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Objective: To investigate the impact of incorporating pretreatment leukocytosis and/or thrombocytosis in the FIGO staging system on prognostic prediction among women with surgically treated endometrial cancer., Methods: Retrospective review of clinical data from 900 women with endometrial cancer treated at Osaka University Hospital, Japan, between 2000 and 2016. The effect of concurrent leukocytosis and thrombocytosis on the prediction of recurrence and survival outcomes was evaluated via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and the Kaplan-Meier method., Results: Among 678 women with Stage I-III disease, pretreatment leukocytosis or thrombocytosis alone were not prognostic indicators, but concurrent pretreatment leukocytosis and thrombocytosis was associated with significantly shorter survival (PFS, P<0.001; OS, P=0.004). In contrast, pretreatment leukocytosis, pretreatment thrombocytosis, and concurrent pretreatment leukocytosis and thrombocytosis did not provide any prognostic information for women with Stage IV disease. In ROC curve analysis, incorporation of concurrent pretreatment leukocytosis and thrombocytosis into the FIGO staging system resulted in a higher area under the curve for predicting recurrence for women with Stages I-III disease (0.770 vs 0.755; P=0.045)., Conclusion: Incorporating concurrent pretreatment leukocytosis and thrombocytosis into the FIGO staging system might improve predictive performance and allow additional risk stratification for women with Stage I-III endometrial cancer., (© 2020 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

Objective: To retrospectively review the efficacy and safety of novel direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) and compare the results with those of vitamin K antagonists (VKA) when used in clinical practice to treat venous thromboembolism (VTE) because there is insufficient evidence regarding its use in patients with gynecological cancers., Methods: A study was conducted of patients diagnosed with gynecological cancers at Osaka University Hospital between January 2010 and December 2017. The medical records of those who suffered from deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and/or pulmonary embolism (PE) were retrospectively reviewed., Results: Among the 1698 cases of gynecological cancers, 107 (6.3%) cases were diagnosed as having VTE. A total of 34 (31.8%) patients presented DVT plus PE and 73 (68.2%) patients had DVT alone. Fifty-four cases were treated with DOACs and 53 with VKA. Although 3 of the 53 patients (5.7%) in the VKA group developed recurrent VTE, only 1 (1.9%) patient in the DOAC group showed clinically relevant bleeding from a tumor penetrating the rectum. DOACs were non-inferior to VKA with respect to the composite outcome, including recurrent venous thrombosis and relevant bleeding (hazard ratio 0.31, 95% confidence interval 0.03-3.12, P=0.363)., Conclusion: DOACs can be effectively and safely used in VTE patients with gynecological cancers., (© 2019 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of radical hysterectomy after radiotherapy (RH-AR) for recurrent or persistent cervical cancer., Methods: The present retrospective study included patients who underwent RH-AR for recurrent or persistent cervical cancer at Osaka University Hospital, Japan, between May 1, 2010 and September 30, 2016. Patient characteristics, intraoperative and postoperative adverse events, and surgical outcomes were investigated to identify patients at increased risk of recurrence or severe surgical adverse events., Results: There were 31 patients scheduled for treatment with RH-AR; one hysterectomy procedure was aborted. No intraoperative adverse events or treatment-related deaths occurred, and 8 (27%) patients experienced severe postoperative adverse events. After a median 34 months of follow-up, 13 (43%) patients had developed recurrent disease, predominantly at distant sites. The estimated 3-year overall survival rate was 53.8%. Positive surgical margins, nodal metastasis, parametrial invasion, and no adjuvant treatment after RH-AR were found to be predictors of increased risk of recurrence. No predictors of severe surgical adverse events were identified., Conclusion: RH-AR was a safe, curative treatment for patients with recurrent or persistent cervical cancer. However, considering the significant risk of surgical adverse events, RH-AR should only be performed for a select group of patients., (© 2017 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

Objectives: This paper analyzes Avahan, an HIV prevention program in India, that achieved very rapid scale-up. The paper aims to (i) define the distinctive features of the management of Avahan, (ii) examine how the distinctive features relate to key constructs in management frameworks and (iii) investigate how the management approaches of Avahan contributed to the program's ability to scale-up rapidly while maintaining service quality., Design, Setting and Participants: The Delphi method was used to identify the distinctive features of Avahan. Through three rounds of questions, 38 participants closely associated with Avahan were asked to identify and develop consensus on its distinctive features. These features were then mapped against the Baldrige Health Care Criteria for Performance Excellence to investigate how they related to important dimensions of management., Results: A total of 17 distinctive features of Avahan were identified. These distinctive features emphasized the importance of data use and performance monitoring at all levels, especially combined with a flexible management style that facilitated local responsiveness to community, innovation and learning. The distinctive features comprehensively addressed the criteria for management excellence in the Baldridge framework., Conclusions: In the case of Avahan, the rigorous application of known management techniques to public health programs appears to have been an important factor in the successful scale-up of the program. Also, the Baldrige criteria seem applicable to health programs in low-income and middle-income countries; further applications would help test their robustness and utility in such contexts., (Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Primary clitoral malignancies are rare and most are invasive squamous cell carcinomas. Microcystic adnexal carcinoma (MAC) is an indolent, rare dermatologic carcinoma that typically affects the head and neck region. A 23-year-old nulligravid Hispanic female presented with a 9-month history of an enlarging periclitoral mass. After surgical resection, the mass was diagnosed as a MAC. MAC is a cutaneous carcinoma rarely found on the vulva. It is a slow growing but locally aggressive carcinoma that is best treated with surgical resection. Sclerosing ductal carcinomas may have MAC-like features, and the diagnosis and management of one case is provided here.

Three cases of cesarean scar pregnancy successfully treated with methotrexate are described. The diagnosis was confirmed by transvaginal sonographic examinations showing a well-formed gestational sac in the myometrium of the lower uterine segment. Initial treatment with a systemic injection of 50 mg of methotrexate was not sufficient, and multiple doses were required to obtain a complete remission in two cases. In a case with a beta-hCG level of more than 20,000 mIU/mL with a viable embryo in a gestational sac, a combination of systemic and local treatment with methotrexate was required. It took 7-11 weeks for the beta-hCG level to become undetectable and 12-17 weeks for the cesarean scar pregnancy mass to disappear completely.