2020 Award Recipients

August 19, 2020 | International Gynecologic Cancer Society

These award recipients will be recognized at the upcoming xDigital Annual Global Meeting of the International Gynecologic Cancer Society which will be held in a fully digital setting this September 10-13, 2020. The Awards Ceremony will take place during the Opening Ceremony on September 10th at 2:00 p.m. UCT.

Please join us in congratulating them on their achievements!

2020 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients

Monica Bacon, RN
Canada

Co-Founder of the Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup (GCIG), Ms. Bacon is a recipient of the IGCS 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award for her lifelong dedication to women’s health and serving the gynecologic cancer community though nursing, clinical trial coordination and international team building, advocacy, and volunteerism.

2020 Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient

Rahel Ghebre, MD, MPH
USA

For her mentorship and leadership with gynecologic oncology sub-specialty training programs in Ethiopia, specifically at Addis Ababa University and initiating a program at St. Paul’s Millenium Medical College. This award recognizes a deep commitment and dedication to gynecologic oncology, exemplifying the core components of teaching and education.

2020 Distinguished Advocacy Award Recipients

Runcie C.W. Chidebe & Project PINK BLUE
Nigeria
For outstanding advocacy throughout Nigeria and in global forums, including founding Project PINK BLUE—an organization focused on cancer advocacy, oncology training, and research—as well as influencing the establishment of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, developing numerous programs to serve the most needy, and changing cancer awareness and care throughout Nigeria

Nathalie Dauphin McKenzie, MD (USA) &
Innovating Health International (Haiti)
For courageous, ongoing advocacy for survivors-patients in the USA and Haiti, including traveling to Haiti several times a year—at great personal risk—to perform life-saving surgeries (otherwise unavailable) and to train oncologists to do the same, currently primarily through Innovating Health International, a Port-au-Prince based women’s cancer center, where no patient is ever turned away because of treatment costs

Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance
For dedicated service to advocate and research communities, as the largest global, non-government funder of ovarian cancer research, having raised over $100 million for research/services and developed and conducted extensive advocacy programs including Survivors Teaching Students® through which ovarian cancer survivors and family members have trained/reached nearly 100,000 medical and other health professions students

2020 IJGC Award Recipients

The International Journal of Gynecological Cancer (IJGC) is a joint publication of the International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS) and the European Society of Gynaecological Cancer (ESGO). The IJGC Awards are presented at the IGCS and ESGO Annual Meetings on alternate years. This year, the IJGC Awards will be presented at the 2020 IGCS Annual Global Meeting.

Most Downloaded Paper Award (2020)

Gloria Salvo, MD
for the paper titled
“Updates and management algorithm for neuroendocrine tumors of the uterine cervix”

Editor’s Choice Award (2020)

David Cibula, MD, PhD
for the paper titled
“European Society of Gynaecological Oncology quality indicators for surgical treatment of cervical cancer”

View Top 10 Journal Reviewers of 2020

Commentary: COVID-19 Vaccination

August 14, 2020 | Debbie Leopold

The 4^th of June was a red- letter day for the world, particularly for the world’s children and for a global community beset with COVID-19. Participants at GAVI’s third donor pledging Global Vaccine Summit, included 42 heads of state and all the leaders of the G7 and G20 nations who pledged US$ 8.8 billion to protect the world’s most vulnerable children from infectious disease.

At the same time, world leaders pledged an additional US$ 567 million in initial seed money to support the Gavi Covax AMC which will ensure that people in low- and lower middle-income countries get access to COVID-19 vaccines once they are licensed.

The benefits of vaccination against infectious diseases which particularly strike children in low and middle- income countries are obvious to us all. The elimination of smallpox, the virtual elimination of polio and the drastic reduction in diphtheria, tetanus and rubella stand as testimony to the science and to the vision of the WHO and philanthropists such as Bill and Melinda Gates.

But all is not what it seems. Recently published in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer, a commentary article by Keiichi Fujiwara and Michael Quinn highlights the potential for disruption to any successful COVID-19 roll-out by what is an increasingly robust and well-resourced anti-vaccine lobby using the illustration of Japan and HPV vaccination.

COVID-19 infection has special implications for cancer patients and for pregnant women. IGCS believes that any vaccine program will be adequately tested before introduction and has the potential to significantly reverse the huge social and health impacts of COVID-19. We urge our members worldwide to ensure that their political leaders are not swayed with false information and to facilitate any new vaccine uptake.

IGCS-AAGL Surgical Film Festival

July 21, 2020 | International Gynecologic Cancer Society

IGCS in partnership with AAGL is providing a free online surgical film festival narrated by expert surgeons in the field of gynecologic oncology. Attendees can participate in live discussion while viewing the surgical films.

State-of-the-Art Surgical Film Festival: Complications
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm CDT

Ureteral & Bladder Complications (AAGL)
Bladder Injury and Repair & Post-operative Management
60 minutes

Moderator

Dr. Suketu Mansuria
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Magee Women’s Hospital
USA

Intra-Op Repair, Repair of Delayed Injury, and Post-operative Management

Dr. Ted Lee
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Magee Women’s Hospital
USA

Dr. Erin Carey
University of North Carolina
USA

Intra-Op Repair vs. Delayed Diagnoses, Reimplantation vs. Reanastamosis, Post-Op Management

Dr. Javier Magrina
Mayo Clinic
USA

Dr. Jim Robinson
MedStar Washington Hospital Center
USA

Bowel & Vascular Complications (IGCS)
60 minutes

Moderator

Dr. Vance Broach
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
USA

Vascular Injury & Repair, External Iliac Vessel

Dr. Mario Leitao
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
USA

Vascular Injury & Repair, Inferior Vena Cava

Dr. Jamie Bakkum Gamez
Mayo Clinic
USA

Managing Thermal Injury to Bowel

Dr. Jennifer Mueller
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
USA

Management of Anastomotic Leak

Dr. Bill Cliby
Mayo Clinic
USA

IGCS 2020 Abstract Graders

July 20, 2020 | International Gynecologic Cancer Society

Abstract and Surgical Film Submission for the IGCS 2020 Annual Global Meeting closed on July 15, 2020 at 11:59 pm PDT. We are grateful to have received over 500 abstracts and acknowledge our volunteer graders for their time reviewing and grading all of the abstracts in our expedited timeline.

IGCS 2020 Abstract Graders

Angeles Alvarez Secord, USA
Annika Auranen, Finland
Line Bjorge, Norway
Donal Brennan, Ireland
Al Covens, Canada
Carien Creutzberg, Netherlands
Greta Dreyer, South Africa
Andreas du Bois, Germany
Keiichi Fujiwara, Japan
Thomas Herzog, USA

Anuja Jhingran, USA
Rainer Kimmig, Germany
Brad Monk, USA
Sara Nasser, Germany
Farr Nezhat, USA
Remi Nout, Netherlands
Andreas Obermair, Australia
Marie Plante, Canada
Francesco Plotti, Italy

Matt Powell, USA
Eric Pujade Lauraine, France
Isabelle Ray-Coquard, France
Ritu Salani, USA
Giovanni Scambia, Italy
Jalid Sehouli, Germany
Alexey Shevchuk, Russia
Alejandro Soderini, Argentina
David Tan, Singapore

Late Breaking Abstracts
Late breaking abstracts (LBAs) will be accepted from July 25-August 15. LBAs should contain new information that was not available at the time of the general abstract deadline.
Learn more about abstract submission.

Learn more about the innovative xDigital platform by viewing this video demo.

Education Highlight: In the Know

July 13, 2020 | International Gynecologic Cancer Society

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.

IJGC Impact Factor & Readership Survey

July 6, 2020 | International Gynecologic Cancer Society

We are delighted to share the 2019 impact factor for the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer of 2.095 (Journal Citation Reports, Clarivate Analytics), which ranked 41/82 in the Obstetrics and Gynecology category and 195/244 in the Oncology category.

IGCS congratulates IJGC Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Pedro Ramirez and the entire Editorial Team for the success of the journal and expanded reach. Their efforts are certainly evident in the transformation of the journal with new features and article types promoting research in the field of gynecologic cancer all over the world.

The quality and impact of journals are dependent on many different measures. IJGC has provided some of those metrics for International Journal of Gynecological Cancer, to reflect the latest 2019 data. Click here to view top most cited articles from each of the last two years, free to read.

Journal Metrics

Speed
Days to first decision: 16
Days from acceptance to publication: 29

Impact
2 year Impact Factor (JCR): 2.095
SciMago Journal Rank (SJR): 1.011
Eigenfactor: 0.01217
Citescore: 3.8

Reach
2019 total Content accesses: 310,000
Altmetric score: 2,688

Readership Survey (July 2020)

The International Journal of Gynecological Cancer is conducting a readership survey to collect feedback from IGCS members and subscribers regarding journal content and educational offerings such as podcasts, video articles and different article types. Please complete the survey here.

Patient Perspectives Roundtable

June 30, 2020 | International Gynecologic Cancer Society

Virtual Patient Perspectives Roundtable
Patient Advocacy & Support in the Backdrop of COVID-19
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
View the recording of the session below.

Presenting Organizations:

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This Virtual Roundtable—focused on gynecologic cancer patient advocacy and support—is an online version of the IGCS Patient Perspectives Roundtable Series. It is structured to adhere to the safety guidelines in place during the COVID-19 pandemic while addressing information gaps and needs and continuing the exchange of essential information in this constantly evolving environment.

Moderator

Maurício Magalhães Costa
Member, IGCS Council
Member, National Academy of Medicine
President, Senologic International Society
Coordinator, Breast Unit of Americas Center of Oncology
Brazil

Panelists

Endometrial Cancer Action Network for African-Americans (ECANA)

Kemi M. Doll
Project Lead, ECANA
Gynecologic Oncologist
University of Washington
USA

Margie Willis
Advocate, ECANA
Endometrial Cancer Survivor
USA

SHARE Cancer Support (Breast, Ovarian, and Uterine)

Kitty Silverman
Uterine Cancer Program Coordinator, SHARE
USA

Nefa-Tari Moore
Uterine Cancer Program Associate/Helpline Coordinator/Support Group Facilitator, SHARE
Ovarian & Uterine Cancer Survivor
USA

Women4Cancer Early Detection & Treatment

Benda Kithaka
Co-Founder/Chair, Women4Cancer Early Detection & Treatment
Kenya

About the IGCS Patient Perspectives Roundtable Series
During the COVID-19 pandemic and in its aftermath, IGCS will continue to be a global source of education and resources, training, public awareness, and advocacy. Virtual Roundtables will

facilitate first-hand assessment of patient community needs and concerns
provide vetted information, assessments, and guidance from key opinion leaders and seasoned survivors/advocates
address current patient and wider community concerns through live responses to question posted online during the session
promote strategic conversations with health care and research communities around specific issues
assist all in coming to workable solutions and strategies for moving forward during the COVID-19 pandemic and in its aftermath

Each 60- to 90-minute session will cover a specific topic important to the gynecologic cancer patient communities maneuvering through the health and cancer care system during and after COVID-19 and will include IGCS key opinion leaders, patients-caregivers, and other stakeholders appropriate to the topic.

Previous Virtual Roundtable

Patient Care & Clinical Trials in the Midst of COVID-19
May 23, 2020
This event was supported by a grant from the GOG Foundation, Inc.

Upcoming Virtual Roundtable

More information on future roundtables is coming soon.

IJGC Readership Survey

June 26, 2020 | International Gynecologic Cancer Society

Please complete the survey here.

Welcome, SASGO!

June 15, 2020 | International Gynecologic Cancer Society

We are so pleased to announce that the South African Society of Gynaecologic Oncology (SASGO) has joined the IGCS Strategic Alliance Partnership.

SASGO Members will now benefit from dual membership and gain access to IGCS Member benefits such as the Early Career Research & Publications Network, the online member Education Portal (including the new Pathology Corner), AAGL’s SurgeryU video library, discounted registration for the IGCS Annual Global Meeting, and access to our online member community Social Link.

Greta Dreyer, who serves as SASGO President and as an IGCS Council Member, was instrumental in communicating with SASGO Council and Members and sharing feedback with IGCS leadership to discuss challenges and opportunities to collaborate and share resources to improve treatment of women affected by gynecologic cancers in South Africa.

SASGO was founded in 2006 to promote excellence in gynaecologic cancer care through training, research, and quality of care. They also advocate on behalf of women in South Africa by liaising with concerned governmental and non-governmental groupings, institutes for training and examination, authorities, and related advisory and research groups.

South Africa, with a population of 55 million, is a multiethnic society encompassing a wide variety of cultures and religions with 11 official languages. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, breast and cervical cancer are the most prevalent cancers affecting women in South Africa with cervical cancer being number one cause of cancer-related deaths. Vulvar, uterine, and ovarian cancer are also among the top eight most prevalent cancers in the country.

We look forward to our partnership with SASGO, to serve the gynecologic cancer professionals in the region, unite them with our global community, and to find ways to achieve our common goals to fight gynecologic cancers through training, education and public awareness.

IJGC Editorial Fellows

June 5, 2020 | International Gynecologic Cancer Society

We are pleased to congratulate the five young gynecologic oncologists selected to serve as Editorial Fellows for the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer (IJGC). The fellows are IGCS Members and a part of the IGCS Early Career Research & Publications Network.

Geetu Bandoria
Indian Armed Forces
India

Arthur Hsu
National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch
Taiwan

Sadie Jones
Cardiff University
Wales, UK

Navya Nair
Louisiana State University
USA

Florencia Noll
Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires
Argentina

The IJGC Editorial Fellowship is a four-month appointment that matches the fellows with the Editor in Chief, Dr. Pedro Ramirez to gain experience in peer review processing, proposal/manuscript development, medical journal production, working with authors, editorial board management, and implementing a strategic vision plan.

Dr. Pedro Ramirez said, “We are very pleased to announce the selection of this outstanding group of gynecologic oncologists as the new Editorial Fellows of the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer. Looking forward to a very productive collaboration and to their innovative input in continuing to improve the quality of our journal. Congratulations!!”

The fellows will work on special projects based on personal areas of interest and the needs of the journal to further develop their skills to further their own research careers and effect change in the quality of medical research.

We are so pleased that IJGC has provided this fantastic opportunity for professional development to these members of the IGCS Early Career Research & Publications Network. The IGCS Early Career Network is open to all IGCS members within the first five years of completion of fellowship.

Sincerely,

Robert Coleman, MD
IGCS President Elect and Chair of the Early Career Research & Publications Network

Mary Eiken, MS
IGCS Chief Executive Officer

What the fellows have to say:

“Thrilled to be selected as IJGC Editorial fellow. Hoping to learn from the entire editorial team, and becoming a better authors & reviewer”
– Geetu Bhandoria

“It’s truly my honor to have such a great opportunity to serve as an editorial fellow for IJGC. I am thrilled about the activities in the fellowship and can’t wait to be connecting with doctors all around the globe. I am indebted to IGCS/IJGC as you provide exceptional learning programs for enthusiasts in the field. A shout out to the IGCS Early Career Research & Publications Network who are starting to fight gynecological cancer, together!”
– Arthur Hsu

“I am thrilled for this opportunity to gain an in depth understanding of the editorial process and be able to do so while collaborating with colleagues across the globe! Through this fellowship, I aspire to become a better scientific writer and more effectively mentor my trainees on the manuscript writing process. I look forward to using these new skills to help elevate the quality of gynecologic cancer research we publish and the oncologic care we provide here at Louisiana State University-New Orleans.”
-Navya Nair

“The possibility of participating in this program represents a wonderful challenge. This will be a great opportunity for me to get involved with the IGCS and learn about the development of protocols, manuscripts writing, reviewing processes, and also to encourage worldwide collaborative research projects. The IGCS Early Career Network allows me to continuously grow in my professional development and improve my patient’s care. I am grateful to have this unique opportunity!”
-Florencia Noll