty months after CCRT, computed tomography showed that the metastatic lymph nodes had disappeared, and the patient achieved CR. Thus, for advanced cervical cancer with a pedunculated cervical leiomyoma, CCRT could be completed following myoma resection. In addition, salvage chemotherapy for lymph node metastasis might result in CR. In this present case, a gastrointestinal adverse event was observed after radiotherapy and salvage chemotherapy with paclitaxel plus carboplatin achieved CR.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide. Although cytology or HPV testing is available for screening, these techniques have their drawbacks and optimal screening methods are still being developed. Here, we sought to determine whether aberrant expression of miRNAs in cervical mucus could be an ancillary test for cervical neoplasms. The presence of miRNAs in 583 and 126 patients (validation and external cohorts) was determined by real-time RT-PCR. Performance of a combination with five miRNAs (miR-126-3p, -451a -144-3p, -20b-5p and -155-5p) was estimated by ROC curve analysis. Predicted probability (PP) was estimated by nomograms comprising -ΔCt values of the miRNAs, HPV genotype and age. A combination of five miRNAs showed a maximum AUC of 0.956 (95% CI: 0.933-0.980) for discriminating cancer. Low PP scores were associated with good prognosis over the 2-year observation period (p < 0.05). Accuracy for identifying cancer and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 3 + by nomogram was 0.983 and 0.966, respectively. PP was constant with different storage conditions of materials. We conclude that nomograms using miRNAs in mucus, HPV genotype and age could be useful as ancillary screening tests for cervical neoplasia.