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Objective There is significant debate between up-front radical trachelectomy versus neo-adjuvant chemotherapy before fertility-sparing surgery in patients with tumors ≥2 cm. The aim of this study was to report on the oncological and obstetrical outcome of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy followed by fertility-sparing surgery, in patients diagnosed with cervical cancer ≥2 cm. Methods This was a retrospective review of patients diagnosed with cervical cancer measuring ≥2 cm to ≤6 cm, who were scheduled to undergo neo-adjuvant chemotherapy before fertility-sparing surgery, at six institutions from four Latin American countries between February 2009 and February 2019. Data collected included: age, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2009 stage, histology, tumor size, pre-treatment imaging work-up, chemotherapy agents and number of cycles, toxicity, clinical and imaging response rate, type of fertility-sparing surgery, pathology results, timing of lymphadenectomy, follow-up time, and obstetrical and oncological outcomes. Results A total of 25 patients were included, with a median age of 27 years (range 20-37): 17 patients had stage IB1, 7 had stage IB2 cervical cancer, and 1 patient had stage IIA1 (FIGO 2009); 23 patients had squamous cell carcinoma and 2 patients had adenocarcinoma. The median number of chemotherapy cycles was 3 (range 3-6) and no toxicity grade 3-4 was reported. Lymphadenectomy was performed before chemotherapy in 6 (24%) patients. After neo-adjuvant chemotherapy 20 patients were scheduled for radical trachelectomy (11 abdominal and 9 laparoscopic) and 5 patients for conization. After surgery, no residual disease was found in 11 patients (44%). Fertility was preserved in 23 patients (92%) and 10 patients became pregnant (43.5%). After a median follow-up time of 47 months (13-133), 3 patients had recurrent disease (3/23=13%), 2 were alive without disease, and 1 patient had disease at last contact. Conclusion Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy followed by fertility-sparing surgery is feasible in well selected patients with cervical tumors ≥2 cm. Future studies should focus on the timing of lymphadenectomy and type of cervical surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the surgical and oncological outcomes of laparoscopic versus open surgical staging in patients with early stage ovarian cancer performed by recently certified gynecologic oncologists.Study Design: A retrospective comparative observational study was performed, which included women who had undergone laparoscopic comprehensive surgical staging for early stage epithelial ovarian cancer between June, 2008 and January, 2014. Patients were compared with women who had undergone laparotomic staging between June, 2006 and January, 2014.Results: A total of 50 and 58 patients underwent, laparoscopic and laparotomy surgical staging, respectively. The patients' baseline characteristics were similar in both groups. Women in the laparoscopy group had a significantly lower preoperative CA-125 value (p=0.01). The operative time was similar between groups. The patients in the laparotomy group had significantly higher estimated blood loss (p≤0.001) and larger ovarian masses (p=0.001). Estimated blood loss was significantly higher in laparotomy versus laparoscopy; median (IQ range) 200 (200-225) ml and 500 (300-1000) ml (p≤0.0001). Intraoperative complications and postoperative complication rate was similar in both groups regardless of the type of surgical procedure; and laparoscopy was associated with a significantly shorter length of the hospital stay (p≤0.001). The number of lymph node retrieved and upstaging rate, as well as progression free survival and overall survival rates, were similar in both groups.Conclusions: Laparoscopic surgical staging of apparent early stage ovarian cancer has similar surgical and oncological outcomes to laparotomy when recently certified gynecologic oncologists perform the procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the acceptance rate of treatment alternatives for women with either preinvasive conditions or gynecologic cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic among Latin American gynecological cancer specialists., Methods: Twelve experts in gynecological cancer designed an electronic survey, according to recommendations from international societies, using an online platform. The survey included 22 questions on five topics: consultation care, preinvasive cervical pathology, and cervical, ovarian, and endometrial cancer. The questionnaire was distributed to 1052 specialists in 14 Latin American countries. A descriptive analysis was carried out using statistical software., Results: A total of 610 responses were received, for an overall response rate of 58.0%. Respondents favored offering teleconsultation as triage for post-cancer treatment follow-up (94.6%), neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced stage epithelial ovarian cancer (95.6%), and total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and defining adjuvant treatment with histopathological features in early stage endometrial cancer (85.4%). Other questions showed agreement rates of over 64%, except for review of pathology results in person and use of upfront concurrent chemoradiation for early stage cervical cancer (disagreement 56.4% and 58.9%, respectively)., Conclusion: Latin American specialists accepted some alternative management strategies for gynecological cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may reflect the region's particularities. The COVID-19 pandemic led Latin American specialists to accept alternative management strategies for gynecological cancer care, especially regarding surgical decisions., (© 2020 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

Background and Objectives: Our objectives are to describe our surgical technique for laparoscopic radical trachelectomy, to evaluate its feasibility, and to present the perioperative results at Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Argentina., Methods: We analyzed 4 patients who underwent laparoscopic radical trachelectomy for early-stage cervical cancer between December 2011 and May 2013., Results: Four patients were included in this study. Total laparoscopic radical trachelectomy was performed in all cases. The mean age was 26 years (range, 19-32 years), the mean body mass index was 21 (range, 18-23), and the mean length of hospital stay was 33 hours (range, 24-36 hours). The mean operative time was 225 minutes (range, 210-240 minutes), and no complications were reported. During the postoperative period, only 1 patient presented with left vulvar edema, which resolved spontaneously. The pelvic and parametrial lymph nodes, as well as the vaginal cuff and cervical resection margins, were negative for malignancy in all cases. On average, 18 pelvic lymph nodes (range, 15-20) were removed. The tumor stage was IB in all 4 patients, and the mean tumor size was 17 mm (range, 12-31 mm). No patient required conversion to laparotomy., Conclusion: We consider laparoscopic radical trachelectomy, performed by trained surgeons, a feasible and safe therapeutic option as a fertility-sparing surgical technique, with good perioperative outcomes for women with early-stage cervical cancer with a desire to preserve their fertility. Minimally invasive surgery provides the widely known benefits of this type of approach.