Objective: The efficacy of intra-abdominal cytoreductive surgery in patients with endometrial cancer and distant metastasis is equivocal. We investigated the effectiveness of such surgical treatment and whether it should be performed before or after chemotherapy (CT). Methods: This study included patients with an International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IVB endometrial cancer who received initial treatment at our hospital between January 2006 and December 2017. Results: We retrospectively reviewed 67 patients with stage IVB endometrial cancer with distant metastases and classified them into preceding surgery (PS, n=23), chemotherapy followed by a surgery (CS, n=27), and CT (n=17) groups. We examined the achievement of resection with [R (1)] or without [R (0)] intra-abdominal macroscopic residue and survival. The median survival time for R (0) was 44 (95% confidence interval [CI]=9–not available [NA]) months in the PS group and 27 (95% CI=11–NA) months in the CS group. The median survival time for R (1) was 9 (95% CI=0–24) months in the PS group and 12 (95% CI=7–19) months in the CS group. The similar prognosis in both groups was worse with R (1) than with R (0). The survival curve for R (1) in the resection groups was similar to that of the CT group. Conclusion Achieving resection without intra-abdominal macroscopic residue for endometrial cancer with distant metastases, whether before or after CT, could extend patients’ survival.

OBJECTIVES: Intraoperative tumor manipulation and dissemination may possibly compromise survival of women with early-stage cervical cancer who undergo minimally-invasive radical hysterectomy (RH). The objective of the study was to examine survival related to minimally-invasive RH with a “no-look no-touch” technique for clinical stage IB1 cervical cancer. METHODS: This retrospective study compared patients who underwent total laparoscopic radical hysterectomy (TLRH) with no-look no-touch technique (n=80) to those who underwent an abdominal radical hysterectomy (ARH; n=83) for stage IB1 (≤4 cm) cervical cancer. TLRH with no-look no-touch technique incorporates 4 specific measures to prevent tumor spillage: 1) creation of a vaginal cuff, 2) avoidance of a uterine manipulator, 3) minimal handling of the uterine cervix, and 4) bagging of the specimen. RESULTS: Surgical outcomes of TLRH were significantly superior to ARH for operative time (294 vs. 376 minutes), estimated blood loss (185 vs. 500 mL), and length of hospital stay (14 vs. 18 days) (all, p < 0.001). Oncologic outcomes were similar between the 2 groups, including disease-free survival (DFS) (p=0.591) and overall survival (p=0.188). When stratified by tumor size (<2 vs. ≥2 cm), DFS was similar between the 2 groups (p=0.897 and p=0.602, respectively). The loco-regional recurrence rate following TLRH was similar to the rate after ARH (6.3% vs. 9.6%, p=0.566). Multiple-pelvic recurrence was observed in only 1 patient in the TLRH group. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that the no-look no-touch technique may be a useful surgical procedure to reduce recurrence risk via preventing intraoperative tumor spillage during TLRH for early-stage cervical cancer.
Cervix Uteri ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures ; Operative Time ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

The development of new treatments for gynecological malignancies has been conducted mainly through collaborative international phase III trials led by the United States and Europe. The survival outcomes of many gynecological malignancies have greatly improved as a result. Recent large-scale genome-wide association studies have revealed that drug efficacy and adverse event profiles are not always uniform. Thus, it is important to validate new treatment options in each country to safely and efficiently provide newly developed treatment options to patients with gynecological malignancies. The Japanese Gynecologic Oncology Group (JGOG) is conducting 5 cohort studies (JGOG 3026, 3027, 3028, 3030, and 3031) to establish real-world data (RWD) of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor use in patients with advanced or recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer. The RWD constructed will be used to provide newly developed PARP inhibitors for women with advanced or recurrent ovarian cancer in a safer and more efficient manner as well as to develop further treatment options. In 2022, The JGOG, Korean Gynecologic Oncology Group, Chinese Gynecologic Cancer Society, and Taiwanese Gynecologic Oncology Group established the East Asian Gynecologic Oncology Trial Group to collaborate with East Asian countries in clinical research on gynecologic malignancies and disseminate new knowledge on gynecologic malignancies from Asia. The JGOG will conduct a collaborative integrated analysis of the RWD generated from Asian countries and disseminate real-world clinical knowledge regarding new treatment options that have been clinically implemented.