Robotic Surgery in Gynecologic Oncology

Robotic surgery for the management of gynecologic cancers allows for minimally invasive surgical removal of cancer-bearing organs and tissues using sophisticated surgeon-manipulated, robotic surgical instrumentation. Early on, gynecologic oncologists recognized that minimally invasive surgery was associated with less surgical morbidity and that it shortened postoperative recovery. Now, robotic surgery represents an effective alternative to conventional laparotomy. Since its widespread adoption, minimally invasive surgery has become an option not only for the morbidly obese but for women with gynecologic malignancy where conventional laparotomy has been associated with significant morbidity. As such, this paper considers indications for robotic surgery, reflects on outcomes from initial robotic surgical outcomes data, reviews cost efficacy and implications in surgical training, and discusses new roles for robotic surgery in gynecologic cancer management

Endometrial stromal sarcoma metastasis to the lumbar spine and sphenoid bone

Endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) is typically associated with metastasis to the abdomen, pelvis, and lung. We found three case reports of ESS metastasis to the bone (two to the thoracic spine, and one to the parietal bone). Our objective is to review the literature on ESS spinal and intracranial metastases and, report the first case of ESS metastatic to the lumbar paraspinal region and sphenoid bone. A 53-year-old female with ESS status-post radiation, chemotherapy, and pelvic exenteration surgery presented with right hip weakness, back pain, and radicular leg pain that were explained by chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, radiation-induced lumbosacral plexopathy, and femoral nerve and obturator nerve injury during pelvic exenteration surgery. During routine positron emission tomography, we found metastasis to the L3 lumbar spinal region. L3 laminectomy and subtotal resection of the mass was performed with tumor residual in the neuroforamina and pedicles. One month later, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed for persistent headaches revealed a large lesion in the sphenoid bone that was biopsied transsphenoidally with the same diagnosis, but no further surgery was performed. She is intolerant of chemotherapy and currently undergoing whole brain radiation. Delay in the diagnosis and management of lumbar paraspinal and sphenoid bone metastasis of ESS likely occurred because of the uniqueness of the location and aggressiveness of ESS metastasis. Health care providers should be aware of potentially aggressive metastasis of ESS to bone, in particular the unusual locations of the lumbar paraspinal region and sphenoid bone

Management of a Type I Hypersensitivity Reaction to IV Etoposide in a Woman with a Yolk Sac Tumor: A Case Report

Type I hypersensitivity reactions to intravenous administration of etoposide are extremely rare. Etoposide is an essential component of several chemotherapy regimens used in gynecologic oncology, and discontinuation of this drug during a course of treatment should only be due to severe patient intolerance. We report the successful use of intravenous etoposide phosphate as a substitute drug in a patient with a yolk sac tumor who manifested a Type I hypersensitivity to intravenous etoposide. The patient ultimately completed all 4 cycles of bleomycin, etoposide, cisplatin (BEP) using etoposide phosphate as a substitute drug

Management of Early Stage, High-Risk Endometrial Carcinoma: Preoperative and Surgical Considerations

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic malignancy in the developed world. Most cases are diagnosed at an early stage and have low-grade histology, portending an overall excellent prognosis. There exists a subgroup of patients with early, high-risk disease, whose management remains controversial, as current data is clouded by inclusion of early stage tumors with different high-risk features for recurrence, unstandardized protocols for surgical staging, and an evolving staging system by which we are grouping these patients. Here, we present preoperative and intraoperative considerations that should be taken into account when planning surgical management for this population of patients

Phase II Clinical Trial of Robotic Stereotactic Body Radiosurgery for Metastatic Gynecologic Malignancies

Background: Recurrent gynecologic cancers are often difficult to manage without significant morbidity. We conducted a phase II study to assess the safety and the efficacy of ablative robotic stereotactic body radiosurgery (SBRT) in women with metastatic gynecologic cancers. Methods: A total of 50 patients with recurrent gynecologic cancer who had single or multiple (≤4) metastases underwent robotic-armed Cyberknife SBRT (24Gy/3 daily doses). Toxicities were graded prospectively by common toxicity criteria for adverse events (version 4.0). SBRT target responses were recorded following RECIST criteria (version 1.0). Rates of clinical benefit for SBRT and non-radiosurgical disease relapse were calculated. Disease-free and overall survivals were estimated by the Kaplan–Meier method and the Cox proportional hazards model was used to control for prognostic variables. Findings: SBRT was safely delivered, with 49 (98%) of 50 patients completing three prescribed fractions. The most frequent grade 2 or higher adverse events attributed to SBRT included fatigue (16%), nausea (8%), and diarrhea (4%). One (2%) grade four hyperbilirubinemia occurred. SBRT target response was 96% (48 of 50 patients). A 6-month clinical benefit was recorded in 34 [68% (95% CI, 53.2, 80.1)] patients. No SBRT targeted disease progressed. Non-radiosurgical disease relapse occurred in 31 (62%) patients. Median disease-free survival was 7.8 months (95% CI, 4.0, 11.6). Median overall survival was 20.2 months (95% CI, 10.9, 29.5). Interpretation: SBRT safely controlled metastatic gynecologic cancer targets. Given an observed high rate of non-radiosurgical disease relapse, a phase I trial assessing co-administration of SBRT and cytotoxic chemotherapy is underway. Funding: Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

Sunitinib malate in the treatment of recurrent or persistent uterine leiomyosarcoma: A Gynecologic Oncology Group phase II study

New agents are needed for patients with metastatic uterine leiomyosarcoma who progress after treatment with doxorubicin or gemcitabine-docetaxel. Agents targeting tumor vasculature have potential for activity in leiomyosarcoma. We aimed to assess the activity of sunitinib in patients with recurrent uterine leiomyosarcoma who had received one or two prior therapies by determining the frequency of patients who survived progression-free for at least six months or who achieved objective tumor response. We also aimed to characterize the toxicity of sunitinib and to estimate time-to-progression