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Purpose: We investigated comorbidities and endometrial cancer survival by ethnicity because Hispanic whites (HWs) have worse survival than non-Hispanic whites (NHWs).Methods: An endometrial cancer cohort (1992-2004) established with the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare-linked database (n = 3,286) was followed through 2007. Endometrial cancer-specific and other cause mortality were evaluated with multivariate hazard ratios (mHRs).Results: HWs were more likely than NHWs to have regional/distant disease (31.7 vs. 24.8 %), diabetes (31.7 vs. 11.0 %), and hypertension (49.4 vs. 37.6 %). HWs had poorer endometrial cancer-specific survival than NHWs (age-adjusted HR = 1.28; 95% CI 1.01-1.61), but not after adjustment for tumor characteristics and treatment (mHR = 1.02; 95% CI 0.81-1.29). In contrast, even after adjustment for cancer-related factors, other cause mortality in HWs was elevated (mHR = 1.27; 95% CI 1.01-1.59), but not after further adjustment for comorbid conditions (mHR = 1.07; 95% CI 0.85-1.35).Conclusions: Comorbidities, particularly diabetes, were more common in HWs than in NHWs and impacted other cause mortality. Improving diabetes management may be an effective means of improving other cause mortality. This may be particularly true for HWs, given their particularly high prevalence of diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04251052., Competing Interests: Financial Disclosure Joan Walker disclosed money paid to her institution by Merck and disclosed NRG Oncology funding for cancer prevention research and NCI funding for cervical cancer prevention research. Ronny Drapkin reported funding from Repare Therapeutics and Light Horse Therapeutics. Stephanie Blank declares the following (in the last 36 months): Grants or contracts: her institution receives funding for research collaboration with Astra Zeneca, Acrivon, Aravve, Merck, Mersana, GSK, Genentech, Zentalis, and Seattle Genetics; Grant funding to institution: Let Every Woman Know grant funding: P30CA196521, U01CA265739, U01CA189867; Support for attending meetings and/or travel: SGO, ABOG, ACOG, NRG; and Leadership or fiduciary role in other board, society, committee, or advocacy group, paid or unpaid: Boards: SGO, Foundation for Women's Cancer, ABOG, SHARE, NOCC, The Chemotherapy Foundation, and HPV Alliance (all are non-profits and are unpaid). Jeanne Carter disclosed funding to her institution by BCRF. Dr. Carter is a consultant on RCT development with Sprout. Dr. Carter declares in the last 36 months, since the initial planning of the work, all support for the present article (eg, funding, provision of study materials, medical writing, article processing charges, etc): Sprout with funding to MSKCC for feasibility study with flibsnserin in breast cancer patients, and she serves on an advisory board to develop an RCT. Consulting fees received from Sprout: Advisory board to develop RCT with breast cancer patients and Flibanserin. Payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers, bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events: Speaker breast cancer conference. Tara Castellano declares the following in the last 36 months: Grants or contracts: from Bristol Myers Squib Foundation—Robert A Winn Diversity in Clinical Trials Grant made to institution. Payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers, bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events: GOG speaking honoraria. Support for attending meetings and/or travel: GOG New investigator travel award to assist in aid to travel to NRG meetings. Participation on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board Glaxo Smith Kline—Disparities in endometrial cancer AdBoard. Lisa Kachnic declares in the last 36 months, since the initial planning of the work all support for the present manuscript (eg, funding, provision of study materials, medical writing, article processing charges, etc.): NRG Oncology chair cancer prevention with funding to the institution. Support for attending meetings and/or travel: NRG Oncology. Leadership or fiduciary role in other board, society, committee, or advocacy group, paid or unpaid: chair of the NCORP cancer control committee of NRG Oncology with funding to her institution. Dr. Kachnic is also an editor for UpToDate and served on the Beta Epsilon Data Safety Board. She discloses receiving grant funding from Varian Inc for two ongoing clinical trials unrelated to this study. Carolyn Muller declares in the last 36 months: Grants or contracts from any entity: All grants/contracts go to the University of New Mexico. She is supported by NCI Minority-Underserved NCORP award, The NCI P30 Cancer Center Support Grant, NCI Route 66 Endometrial Cancer SPORE Award (subcontract, PI Mutch at Washington University in St Louis), Several GOG Foundation Treatment trials (none relevant to this work).) This trial falls under the NCORP award as the mechanism to support. All other grants/contracts are not related to the topic pertained in this article. Abigail S. Zamorano declares in the last 36 months: Grants or contracts from any entity: Exploring the Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Disparities in Cervical Cancer Screening Among Hispanic Women using the All of Us Research Hub; Role: PI; Source of Support: Healthy Americas Foundation; 05/2022-02/2023; $10,000. Measuring Distress among Caregivers of Patients with Gynecologic Malignancies Undergoing Chemotherapy Treatment; Role: PI; Source of Support: UT CCTS; 07/2023-06/2024; $30,000. All payments made to the institution. Support for attending meetings and/or travel: GOG-Foundation supported travel for her to the NRG semiannual meetings in payments of $1600/meeting (twice yearly from 2022 to 2024) paid to her. Leadership or fiduciary role in other board, society, committee, or advocacy group, paid or unpaid: she serves as a voluntary board member for Judy's Mission, a Houston-based ovarian cancer awareness organization; no payments received. The other authors did not report any potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To assess the efficacy and toxicity of paclitaxel and carboplatin (PC) compared to bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (BEP) for treatment of newly diagnosed Stage IIA-IV or recurrent chemotherapy-naive ovarian sex cord-stromal tumors (SCST)., Methods: This phase II noninferiority trial randomly assigned patients to receive PC (6 cycles P 175 mg/m2 and C AUC = 6 IV every 3 weeks), or BEP (4 cycles B 20 units/m2 IV push day 1, E 75 mg/m2 IV days 1-5, and cisplatin 20 mg/m2 IV days 1-5 every 3 weeks). The primary endpoint was progression- free survival (PFS). This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01042522., Results: At the interim analysis, 63 patients (31 PC and 32 B.P. had accrued between Feb 8, 2010 and Apr 30, 2020. Median age was 48 years. 87% had granulosa cell tumors. 37% had measurable disease. The DSMB closed accrual early for futility of PC arm. The futility analysis was supported by an estimated HR = 1.11 [95% CI: 0.57 to 2.13] which exceeded the pre-determined threshold for non-inferiority (1.10). Median PFS was 27.7 months [11.2 to 41.0] for PC and 19.7 months for BEP [95% CI: 10.4-52.7]. PC patients had fewer grade 3 or higher adverse events (PC 77% vs BEP 90%)., Conclusions: The study met its pre-specified criterion for stopping early for futility and so failed to demonstrate non-inferiority of PC versus BEP in ovarian SCSTs, in a non-inferiority test with a hazard ratio margin of 1.1. Both PC and BEP may be considered in patients with advanced/recurrent SCST., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Dr. Brown has participated in the Speakers' Bureau for Clovis and for Eisai and has received funding for this. Dr. Brown has participated in Advisory Boards or as a consultant with AstraZeneca, Caris, Biodesix, Janssen, Tempus, Olympus, Clovis, Invitae, Verastem, and GSK/Tesaro. Dr. Brown has participated in research with GSK/Tesaro and Genentech. Dr. Austin Miller reports that his institution received payments for serving on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board for Agenus, AstraZeneca, VBL Therapeutics. Dr. Floor Backes reports research grants to Institution from Merck, Eisai, ImmunoGen, Clovis, Beigene, Natera, Tempus, AstraZeneca. Dr. Backes reports receiving personal fees from UptoDate. Dr. Backes reports receiving personal fees for serving on Advisory boards for Agenus, Merck, Clovis, Immunogen, Eisai, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Myriad, BioNTech and Daiichi Sankyo. Dr. Backes received honoraria for CME lectures from Clinical Educational Concepts, Clinical Care Options, Medscape/WebMD, Med Learning 13Health, CMR Institute, Global Learning Initiative/Prova, OncLive, Targeted Oncology and Research to Practice. GlaxoSmithKline provided Dr. Backes with support for travel. Dr. Backes served as a Board member for the Society of Gynecology Oncology (unpaid), Dr. Backes served as Co-Chair for NRG Oncology Developmental Therapeutics Committee as well as Co-Chair for IGCS Education 360. Dr. David Bender reports receiving grant support from Merck, Sharp & Dohme Company, Clovis Oncology, Inc. and Genentech. Dr. David Miller reports Grants to Institution from Advenchen, Forty Seven, Merck, Syros, US BIOTEST and Regeneron. He also reports receiving royalties from Karyopharm. Dr. Miller received consulting fees from Karyopharm, Incyte, Eisai, Merck, GlaxoSmithKline and Immunogen. Dr. Matthew Powell reports personally receiving consulting fees from GSK, Merck, Eisai, Seagen, Jazz, Clovis Oncology, AstraZeneca, Asdi Bioscience and AbbVie. He also reports participating on an Advisory Board for GSK and receiving compensation for the same. Additionally, Dr. Powell served in Leadership roles for SGO, NRG and GCSC and receiving compensation for the same. Dr. Westin has received research support to institution from AstraZeneca, Avenge Bio, Inc., Bayer, Bio-Path, Clovis Oncology, GSK, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Mereo, Novartis, Nuvectis, Roche/Genentech, Zentalis. Dr. Westin has received consulting fees from AstraZeneca, Caris, Clovis Oncology, Eisai, EQRX, Gilead, GSK, Immunocore, ImmunoGen, Lilly, Merck, Mereo, Mersana, NGM Bio, Nuvectis, Roche/Genentech, SeaGen, Verastem, Vincerx, Zentalis and ZielBio. Dr. Bonebrake reports providing patients with diagnosis of stromal ovarian tumors. Additionally, Dr. Bonebrake reports participating on Advisory Board for Blueprint Medicine (no consulting fee received), Merck – Global Cervical and Ovarian Cancer Virtual Advisory Board (no consulting fee) and AstraZeneca – AZ eVOLVE DMC (ongoing). Dr. Bonebrake served on the Board of Directors for the GOG Foundation (unpaid) and reports receiving occasional travel reimbursement to attend meetings and NRG Oncology Board of Directors (unpaid). Dr. Muller reports grants to her Institution, New Mexico Minority Underserved NCORP) to support enrollment to all NCI NCTN trials. Dr. Muller also reports contracts to institution to enroll to GOG Partner trials from GOG Partners Foundation (Seagen, GSK, Mersana, Alkermes Inc., Merck, Verastem, Immunogen, etc.) as well as contracts to her Institution for enrollment to specific clinical trials, Linnaeus Therapeutics. Dr. Muller also reports serving as advisory on disparity advisory councils for GSK and Seagen to advise on ways to increase minority enrollment to clinical trials. Dr. Secord reports grants received to Institution from AbbVie, Aravive Inc., AstraZeneca, Clovis, Eisai, Ellipses, I-MAB Biopharma, GSK, Immunogen, Merck, Mersana OncoQuest/CanariaBio, Roche/Genentech, Seagen Inc., TapImmune, Tesaro/GSK, VBL Therapeutics. Dr. Secord reports personally receiving honoraria from @Point of Care, Clinical Care Options, Curio Science, PeerView, Bio ASCENT, RTP, GOG Foundation (Highlight reel) and GOG Foundation Symposium. Also, patents planned, issued or pending on “Blood based biomarkers in ovarian cancer” without compensation, She reports serving on Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board for AstraZeneca, Clovis, Gilead, Immunogen, Imvax, Merck, Mersana, Natera, Onconova and OncoQuest/Canariabio without compensation. Dr. Secord reports serving in leadership role for SGO (uncompensated), GOG (personal fee received), AAOGF (uncompensated) and NRG who provided grant to her institution. Finally, Dr. Secord receiving medical writing from AstraZeneca. Clinical Trial Steering Committees for the AXLerate trial (Aravive), AtTEnd trial (Hoffman-LaRoche), Oval Trial (VBL Therapeutics), FLORA-5 trial (CanariaBio), and QPT-ORE-004 (CanariaBio), all without compensation. Dr. Crane reports serving on the Speakers Bureau for Merck and GlaxoSmithKline but the relationship for each of these has been terminated. Dr. Crane served on the Advisor Board for both AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline. Dr. Schorge reports receiving Williams Gynecology royalties from McGraw-Hill and royalties for 2 articles from UpToDate. Dr. Schorge also reports receiving Consulting fees from Best Doctors. Dr. Tew reports receiving consulting fees from UpToDate and honoraria for the Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium 2022. Dr. Sood reports NCI grant received relative to this study as well as receiving the American Cancer Society Research Professor Award. Dr. Sood reports consulting fees received from KIYATEC, ImmunoGen, Merck & Co, Lyon, GSK, AstraZeneca and Onxeo. He also reports patents planned issued or pending for the EGFL6 antibody. Dr. Sood participated on an Advisory Board for Advenchen and has stock in Bio-Path Holdings. Dr. Bookman reports serving on a DMC for Immunogen as well as an Advisory Board for Clovis, and his institution received payment for both. Dr. Aghajanian reports Clinical trial funding to Institution (MSK) from AbbVie – MSK PI, GOG3005; AstraZeneca – MSK PI, SOLO1/GOG 3004; National Coordinating Investigator & MSK PI, D081RC00001; ENGOT-ov6; AGO-OVAR 23; GOG-3025; Clovis – MSK PI, Ariel 2 & 3 and Genentech/Roche-MSK PI, GOG3015 (1Magyn050). Dr. Gershenson reports grants received from Novartis to his Institution. He also reports royalties personally received from Elsevier and UpToDate. Dr. Gershenson also received consulting fees from Verastem and Genentech. Dr. Gershenson also reports personal fees received for serving on the Advisory Boards for Aadi, Verastem and Beigene/Springworks. He received no compensation for serving as Chair, International Consortium for Low-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer and reports stock ownership for Bristol Myers Squib, Johnson & Johnson and Procter and Gamble. The following Coauthors have no conflicts of Interest to disclose: Dr. Holman and Dr. Nagel., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Early reports of PD-1 inhibition in ovarian clear cell carcinomas (OCCC) demonstrate promising response. We evaluated the combination of pembrolizumab and IDO-1 inhibitor epacadostat in patients with recurrent OCCC., Methods: This single arm, two-stage, phase 2 trial included those with measurable disease and 1-3 prior regimens. Patients received intravenous pembrolizumab 200 mg every 3 weeks and oral epacadostat 100 mg twice a day. Primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR), secondary endpoints were toxicity, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The study was powered to detect an absolute 25% increase in response (15% to 40%)., Results: Between September 28, 2018 and April 10, 2019, 14 patients enrolled at first stage. Rate of accrual was 2.3 patients per month. Median age was 65 years (44-89), 10 (71.4%) had ≥2 prior regimens. ORR was 21% (95% CI 5-51%) within 7 months of study entry with 3 partial responses, and 4 had stable disease (disease control rate 50%). Median PFS was 4.8 months (95% CI: 1.9-9.6), OS 18.9 months (95% CI: 1.9-NR). Most common grade ≥ 3 adverse events were electrolyte abnormalities and gastrointestinal pain, nausea, vomiting, bowel obstruction. In July 2019, the study reached the pre-specified criteria to re-open to second stage; however, the study closed prematurely in February 2021 due to insufficient drug supply., Conclusions: Pembrolizumab and epacadostat demonstrated an ORR of 21% in this small cohort of recurrent OCCC. The rapid rate of accrual highlights the enthusiasm and need for therapeutic studies in patients with OCCC., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Dr. Lilian Gien received consulting fees from Merck – Advisor Board – October 2021. She also received Speaker Honorarium – January 2021 – from Merck. Dr. Danielle Enserro received funding from NCI for Cooperative Group/NCTN Grant Funding for all aspects of this trial including travel to Group meetings, trial design, statistical design and analysis, study monitoring, writing/editing of abstracts/manuscripts, etc. Dr. Matthew S. Block received grants or contracts from Merck – drug only contract for investigator-sponsored trial; Regeneron, Sorrento, Transgene, TILT Biotherapeutics, Alkermes, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Genentech, nFerence, Pharmacyclics and Viewpoint Molecular Therapeutics – institutional payment for clinical trial. He also has a patent filed for Dendritic Cell Based Vaccines Combined with Penbrolizumab for the Treatment of Advanced Ovarian Cancer – patent filed; author has waived rights to personal financial gain. He has participated on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board from TILT Biotherapeutics, Sorrento, and Viewpoint Molecular Therapeutics – no payment received. Dr. Linda Duska has multiple grants from sponsors for clinical trials. These grants go to her institution and not to her. These include, but are not limited to: (research funding (to institution) for investigator initiated trials for Merck, clinical trial grants (to institution) from Genentech/Roche, AbbVie/(GOG 3005), Acrivon, Advaxis, Aduro BioTech, Alkermes, Blueprint, Constellation, Eisai, GlaxoSmithKlein/Novartis, Immunogen, Inovio, Iovance, Karyopharm, KSQ Therapeutics, Lycera, Merck, Morab, MorphoTek, Naveris, Nurix, OncoQuest, Pfizer, Syndax, Tesaro, and Zentalis. She has Royalties or licenses (all up to date) with Wiley and ASCO (Editor of ASCO Connection). She received consulting fees from Regeneron, Aadi Bioscience and Merck for serving on Scientific Advisory Boards. She received payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from Advance Medical, CEA Group and Clinical Care Options (CME). She has participated on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board for Innovio DSMB (to institution) and Aegenus DSMB (to institution). She served as Leadership or fiduciary role in other board, society, committee or advocacy group, paid or unpaid as Secretary Treasurer for SGO (unpaid) and Editorial Board, British Journal of OB/GYN. Dr. Andrea E. Wahner-Hendrickson received Grants or contracts from TORL Therapeutics (funding to institution for clinical trial, OXCIA (advisory board – unpaid), Prolynx (funding to institution for clinical trial and Mayo Ovarian SPORE (P50 CA1363939). She participated on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board for OXCIA (unpaid). She also served in a Leadership or fiduciary role in other board, society, committee or advocacy group – MOCA (unpaid). Dr. Premal H. Thaker received grants to his institution from Merck and GlaxoSmithKline. She received consulting fees from Immunon. She also participated on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board with AstraZeneca, Clovis Oncology, GlaxoSmithKline, Seagen, Agenus, Immunon, Immuogen, Mersana, Novocure, R-Pharm, Zentalis, Aadi Pharmaceuticals, Merck, Caris Iovance and Verastem. She also has stock or stock options with Immunon. Dr. Floor Backes received grants or contracts from Merck, Eisai, ImmunoGen, Clovis, Beigene, Natera, Tempus and AstraZeneca (research grants paid to the institution). Royalties or licenses from UptoDate (personal fees). She also received consulting fees from Agenus, Merck, Clovis, Immunogen, Eisai, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Myriad, BioNTech and Daiichi Sankyo (Advisory boards – personal fees). She received payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from Clinical Educational Concepts, Clinical Care Options, Medscape/WebMD, Med Learngin, 13Health, CMR Institute, Global Learning Initiative/Prova, OncLive, Targeted Oncology and Research To Practice (CME lectures – personal fees). She received support for attending meetings and/or travel from GlaxoSmithKline. She participated on a Data Safety Monitoring Board – see consulting fees. She served in a Leadership or fiduciary role on other board, society, committee or advocacy group, paid or unpaid from Society of Gynecologic Oncology (Board member – unpaid), NRG Oncology Developmental Therapeutics Committee – Co-Chair and IGCS Education360 – Co-Chair. Dr. Carolyn Y. Muller received a grant to her institution from New Mexico Minority Underserved NCORP to support enrollment to all NCI NCTN trials. She has a contract to her institution to enroll to GOG Partners trials from GOG Partners Foundation (Segan, GSK, Mersana, Alkemes, Merck, Verastem, Immunogen, etc). She received contracts to her institution for enrollment to specific clinical trials from Linneus Therapeutics. She serves as Chair, Board of Directors of the New Mexico Cancer Research Alliance (unpaid position that manages an affiliate consortium to provide access to clinical trials across the states many health systems). Dr. Paul DiSilvestro serves on the NRG Oncology Board of Directors in a leadership or fiduciary role. Dr. David M. Gershenson's institution received a grant from Novartis. He has royalties or licenses from Elsevier and UpToDate. He received consulting fees to himself from Verastem. He received payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from Yale University and University of Washington. He serves in a Leadership or fiduciary role in other board, society, committee or advocacy group, paid or unpaid from International Consortium for Low Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer. He has stock in Bristol Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson and Proctor & Gamble. He has other financial or non-financial interests himself in Audi AB, Verastem AB, Springworks AB and Onconova AB. Dr. Kathleen N. Moore has grants/contracts from Clovis Oncology Pharmaceutical, Eli Lilly and Company, Genentech, GSK plc Pharmaceutical, Merck, PTC Therapeutics Pharmaceuticals, Verastem Oncology and Biotech. She received support for attending meetings and/or travel from Duality, GSK and Regeneron. She participates on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board for AstraZeneca, Aravive, Aadi Bioscience, Alkermes, Blueprint Medicines, Caris, Clovis Oncology Pharmaceutical, Duality, Eisai Pharmaceutical, EMD Serono Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Genentech Biotechology, GSK plc Pharmaceutical, ImmunoGen Biotechnology, InxMed, I-MAB Biotech, Iovance, Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine Pharmaceutical, Merck, Mereo BioPharma Group, Mersana Therapeutics Inc., Myriad Genetics, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Onconova Therapeutics Inc., OncXerna Therapeutics, Inc., Regeneron, VBL, and Verastem Oncology. She serves in a leadership or fiduciary role for GOG Partners and ASCO. Dr. Carol Aghajanian received Clinical Trial funding to her institution (MSK) from: Abbvie – MSKPI – GOG 3005; AstraZeneca – MSK PI, SOLO1/GOG 3004; National Coordinating Investigator and MSK PI, DO81RC00001; ENGOT-ov46; AGO-OVAR 23; GOG-3025; Clovis – MSK PI, ARIEL 2 &3; Genentech/Roche – MSK PI, GOG3015 (IMagyn050). She also participates on an Advisory Board for Blueprint Medicine – Advisory Board 6/30/21 (no consulting fee); Mrck – Global Cervical and Ovaian Cancer Virtual Advisory Board 7/10/23 (no consulting fee) and AstraZeneca – AZ Evolve dmc 4/26/23-ongoing, She also serves on the GOG Foundation, Board of Directors (unpaid, occasional travel cost reimbursement to attend meetings) and NRG Oncology Board of Directors (unpaid)., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Platinum-based chemotherapy is the standard of care for platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer, but complications from repeated platinum therapy occur. We assessed the activity of two all-oral nonplatinum alternatives, olaparib or olaparib/cediranib, versus platinum-based chemotherapy., Patients and Methods: NRG-GY004 is an open-label, randomized, phase III trial conducted in the United States and Canada. Eligible patients had high-grade serous or endometrioid platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1:1 to platinum-based chemotherapy, olaparib, or olaparib/cediranib. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS) in the intention-to-treat population. Secondary end points included activity within germline BRCA -mutated or wild-type subgroups and patient-reported outcomes (PROs)., Results: Between February 04, 2016, and November 13, 2017, 565 eligible patients were randomly assigned. Median PFS was 10.3 (95% CI, 8.7 to 11.2), 8.2 (95% CI, 6.6 to 8.7), and 10.4 (95% CI, 8.5 to 12.5) months with chemotherapy, olaparib, and olaparib/cediranib, respectively. Olaparib/cediranib did not improve PFS versus chemotherapy (hazard ratio [HR] 0.86; 95% CI, 0.66 to 1.10; P = .077). In women with germline BRCA mutation, the PFS HR versus chemotherapy was 0.55 (95% CI, 0.32 to 0.94) for olaparib/cediranib and 0.63 (95% CI, 0.37 to 1.07) for olaparib. In women without a germline BRCA mutation, the PFS HR versus chemotherapy was 0.97 (95% CI, 0.73 to 1.30) for olaparib/cediranib and 1.41 (95% CI, 1.07 to 1.86) for olaparib. Hematologic adverse events occurred more commonly with chemotherapy; however, nonhematologic adverse events were higher with olaparib/cediranib. In 489 patients evaluable for PROs, patients receiving olaparib/cediranib scored on average 1.1 points worse on the NFOSI-DRS-P subscale (97.5% CI, -2.0 to -0.2, P = .0063) versus chemotherapy; no difference between olaparib and chemotherapy was observed., Conclusion: Combination olaparib/cediranib did not improve PFS compared with chemotherapy and resulted in reduced PROs. Notably, in patients with a germline BRCA mutation, both olaparib and olaparib/cediranib had significant clinical activity., Competing Interests: Joyce F. LiuConsulting or Advisory Role: Tesaro, Mersana, Clovis Oncology, Genentech/Roche, GlaxoSmithKline, Regeneron, AstraZenecaResearch Funding: Genentech/Roche (Inst), AstraZeneca (Inst), Boston Biomedical (Inst), Acetylon Pharmaceuticals (Inst), Bristol Myers Squibb (Inst), Agenus (Inst), CytomX Therapeutics (Inst), Regeneron (Inst), Tesaro (Inst), Clovis Oncology (Inst), Surface Oncology (Inst), 2X Oncology (Inst), Vigeo Therapeutics (Inst), Aravive (Inst), Arch Oncology (Inst)Travel, Accommodations, Expenses: AstraZeneca, MerckUncompensated Relationships: Merck Mark F. BradyConsulting or Advisory Role: Cel-Sci Ursula A. MatulonisHonoraria: Advaxis, Alkermes, SymphogenConsulting or Advisory Role: Merck, Novartis, NextCure, AstraZeneca, Blueprint Medicines, Trillium Therapeutics, GlaxoSmithKline, AgenusResearch Funding: Merck, Novartis, Tesaro, Syndax, Immunogen, Mersana, Leap Therapeutics, Fujifilm, SQZ BiotechTravel, Accommodations, Expenses: AstraZeneca Austin MillerConsulting or Advisory Role: AstraZeneca/Merck, Regeneron (Inst)Uncompensated Relationships: Genetect Elizabeth M. SwisherLeadership: IDEAYA Biosciences David CellaStock and Other Ownership Interests: FACIT.orgConsulting or Advisory Role: AbbVie, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Astellas Pharma, Novartis, Bristol Myers Squibb, Asahi Kasei, Ipsen, Mei PharmaResearch Funding: Novartis (Inst), Ipsen (Inst), Pfizer (Inst), PledPharma (Inst), Bristol Myers Squibb (Inst), AbbVie (Inst), Regeneron (Inst), Clovis Oncology (Inst) Noelle G. ClovenConsulting or Advisory Role: Toray Industries Carolyn Y. MullerResearch Funding: AstraZeneca (Inst), Genmab (Inst), VBL Therapeutics (Inst), Roche/Genentech (Inst), TapImmune Inc (Inst), Linnaeus Therapeutics (Inst), agenus (Inst), Incyte (Inst), Merck (Inst)Patents, Royalties, Other Intellectual Property: Have a pending patent on the cancer use for R-ketorolac - not yet its own new drug (Inst)Other Relationship: NCI, NCI, Department of Defense Richard G. MooreHonoraria: Fujirebio DiagnosticsConsulting or Advisory Role: Abcodia, Fujirebio DiagnosticsResearch Funding: Angle Steven E. WaggonerConsulting or Advisory Role: Regeneron Melissa A. GellerResearch Funding: Tesaro, Genentech, FATE Therapeutics, Morphotek, Bayer Keiichi FujiwaraHonoraria: Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Zeria Pharmaceutical, Nippon Kayaku, Chugai Pharma, Eisai, Taiho Pharmaceutical, Daiichi Sankyo, Ono Pharmaceutical, TakedaConsulting or Advisory Role: MSD, Taiho Pharmaceutical, Eisai, Takeda, Genmab, NanoCarrierResearch Funding: Eisai (Inst), Kaken Pharmaceutical (Inst), Chugai Pharma (Inst), Immunogen (Inst), Oncotherapeutics (Inst), AstraZeneca (Inst), Zeria Pharmaceutical (Inst), Ono Pharmaceutical (Inst), MSD (Inst), Regeneron (Inst), Merck KGaA (Inst), Ono Pharmaceutical (Inst), Genmab (Inst), Seattle Genetics (Inst)Travel, Accommodations, Expenses: MSD Angeles Alvarez SecordHonoraria: Myriad GeneticsResearch Funding: Tesaro (Inst), AstraZeneca (Inst), Genentech (Inst), Boehringer Ingelheim (Inst), AbbVie (Inst), Merck (Inst), PharmaMar (Inst), Clovis Oncology (Inst), Eisai (Inst), Seattle Genetics (Inst), Immutep (Inst), GlaxoSmithKline (Inst), VBL Therapeutics (Inst), OncoQuest Pharmaceuticals (Inst)Travel, Accommodations, Expenses: GlaxoSmithKlineUncompensated Relationships: Roche/Genentech, VBL Therapeutics, GOG Foundation, OncoQuest Pharmaceuticals, Regeneron, Aravive Katherine M. MoxleyConsulting or Advisory Role: Tessa Therapeutics (Inst), Clovis Oncology (Inst), GlaxoSmithKline Michael A. BookmanEmployment: The Permanente Medical GroupConsulting or Advisory Role: AstraZeneca, AbbVie, Immunogen, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Genentech/Roche, Seattle Genetics, AraviveNo other potential conflicts of interest were reported.

Purpose: GOG-259 was a 3-arm randomized controlled trial of two web-based symptom management interventions for patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. Primary aims were to compare the efficacy of the nurse-guided (Nurse-WRITE) and self-directed (SD-WRITE) interventions to Enhanced Usual Care (EUC) in improving symptoms (burden and controllability) and quality of life (QOL)., Methods: Patients with recurrent or persistent ovarian, fallopian, or primary peritoneal cancer with 3+ symptoms were eligible for the study. Participants completed baseline (BL) surveys (symptom burden and controllability and QOL) before random assignment. WRITE interventions lasted 8 weeks to develop symptom management plans for three target symptoms. All women received EUC: monthly online symptom assessment with provider reports; online resources; and every 2-week e-mails. Outcomes were evaluated at 8 and 12 weeks after BL. Repeated-measures modeling with linear contrasts evaluated group by time effects on symptom burden, controllability, and QOL, controlling for key covariates., Results: Participants (N = 497) reported mean age of 59.3 ± 9.2 years. At BL, 84% were receiving chemotherapy and reported a mean of 14.2 ± 4.9 concurrent symptoms, most commonly fatigue, constipation, and peripheral neuropathy. Symptom burden and QOL improved significantly over time ( P < .001) for all three groups. A group by time interaction ( P < .001) for symptom controllability was noted whereby both WRITE intervention groups had similar improvements from BL to 8 and 12 weeks, whereas EUC did not improve over time., Conclusion: Both WRITE Intervention groups showed significantly greater improvements in symptom controllability from BL to 8 and BL to 12 weeks compared with EUC. There were no significant differences between Nurse-WRITE and SD-WRITE. SD-WRITE has potential as a scalable intervention for a future implementation study., Competing Interests: Lari B. WenzelConsulting or Advisory Role: Array BioPharma Robert P. EdwardsResearch Funding: Merck Mary C. RobergeResearch Funding: Clovis Oncology (Inst) Teresa H. ThomasConsulting or Advisory Role: Healthline Media, Mashup Media David G. MutchConsulting or Advisory Role: Lilly Carolyn Y. MullerResearch Funding: AstraZeneca (Inst), Genmab (Inst), VBL Therapeutics (Inst), Roche/Genentech (Inst), TapImmune Inc (Inst), Linnaeus Therapeutics (Inst), Agenus (Inst), Incyte (Inst), Merck (Inst)Patents, Royalties, Other Intellectual Property: Have a pending patent on the cancer use for R-ketorolac—not yet its own new drug (Inst)Other Relationship: NCI, Department of DefenseNo other potential conflicts of interest were reported.

Background: Blocking the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway decreases resistance to hormonal therapy in endometrial carcinoma (EC)., Objective: In this study, the aim was to assess the efficacy and tolerability of everolimus(E)/letrozole (L) or medroxyprogesterone acetate(M)/tamoxifen(T) in the treatment of metastatic EC., Study Design: This single stage, open-label two arm randomized phase II trial accrued women with advanced/persistent/recurrent EC. Treatment with E (10 mg daily) and L (2.5 mg daily) or T (20 mg twice daily) and M (200 mg daily alternating weeks) was randomly assigned, and stratified by prior adjuvant therapy. Treatments were administered orally. Primary endpoint was response rate., Results: Between February 2015 and April 2016, everolimus/letrozole (n = 37) or MT (n = 37) was assigned to 74 patients. Median follow-up was 37 months. Eight (22%; 95% CI 11% to 37%) patients responded on EL (one CR) and nine (25%; 95% CI 14% to 41%) patients responded on MT (three CRs). Median PFS for EL and MT arms was 6 months and 4 months, respectively. On EL, chemo-nave patients demonstrated a 28 month median PFS; prior chemotherapy patients had a 4-month median PFS. On MT, patients without prior therapy had a 5-month median PFS; those with prior chemotherapy demonstrated a 3-month PFS. Common grade 3 adverse events were anemia (9 [24%] patients EL vs 2 [6%] MT) and mucositis (2 [5%] vs 0 [0%]). Grade 3/4 thromboembolic events were observed with MT but not with EL (0 [0%] vs 4 [11%])., Conclusions: EL and MT demonstrated clinically meaningful efficacy in recurrent EC patients. The higher PFS observed in chemo-naïve patients is worthy of confirmation in future studies., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Because of the negative impact of cancer treatment on female sexual function, effective treatments are warranted. The purpose of this multisite study was to evaluate the ability of two dose levels of extended-release bupropion, a dopaminergic agent, to improve sexual desire more than placebo at 9 weeks, measured by the desire subscale of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), and to evaluate associated toxicities., Methods: Postmenopausal women diagnosed with breast or gynecologic cancer and low baseline FSFI desire scores (< 3.3), who had completed definitive cancer therapy, were eligible. Women were randomly assigned to receive 150 mg or 300 mg once daily of extended-release bupropion or a matching placebo. t -tests were performed on the FSFI desire subscale to evaluate whether there was a significantly greater change from baseline to 9 weeks between placebo and each bupropion arm as the primary end point. Sixty-two patients per arm provided 80% power using a one-sided t -test., Results: Two hundred thirty women were randomly assigned from 72 institutions through the NRG Oncology NCORP network. At 9 weeks, there were no statistically significant differences in change of the desire subscale scores between groups; participants in all three arms reported improvement. The mean changes for each arm were placebo 0.62 (standard deviation [SD] = 1.18), 150-mg once daily bupropion 0.64 (SD = 0.95), and 300-mg once daily bupropion 0.60 (SD = 0.89). Total and subscale scores on the FSFI were low throughout the study, indicating dysfunction in all groups., Conclusion: Bupropion was not more effective than placebo in improving the desire subscale of the FSFI. Subscale and total scores of the FSFI demonstrated dysfunction throughout the 9 weeks of the study. More research is needed to support sexual function in female cancer survivors., Competing Interests: Debra L. BartonResearch Funding: Merck Stephanie L. PughResearch Funding: Pfizer (Inst), Millennium (Inst) Patricia A. GanzLeadership: Intrinsic LifeSciences (I)Stock and Other Ownership Interests: Xenon Pharma (I), Intrinsic LifeSciences (I), Teva, Novartis, Merck, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Abbott LaboratoriesConsulting or Advisory Role: InformedDNA, Vifor Pharma (I), Ambys Medicines (I), Global Blood Therapeutics (I), GlaxoSmithKline (I), Ionis Pharmaceuticals (I), Protagonist Therapeutics (I), Akebia Therapeutics (I), Regeneron (I), Sierra Oncology (I), Rockwell Medical Technologies Inc (I), Astellas Pharma (I), Gossamer Bio (I), American Regent (I), Disc Medicine (I), Blue Note Therapeutics (I), Grail (I)Research Funding: Blue Note Therapeutics (Inst)Patents, Royalties, Other Intellectual Property: Related to iron metabolism and the anemia of chronic disease, UpToDate royalties for section editor on survivorshipTravel, Accommodations, Expenses: Intrinsic LifeSciences (I) Steven C. PlaxeStock and Other Ownership Interests: Pfizer, Merck, Zimmer Biomet, GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb/Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson/JanssenResearch Funding: Endocyte, Incyte, MedImmune, Novartis, Pfizer, Janssen Oncology, BIND Therapeutics, PharmaMar, AstraZeneca, Kevelt, Millennium, Tesaro Bridget F. KoontzEmployment: GenesisCareLeadership: GenesisCareConsulting or Advisory Role: Blue Earth Diagnostics, Myovant Sciences, Rythera TherapeuticsResearch Funding: Janssen, Merck, Blue Earth DiagnosticsPatents, Royalties, Other Intellectual Property: Demos Publishing Matthew L. HillStock and Other Ownership Interests: AstraZeneca, Newlink Genetics, Kazia Therapeutics, Leap Therapeutics, OncoSec, MEI Pharma, PLx Pharma, Radius Health, Crispr Therapeutics, Cassava SciencesOpen Payments Link: https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/physician/820072 Carolyn Y. MullerResearch Funding: AstraZeneca, Genmab, VBL Therapeutics, Roche/Genentech, TapImmune Inc, Linnaeus Therapeutics, Agenus, Incyte, MerckPatents, Royalties, Other Intellectual Property: Have a pending patent on the cancer use for R-ketorolac—not yet its own new drugOther Relationship: NCI, Department of Defense Lisa A. KachnicConsulting or Advisory Role: New B InnovationResearch Funding: Varian Medical SystemsPatents, Royalties, Other Intellectual Property: UpToDateNo other potential conflicts of interest were reported.

Purpose: This surgical window of opportunity (window) study assessed the short-term effect of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) alone versus MPA plus the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor entinostat on regulation of progesterone receptor (PR) in women with newly diagnosed endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinoma., Patients and Methods: This multisite, randomized, open-label surgical window study treated women intramuscularly on day 1 with 400 mg MPA. Entinostat given 5 mg by mouth on days 1, 8, and 15 was randomly assigned with equal probability. Surgery followed on days 21-24. Pretreatment and posttreatment tissue was assessed for PR H-scores, Ki-67 levels, and histologic response., Results: Fifty patients were accrued in 4 months; 22 and 20 participants had PR evaluable pretreatment and posttreatment slides in the MPA and MPA/entinostat arms, respectively. Median posttreatment PR H-scores were significantly lower than pretreatment H-scores in both arms but did not differ significantly (MPA: 247 vs. 27, MPA/entinostat 260 vs. 23, respectively, P = 0.87). Decreased Ki-67 was shown in 90% treated with MPA/entinostat compared with 68% treated with MPA alone ( P = 0.13). Median PR H-score decreases were larger when Ki-67 was decreased (208) versus not decreased (45). The decrease in PR pretreatment versus posttreatment was associated with loss of Ki-67 nuclear staining, consistent with reduced cellular proliferation ( P < 0.008)., Conclusions: This surgical window trial rapidly accrued in a multisite setting and evaluated PR as its primary endpoint and Ki-67 as secondary endpoint. Despite no immediate effect of entinostat on PR in this short-term study, lessons learned can inform future window and treatment trials., (©2021 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Objective: Early-phase data have demonstrated induction of antibody responses to a polyvalent vaccine conjugate (Globo-H, GM2, MUC1-TN, TF) with adjuvant OPT-821. We sought to determine if this combination decreases the hazard of progression or death compared to OPT-821 alone in patients with ovarian cancer in second/third clinical complete remission following chemotherapy. Secondary and translational objectives were overall survival (OS), safety, and immunogenicity., Methods: From 2010-2013, patients were randomized (1:1) to receive OPT-821±vaccine-KLH conjugate subcutaneously at weeks 1, 2, 3, 7, 11, and then every 12 weeks (total 11). Dose delay or reduction was not permitted. Patients were removed for pre-defined dose-limiting toxicity., Results: Of 171 patients randomized, 170 were treated. Most had disease of serous histology (85%), stage 3 disease at diagnosis (77%), and had received 2 prior regimens (68%). 32% received >6 treatment cycles [median 6, each arm (p = 0.33)]. 77% discontinued due to progression, 4% due to toxicity, and 1 due to myeloid dysplastic syndrome (MDS). Maximum toxicities included grade 4 MDS and depression/personality change (1 each, unlikely related), as well as grade 3 gastrointestinal disorders and others (n = 21, 4 related). Lesser adverse events were injection site reactions (82%) and fever (11%). Estimated HR for progression-free survival (PFS) of the vaccine + OPT-821 to OPT-821 arm was 0.98 (95% CI: 0.71-1.36). At a median follow-up of 60 months, median OS was 47 and 46 months, respectively., Conclusions: Vaccine + OPT-821 compared to OPT-821 alone was modestly immunogenic and did not prolong PFS or OS. Multi-remission patients are a viable, well-defined population for exploring innovative consolidation and maintenance approaches., Trial Registration: NCT00857545., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Cytoreductive surgery and chemotherapy are cornerstones of ovarian cancer treatment, yet disease recurrence remains a significant clinical issue. Surgery can release cancer cells into the circulation, suppress anti-tumor immunity, and induce inflammatory responses that support the growth of residual disease. Intervention within the peri-operative window is an under-explored opportunity to mitigate these consequences of surgery and influence the course of metastatic disease to improve patient outcomes. One drug associated with improved survival in cancer patients is ketorolac. Ketorolac is a chiral molecule administered as a 1:1 racemic mixture of the S- and R-enantiomers. The S-enantiomer is considered the active component for its FDA indication in pain management with selective activity against cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes. The R-enantiomer has a previously unrecognized activity as an inhibitor of Rac1 (Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate) and Cdc42 (cell division control protein 42) GTPases. Therefore, ketorolac differs from other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) by functioning as two distinct pharmacologic entities due to the independent actions of each enantiomer. In this review, we summarize evidence supporting the benefits of ketorolac administration for ovarian cancer patients. We also discuss how simultaneous inhibition of these two distinct classes of targets, COX enzymes and Rac1/Cdc42, by S-ketorolac and R-ketorolac respectively, could each contribute to anti-cancer activity., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study, in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data, in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Objective: The study's purpose was to assess safety and efficacy of escalating doses of weekly GEN-1 with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) in patients with recurrent or persistent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancers (EOC)., Methods: Patients had persistent or recurrent platinum-resistant EOC. The trial was a standard 3+3 phase I dose escalation design with patients receiving intravenous PLD 40mg/m 2 (dose level 1 and 2) or 50mg/m 2 (dose level 3) every 28days and intraperitoneal GEN-1 at 24mg/m 2 (dose level 1) or 36mg/m 2 (dose level 2 and 3) on days 1, 8, 15, and 22 of a 28day cycle. Cycles were repeated every 28days until disease progression. Patients were monitored for toxicity, clinical efficacy, and evidence of systemic and intraperitoneal immunologic effect., Results: Sixteen evaluable patients received a median of 4cycles (range 1-8). No dose limiting toxicities were found. The adverse side effects were 4 grade 3 anemia, 2 grade 3 abdominal pain, 7 grade 3 neutropenia, and 2 grade 4 neutropenia. A clinical benefit of 57.1% (PR=21.4%; SD=35.7%) was found in the 14 patients with measurable disease. The highest number of partial responses (28.6%) and stable disease (57.1%) were found at dose level 3. The maximum tolerated dose was not reached. Increases in IL-12, IFN-γ, and TNF-α levels were found in peritoneal fluid following GEN-1 treatment., Conclusions: GEN-1 in combination with PLD has encouraging clinical benefit and biological activity in recurrent or persistent EOC and warrants further investigation with escalating doses of GEN-1., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In ovarian cancer, metastasis is typically confined to the peritoneum. Surgical removal of the primary tumor and macroscopic secondary tumors is a common practice, but more effective strategies are needed to target microscopic spheroids persisting in the peritoneal fluid after debulking surgery. To treat this residual disease, therapeutic agents can be administered by either intravenous or intraperitoneal infusion. Here, we describe the use of a cellular Potts model to compare tumor penetration of two classes of drugs (cisplatin and pertuzumab) when delivered by these two alternative routes. The model considers the primary route when the drug is administered either intravenously or intraperitoneally, as well as the subsequent exchange into the other delivery volume as a secondary route. By accounting for these dynamics, the model revealed that intraperitoneal infusion is the markedly superior route for delivery of both small-molecule and antibody therapies into microscopic, avascular tumors typical of patients with ascites. Small tumors attached to peritoneal organs, with vascularity ranging from 2% to 10%, also show enhanced drug delivery via the intraperitoneal route, even though tumor vessels can act as sinks during the dissemination of small molecules. Furthermore, we assessed the ability of the antibody to enter the tumor by in silico and in vivo methods and suggest that optimization of antibody delivery is an important criterion underlying the efficacy of these and other biologics. The use of both delivery routes may provide the best total coverage of tumors, depending on their size and vascularity., (©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Purpose: We previously identified the R-enantiomer of ketorolac as an inhibitor of the Rho-family GTPases Rac1 and Cdc42. Rac1 and Cdc42 regulate cancer-relevant functions, including cytoskeleton remodeling necessary for tumor cell adhesion and migration. This study investigated whether administration of racemic (R,S) ketorolac after ovarian cancer surgery leads to peritoneal distribution of R-ketorolac, target GTPase inhibition in cells retrieved from the peritoneal cavity, and measureable impact on patient outcomes., Experimental Design: Eligible patients had suspected advanced-stage ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer. Secondary eligibility was met when ovarian cancer was confirmed and optimally debulked, an intraperitoneal port was placed, and there were no contraindications for ketorolac administration. R- and S-ketorolac were measured in serum and peritoneal fluid, and GTPase activity was measured in peritoneal cells. A retrospective study correlated perioperative ketorolac and ovarian cancer-specific survival in ovarian cancer cases., Results: Elevated expression and activity of Rac1 and Cdc42 was detected in ovarian cancer patient tissues, confirming target relevance. Ketorolac in peritoneal fluids was enriched in the R-enantiomer and peritoneal cell GTPase activity was inhibited after ketorolac administration when R-ketorolac was at peak levels. After adjusting for age, AJCC stage, completion of chemotherapy, and neoadjuvant therapy, women given perioperative ketorolac had a lower hazard of death (HR, 0.30; 95% confidence interval, 0.11-0.88)., Conclusions: Ketorolac has a novel pharmacologic activity conferred by the R-enantiomer and R-ketorolac achieves sufficient levels in the peritoneal cavity to inhibit Rac1 and Cdc42, potentially contributing to the observed survival benefit in women who received ketorolac., (©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Racial and ethnic diversity has historically been difficult to achieve in National Cancer Institute-sponsored clinical trials, even while as many as 80% of those trials have faced difficulty in meeting overall recruitment targets. In an attempt to address these issues, NRG Oncology recently convened a comprehensive workshop titled "Clinical Trials Enrollment: Challenges and Opportunities." Discussants at the workshop included representatives of the three legacy groups of the NRG (ie, Gynecologic Oncology Group, National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Program, and Radiation Therapy Oncology Group), a minority-based community clinical oncology program, a large integrated health care system, the leadership of the National Cancer Institute, and a large patient advocacy group. This article summarizes the concepts discussed at the workshop, which included: needs assessments, infrastructural support, training of investigators and research staff, specific clinical trial recruitment strategies (both system and community based), and development and mentoring of young investigators. Many new, more specific tactics, including use of diverse cancer care settings, direct-to-consumer communication, and the need for centralized information technology such as the use of software to match trials to special populations, are presented. It was concluded that new, innovative trial designs and the realities of limited funding would require the adoption of effective and efficient recruiting strategies, specialized training, and stakeholder engagement. US clinical research programs must generate and embrace new ideas and pilot test novel recruitment strategies if they are to maintain their historic role as world leaders in cancer care innovation and delivery., (Copyright © 2015 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.)

Cdc42 (cell division control protein 42) and Rac1 (Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1) are attractive therapeutic targets in ovarian cancer based on established importance in tumor cell migration, adhesion, and invasion. Despite a predicted benefit, targeting GTPases has not yet been translated to clinical practice. We previously established that Cdc42 and constitutively active Rac1b are overexpressed in primary ovarian tumor tissues. Through high-throughput screening and computational shape homology approaches, we identified R-ketorolac as a Cdc42 and Rac1 inhibitor, distinct from the anti-inflammatory, cyclooxygenase inhibitory activity of S-ketorolac. In the present study, we establish R-ketorolac as an allosteric inhibitor of Cdc42 and Rac1. Cell-based assays validate R-ketorolac activity against Cdc42 and Rac1. Studies on immortalized human ovarian adenocarcinoma cells (SKOV3ip) and primary patient-derived ovarian cancer cells show that R-ketorolac is a robust inhibitor of growth factor or serum-dependent Cdc42 and Rac1 activation with a potency and cellular efficacy similar to small-molecule inhibitors of Cdc42 (CID2950007/ML141) and Rac1 (NSC23766). Furthermore, GTPase inhibition by R-ketorolac reduces downstream p21-activated kinases (PAK1/PAK2) effector activation by >80%. Multiple assays of cell behavior using SKOV3ip and primary patient-derived ovarian cancer cells show that R-ketorolac significantly inhibits cell adhesion, migration, and invasion. In summary, we provide evidence for R-ketorolac as a direct inhibitor of Cdc42 and Rac1 that is capable of modulating downstream GTPase-dependent, physiologic responses, which are critical to tumor metastasis. Our findings demonstrate the selective inhibition of Cdc42 and Rac1 GTPases by an FDA-approved drug, racemic ketorolac, that can be used in humans., (©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the United States. Failure may be due to variable expression and/or complex interactions of growth factor receptors in individual tumors. As ErbB3-MET cooperativity is implicated in solid tumor resistance to EGFR/ErbB2 inhibitors, we evaluated expression of MET and all 4 ErbB family members in ovarian cancers. Tissue arrays were prepared from archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor samples, including 202 ovarian carcinomas (Stage I-IV) and controls. Of 202 patient samples, only 25% were positive for EGFR and 35% for ErbB2 expression. ErbB3, ErbB4, and MET showed marked expression in 76%, 98%, and 96% of cases. Consistent with high incidence, there was no significant correlation for expression of ErbB3, ErbB4, or MET with outcome. On the basis of their high expression in the majority of cases, inhibitors targeting ErbB3, ErbB4, and/or MET may be broadly applicable as therapeutic agents in this disease.

Objective: The purpose of this phase II trial was to evaluate the toxicity and antitumor activity of EGEN-001 in platinum resistant recurrent ovarian cancer., Methods: Eligible patients had weekly IP infusion of EGEN-001 at a dose of 24mg/m(2). Toxicity and antitumor activity were evaluated using CTCAE and RESIST criteria, respectively. Co-primary endpoints were tumor response and survival without progression (PFS) for at least 6months. Survival without progression before going onto a subsequent therapy (EFS) for at least six months was also considered., Results: A total of 58 EGEN-001 cycles were administered to 20/22 enrolled patients (median 2cycles, range 1-9). The most frequently associated adverse events related specifically to EGEN-001 treatment were grade 1/2 fatigue, fever, chills, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, anemia, thrombocytopenia, and leukopenia. Three of 20 EGEN-001 treated patients evaluable for toxicity elected to withdraw from the study motivated in part by grade 1 treatment related toxicities. There were no patients with partial or complete response (0%; 90% CI 0-10.9%). Seven (35%) of 16 patients evaluable for response had stable disease, and 9 (45%) had progressive disease. Six (30%) patients had a PFS of greater than six months, although three had gone off study and onto other therapies before six months. The estimated six-month EFS was 15%. The median PFS and OS were 2.89 and 9.17months, respectively., Conclusion: EGEN-001 at the dose and schedule evaluated was associated with some but limited activity and was seemingly less tolerated in platinum resistant recurrent ovarian cancer patients., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Endogenous hormones and growth factors that increase mammographic breast density could increase ovarian cancer risk. We examined whether high breast density is associated with ovarian cancer risk., Methods: We conducted a cohort study of 724,603 women aged 40 to 79 years with 2,506,732 mammograms participating in the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium from 1995 to 2009. Incident epithelial ovarian cancer was diagnosed in 1373 women. We used partly conditional Cox regression to estimate the association between breast density and 5-year risk of incident epithelial ovarian cancer overall and stratified by 10-year age group. All statistical tests were two-sided., Results: Compared with women with scattered fibroglandular densities, women with heterogeneously dense and extremely dense breast tissue had 20% and 18% increased 5-year risk of incident epithelial ovarian cancer (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.06 to 1.36; HR = 1.18, 95% CI = 0.93 to 1.50, respectively; P(trend) = .01). Among women aged 50 to 59 years, we observed a trend in elevated risk associated with increased breast density (P(trend) = .02); women with heterogeneously and extremely dense breast tissue had 30% (HR = 1.30; 95% CI = 1.03 to 1.64) and 65% (HR = 1.65; 95% CI = 1.12 to 2.44) increased risk, respectively, compared with women with scattered fibroglandular densities. The pattern was similar but not statistically significant at age 40 to 49 years. There were no consistent patterns of breast density and ovarian cancer risk at age 60 to 79 years., Conclusions: Dense breast tissue was associated with a modest increase in 5-year ovarian cancer risk in women aged 50 to 59 years but was not associated with ovarian cancer at ages 40 to 49 or 60 to 79 years.

Objectives: We previously reported high rates of urinary incontinence among gynecologic cancer survivors and aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a simple intervention for treatment of urinary incontinence in this population., Methods: We recruited 40 gynecologic cancer survivors who reported urinary incontinence on a validated questionnaire. Women were randomized to either pelvic floor muscle training/behavioral therapy (treatment group) or usual care (control group). The primary outcome measure, assessed at 12 weeks post intervention, was a 40% difference in the validated Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) score. Fisher's exact test was used to identify differences between groups for frequency data; two-sample t-test was conducted for continuous measurements., Results: Mean age of this cohort was 57 (range: 37-79). The majority of the survivors had uterine cancer (60%), 18% had received radiation therapy, 95% had received surgical therapy, and 35% had received chemotherapy. At three months, 80% of the treatment and 40% of the control group reported that their urinary incontinence was "much better" or "very much better" as evaluated by the Patient Global Impression of Improvement scale (p=0.02). Brink's scores were significantly improved in the treatment group as compared to those of the controls (p<0.0001). Treatment group adherence was high; the treatment group performed exercises with an average of 22 days/month., Conclusions: Urinary incontinence negatively affects quality of life, and despite a high prevalence among gynecologic cancer survivors, it is often under-assessed and undertreated. We found a simple intervention that included pelvic floor muscle training and behavioral therapy, which significantly improved cancer survivor's urinary incontinence., (© 2013.)

Background: Suppression of neoangiogenesis and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) each contribute to the management of platinum-resistant/refractory ovarian cancer. The aim of this study is to test the combination of bevacizumab and PLD in women with resistant or refractory ovarian cancer., Methods: Eligibility criteria were no more than two prior treatments with platinum-containing regimens and one additional regimen, without anthracyclines. Treatment was administered every 3 weeks (bevacizumab 15 mg/kg beginning on cycle 2 and PLD 30 mg/m(2)). The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS) at 6 months; the secondary end points included side-effects, overall response rates (ORR) and survival (OS)., Results: Forty-six patients were enrolled. The average number of courses administered was 7. The median PFS was 6.6 months (range 1-24.6 months) according to Gynecologic Cancer Intergroup Committee (GCIC) criteria and 7.8 months (range 2-13.3 months) according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST). The median OS was 33.2 months (range 3-37.5+ months). The ORR was 30.2% [95% confidence interval (CI) 17.2-46.1] and the clinical benefit rate (CBR) was 86.1% (95% CI 72.1-94.7). Adverse events included mucosal and dermal erosions (30% grade 3) and asymptomatic cardiac dysfunction. Additional toxic effects included hypertension, headache, renal dysfunction and proteinuria, wound healing delay, and one episode each of central nervous system (CNS) ischemia and hemolytic uremic syndrome., Conclusion: PLD with bevacizumab has improved activity in recurrent ovarian cancer with increased toxicity.

Background: To assess the response of patients with soft tissue sarcoma (STS) to the combination of docetaxel, bevacizumab, and gemcitabine. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A levels and expression of VEGF-A and VEGF receptors 1 and 2 were evaluated., Patients and Methods: Thirty-eight chemotherapy-naive patients with STS were enrolled. A dose-finding study for gemcitabine from 1000, 1250, then 1500 mg/m(2) was done in nine patients (three cohorts), followed by an expansion cohort of 27 patients. Dose of docetaxel was 50 mg/m(2), bevacizumab was 5 mg/kg, and gemcitabine was 1500 mg/m(2), every 2 weeks. Serum VEGF-A was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and tissue VEGF-A and its receptors by immunohistochemistry., Results: The median follow-up was 36 months. The overall response rate observed was 31.4%, with 5 complete and 6 partial responses, and 18 stable diseases lasting for a median of 6 months. There was no significant hematologic toxicity. The adverse events with the highest grade were attributed to bevacizumab. There was no correlation of VEGF pathway biomarkers with outcome., Conclusions: The combination of gemcitabine, docetaxel, and bevacizumab is safe and effective in patients with STS. The most concerning adverse events were consequences of bevacizumab administration. The benefit of bevacizumab in this patient population remains unclear.

Objective: To estimate activity and safety of trabectedin 1.5 mg/m2 IV over 24 hours every 3 weeks (1 cycle) in uterine leiomyosarcoma., Methods: Patients with chemotherapy naive, advanced, persistent or recurrent uterine leiomyosarcoma, acceptable organ function and PS≤2 were eligible. A two-stage design was utilized. Three responses were required in the first stage to initiate the second stage; the target sample size was 40 for the combined stages. If the true response rate was 10%, the study design provided a 95% chance of correctly classifying the treatment as "inactive." Conversely, if the true response rate was 30%, then the average probability of correctly classifying the treatment as active would be 90%., Results: Twenty patients were eligible and evaluable. The median number of cycles was 10 (123 total cycles, range 2-29). The number of patients with partial responses was 2 (10%; 95% confidence interval of 1.2%-31.7%). Response durations were 3.3 and 5.7 months. Ten patients had stable disease (50%). The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival were 5.8 months and greater than 26.1 months (median not reached), respectively. Observed grade 3/4 toxicity included: neutropenia 16/20 (1 infection); thrombocytopenia 3/20; metabolic 3/20; anemia, gastrointestinal and vascular 1/20 each. There were no treatment related deaths nor cases of liver failure., Conclusions: Although a second stage of accrual was not indicated based on the overall response rate, the drug was well tolerated., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Academia and small business research units are poised to play an increasing role in drug discovery, with drug repurposing as one of the major areas of activity. Here we summarize project status for a number of drugs or classes of drugs: raltegravir, cyclobenzaprine, benzbromarone, mometasone furoate, astemizole, R-naproxen, ketorolac, tolfenamic acid, phenothiazines, methylergonovine maleate and beta-adrenergic receptor drugs, respectively. Based on this multi-year, multi-project experience we discuss strengths and weaknesses of academic-based drug repurposing research. Translational, target and disease foci are strategic advantages fostered by close proximity and frequent interactions between basic and clinical scientists, which often result in discovering new modes of action for approved drugs. On the other hand, lack of integration with pharmaceutical sciences and toxicology, lack of appropriate intellectual coverage and issues related to dosing and safety may lead to significant drawbacks. The development of a more streamlined regulatory process world-wide, and the development of pre-competitive knowledge transfer systems such as a global healthcare database focused on regulatory and scientific information for drugs world-wide, are among the ideas proposed to improve the process of academic drug discovery and repurposing, and to overcome the "valley of death" by bridging basic to clinical sciences.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of pelvic floor disorders and sexual function in survivors of gynecologic cancer., Study Design: We surveyed survivors of gynecologic cancer (survivors) and women seeking gynecologic care (control patients) who were >30 years old. All survivors were disease- and treatment-free for ≥1 year. Validated questionnaires were used to evaluate pelvic floor disorders., Results: One hundred eight control patient and 260 survivor questionnaires were completed. A high prevalence of pelvic floor disorders was observed in both groups; 56% of control subjects and 70% of survivors reported moderate to severe urinary incontinence (P > .05). Survivors were more likely to experience fecal incontinence (42% vs 32%; P = .02). Survivors reported less sexual desire (P = .04) and less ability to climax (P = .04), despite no difference in dyspareunia., Conclusion: Fecal incontinence and sexual dysfunction are significant problems in survivors of gynecologic cancer., (Copyright © 2010 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.)

This multicenter phase 2 trial was conducted by the Gynecologic Oncology Group to evaluate the activity and the safety of irofulven in patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer. Eligible patients had documented recurrent ovarian cancer 6 to 12 months after receiving a front-line platinum-based regimen and no other chemotherapy. Patients were required to have measurable disease, performance status of 0 to 2, and adequate bone marrow, hepatic, and renal functions before study entry. The dose of irofulven was 0.45 mg/kg intravenously on days 1 and 8 every 21 days. Responses were defined by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. Fifty-five of 61 enrolled patients were evaluable for response and toxicity. There were 7 partial responses (12.7%), and 30 patients (54.6%) had stable disease. Median progression-free and overall survival were 6.4 months (1.3-37.5 months) and 22.1 months or more (2.8-57.8+ months), respectively. Patients received a median of 3 cycles (range, 1-21) of protocol therapy. Grade 4 hematologic toxicity was limited to reversible neutropenia and thrombocytopenia. Grade 4 nonhematologic toxicity was limited to one patient with anorexia and another with hypomagnesemia. Irofulven administered at this dose and schedule was well tolerated but had modest activity as a single agent.

Background: Cervical dysplasia and tumorigenesis have been linked with numerous chromosomal aberrations. The goal of this study was to evaluate 35 genomic regions associated with cervical disease and to select those which were found to have the highest frequency of aberration for use as probes in fluorescent in-situ hybridization., Methods: The frequency of gains and losses using fluorescence in-situ hybridization were assessed in these 35 regions on 30 paraffin-embedded cervical biopsy specimens. Based on this assessment, 6 candidate fluorescently labeled probes (8q24, Xp22, 20q13, 3p14, 3q26, CEP15) were selected for additional testing on a set of 106 cervical biopsy specimens diagnosed as Normal, CIN1, CIN2, CIN3, and SCC. The data were analyzed on the basis of signal mean, % change of signal mean between histological categories, and % positivity., Results: The study revealed that the chromosomal regions with the highest frequency of copy number gains and highest combined sensitivity and specificity in high-grade cervical disease were 8q24 and 3q26. The cytological application of these two probes was then evaluated on 118 ThinPrep samples diagnosed as Normal, ASCUS, LSIL, HSIL and Cancer to determine utility as a tool for less invasive screening. Using gains of either 8q24 or 3q26 as a positivity criterion yielded specificity (Normal +LSIL+ASCUS) of 81.0% and sensitivity (HSIL+Cancer) of 92.3% based on a threshold of 4 positive cells., Conclusions: The application of a FISH assay comprised of chromosomal probes 8q24 and 3q26 to cervical cytology specimens confirms the positive correlation between increasing dysplasia and copy gains and shows promise as a marker in cervical disease progression.

Introduction: The USA hCG Reference Service has been dealing with cases of persistent low levels of hCG and gestational trophoblastic diseases for 10years. Here we present the complete experience., Methods: Total hCG in serum and urine was measured using the Siemen's Immulite 1000 assay. Hyperglycosylated hCG, nicked hCG, free ss-subunit and ss-core fragment were measured using microtiterplate assays with antibodies B152, B151, FBT11 and B210, respectively., Results: The USA hCG Reference Service has identified 83 cases of false-positive hCG, 71 cases of aggressive gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD), 52 cases of minimally invasive GTD, 168 cases of quiescent GTD and 22 cases of placenta site trophoblastic tumor (PSTT). In addition, 103 cases of pituitary hCG have been identified, 60 cases of nontrophoblastic tumor, 4 cases of inherited hCG and 2 cases of Munchausen's syndrome. This is 565 cases total. Multiple new methods are described and tested for diagnosing all of these disorders., Conclusions: The USA hCG Reference Service experience shows new methods for detecting multiple hCG-related disorders and recommends new approaches for detecting these hCG-related disorders., (2010 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Ovarian carcinoma is the leading cause of death from gynecologic malignancy in the US. Factors such as the molecular heterogeneity of ovarian tumors and frequent diagnosis at advanced stages hamper effective disease treatment. There is growing emphasis on the identification and development of targeted therapies to disrupt molecular pathways in cancer. The epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor is one such protein target with potential utility in the management of ovarian cancer. This paper will discuss contributions of EGF receptor activation to ovarian cancer pathogenesis and the status of EGF receptor inhibitors and EGF receptor targeted therapies in ovarian cancer treatment.

PURPOSE Ixabepilone (BMS-247550) is a microtubule-stabilizing epothilone B analog with activity in taxane-resistant metastatic breast cancer. The Gynecologic Oncology Group conducted a phase II evaluation of the efficacy and safety of ixabepilone in patients with recurrent or persistent platinum- and taxane-resistant primary ovarian or peritoneal carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with measurable platinum- and taxane-resistant ovarian or peritoneal carcinoma, defined as progression during or within 6 months of one prior course of treatment with each agent, received intravenous ixabepilone 20 mg/m(2) administered over 1 hour on days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28-day cycle. Results Of 51 patients entered, 49 were eligible. The objective response rate was 14.3% (95% CI, 5.9% to 27.2%), with three complete and four partial responses. Twenty patients (40.8%) had stable disease, whereas sixteen (32.7%) had increasing disease. The median time to progression was 4.4 months (95% CI, 0.8 to 32.6+ months); median survival was 14.8 months (95% CI, 0.8 to 50.0) months. Patients received a median of two treatment cycles (range, 1 to 29 cycles), and 18.4% of patients received > or = six cycles. Adverse effects included peripheral grade 2 (28.5%) and grade 3 (6.1%) neuropathy, grades 3 to 4 neutropenia (20.4%), grade 3 fatigue (14.3%), grade 3 nausea/emesis (22%), grade 3 diarrhea (10%), and grade 3 mucositis (4%). CONCLUSION Ixabepilone 20 mg/m(2) over 1 hour on days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28-day cycle demonstrates antitumor activity and acceptable safety in patients with platinum- and taxane-resistant recurrent or persistent ovarian or primary peritoneal carcinoma.

Introduction: The literature shows that hyperglycosylated hCG is the invasion stimulus in malignant gestational trophoblastic diseases. The USA hCG Reference Service has characterized 2 gestational trophoblastic disease conditions marked by low proportion of hyperglycosylated hCG. These are quiescent gestational trophoblastic disease, defined as inactive or benign invasive disease, and minimally invasive gestational trophoblastic disease, defined as slow growing or chemorefractory disease with hCG increasing very slowly (doubling rate 2-6 weeks). Here we examine the USA hCG Reference Service experience with both diseases., Methods: Patient were referred to the USA hCG Reference Service, 133 cases shown to have quiescent gestational trophoblastic disease, 35 cases with aggressive and 30 with minimally invasive gestational trophoblastic disease., Results: Quiescent or inactive gestational trophoblastic disease was demonstrated in 133 women. In 127 of these cases, no hyperglycosylated hCG was detected, and in 6 cases 4-27% hyperglycosylated hCG was detected. This is quiescent or inactive disease. Only 1 of 35 cases with aggressive gestational trophoblastic disease (>40% hyperglycosylated hCG) was chemorefractory. In contrast, 30 of 30 minimally invasive cases (<40% hyperglycosylated hCG) were chemorefractory. In chemorefractory cases hyperglycosylated hCG ranged from <1% to 39% of total hCG. The USA hCG Reference Service showed that proportions hyperglycosylated hCG significantly increases as total hCG rises. They recommended in minimally invasive cases to wait to hCG was >3000 IU/L before commencing chemotherapy. This was successful in 10 of 10 minimally invasive cases., Discussion: Measurement of hyperglycosylated hCG or invasiveness is a critical step in management of invasive gestational trophoblastic disease. Quiescent of inactive gestational trophoblastic disease requires no therapy. Minimally invasive disease in chemorefractory. The USA hCG Reference Service experience suggests waiting until hCG exceeds 3000 IU/L before commencing any chemotherapy.

Background: The normal pituitary production of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)alongside luteinizing hormone, and its presence in women after bilateral oophorectomy, during perimenopause and menopause, as measured in serum and urine, has been known for 30 years and is described in numerous publications. Last year our group discussed this finding in a correspondence to the editor in the March 15th issue of New England Journal of Medicine, yet the misinterpretation of low-level hCG in these women seems to have increased in magnitude., Methods: This is an outcomes study of 36 cases of menopausal hCG referred to the USA hCG Reference Service over a 1-year period, from March 2007 to March 2008., Results: Eight cases occurred in women after oophorectomy, 28 were women in menopause/perimenopause. Surgery was postponed in 5 (14%) of 36 cases, and in 3 cases (8%), chemotherapy was unnecessarily administered. In 2 cases, computed tomography scans were cancelled. The average hCG detected was 10 +/- 7.2 IU/L in cases receiving an oophorectomy and 9.8 +/- 6.7 in perimenopause and 11 +/- 6.2 IU/L in menopause cases., Conclusions: Low-level hCG production in woman in physiologic perimenopause, in menopause, or in women with prior bilateral oophorectomy is a normal biologic and biochemical phenomenon. Management protocols in all fields need to be changed to accept pituitary hCG as normal and recognize the clinical maneuvers that will secure the diagnosis. Understanding this physiology will avoid needless delays in necessary therapies such as organ transplant procedures and will limit the misadventure of prescribing unnecessary cancer treatments.

Few molecules have created so much confusion as the hCG series of molecules. Here we present a comprehensive review of hCG as a tumor marker, of hCG and cancer and modern perspectives on the multiplicity of hCG, and its appropriate use in the management of gynecological malignancies and gestational trophoblastic diseases. The complexity of hCG is better understood. There is regular hCG produced by syncytiotrophoblast cells in pregnancy and by hydatidiform moles. This hormone functions to advance uterine angiogenesis and promote progesterone production by corpus luteal cells. Hyperglycosylated hCG is an independent molecule to regular hCG, it varies significantly from hCG in structure and is produced by cytotrophoblast cells. It is an autocrine or cytokine which functions to promote growth, invasion and malignancy. It is an absolute marker of invasive mole and invasive choriocarcinoma. Hyperglycosylated hCG is invaluable in the diagnosis and management of gestational trophoblastic diseases. The free beta-subunit of hCG is also an autocrine or cytokine and is produced in most gynecologic malignancies. Serum free beta-subunit or its urinary degradation product beta-core fragment is produced by 68% of ovarian, 51% of endometrial and 46% of cervical malignancies. Free beta-subunit enhances growth and invasion in all these malignancies leading to poor prognosis. Free beta-subunit and beta-core fragment are good tumor markers for these malignancies. There are few circumstances that create more confusion than the patient presenting with persistent low positive hCG results in the absence of pregnancy and absence of obvious malignancies. The series of hCG molecules as tumor markers will be reviewed to help the clinician best diagnose these often difficult clinical problems.

Pelvic masses develop commonly in women of all ages and states of health. Despite the variety of masses that exist, general guidelines for diagnosis and management allow most masses to be treated in a generalist setting. This article is intended to guide non-obstetric and non-gynecologic physicians through diagnosis and treatment of nonmalignant pelvic masses. It includes information on physical examination, appropriate imaging techniques, laboratory tests, and variations in treatment for adolescents and pre- and postmenopausal women. It also addresses referral guidelines for suspected malignant masses.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is overexpressed in the majority of cervical cancers (CCs). Somatic mutations of EGFR have been associated with clinical response to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in lung cancer patients. This study was designed to establish the frequency of EGFR point mutations in patients diagnosed with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) and CC. Nine cell lines derived from CC were screened for EGFR mutations in exons 18 through 21. Eighty-nine patient samples derived from invasive CC (n = 80) and HSIL (n = 9) were analyzed for the presence of EGFR mutations in exons 19 and 21. We found no mutations affecting the EGFR kinase domain in exons 18 through 21 in all cell lines tested, and no EGFR mutations were detected in exons 19 and 21 in all 89 human neoplastic samples analyzed. These data indicate that mutations in the EGFR kinase domain are very rare in CC and HSIL. Our results suggest, therefore, that treatment of CC patients with TKIs may not have the same efficacy as seen in patients with lung cancer, and that targeting the EGFR with other inhibitors may be more appropriate.

Objective: To examine utility of measurement of proportions of free beta-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in diagnosis of placental site trophoblastic tumor (PSTT) and nontrophoblastic neoplasm in patients with persistent low hCG levels and patients with history of gestational trophoblastic diseases., Study Design: The USA hCG Reference Service measured proportions of free beta-subunit in 128 cases, 45 with active invasive trophoblastic disease and 83 questionable cases with persistent low hCG levels, with or without history of gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD)., Results: High proportions of free beta-subunit (> 30% of total hCG) were identified in 18 of 128 cases, all suspected of having PSTT or nontrophoblastic neoplasm, which was reported to referring physicians. Within 2 months of testing, hysterectomy or tumor biopsy led to histologic proof of PSTT in 13 of the 18 cases and biopsy led to proof of nontrophoblastic neoplasm in 5 of the 18 cases., Conclusion: We confirm use of proportion of free beta-subunit (> 30%) as a seemingly absolute test for identifying PSTT and nontrophoblastic neoplasms. It should be used to identify and diagnose these malignancies in women presenting with persistent low hCG levels outside of pregnancy and in secondary evaluation of patients with a history of GTDs.

Objective: The normal pituitary production of human chorionic gonadotropin alongside luteinizing hormone, measurable in menopausal serum and urine was initially reported over 3 decades ago and has been described in numerous subsequent publications. Unfortunately, delays or cancellations of important medical procedures and use of needless chemotherapy still occurs because of the finding of human chorionic gonadotropin in perimenopausal and postmenopausal woman. We describe the problem and a concise approach to this management dilemma in menopausal women., Study Design: This is an outcomes study of 36 cases of perimenopausal and postmenopausal human chorionic gonadotropin evaluated in cases referred to the USA hCG Reference Service., Results: By report of the provided records, in 6 of 36 cases, unneeded chemotherapy was given for assumed recurrent gestational trophoblastic disease. In 9 cases, surgery was cancelled or postponed and in 3 cases renal transplantation was cancelled at the time of locating a matched donor kidney. In all cases the measured human chorionic gonadotropin was due to menopausal production of pituitary human chorionic gonadotropin. The average human chorionic gonadotropin detected in perimenopausal cases was 6.4 +/- 3.2 IU/L, and in postmenopausal cases was 11.6 +/- 7.0 IU/L or significantly higher. In 24 cases, therapeutic doses of high-estrogen birth control pill were used to confirm pituitary origin with 23 cases demonstrating successful human chorionic gonadotropin suppression., Conclusion: Low levels of human chorionic gonadotropin production in the perimenopausal and postmenopausal state is a normal physiologic phenomenon. Provider education is warranted and management protocols are suggested in all health-related fields to clarify the normality of low level pituitary human chorionic gonadotropin production. Understanding this physiology will avoid delays in necessary therapies such as organ transplants, and will limit the misadventure of prescribing unnecessary treatments for presumed gestational malignancy.

Silencing the expression of human papillomavirus (HPV) oncoproteins should have therapeutic benefits for cervical cancer. The authors' objective was to study RNA interference of the HPV 18 E6/E7 bicistronic mRNA with E6 small interfering RNA (siRNA) and E7 siRNA and determine the effect of each siRNA on oncoprotein expression, resultant cell growth, and downstream molecular effects. RNA interference was used to knockdown HPV 18 E6 and E7 oncoproteins on the HPV 18 positive cervical cancer cell lines HeLa and C4I. Western blotting was used to assay for each oncoprotein expression and select downstream molecular targets. Cell cycle analyses, cell viability assays, and colony formation assays were performed to determine the effect of treatment by both HPV 18 E6 siRNA and E7 siRNA. The transfection reagent oligofectamine and Tax siRNA were used as negative controls. Transfection with E6 siRNA caused complete loss of E6 but not E7 oncoprotein. However, E7 siRNA induced complete loss of both E6 and E7 oncoproteins. E6 siRNA mediated the reexpression of p53 protein and a moderate decrease in phosphorylated retinoblastoma protein expression (pRb), resulting in decreased colony formation. Transfection with E7 siRNA mediated a robust increase in p53 expression and complete loss of pRb, resulting in a marked decrease in colony formation compared to the E6 siRNA (P =.001). Flow cytometry revealed significantly increased apoptotic cells with E7 siRNA compared to E6 siRNA and control. RNA interference targeting the E7 portion of the bicistronic HPV 18 mRNA can silence both E6 and E7 oncoproteins and is most effective in cervical cancer growth inhibition.

Objective: The New Mexico Tumor Registry (NMTR) and Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) registries were utilized to determine (30+)-year trends in gestational trophoblastic disease and choriocarcinoma., Study Design: Age-adjusted incidence rates of gestational trophoblastic disease per 100,000 woman-years (1973-2003) and ratios per live births and pregnancies were calculated using data abstracted from the NMTR and state vital records. SEER data (1973-2002) were used to calculate age-adjusted incidence rates, estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) and relative survival rates for choriocarcinoma., Results: In New Mexico there were 1,153 cases affecting 377 non-Hispanic whites, 504 Hispanics and 241 American Indians, with respective incidence rates of 3.494, 5.150 and 9.991 (p < 0.0001). American Indian incidence rates decreased 53.3%, from 13.34 (1988-1992) to 6.23 (1998-2002). Within SEER (1973-2002), there were 504 gestational choriocarcinomas. The 30-year incidence rate was 0.132 and decreased by 37.7% (EAPC, -2.1% per year; p=0.0001)-by 40.1% for whites, 55.9% for blacks and 62.1% for others. However, over the previous 10 years, rates among blacks (0.097 vs. 0.259, p = 0.01) and for distant disease (0.044 vs. 0.071, p = 0.046) increased., Conclusion: Disparities in incidence rates by race/ethnicity in New Mexico are decreasing. An increase in rates among blacks and distant disease diagnosis may be the consequence of fewer regional trophoblastic centers in the United States.

Objectives: To determine whether circulating hyperglycosylated human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG-H), a promoter of choriocarcinoma growth and tumorigenesis, is a reliable marker of active gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) or choriocarcinoma, and whether hCG-H can consistently discriminate quiescent gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) from neoplasia., Methods: Patients were those referred to the USA hCG Reference Service for consultation. These included a total of 82 women with GTN, including 30 with histologic choriocarcinoma. They were compared with 26 patients with resolving hydatidiform mole and 69 with quiescent GTD (persistent positive low value of real hCG but no clinical evidence of disease). All were tested for total hCG and hCG-H. hCG-H was calculated as the percentage of total hCG (hCG-H(%))., Results: We compared the utility of total hCG and hCG-H(%) in detecting active GTN and quiescent GTD. There was no significant difference when measuring total hCG (includes regular and hyperglycosylated hCG), between women with quiescent GTD and self-resolving hydatidiform mole compared to choriocarcinoma/GTN cases (P > 0.05 and P > 0.05). In contrast, hCG-H(%) was significantly higher in choriocarcinoma/GTN cases (P < 0.000001, and P < 0.000001). The usefulness of hCG and hCG-H(%) testing was assessed for discriminating between the 69 quiescent GTD cases, which required no therapy, and choriocarcinoma/GTN which need treatment. While hCG would detect 62% and 24% of malignancies at a 5% false positive rate, hCG-H(%) would detect 100% and 84% of malignancies at this same false positive rate. Follow-up data were received and repeat consultations were performed in 23 cases in which active disease was subsequently demonstrated. In 12 of 23 cases, hCG-H(%) results were able to first identify active disease 0.5 to 11 months prior to rapidly rising hCG or detection of clinically active neoplasia. In the remaining 11 cases, hCG-H(%) active disease appeared at the same time as rising hCG or demonstrable clinical tumor., Discussion and Conclusion: hCG-H(%) appears to reliably identify active trophoblastic malignancy. It is a 100% sensitive marker for discriminating quiescent GTD from active GTN/choriocarcinoma. It is also a marker for the early detection of new or recurrent GTN/choriocarcinoma. The data presented appear sufficient to encourage the adoption of hCG-H as a tumor marker in trophoblastic disease. Further studies are now urgently required to confirm and extend our findings.

Objectives: Placental site trophoblastic tumor (PSTT) commonly presents with low and variable concentration of hCG immunoreactivity in serum which can be difficult to differentiate from early stage choriocarcinoma/gestational trophoblastic neoplasm (GTN) or quiescent gestational trophoblastic disease (quiescent GTD). Nontrophoblastic malignancies such as germ cell tumors or other tumors secreting low hCG must also be considered in the differential diagnosis. Because treatments for these conditions are different, a means of differentiating PSTT from other diagnoses is important. We investigate the usefulness of hCG-free beta-subunit to make this discrimination., Methods: Data collected on cases referred to the USA hCG Reference Service for consultation served as a basis for this retrospective analysis. There were 13 cases with histology proven PSTT and 12 with nontrophoblastic malignancy. hCG-free beta-subunit was measured by immunoassay and reported as a proportion of total hCG (hCG-free beta-subunit(%)). hCG-free beta-subunit(%) results were determined for all histologically proven cases of PSTT and for the nontrophoblastic malignancies. Comparisons of hCG-free beta-subunit(%) were made and compared with those of the 82 choriocarcinoma/GTN cases and 69 quiescent GTD cases. The accuracy of hCG-free beta-subunit(%) to discriminate these malignancies was analyzed by investigating the areas under receiver-operating characteristics curve +/- standard error., Results: hCG-free beta-subunit(%) was the predominant hCG form in cases of PSTT (mean +/- standard deviation, 60 +/- 19%) and nontrophoblastic malignancies (91 +/- 11%), thus discriminating these diagnoses from choriocarcinoma/GTN (9.3 +/- 9.2%) and from quiescent GTD (5.4 +/- 7.8%). The cutoff of >35% free beta-subunit is proposed. At this cutoff, 100% detection at 0% false-positive is achieved. The accuracy of hCG-free beta-subunit(%) for this discrimination is 100 +/- 0%. At a proposed cutoff of >80%, the free beta-subunit test will also distinguish PSTT from nontrophoblastic malignancy, with 77% detection at 23% false-positive or an accuracy of 92 +/- 3.2%., Conclusion: Measurement of the proportion hCG-free beta-subunit(%) was found to be useful in the diagnosis of PSTT using proposed cutoff values of >35% and >80%. While this finding needs to be confirmed by larger studies, it would be reasonable to measure hCG-free beta-subunit(%) whenever the diagnosis of PSTT is considered.

Objectives: A high proportion of women with persistent low levels of hCG, in the absence of pregnancy or any evidence of tumor, have received chemotherapy and hysterectomy for assumed malignancy. Such chemotherapy and surgery were ineffective and unwarranted. This study identifies the causes of persistent low level of hCG and provides guidelines for the management of these patients, preventing unnecessary treatment in the future., Methods: The USA hCG Reference Service has consulted on 170 women with low levels of hCG persisting for 3 months or longer. Serum total hCG was measured in the Diagnostic Products Corporation (DPC) Immulite assay and hyperglycosylated hCG in the Nichols Advantage test., Results: Among these 170 patients, the average persistent hCG result was 102 +/- 152 mIU/ml, with a range of 6.1-900 mIU/ml. Thirteen (7.6%) of the 170 patients had true malignancy, 5 had placental site trophoblastic tumor, 3 had other gestational trophoblastic neoplasms (GTN), and 5 had non-trophoblastic malignancies. The remaining 157 patients had false-positive hCG, quiescent gestational trophoblastic disease (quiescent GTD), or pituitary hCG (hCG of pituitary origin). Of 71 patients with false-positive hCG, 47 patients received chemotherapy and 9 had surgery that had no effect on the level of hCG. Five of these patients with false-positive hCG were being monitored for hydatidiform mole or GTN. The majority of these cases were first investigated following an incidental pregnancy test. Of 69 patients who had quiescent GTD, 41 received chemotherapy and 9 underwent hysterectomy. All these therapies were unnecessary and ineffective. While 21 patients with quiescent GTD followed incidental pregnancy tests, the majority were discovered while monitoring patients after treatment for hydatidiform mole or GTN/choriocarcinoma (n = 48). Seventeen cases of pituitary hCG were found among those women who were peri- or post-menopause. Two patients also received chemotherapy for assumed malignancy which was not present., Conclusion: Clinicians frequently assume that an elevated hCG implies that a patient is pregnant or has GTD or recurrent GTN, even when apart from the pregnancy test, no clinical evidence was found to support such a diagnosis. In most of these cases of persistent low hCG etiologies, all therapies were found unnecessary and ineffective. Guidelines are proposed for managing these patients. It is essential to demonstrate a malignancy clinically and with readily available biochemical tests before initiating therapy. This applies whether the patient is identified by an incidental pregnancy test or is actively being monitored for gestational trophoblastic disease.