IJGC Podcast

Isolated Nodal Recurrence in Endometrial Cancer with Andrea Mariani and Ilaria Capasso

In this episode of the IJGC podcast, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Pedro Ramirez is joined by Drs. Andrea Mariani and Ilaria Capasso to discuss isolated nodal recurrence in endometrial cancer. Dr. Mariani is a Full Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Surgery, at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He is the Gynecologic Oncology Division Chair in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Mariani’s research interest is endometrial cancer with a special interest in robotic surgery. He is internationally recognized for his contributions in the advancement of surgical and postoperative treatment of endometrial cancer. Since 2019, Dr. Capasso has been employed as an OBGYN Resident at Fondazione Policlinico Agostino Gemelli (Rome, Italy), where she mainly works in the Gynecologic Oncology Unit, with a special focus on clinical and translational research in endometrial cancer. Between May 2022 and May 2023, she held the position of Visiting Research Fellow at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN, US), where she led clinical and translational research projects mainly related to AI, microbiome, and ctDNA in endometrial cancer. She currently holds the position of Research Collaborator at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN, US).
 Highlights:
This study aimed to analyze the clinicopathological features and outcomes of patients with endometrial cancer who experienced isolated lymphatic recurrence after lymphadenectomy, categorized by different recurrence sites and treatment approaches.
The researchers retrospectively reviewed surgically treated endometrial cancer patients and identified 66 women (1.6%) with isolated lymphatic recurrence.
The overall median cause-specific survival for these patients was 24 months. Survival outcomes were not significantly different among the four isolated lymphatic recurrence groups, although patients with recurrence in the para-aortic area showed better long-term survival rates higher rates of long-term survivors (patients who survived more than 5 years after the recurrence).
Factors associated with improved cause-specific survival included low-grade histology and the absence of lymphovascular space invasion in the primary tumor.
Moreover, patients who underwent surgical treatment with/without other associated treatments for isolated lymphatic recurrence exhibited better cause-specific survival compared to those who did not undergo surgery, even after adjusting for age.

The STATICE Trial with Tadaaki Nishikawa

 In this episode of the IJGC podcast, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Pedro Ramirez is joined by Dr. Tadaaki Nishikawa to discuss the STATICE trial. Dr. Nishikawa worked as a gynecological oncologist for half his career and is currently working as a medical oncologist at National Cancer Center Japan. He focuses on developing new agents for GY cancers.
 
Highlights:
Trastuzumab deruxtecan demonstrated clinical activity in previously treated patients with advanced or recurrent uterine carcinosarcoma regardless of HER2 status in the STATICE trial.
The overall response rates were 54.5% in the HER2-high (2+ or 3+) cohort and 70% in the HER2-low (1+) cohort, respectively.
Adverse events ≥ grade 3 occurred in 61% of patients and pneumonitis or interstitial lung disease of grades 1-2 and 3 occurred in 24% and 3% of patients, respectively.
We performed a co-clinical study of trastuzumab deruxtecan using patient-derived xenograft models of participants in the STATICE trial.
Tumor shrinkage after trastuzumab deruxtecan administration was observed in PDX models, which included two patients enrolled in the STATICE trial.

BSO at Benign Hysterectomy: Long-Term Consequences with Mathilde Gottschau and Lene Mellemkjær

In this episode of the IJGC podcast, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Pedro Ramirez is joined by Drs. Mathilde Gottschau and Lene Mellemkjær to discuss BSO at benign hysterectomy. Dr. Gottschau, medical doctor and PhD, is currently working as a postdoctoral fellow at the Danish Cancer Society Research Center. The main focus of her research is gynecological cancer including breast cancer, women’s health, and epidemiology. Dr. Mellemkjær, human biologist and PhD, is a senior scientist at the Danish Cancer Society Research Center. She has extensive experience within cancer epidemiology with a special focus on breast cancer.
Highlights:
Results from the study by Gottschau et al., which has recently been published in Annals of Internal Medicine, support current recommendations of ovarian conservation in premenopausal women who do not have a high risk for ovarian cancer.
Results also suggest a cautious approach to removing ovaries in postmenopausal women.
More studies are needed to investigate other health consequences of ovarian removal, e.g., studies focusing on mental health, quality of life or osteoporosis.

Reviewing the July Issue with Matt Wagar and Seda Şahin Aker

In this episode of the IJGC Podcast, Editorial Fellows, Matt Wagar and Seda Şahin Aker, discuss the contents of the July issue of IJGC.

NOW Trial: Neoadjuvant PARPi with Shannon Westin

In this episode of the IJGC podcast, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Pedro Ramirez is joined by Dr. Shannon Westin to discuss the NOW trial. Dr. Westin is Professor and Center Medical Director in the Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. She is the co-director of the Ovarian Cancer Moon Shot and Director of Early Drug Development.
Highlights:
Olaparib was feasible and safe as a neoadjuvant strategy in germline mutant advanced ovarian cancer.
Surgical outcomes were outstanding after only twocycles of neoadjuvant olaparib therapy.
Adverse events were as expected for PARP inhibition.
The NOW trial provides proof of concept for targeted therapy in lieu of chemotherapy for neoadjuvant treatment of ovarian cancer.

FERTIlity Study: Conservative Management of Early Cervical Cancer

In this episode of the IJGC podcast, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Pedro Ramirez is joined by Professor Dr. Jiří Sláma to discuss the FERTIlity study. Dr. Sláma works as the head of the Oncogynecology Department and Colposcopy Unit at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the General University Hospital and the 1st Medical Faculty of Charles University in Prague. His main professional interest is the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer and surgical management of gynecological malignancies.
Highlights:
Non-radical cervical procedures (conization and simple vaginal trachelectomy) are not associated with a higher risk of recurrence in patients with HPV-associated tumors <2 cm, regardless of LVSI.
Sentinel node biopsy should be an integral part of fertility-sparing cervical cancer management.
Tumor size >2 cm is a significant risk factor for recurrence.
Only half of the women tried to conceive during the long follow-up period after fertility-sparing surgery.
The overall fertility rate was 63% in the non-radically operated group, whereas it was 26% in women after radical trachelectomy.

SLN Alone in High-Risk Endometrial Cancer with Vito Andrea Capozzi

In this episode of the IJGC podcast, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Pedro Ramirez is joined by Dr. Vito Andrea Capozzi to discuss SLN alone in high-risk endometrial cancer. Dr. Capozzi works at the Department of Medicine and Surgery of the University Hospital of Parma, Italy. He shows special interest in gynecologic oncology, oncologic surgery, and translational medicine.
Highlights:
Sentinel lymph node mapping alone in high-risk endometrial cancer patients is an oncologically safe technique over a median observational time of 31 months.
No significant difference in overall survival and disease-free survival was observed between sentinel lymph node alone and Lymphadenectomy groups.
Patients with histologically proven nodal metastasis had overlapping survivals and disease-free survival in the sentinel lymph node alone and lymphadenectomy groups.

Reviewing the 2023 Special Issue with Giulio Bonaldo and Nuria Agusti (Spanish Version)

In this episode of the IJGC Podcast,  Giulio Bonaldo, and Nuria Agusti discuss the contents of the 2023 special issue of IJGC in Spanish.

2023 Fellow Podcast

In this episode of the IJGC podcast, the IJGC Fellows summarize three of their favorite articles for each cancer - cervical, endometrial, and ovarian - published since 2023. Listen to their discussion and thoughts about the most impactful issues from each of their favorite articles. 

SHAPE Trial with Marie Plante

In this episode of the IJGC podcast, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Pedro Ramirez is joined by Dr. Marie Plante to discuss the SHAPE trial. Dr. Plante has a major interest in minimally invasive surgical (MIS) approaches in the treatment of gynecologic cancers and in fertility-preserving surgery for young women with cervical cancer. She is currently leading two important international trials the SHAPE trial and the Contessa trial.
Highlights:
In low-risk cervical cancer, simple hysterectomy was not inferior to radical hysterectomy.
There was no difference in overall adverse events between simple and radical hysterectomy.
Better quality of life and sexual function was documented with simple hysterectomy compared to radical hysterectomy.