European Society For Medical Oncology Research Articles

Endometrial cancer risk factors, treatment, and survival outcomes as per the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) - European Society of Gynaecological Oncology (ESGO) - European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) risk groups and International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging: An experience from developing world.

There is limited data on endometrial cancer from developing countries. The risk groups as defined by the ESMO-ESGO-ESTRO and their recommendations for adjuvant treatment have redefined the management protocols. In this retrospective analysis, the outcomes are assessed in the light of the new risk groups and FIGO staging. One hundred and two patients of endometrial cancer reporting to the Department of Radiation Oncology from 2015 to 2019 were analysed retrospectively. Patients were stratified as per the ESMO-ESGO-ESTRO risk groups and FIGO staging. Patients were analysed for demographic profile, histopathology details, FIGO stage, treatment modalities received as per the ESMO-ESGO-ESTRO risk groups and the outcomes in terms of disease free survival and overall survival. A total of 102 patients were analysed. The mean age at presentation was 57.7 years. Seventy four percent (74.41%) were stage I patients, 14.7 % were stage II, 8.8% were stage III and remaining 2% were stage IV. The mean disease free survival for the patients in FIGO stage I, II, III and IV were found to be 63.5 (59.9 - 67) months, 60.5 (54.2 - 66.9) months, 30.9 (21.5 - 40.2) months and 15.4 (7.8 - 23.0) months respectively. The 5-year overall survival of patients in Stage I was 90.3%. The 3-year mortality of Stage III patients was 58.3%. While there was no mortality observed among Stage II patients, none of the Stage IV patient survived beyond 20 months. The 5-year disease-free survival for patients in Low Risk (LR) group, Intermediate Risk (IR) group and High Risk (HR) group was found to be 91.3%, 90% and 87% respectively. None of the patient in High Intermediate Risk (HIR) group experienced progression of disease and 33.3% patients in advanced group were disease free at 2 years follow-up. The multivariate analysis showed that lymph node involvement is significantly associated with disease-free (p=0.03) and overall survival (p=0.04). Even in the developing world, majority of patients present in early stage with survival outcomes comparable to the West. FIGO stage and lymph node involvement continue to be the most important prognostic markers for disease outcomes.

ESMO Designated Centres of Integrated Oncology and Palliative Care (ESMO DCs): education, research and programme development survey

The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Designated Centres (DCs) of Integrated Oncology and Palliative Care is an incentive programme established in 2003 aiming to improve the integration of oncology and palliative care services provided by oncologists and oncology centres worldwide. Currently, the ESMO DCs programme has over 250 centres accredited from 54 countries worldwide, in all six world regions. To evaluate how ESMO can support centres to improve programme development, education and research and vice versa what each single centre can do to improve in these areas, we developed a survey which was shared with all active centres. Two hundred and seven ESMO DCs representing 44 countries were invited to participate. We used content analysis to identify response categories using a stepwise approach. After reviewing and coding all responses to each question separately, they were placed into categories, counted and labelled. Of the 207 centres that were invited to participate, 146 centres started the survey, representing 43 countries. Five overarching topics were identified. They included (i) joint events and educational activities; (ii) sharing of materials and defining common standards; (iii) sharing of experiences, scientific knowledge and expertise; (iv) research collaboration; and (v) ESMO support. Respondents were willing to support the ESMO DC community group in all topics and were also asking ESMO to support their centres in these issues in the future. The study showed that the ESMO DCs are willing to provide support to improve education, research and programme development. They are also eager to contribute and collaborate amongst each other, but also request ESMO to offer advice and help to improve these issues in the DCs. In the future, facilitation of joint research projects and development of arenas to share experiences, educational and programme developments, and other resources are to be explored and could be offered to the DCs worldwide.

Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Cutaneous Melanoma, a Clinical Point of View.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is a surgical procedure that has been used in patients with cutaneous melanoma for nearly 30 years. It is used for both staging and regional disease control with minimum morbidity, as proven by numerous worldwide prospective studies. It has been incorporated in the recommendations of national and professional guidelines. In this article, we provide a summary of the general information on SLNB in the clinical guidelines for the management of cutaneous malignant melanoma (American Association of Dermatology, European Society of Medical Oncology, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and Cancer Council Australia) and review the most relevant literature to provide an update on the existing recommendations for SLNB.

European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2022: Thyroid Cancer Updates from the Annual Convention

European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2022: Thyroid Cancer Updates from the Annual Convention

European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) - 2022 Annual Congress. Paris/Virtual - September 9-13, 2022

European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) - 2022 Annual Congress. Paris/Virtual - September 9-13, 2022

Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy and outcomes from SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with cancer: a joint analysis of OnCovid and ESMO-CoCARE registries

BackgroundAs management and prevention strategies against COVID-19 evolve, it is still uncertain whether prior exposure to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) affects COVID-19 severity in patients with cancer.MethodsIn a joint analysis...

Hereditary ovarian cancer

Background. Hereditary genetic mutations are a significant risk factor for malignant transformation of cells and cancer development. Hereditary genetic mutations account for 15 to 25 % of all ovarian carcinomas. Purpose of the study: to summarize data on hereditary ovarian malignancies, namely: genetic defects, features of the clinical course, treatment options, and disease prevention. Material and methods. A systemic search was undertaken using PubMed, Medline, Cochrane Library databases for publications from 1999 to 2021. Results. The review describes the main genetic defects and hereditary cancer syndromes predisposing to the development of hereditary malignant ovarian tumors. The features of the clinical course and response to drug therapy have been presented. This article summarizes clinical guidelines of the professional communities (National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), American Society Of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, and European Society For Medical Oncology (ESMO). These guidelines contain early detection strategies and approaches to prevent the development of cancers in mutation carriers. Conclusion. Detection of hereditary cancer syndromes is important for patients and their families. Recognizing hereditary predisposition to cancer is important to allow timely surveillance and preventative interventions for both patients and family members.

Follow-up after breast cancer treatment.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy in women. Due to improved detectability and modern methods of treatment, the number of breast cancer survivors is estimated at 6 million women globally and is still increasing. The follow-up (FU) visits carried out at the Greater Poland Cancer Centre were assessed for compliance with Polish Society of Clinical Oncology (PTOK) and European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) guidelines. The database covered 484 women who were treated for breast cancer in the Greater Poland Cancer Centre in 2013. Of these, 233 attended FU visits for 5 years after completion of radical treatment and had no cancer relapse. The number of FU visits and the number and type of additional tests performed were analyzed. The median number of FU visits over 5 years was 14, which is in line with the guidelines. 51.6% women had a mandatory annual mammography. A significant number of women had additional tests that are not recommended in the guidelines. There is a need to educate both physicians and patients on the principles of FU check-ups.

Colorectal Cancer and the Obese Patient: A Call for Guidelines.

The link between obesity and colorectal cancer has been well established. The worldwide rise in obesity rates in the past 40 years means that we are dealing with increasing numbers of obese patients with colorectal cancer. We aimed to review the existing guidelines and make recommendations specific to this group of patients. Upon comparing the current NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines ®), the guidelines from the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the guidelines of the Japanese Society for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum (JSCCR), we observed that these did not take into consideration the needs of obese patients. We proceeded to make specific recommendations with regards to the diagnostic work-up, surgical pathways, minimally invasive technique, perioperative treatment, post-operative surveillance, and management of metastatic disease in this group of patients. Our review highlights the need for modification of the existing guidelines to account for the needs of this patient cohort. A multidisciplinary approach, including principles used by bariatric surgeons, should be the way forward to reach consensus in the management of this group of patients.

Review of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2022

Review of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2022

Different treatment regimens in breast cancer visceral crisis: A retrospective cohort study.

Breast cancer visceral crisis (VC) is caused by excessive tumor burden leading to severe organ dysfunction with poor prognosis. Traditional chemotherapy reduces the quality of life of patients without significantly improving survival. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with VC and the prognosis by using different treatment options. According to the 5th European School of Oncology (ESO)-European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) international consensus guidelines for advanced breast cancer guidelines (ABC 5), patients who were treated in the First Hospital of Jilin University from 2018 to 2022 and diagnosed with breast cancer VC were retrospectively analyzed. The analysis focused on the characteristics of the patients, the treatment regimens, and prognosis. A total of 133 patients were included in this study. As for metastasis breast cancer subtype, 92 (69.18%) were hormone receptor (HR) positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) negative, 20 (15.04%) had HER-2 overexpression, and 21 (15.78%) were triple negative. All patients had an mOS of 11.2 months (range, 1.1-107.8 months). In different types of VC, the median overall survival (mOS) of bone marrow metastasis (BMM) was 18.0 months (range, 2.0-107.8 months), that of diffuse liver metastasis (DLM) was 8.1 months (range, 1.3-30.2 months), and that of meningeal metastasis (MM) was 9.0 months (range, 1.2-53.8 months). In 92 HR+, Her-2- patients using different treatment regimens, mOS was 6.2 months (range, 1.2-29.8 months) in the chemotherapy group while it was 24.3 months (range, 3.1-107.8 months) in the endocrine therapy (ET) group. Multivariate Cox regression analysis suggested that Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) scores and type of VC were associated with survival. Prognosis varied in different types of VC. Patients with BMM had the best prognosis, and DLM had the worst. As treatment options continue to progress, our retrospective study showed a significant prolongation of overall survival (OS) in patients with VC compared to previous studies.

P53, Pirh2, and L1CAM as Promising Prognostic Biomarkers of Endometrial Carcinoma: An Immunohistochemical and Genetic Study.

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynecologic cancer and the current methods for the prediction of its prognosis and treatment response are unfortunately suboptimal. In this study, we evaluated the prognostic value of p53, Pirh2, and L1CAM in 60 cases of EC using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and polymerase chain reaction. TP53 missense mutations result in nuclear accumulation of p53 protein that can be detected as overexpression by IHC. This is in the form of diffuse strong nuclear positivity involving at least at least >50% of the tumor cells as a whole or if >50% of the tumor cells of a discrete geographical areas. Abnormal p53 IHC expression was expressed in 33.3% of the cases and significantly associated with the tumor grade, myometrial invasion (MI), lymphovascular invasion (LVSI), nodal metastasis, and FIGO stage, and the advanced European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) risk groups ( P <0.001 for each). High IHC Pirh2 expression was noted in 58.3% of the cases, and significantly associated with MI, LVSI, nodal metastasis, FIGO stage, and high-risk group ( P <0.001, P =0.011, P =0.010, P =0.024, P =0.005, respectively). There was a significant upregulation of Pirh2 mRNA expression in EC specimens as compared with the control adjacent tissues ( P =0.001). Upregulated Pirh2 mRNA expression had a significant association with Pirh2 immunostaining, tumor grade, tumor stage, MI, lymph node involvement, LVSI, and relapse ( P <0.001 for each). Positive L1CAM immunoexpression was noted in 26.7% and was significantly associated with grade, MI, LVSI, nodal metastasis, FIGO stage, and high-risk group ( P =0.003, P =0.023, P =0.003, P <0.001, P <0.001, P =0.002, respectively). Analysis of follow-up period revealed that EC with abnormal p53 IHC expression, high pirh2 and positive L1CAM expression exhibited a potent relation with tumor relapse, shorter overall survival and disease-specific survival ( P <0.001 for each). Mutant p53, high Pirh2, and L1CAM-positive EC are highly aggressive tumors with a shortened survival rate, dismal outcome, and high risk of relapse after the standard protocol of therapy.

Surgical Training for Cancer Care in Africa: A Needs Assessment Pilot Survey of African Surgical Residency Programs

INTRODUCTION: Worldwide, 5 billion people lack access to safe surgical care, directly impacting care of cancer patients. Because 75% of cancer cases occur in the developing world, we sought to assess availability and utilization of educational resources for surgical cancer care among African surgical residency programs (SRP). METHODS: A pilot survey was sent in a single email distribution in October 2021 to all Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) SRP faculty and trainees. RESULTS: Of 275 surveys distributed to 11 SRP, 46 (16.7%) surveys from 9 countries were completed. Respondents included 25 (54.3%) faculty and 20 (43.5%) trainees with a median of 3 years (interquartile range 3.84) working or training at the institution. Forty-four (96.7%) reported need for advanced cancer training, 24 (52.2%) noted interest in pursuing advanced training, and 11 (23.9%) had access to such training. At least monthly, 11 (23.9%) experienced specialized surgical oncology (SO) education from visiting or long-term faculty, 17 (37.0%) had cancer-specific operative training, 23 (50%) had cancer-specific didactics, 24 (52.1%) used National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), European Society of Medical Oncology, or other national guidelines, and 24 (52%) used NCCN basic, core, or enhanced resources guidelines. Free text responses showed 5 (10.9%) comments reporting need for a surgical oncologist or SO training program to improve cancer care at their institution. CONCLUSION: These preliminary data reveal opportunities to augment education for cancer care in our limited sample of African SRP. Future research aimed toward developing sustainable advanced surgical oncology training is warranted.

Efficacy and safety of PARP inhibitors in elderly patients with advanced ovarian cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundPoly-(ADP-ribose)-polymerase (PARP) inhibitors have shown to be effective as maintenance treatment in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Although most ovarian cancers develop after age 65, older patients are often under-represented...

Streamlining clinical research: an ESMO awareness call to improve sponsoring and monitoring of clinical trials

During recent years, the burden of bureaucracy in clinical research has increased dramatically, adversely impacting the activity of investigators and clinical research teams. Although compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki, the guidelines for Good Clinical Practice (GCP), and other applicable regulations remains unquestionable, their overinterpretation and substitution by the internal operating procedures of sponsors and Contract Research Organizations (CROs) have increased the administrative burden. A survey conducted by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Clinical Research Observatory (ECRO) among 940 investigators confirmed that they considered that the administrative burden in clinical research is excessive; that administrative procedures could be reduced without affecting the safety and the rights of the patients and the quality of the data; and that bureaucracy represents an obstacle for clinical research. A panel of physicians with extensive experience in clinical research, composed by members of the ECRO and the ESMO Scientific Medical and Public Policy divisions, analyzed clinical trial procedures related to administrative workflow, pharmacovigilance, and medical care. The panel identified situations that generate debate between investigators and sponsors/CROs and selected real clinical scenarios that exemplify such situations. The panel discussed and proposed specific recommendations for those situations, based on GCP. This initiative aspires to streamline clinical research procedures and to become a platform for discussion among all clinical trial stakeholders, with the aim of promoting the sustainability of clinical research and the care of cancer patients.

A narrative review of minimally invasive techniques for treatment of gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors

Background and Objective: Minimally invasive approach for small gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) (<5 cm) is widely accepted according to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) guidelines published in 2010. During last 15 years, many different techniques were proposed with the intent to reduce invasiveness ensuring adequate oncological radicality. In this chapter, we describe the laparoscopic, robotic and laparoscopic-endoscopic cooperative techniques for the treatment of this type of neoplasms. Our technique is also described.

Implementing the European Society for Medical Oncology Scale for Clinical Actionability of Molecular Targets in a Comprehensive Profiling Program: Impact on Precision Medicine Oncology.

To facilitate implementation of precision medicine in clinical management of cancer, the European Society of Medical Oncology proposed in 2018 a new scale to harmonize and standardize the reporting and interpretation of clinically relevant genomics data (ESMO Scale of Actionability of molecular Targets [ESCAT]). This study aims to characterize the clinical impact of matching targetable genomic alterations (GAs) in patients with advanced cancer according to ESCAT. Analysis of next-generation sequencing results from 552 patients is included in two prospective precision medicine studies at Gustave Roussy. End points included objective response rates, progression-free survival, and overall survival according to ESCAT. Molecular data from 516 patients were available and discussed within a Molecular Tumor Board. The most common tumor types were GI (n = 164; 30%), lung (n = 137; 25%), and urologic tumors (n = 68; 13%). Overall, 379 GAs were considered as actionable targets according to ESCAT in 348 (67%) patients. In 31 (6%) patients, two concomitant actionable targets were identified. On the basis of ESCAT, GAs were considered to be classified as tier I in 120 patients (29%), II in 25 patients (5%), III in 80 patients (16%), and IV in 153 patients (30%). A total of 136 patients (27%) received a matched therapy. ESCAT was significantly associated with objective response rates and clinical benefit rates. The median progression-free survival was 6.5 months (95% CI, 4.2 to 8.9), 3 months (95% CI, 1 to not available), 3 months (95% CI, 2.2 to 3.8), and 4 months (95% CI, 2.8 to 6.3) for ESCAT I, II, III, and IV, respectively (<i>P</i> = .0125). Implementation of ESCAT classification for clinical decision making by Molecular Tumor Board is feasible and useful to better tailor therapies in patients with cancer.

Reassessment of low- and intermediate-risk endometrial cancer reports by gynecological pathologists increases risk classification without impacting outcome

ObjectivesA lack of agreement is often observed in pathological reviews performed by specialized and general pathologists. Four histopathological variables influence the risk classification of endometrial cancer: histological type; histological grade; myometrial invasion; lymph-vascular space invasion (LVSI). This study aimed to evaluate if changes in the risk classification after a specialized pathological review of low- and intermediate-risk endometrial cancer (LIREC) samples may impact disease-free survival (DFS). MethodsA retrospective cohort of 195 patients diagnosed with LIREC at Barretos Cancer Hospital was obtained. Two gynecologic pathologists re-evaluated the pathological reports. Through the histology report reviewed, we could determine their new risk classification. The Kappa concordance score was used to verify the concordance between the general’s and specialized pathologists’ reports, and the new risk classification was correlated with the patients’ DFS. ResultsThe final reports led to changes in the histological type, histological grade, myometrial invasion, and lymphovascular space invasion in 13.3 %, 62,8%, 18.3 %, and 11.1 % of cases, respectively. The Kappa concordance score for all variables was less than 0.7. In 54 patients (30 %), the risk classification was modified (κ = 0.396), of which 30 (55.5 %) cases upstaged. There was no difference in DFS for patients who had an upstaging in their European Society of Medical Oncology modified classification compared to those who maintained their initial risk classification (86.7 % vs 88.0 %, p = 0.77). ConclusionDespite the differences in the reports reassessed by expert gynecological pathologists and the change (30%) in patients' risk classification, there was no difference in their DFS.

Ovarian cancer risk management in BRCA-mutation carriers: A comparison of six international and national guidelines

ObjectiveGermline mutations in the BRCA gene account for most hereditary ovarian and breast cancer. Management of healthy carriers aims to prevent and allow early detection of breast and ovarian cancer. This study compares six different hereditary ovarian cancer management guidelines, highlighting areas of controversy between different societies. We aim to compare international and national guidelines regarding BRCA carriers' management. Study designA comparative study. We retrieved, reviewed, and compared the most recent guidelines of BRCA mutation carriers from the specializing societies NCCN (National Comprehensive National network) and ESMO (European society of medical oncology), and national societies of the United States (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists), England (the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists), Canada (the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada) and Spain (Sociedad Española de Oncología Médica). ResultsThere is a broad consensus regarding the limited role of screening for early ovarian cancer detection (4 out of 6) (4/6) and regarding the recommendation for implementation of Risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) (6/6), some variations exist for age at RRSO. It is widely accepted that risk reducing salpingectomy should be performed only as part of research (5/6), and that the addition of risk-reducing hysterectomy should be individualized (3/6). Not all guidelines address fertility issues, and controversy exists regarding hormone replacement therapy (HRT) recommendations in unaffected young BRCA-mutation carriers following RRSO. ConclusionBRCA carrier's management guidelines consist of well-agreed topics such as the ineffective screening for early detection of ovarian cancer and the recommendation of RRSO. HRT remains controversial. Conforming unified recommendations is needed for providing evidence-based recommendations.

Comparative efficacy and safety of first-line neoadjuvant treatments in triple-negative breast cancer: systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Neoadjuvant treatment options for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) are abundant, but the efficacy of different combinations of treatment options remains unclear. Our network meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of various neoadjuvant treatment options in patients with TNBC. Literature reports published before March 31, 2022, were retrieved from the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, main oncology conference of the European Society of Medical Oncology, American Society of Clinical Oncology, and San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium databases. Pairwise and Bayesian network meta-analyses were performed to compare direct and indirect evidence, respectively. The primary outcome was pathological complete response (pCR). Comparison of efficiency between different treatment regimens was made by HRs and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Overall, 26 studies, including 9714 TNBC patients, were assessed in this network meta-analysis. Results indicated that the pCR of immune checkpoint inhibitors plus platinum-containing regimens is better than other joint regimens. PCR rate of neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens containing bevacizumab, platinum, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors, and immune checkpoint inhibitors was higher than those of standard chemotherapy agents. By performing a conjoint analysis of the pCR rate and safety endpoints, we found that immune checkpoint inhibitors plus platinum-containing regimens were well balanced in terms of efficacy and toxicity. Considering the efficacy and acceptable adverse events, neoadjuvant chemotherapy based on immune checkpoint inhibitors plus platinum may be considered as an option for patients with TNBC.