IJGC Podcast

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.

RUBY Trial with Mansoor Raza Mirza

Podcast Description: In this episode of the IJGC podcast, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Pedro Ramirez is joined by Dr. Mansoor Raza Mirza to discuss the RUBY Trial. Dr. Mirza is a highly qualified medical oncologist with expertise in Medical and Radiation Oncology, holding multiple degrees and licenses in these fields. He currently serves as the Chief Oncologist at the Department of Oncology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark, and holds the position of Medical Director of the Nordic Society of Gynaecologic Oncology-Clinical Trial Unit (NSGO-CTU). Dr. Mirza is actively involved in numerous medical societies, clinical research, and international trial collaborations, and has contributed significantly to the development of clinical protocols and guidelines for the management of various cancers.
 
Highlights:
The phase 3 RUBY trial evaluated the combination of dostarlimab, a PD-1 inhibitor, with carboplatin and paclitaxel versus placebo, carboplatin, and paclitaxel in patients with primary advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer.
Interim analysis of the trial showed improved progression-free survival (PFS) in the population with mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) endometrial cancer. The 2-year PFS rate in the dMMR population was 61.4%, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.28. Some patients treated with the dostarlimab combination showed no disease progression after 12 months of follow-up, suggesting potential cure.
The dostarlimab combination also demonstrated a trend toward overall survival (OS) improvement in both the dMMR and mismatch repair–proficient (pMMR) subgroups. However, the OS data are still immature, and further follow-up is needed to determine the efficacy of the treatment.

Predictors of SLN Mapping Failure with Diego Raimondo and Giulia Rovero

In this episode of the IJGC podcast, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Pedro Ramirez is joined by Drs. Diego Raimondo and Giulia Rovero.
Dr. Raimondo works as medical director and assistant researcher at the Division of Gynecology and Pathophysiology of Human Reproduction, Bologna, Italy, directed by Prof. Renato Seracchioli. He received his PhD on new technologies for endometriosis surgical removal from the University of Bologna in 2021. He is an Advisory Board Member of the ESGE (European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy) and member of the Special Interest Group in Robotics. His research interests are focused on minimally invasive surgery (laparoscopic, robotic and hysteroscopic) for endometriosis and endometrial cancer.
Dr. Giulia Rovero graduated in Medicine in 2017 at the University of Florence. She is currently a fifth-year resident at the Division of Gynecology and Pathophysiology of Human Reproduction, Bologna, Italy, directed by Prof. Renato Seracchioli. In 2022/23 she spent twelve months at the Lariboisiere Hospital in Paris focusing on gynecologic oncology. She is developing her research activity in collaboration with Dr. Raimondo in the field of minimally invasive surgery for endometrial cancer. 
 
Highlights:
In endometrial carcinoma (EC) patients, the rate of sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping failure ranges from 20% to 25%.
Pooled data assessing predictive factors of SLN mapping failure in EC patients undergoing SLN biopsy through the cervical injection of indocyanine green (ICG) are lacking.
ICG dose <3mL, advanced FIGO stage, lymph node involvement and bulky lymph node are predictive factors of SLN mapping failure in EC patients.
Neither clinical features (i.e., BMI >30 kg/m2, menopausal status, adenomyosis) nor surgical history is significantly associated with SLN mapping failure in EC patients.
Deep myometrial invasion, FIGO grade 3, non-endometrioid histotype, and lymphovascular space invasion are not significantly associated with SLN mapping failure in EC patients.

NRG-018 Pembrolizumab and Chemotherapy in Uterine Cancer with Ramez Eskander

In this episode of the IJGC podcast, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Pedro Ramirez is joined by Dr. Ramez N. Eskander to discuss NRG-018 pembrolizumab and chemotherapy in uterine cancer. Dr. Eskander is a gynecologic oncologist who specializes in the comprehensive management of female reproductive system cancers, including ovarian, uterine, cervical, vulvar and vaginal cancer. His expertise includes diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, including minimally invasive (robotic) surgery, chemotherapy and novel drugs.
Highlights:
NRG-GY018 showed that the addition of pembrolizumab to chemotherapy, followed by maintenance pembrolizumab, resulted in a 70% lower risk of disease progression or death in patients in the dMMR cohort and a 46% lower risk in the pMMR cohort than in the placebo group.
These data suggest that the incorporation of immunotherapy into the first-line treatment of advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer improves oncologic outcomes, regardless of MMR status or histologic findings.
Previous monotherapy drugs against PD-1 and PD-L1 in recurrent or metastatic pMMR endometrial cancer resulted in only modest improvement.

RAINBO Trials with Carien Creutzberg, Nanda Horeweg, and Alexandra Leary

In this episode of the IJGC podcast, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Pedro Ramirez is joined by Carien Creutzberg, Nanda Horeweg, and Alexandra Leary to discuss the RAINBO trials. Carien Creutzberg is Professor of Radiation Oncology at Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands. She specializes in research and treatment of gynecological cancers and has been the initiator and principal investigator of the four PORTEC trials and the TransPORTEC consortium. She is current chair of the GCIG Endometrial Cancer Committee and past Council member of ESGO and IGCS. Nanda Horeweg is senior researcher at the department of Radiation Oncology of Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands. She is one of the principal investigators of the PORTEC team and the international coordinator of the RAINBO program of clinical trials. Alexandra Leary, MD, PhD, is a medical oncologist specializing in gynecological cancers at Gustave Roussy Cancer Center in France. She is the CI for the RAINBO-RED trial and member of the TransPORTEC Consortium. She is current chair of the GCIG Phase II committee, gyne track chair for ESMO Asia, and past gyne track chair for ESMO. 
 
Highlights:
- The RAINBO program includes 4 international clinical trials of molecular class-directed novel adjuvant targeted treatment strategies for women with high-risk endometrial cancer.
- Women with completely resected invasive stage IA-III endometrial cancer may participate in the RAINBO trial that matches with the molecular class of their tumor.
- RAINBO aims to either increase cure rates through the addition of novel targeted therapies or safely reduce toxicity and improve quality of life through treatment de-escalation.
- Uniform data collection and central biobanking will enable overarching and translational RAINBO research projects.

Cervical Cancer Management Updates with Rene Pareja

In this episode of the IJGC podcast, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Pedro Ramirez is joined by Dr. Rene Pareja to discuss recent the cervical cancer management updates. Dr. Pareja is a gynecologist-oncologist at Astorga Oncology Clinic in Medellín and the National Cancer Institute in Bogotá, Colombia. He is a reviewer for more than 20 specialty journals and is an Associate Editor for IJGC. He is the author of ten book chapters and more than 80 publications in peer-reviewed journals, and at IGCS 2021 he received an award for Community Advancement in Resource-Limited Settings.
Highlights:
- There is controversy in offering minimally invasive approaches to women with early-stage cervical cancer and tumors less than 2 cm.
- The role of surgical staging remains controversial because guidelines still recommend it, despite evidence of a negative prospective randomized controlled trial.
- Intermediate risk factors after a radical hysterectomy need to be re-evaluated in a very well designed prospective randomized trial, with modern radiotherapy techniques and updated inclusion criteria.