Surgical Film Festival: Surgery for Fertility Preservation

This film session will demonstrate novel techniques for preserving fertility in patients with gynecologic and pelvic cancers. Topics covered will include fertility sparing surgery for cervical cancer, uterine transposition, and assisted reproductive techniques for women requiring pelvic radiation.

This film festival was organized by Vance Broach, Surgical Education Lead of the IGCS Education Committee.

IGCS is hosting a Spanish-language webinar in collaboration with our Latin American Strategic Alliance Partners.
The live event will be held in Spanish with English translation. The recording will be Spanish only.

Selected Topics in Gynecologic Oncology Webinar
Tópicos selectos en Ginecología Oncológica Seminario Web
Saturday, December 5, 2020 | Sábado, Diciembre 5, 2020
9:00 am—12:00 pm EST

Registration is free but required.

Course Objectives

• To understand the current status of surgical options in ovarian cancer.
• To update the current indications of Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in cervical cancer.

Moderators

Speakers

Ovarian Cancer

Pedro Ramirez, MD 
The University of Texas – MD Anderson Cancer Center
USA

What is new in surgical treatment of ovarian cancer

Reitan Ribeiro, MD
Erasto Gaertner Hospital
Brazil 

… What if TRUST trial has a positive result?

Alejandro Rauh-Hain, MD
The University of Texas – MD Anderson Cancer Center
USA

… What if TRUST trial has a negative result?

Cervix Cancer

Myriam Perrotta, MD 
Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires
Argentina

Impact of the HPV vaccination on cervical cancer mortality

Juliana Rodriguez, MD
Instituto Nacional de Cancerología
Colombia

Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in pregnant women with cervical cancer

Fabio Martinelli, MD 
Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori
Italy 

Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in cervical cancer state-of-the-art

René Pareja, MD
Instituto Nacional de Cancerología-Bogota; Clínica de Oncología Astorga-Medellín
Colombia

Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and fertility preservation in cervical cancer

Education Highlight: New Pathology Corner Resources

Login to the IGCS Education Portal to access new resources recently uploaded in the Pathology Corner:

• WHO Classifications of Female Genital Tumors – 5th Edition Update
  • Download comprehensive summaries of the 5th edition update of the WHO Blue Books created by members of the IGCS Pathology Work Group for cervix, ovary, uterine, vulvar, and vaginal cancers.
• Literature Highlights: Four new articles have been uploaded in addition to the summaries of papers from ISGyP’s Endometrial Carcinoma Project published in the International Journal of Gynecological Pathology.
  • Uterine Endometrial Stromal Tumors with Limited Infiltration: First Report of a Case Series Indicating Potential for Malignant Behavior
  • Practical Guidance for Measuring and Reporting Surgical Margins in Vulvar Cancer
  • Molecular Subtypes of Clear Cell Carcinoma if the Endometrium: Opportunities for Prognostic and Predictive Stratification
  • Mismatch Repair Deficiency and Prognostic Significance in Patients with Low-Risk Endometrioid Endometrial Cancers
• Interesting Cases: Two case reviews are now available with images and descriptions diagnosing:
  • Struma Ovarii
  • Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Arising in Mature Cystic Teratoma

While you are exploring the Pathology Corner, make sure to view the educational lectures, download the terms & definitions of commonly used IHC stains in gynecologic oncology and please feel free to send an email to pathology@igcs.org to submit your pathology-related questions to the IGCS Pathology Work Group members.

Under the direction of Anna Plotkin, Pathology Work Group Lead, and with significant contributions from our Strategic Alliance Partner Members at the International Society of Gynecological Pathologists (ISGyP), the corner was created to streamline pathology related education curated specifically for gynecologic oncologists. We would like to acknowledge and express gratitude to our work group members for their efforts: Anna Plotkin, Work Group Lead (Canada), Blake Gilks (Canada), Siobhan O’Connor (USA), Joseph Rabban (USA), Adrian Suarez (USA), Gulisa Turashvili (Canada), and Rachael van der Griend (New Zealand) and all the contributors who have agreed to share content.

We hope you enjoy the new educational content in the Pathology Corner of the IGCS Member Education Portal!

This month’s Education Highlight is from In the Know (Ed’s List)

In the Know is prepared by Edward Pavlik, PhD, Professor and Director of Ovarian Screening Research Program, University of Kentucky on a monthly basis. Ed’s lists provide a compilation of abstracts related to the field of gynecologic oncology from multiple scholarly journals.

Here’s an example of one abstract from the June 2020 In the Know compilation:

Pelvic fractures and changes in bone mineral density after radiotherapy for cervical, endometrial, and vaginal cancer: A prospective study of 239 women. MP Salcedo, AK Sood, A Jhingran, PJ Eifel, AH Klopp, RB Iyer, BM Fellman, C Jimenez, KM Schmeler. Cancer, (2020) 126: 2607-2613. doi:10.1002/cncr.32807 https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.32807

Background  Advances in radiotherapy (RT) have led to improved oncologic outcomes for women with gynecologic cancers; however, the long‐term effects and survivorship implications need further evaluation. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of pelvic fractures and changes in bone mineral density (BMD) after pelvic RT.

Methods  Two hundred thirty‐nine women who had pelvic RT for cervical, endometrial, or vaginal cancer between 2008 and 2015 were prospectively studied. BMD scans and biomarkers of bone turnover were obtained at the baseline and 3 months, 1 year, and 2 years after RT. Imaging studies were assessed for pelvic fractures for up to 5 years. Patients with osteopenia, osteoporosis, or pelvic fractures at any point were referred to the endocrinology service for evaluation and treatment.

Results  The median age at diagnosis was 51 years; 132 patients (56%) were menopausal. The primary diagnoses were cervical (63.6%), endometrial (30.5%), and vaginal cancer (5.9%). Sixteen patients (7.8%; 95% confidence interval, 4.5%‐12.4%) had pelvic fractures with actuarial rates of 3.6%, 12.7%, and 15.7% at 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively. Fractures were associated with baseline osteoporosis (P  < .001), higher baseline bone‐specific alkaline phosphatase (P  < .001), and older age (P  = .007). The proportion of patients with osteopenia/osteoporosis increased from 50% at the baseline to 58%, 59%, and 70% at 3 months, 1 year, and 2 years, respectively.

Conclusions  A high proportion of women had significant decreases in BMD after pelvic RT, with 7.8% diagnosed with a pelvic fracture. BMD screening and pharmacologic intervention should be strongly considered for these high‐risk women.

Stay “In the Know” and keep up with Ed’s List in the Members-Only IGCS Literature Library. Click here to login to the Member’s Education Portal and access the entire archive.

Education Highlight: New Pathology Corner

IGCS is excited to announce an all-new area of the education portal, the pathology corner.

Under the direction of Anna Plotkin, Pathology Work Group Lead, and with significant contributions from our Strategic Alliance Partner Members at the International Society of Gynecological Pathologists (ISGyP), the corner was created to streamline pathology related education curated specifically for gynecologic oncologists.

Key features in the Pathology Corner include:

• Educational Paths: Recorded lectures and downloadable pathology resources categorized by disease site
• Literature Highlights: Summaries of papers from ISGyP’s Endometrial Carcinoma Project published in the International Journal of Gynecological Pathology
• Terms & Definitions: Commonly used IHC stains in gynecologic oncology
• Ask a Pathologist: IGCS members may submit questions to the Pathology Work Group via email.

New features will be added in the coming months, including interesting cases and additional educational paths. Feedback and suggestions are welcomed at pathology@igcs.org.

Anna Plotkin, MD IGCS Pathology Work Group Lead

We would like to acknowledge and express gratitude to our work group members for their efforts: Anna Plotkin, Work Group Lead (Canada), Blake Gilks (Canada), Siobhan O’Connor (USA), Joseph Rabban (USA), Adrian Suarez (USA), Gulisa Turashvili (Canada), and Rachael van der Griend (New Zealand) and all the contributors who have agreed to share content.

We hope you enjoy the new educational content in the Pathology Corner of the IGCS Member Education Portal!

Education Highlight: Interactive Learning Articles

Visit the IGCS Member Education Portal to download the IGCS-IJGC Interactive Learning Article:

Decision analysis for secondline maintenance treatment of platinum sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer: a review
Authors: Rebecca Arend, Shannon Neville Westin, Robert Coleman

This resource has been developed by members of the IGCS Education Committee General Gynecologic Oncology Work Group and they will be creating more interactive learning articles throughout the year.

We hope that these interactive articles will increase learner engagement and make learning fun.

We would like to thank Dr. Pedro Ramirez, Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer, BMJ Publishing, and all the authors of the selected papers, for their generosity in making these articles available to IGCS members.

Information regarding the understanding of COVID-19 is continually evolving and its impact on the care of gynecologic oncology patients is rapidly changing. Bringing together the global gynecologic oncology community under such unprecedented circumstances will allow IGCS to learn the needs of our members and further expand our education offerings. IGCS has had great success using the Project ECHO tele-mentoring model to host virtual tumor boards over the last three years.

We have expanded our Project ECHO Virtual Tumor Boards, extending an invitation to our members to come together to discuss gynecologic oncology cases with special considerations for COVID-19. 

The Project ECHO Model:
An international faculty presents a problem-based case presentation followed by a brief didactic lecture specific to COVID-19. The presentations are followed by question and answer segments. When you register, a link will be sent to you with instructions on how to access the tumor board live. A video recording of the tumor board will be available here after the session. Please email susan.ralph@igcs.org if you have questions or need assistance registering for the tumor board.

Upcoming Tumor Board:

Beginning in May, these will be held once per month. Check back for information on future dates.

Previous Tumor Boards:

Saturday, April 25

View the webinar recording on YouTube.
Download slides (PPT)
Download slides (PDF)

Case Presenter: Onyinye Balogun (USA)
Concurrent Vulvar + Stage I Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Inoperable Endometrial Cancer: Stage IIIA Endometrial Cancer With Clear Cell Features

Case & Didactic Presenter: Michael Pearl (USA)
Palliative Care Considerations When Treating Gynecologic Cancers in a COVID-19 Environment

Moderator: Joseph Ng (Singapore)
Panelists: David Atallah (Lebanon); Benjamin Odongo Elly (Kenya); Dicey Jackson Scroggins (USA); Alexey Shevhuk (Russia)

Saturday, April 18

View the webinar recording on youtube.
Download slides (PPT)
Download slides (PDF)

Case Presenter: Navya Nair (USA)
Issues in Management of Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer in the Era of COVID-19

Didactic Presenter: Jalid Sehouli (Germany)
COVID-19 and the Management in Gynecological Oncology: Perspective from Charité Comprehensive Cancer Center: University Medicine Berlin, Germany

Moderator: Ram Eitan (Israel)

Panelists: Hennie Botha (South Africa), Ane Gerda Eriksson (Norway), Thomas Samuel Ram (Radiation Oncology, India)

Saturday, April 4

View the webinar recording on youtube.
Download slides (PPT)
Download slides (PDF)

Case presenter: Wendel Naumann (USA)
How COVID-19 is affecting the management of women with known or suspected gynecologic malignancies. Reviewing delays in diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.

Didactic Presenter: Emma Rossi (USA)
How long is it safe to delay gynecologic cancer surgery?

Moderator: Ritu Salani (USA)

Panelists: Daniela Luvero (Italy), Rene Pareja (Colombia), and Jihong June Liu (China)

Education Highlight: Interactive Learning Articles

A New Offering from the IGCS Education Committee: IGCS-IJGC Interactive Learning Articles

We are excited to announce that the IGCS Education Committee’s Work Group on Gynecologic Cancer has developed a new interactive learning feature that allows members to test their knowledge while reading select articles published in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer.

Work group leader, Dr. Paul Cohen (Australia) developed a series of multiple choice and true/false questions related to key concepts within the first selected article.

Visit the IGCS Member Education Portal to download the first IGCS-IJGC Interactive Learning Article:

Lower extremity lymphedema in patients with gynecologic malignancies
January 7, 2020
Authors: Kimberly Dessources, Emeline Aviki, Mario M Leitao Jr

Dr. Cohen says he is “excited to assist the IGCS Education Committee in developing new and relevant ways to use content especially from our journal – The International Journal of Gynecological Cancer. We hope that these interactive learning articles will improve retention of knowledge and enhance readers’ educational experience. I am very grateful to Dr. Pedro Ramirez, Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer, for assisting with selection of appropriate articles.”

When reading the Interactive Learning Article, test your comprehension by answering a series of questions.

The correct answer is highlighted on the following slide.

This resource has been developed by members of the IGCS Education Committee General Gynecologic Oncology Work Group and they will be creating more interactive learning articles throughout the year.

We hope that these interactive articles will increase learner engagement and make learning fun.

We would like to thank Dr. Pedro Ramirez, Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer, BMJ Publishing, and all the authors of the selected papers, for their generosity in making these articles available to IGCS members.

We hope you enjoy them and have fun learning!

Education Highlight: IGCS 2019 Annual Global Meeting Webcasts

Did you miss IGCS 2019 in Rio? Were you there and could not attend all the talks you wanted to? Like every meeting there was an abundance of excellent presentations including new research, clinical trials and review sessions.

This month we highlight two sessions from Rio which we hope you will find interesting and relevant to your practice. Members can view these two webcasts in the Member Education Portal.

Translating Endometrial Molecular Risk Stratification To Endometrioid Ovarian Carcinoma: A Novel Application Of Precision Medicine
7 minute presentation
Dr. Pauline Kramer and colleagues applied the validated Proactive Molecular risk Classifier for Endometrial cancer (ProMisE) to an international cohort of over 500 well characterized endometrioid ovarian carcinomas. All four molecular subtypes were identified (POLEmut, mismatch repair deficient (MMRd), p53wt/NSMP and p53abnormal(p53abn)), and molecular subtype was associated with clinical outcomes (PFS, DSS) including no recurrence events within POLEmut at 10 years and very poor outcomes within p53abn (only ~ 50% survival at 10 years). Association of outcomes with ProMisE was maintained on multivariable analysis. Possible utility of this molecular framework to endometriosis-associated ovarian carcinomas is discussed.

Concerv: A Prospective Trial Of Conservative Surgery For Low-Risk Early Stage Cervical Cancer
15 minute presentation
Dr. Kathleen Schmeler shares the results of an international collaborative prospective single arm study assessing the safety and feasibility of simple (non-radical) hysterectomy or cone biopsy with lymph node (LN) assessment for early stage cervical carcinoma and with favorable pathology characteristics. Final analysis includes 100 patients with a 4.3% recurrence rate observed thus far. Lymph node (LN) involvement was diagnosed in 5% of women confirming the importance of LN assessment. Further follow-up is needed to determine if long-term oncologic outcomes are comparable to women who had undergone radical procedures and two additional prospective studies (SHAPE, GOG 278) in early cervical carcinoma are pending which will also help clarify if less aggressive surgical approach is safe.

See more: View over 150 presentations from the 2019 Annual Global Meeting.

Education Highlight: IGCS 2019 Annual Global Meeting Webcasts
Over 150 recorded presentations (webcasts) from the 2019 IGCS Annual Global Meeting held in Rio de Janeiro September 19-21, 2019 are now available.

The IGCS 2019 scientific program included live surgical videos with commentary, pro/con debates, case discussions with expert panels, region-specific sessions, and much more.

All of this excellent educational content is publicly available on the IGCS website through January 1, 2020.

IGCS Members will have continued access to these recordings and more through the IGCS online Education Portal. Presentations are being categorized by topic will be uploaded to our member’s Education Portal in the next several weeks

Not a member? Join today to access our entire library of educational videos and resources. See more Education Highlights.

Enjoy!