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Epithelial Ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most lethal gynecological malignancy and has limited curative therapeutic options. Immunotherapy for EOC is promising, but clinical efficacy remains restricted to a small percentage of patients. Several lines of evidence suggest that the low response rate might be improved by combining immunotherapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel, the standard-of-care chemotherapy for EOC. Here, we assessed the immune contexture of EOC tumors, draining lymph nodes, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells during carboplatin/paclitaxel chemotherapy. We observed that the immune contexture of EOC patients is defined by the tissue of origin, independent of exposure to chemotherapy. Summarized, draining lymph nodes were characterized by a quiescent microenvironment composed of mostly non-proliferating naïve CD4 + T cells. Circulating T cells shared phenotypic features of both lymph nodes and tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Immunologically ‘hot’ ovarian tumors were characterized by ICOS, GITR, and PD-1 expression on CD4 + and CD8 + cells, independent of chemotherapy. The presence of PD-1 + cells in tumors prior to, but not after, chemotherapy was associated with disease-specific survival (DSS). Accordingly, we observed high MHC-I expression in tumors prior to chemotherapy, but minimal MHC-I expression in tumors after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, even though there were no differences in the number of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) in both groups. We therefore speculate that the TIL influx into the chemotherapy tumor microenvironment may be a consequence of the general inflammatory nature of chemotherapy-experienced tumors. Strategies to upregulate MHC-I during or after neoadjuvant chemotherapy may thus improve treatment outcome in these patients.

Adult granulosa cell tumors (AGCTs) harbor a somatic FOXL2 c.402C&gt, G mutation in ~95% of cases and are mainly surgically removed due to limited systemic treatment effect. In this study, potentially targetable genomic alterations in AGCTs were investigated by whole genome sequencing on 46 tumor samples and matched normal DNA. Copy number variant (CNV) analysis confirmed gain of chromosome 12 and 14, and loss of 22. Pathogenic TP53 mutations were identified in three patients with highest tumor mutational burden and mitotic activity, defining a high-grade AGCT subgroup. Within-patient tumor comparisons showed 29&ndash, 80% unique somatic mutations per sample, suggesting tumor heterogeneity. A higher mutational burden was found in recurrent tumors, as compared to primary AGCTs. FOXL2-wildtype AGCTs harbored DICER1, TERT(C228T) and TP53 mutations and similar CNV profiles as FOXL2-mutant tumors. Our study confirms that absence of the FOXL2 c.402C&gt, G mutation does not exclude AGCT diagnosis. The lack of overlapping variants in targetable cancer genes indicates the need for personalized treatment for AGCT patients.

Purpose: Endometrioid ovarian carcinoma (ENOC) is generally associated with a more favorable prognosis compared with other ovarian carcinomas. Nonetheless, current patient treatment continues to follow a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Even though tumor staging offers stratification, personalized treatments remain elusive. As ENOC shares many clinical and molecular features with its endometrial counterpart, we sought to investigate The Cancer Genome Atlas–inspired endometrial carcinoma (EC) molecular subtyping in a cohort of ENOC. Experimental Design: IHC and mutation biomarkers were used to segregate 511 ENOC tumors into four EC-inspired molecular subtypes: low-risk POLE mutant (POLEmut), moderate-risk mismatch repair deficient (MMRd), high-risk p53 abnormal (p53abn), and moderate-risk with no specific molecular profile (NSMP). Survival analysis with established clinicopathologic and subtype-specific features was performed. Results: A total of 3.5% of cases were POLEmut, 13.7% MMRd, 9.6% p53abn, and 73.2% NSMP, each showing distinct outcomes (P < 0.001) and survival similar to observations in EC. Median OS was 18.1 years in NSMP, 12.3 years in MMRd, 4.7 years in p53abn, and not reached for POLEmut cases. Subtypes were independent of stage, grade, and residual disease in multivariate analysis. Conclusions: EC-inspired molecular classification provides independent prognostic information in ENOC. Our findings support investigating molecular subtype–specific management recommendations for patients with ENOC; for example, subtypes may provide guidance when fertility-sparing treatment is desired. Similarities between ENOC and EC suggest that patients with ENOC may benefit from management strategies applied to EC and the opportunity to study those in umbrella trials.

Therapeutic cancer vaccines have effectively induced durable regressions of premalignant oncogenic human papilloma virus type 16 (HPV16)-induced anogenital lesions. However, the treatment of HPV16-induced cancers requires appropriate countermeasures to overcome cancer-induced immune suppression. We previously showed that standard-of-care carboplatin/paclitaxel chemotherapy can reduce abnormally high numbers of immunosuppressive myeloid cells in patients, allowing the development of much stronger therapeutic HPV16 vaccine (ISA101)-induced tumor immunity. We now show the clinical effects of ISA101 vaccination during chemotherapy in 77 patients with advanced, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer in a dose assessment study of ISA101. Tumor regressions were observed in 43% of 72 evaluable patients. The depletion of myeloid suppressive cells by carboplatin/paclitaxel was associated with detection of low frequency of spontaneous HPV16-specific immunity in 21 of 62 tested patients. Patients mounted type 1 T cell responses to the vaccine across all doses. The group of patients with higher than median vaccine-induced immune responses lived longer, with a flat tail on the survival curve. This demonstrates that chemoimmunotherapy can be exploited to the benefit of patients with advanced cancer based on a defined mode of action.

Adult granulosa cell tumors (AGCTs) harbor a somatic FOXL2 c.402C>G mutation in ∼95% of cases and are mainly surgically removed due to limited systemic treatment effect. In this study, potentially targetable genomic alterations in AGCTs were investigated by whole genome sequencing on 46 tumor samples and matched normal DNA. Copy number variant (CNV) analysis confirmed gain of chromosome 12 and 14, and loss of 22. Pathogenic TP53 mutations were identified in three patients with highest tumor mutational burden and mitotic activity, defining a high-grade AGCT subgroup. Within-patient tumor comparisons showed 29-80% unique somatic mutations per sample, suggesting tumor heterogeneity. A higher mutational burden was found in recurrent tumors, as compared to primary AGCTs. FOXL2-wildtype AGCTs harbored DICER1, TERT(C228T) and TP53 mutations and similar CNV profiles as FOXL2-mutant tumors. Our study confirms that absence of the FOXL2 c.402C>G mutation does not exclude AGCT diagnosis. The lack of overlapping variants in targetable cancer genes indicates the need for personalized treatment for AGCT patients.

Therapeutic vaccination is being explored as a treatment strategy for the treatment of patients with primary or metastatic tumours. We developed a vaccine targeted to Human papillomavirus (HPV)-induced tumours based on recombinant Semliki Forest virus (rSFV) encoding a fusion protein of the E6 and E7 proteins of HPV type 16. To enable a phase I clinical trial with this vaccine, Vvax001, a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-compliant manufacturing process was set up and clinical material was produced. Upstream production of the clinical material resulted in viral titers from 2.4 × 107 to 1.3 × 109 infectious particles/ mL in the harvest. The total volume of 6.0 liter crude virus was purified in 13 consecutive downstream purification runs. The mean titer after purification was 4.0 × 108 infectious particles/ mL and the mean recovery was 19%. Finally, clinical material was filled at a target concentration of 1.25 × 108 infectious particles/mL. Release testing included tests for viral titer and virus identity, biological activity, sterility, bacterial endotoxins, adventitious viruses and absence of replication competent virus. The product complied with all specifications and was released for use as an investigational medicinal product. This is the first GMP production process developed for a SFV-based therapeutic vaccine. The vaccine, Vvax001 is targeted to HPV and has shown promising results in preclinical studies. The GMP-produced Vvax001 material met the quality criteria and was of sufficient quantity to enable assessment of its immunogenicity, safety and efficacy in a clinical setting.

BackgroundVulvar high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (vHSIL) is predominantly induced by high-risk human papilloma virus type 16 (HPV16). In two independent trials, therapeutic vaccination against the HPV16 E6 and E7 oncoproteins resulted in objective partial and complete responses (PRs/CRs) in half of the patients with HPV16+vHSIL at 12-month follow-up. Here, the prevaccination and postvaccination vHSIL immune microenvironment in relation to the vaccine-induced clinical response was investigated.MethodsTwo novel seven-color multiplex immunofluorescence panels to identify T cells (CD3, CD8, Foxp3, Tim3, Tbet, PD-1, DAPI) and myeloid cells (CD14, CD33, CD68, CD163, CD11c, PD-L1, DAPI) were designed and fully optimized for formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue. 29 prevaccination and 24 postvaccination biopsies of patients with vHSIL, and 27 healthy vulva excisions, were stained, scanned with the Vectra multispectral imaging system, and automatically phenotyped and counted using inForm advanced image analysis software.ResultsHealthy vulvar tissue is strongly infiltrated by CD4 and CD8 T cells expressing Tbet and/or PD-1 and CD14+HLA-DR+inflammatory myeloid cells. The presence of such a coordinated pre-existing proinflammatory microenvironment in HPV16+vHSIL is associated with CR after vaccination. In partial responders, a disconnection between T cell and CD14+myeloid cell infiltration was observed, whereas clinical non-responders displayed overall lower immune cell infiltration. Vaccination improved the coordination of local immunity, reflected by increased numbers of CD4+Tbet+T cells and HLA-DR+CD14+expressing myeloid cells in patients with a PR or CR, but not in patients with no response. CD8+T cell infiltration was not increased after vaccination.ConclusionA prevaccination inflamed type 1 immune contexture is required for stronger vaccine-induced immune infiltration and is associated with better clinical response. Therapeutic vaccination did not overtly increase immune infiltration of cold lesions.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to describe the pattern of recurrence and survival related to prognostic variables, including type of surgery as a clinical variable, in patients surgically treated for early cervix cancer.MethodsRecords of 2124 patients who underwent a radical hysterectomy for International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics stage I/IIA cervical cancer between 1982 and 2011 were reviewed. Clinical-pathologic prognostic variables, also including extent of parametrectomy, were identified and used in a multivariable Cox proportional hazard model to explore associations between disease-free survival (DFS) and prognostic variables.ResultsThe 5-year DFS for the total group was 86%. Large tumor diameter, nonsquamous histology, lymph node metastases, parametrial involvement, lymph vascular space invasion, deep stromal invasion, and less radical surgery were independent poor prognostic variables for survival. Disease-free survival was independently associated with the type of radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy in favor of more radical parametrectomy (hazard ratio, 2.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.6–2.5). This difference was not found in tumors with a diameter of at least 20 mm.ConclusionsThis study confirms that variables such as large tumor diameter, nonsquamous histology, lymph vascular space invasion, deep stromal invasion, positive lymph nodes, and parametrial infiltration are poor prognostic variables in early cervix cancer treated by surgery. The extent of parametrectomy had no influence on survival in tumors of 20 mm or less. For larger tumors, a more radical hysterectomy might be associated with better DFS. Taking into account the possible bias in this study as a result of its retrospective design, ideally a prospective cohort study with clear definition of radicality is necessary to answer this important clinical question.

Objective: Uterine carcinosarcoma is a rare, aggressive subtype of endometrial cancer. Treatment consists of hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and lymphadenectomy (LND). The survival benefit of LND in relation to adjuvant radio- and/or chemotherapy is unclear. We evaluated the impact of LND on survival in relation to adjuvant therapy in uterine carcinosarcoma. Methods: Retrospective data on 1,140 cases were combined from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR) and the nationwide network and registry of histo- and cytopathology in the Netherlands (PALGA). LND was defined as the removal of any nodes. Additionally, cases where 10 nodes or less (LND ≤10) or more than 10 nodes (LND > 10) were removed were analyzed separately. Adjuvant therapy was evaluated as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or radiochemotherapy. Associations were analyzed by χ2 test, log-rank test, and Cox regression analysis. Results: Overall survival (OS) had improved after total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy with LND > 10 (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.47–0.83). Adjuvant therapy was related to OS with an HR of 0.64 (95% CI 0.54–0.75) for radiotherapy, an HR of 0.65 (95% CI 0.48–0.88) for chemotherapy, and an HR of 0.25 (95% CI 0.13–0.46) for radiochemotherapy. Additionally, adjuvant treatment was related to OS when lymph nodes were positive (HR 0.22, 95% CI 0.11–0.42), but not when they were negative. Conclusion: LND is related to improved survival when more than 10 nodes are removed. Adjuvant therapy improves survival when LND is omitted, or when nodes are positive.

Background: Human Leucocyte Antigen-E (HLA-E) has been reported as both a positive and negative prognostic marker in cancer. This apparent discrepancy may be due to opposing actions of HLA-E on tumour-infiltrating immune cells. Therefore, we evaluated HLA-E expression and survival in relation to the presence of intratumoural natural killer (NK) cells and cytotoxic T cells (CTLs).Methods: Tissue microarrays (TMAs) of endometrial tumours were used for immunohistochemical staining of parameters of interest. The combined impact of clinical, pathological and immune parameters on survival was analysed using log rank testing and Cox regression analyses.Results: Upregulation of HLA-E was associated with an improved disease-free and disease-specific survival in univariate analysis (HR 0.58 95% CI 0.37-0.89; HR 0.42 95% CI 0.25-0.73, respectively). In multivariate analysis, the presence of NK cells predicts survival with a hazard ratio (HR) 0.28 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.09-0.91) when HLA-E expression is upregulated; but it is associated with a worse prognosis when HLA-E expression is normal (HR 13.43, 95% CI 1.70-106.14). By contrast, the prognostic benefit of T cells was not modulated by HLA-E expression.Conclusions: Taken together, we demonstrate that the prognostic benefit of NK cells, but not T-cells, is influenced by HLA-E expression in endometrial cancer (EC) and propose a model to explain our observations.

// Helen J. MacKay 1 , Douglas A. Levine 2 , Victoria L. Bae-Jump 3 , Daphne W. Bell 4 , Jessica N. McAlpine 5 , Alessandro Santin 6 , Gini F. Fleming 7 , David G. Mutch 8 , Kenneth P. Nephew 9 , Nicolas Wentzensen 10 , Paul J. Goodfellow 11 , Oliver Dorigo 12 , Hans W. Nijman 13 , Russell Broaddus 14 and Elise C. Kohn 15 1 Division of Medical Oncology & Hematology, Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 2 Division of Gynecologic Cancer, Department of OB/GYN, NYU Langone Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States 3 Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, CA, United States 4 Reproductive Cancer Genetics Section, Cancer Genetics and Comparative Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute/NIH, MSC 8000, Bethesda, ML, United States 5 University of British Columbia & BC Cancer Agency, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada 6 Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States 7 Section of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States 8 Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States 9 Medical Sciences Program, Indiana University School of Medicine, Bloomington, IN, United States 10 Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, ML, United States 11 James Comprehensive Cancer Center and The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States 12 Division Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford, CA, United States 13 Department of Gynecology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands 14 Department of Pathology, Unit 85, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States 15 Clinical Investigations Branch of The Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, ML, United States Correspondence to: Elise C. Kohn, email: kohne@mail.nih.gov Keywords: endometrial cancer, molecular targets Received: March 03, 2017 Accepted: May 15, 2017 Published: August 03, 2017 ABSTRACT The incidence and mortality rates from endometrial cancer are increasing. There have been no new drugs approved for the treatment of endometrial cancer in decades. The National Cancer Institute, Gynecologic Cancer Steering Committee identified the integration of molecular and/or histologic stratification into endometrial cancer management as a top strategic priority. Based on this, they convened a group of experts to review the molecular data in this disease. Here we report on the actionable opportunities and therapeutic directions identified for incorporation into future clinical trials.

Background The morphological classification of high-risk endometrial cancer is of limited prognostic value. Recent attempts to stratify tumours according to molecular signatures have shown considerable promise. Here we attempted to further refine molecular classifications using markers of the p53 pathway. Methods We analysed the expression of p53 as well as three downstream markers of the p53 pathway, p21, mdm2 and phospho-p63 ( p p63), by immunohistochemistry in a series of 114 endometrial cancers (86 endometrioid, 28 non-endometrioid subtype) with high-risk features (such as high tumour grade and deep myometrial invasion) and correlated results with clinical outcome. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data were used to analyse TP63 mutations and copy-number alterations using cBioPortal. TP53 was silenced in two endometrial cancer cell lines to study its effect on p21 and p63. Results About half of the tumours showed a p53 mutant phenotype and there was a strong negative correlation with p21 expression. Being marker positive for p p63 or mdm2 was associated with a significantly increased likelihood of dying, [hazard ratios 5.93 (95% CI 2.37–7.27) and 7.48 (95% CI 3.04–9.39), respectively]. These findings were seen in both p53 wildtype and p53 mutant tumours. Only 11% of TCGA endometrial cancers had a functional TP63 alteration. Upon silencing of TP53, p21 expression was decreased in one cell line, but no effects on p63 were observed. Conclusion Markers of the p53 pathway improve stratification of endometrial cancers and provide novel insights into the role of this pathway in the disease.

Objectives. Compliance of physicians with guidelines has emerged as an important indicator for quality of care. We evaluated compliance of physicians with adjuvant therapy guidelines for endometrial cancer patients in the Netherlands in a population-based cohort over a period of 10 years.Methods. Data from all patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer between 2005 and 2014, without residual tumor after surgical treatment, were extracted from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (N = 14,564). FIGO stage, grade, tumor type and age were used to stratify patients into risk groups. Possible changes in compliance over time and impact of compliance on survival were assessed.Results. Patients were stratified into low/low-intermediate (52%), high-intermediate (21%) and high (20%) risk groups. Overall compliance with adjuvant therapy guidelines was 85%. Compliance was highest in patients with low/low-intermediate risk (98%, no adjuvant therapy indicated). The lowest compliance was determined in patients with high risk (61%, external beam radiotherapy with/without chemotherapy indicated). Within this group compliance decreased from 64% in 2005-2009 to 57% in 2010-2014. In high risk patients with FIGO stage III serous disease compliance was 55% (chemotherapy with/without radiotherapy indicated) and increased from 41% in 2005-2009 to 66% in 2010-2014.Conclusion. While compliance of physicians with adjuvant therapy guidelines is excellent in patients with low and low-intermediate risk, there is room for improvement in high risk endometrial cancer patients. Eagerly awaited results of ongoing randomized clinical trials may provide more definitive guidance regarding adjuvant therapy for high risk endometrial cancer patients. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Introduction/Background Adult granulosa cell tumours (aGCT) constitute a rare subtype of ovarian cancer, with >90% of tumours characterized by the FOXL2 c.402C>G mutation. Recurrences occur in nearly 50% of patients and are associated with a poor prognosis. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment, since the effect of adjuvant therapies are limited. Chemotherapy and hormone therapy response is difficult to predict and patient numbers insufficient to conduct informative clinical trials. Patient-specific aGCT organoid and 2D culture establishment could evaluate the effect of novel therapeutic options on a relatively large scale and enable personalized treatment in this neglected patient group. Methodology Samples from 46 tumours (4 primary and 42 recurrences) from 18 patients were collected, mechanically homogenized to single cells and small tissue pieces, and seeded in 50% Cultrex Basement Membrane Extract on day of surgery. Basal medium (DMEM/F12) supplemented with various growth factor combinations promoted organoid formation. Medium was refreshed every 3–4 days and cells passaged every 3 weeks. In parallel, 2D monolayer cell cultures were established to perform drug screens for later validation in the more physiologically relevant organoids as they became available. Organoid and 2D tumour origin verification is ongoing by FOXL2 c.402C>G PCR. Results Tumour tissue cultivation resulted in 3D structures that remained viable for 3–4 passages, with an establishment rate of approximately 75% in primary and 26% in recurrences. Morphology of masses ranged from grape-like to cystic, with primary organoids demonstrating a more cystic morphology (figure 1) that could be robustly passaged. Monolayer cultures in DMEM/F12/FBS were successfully established for future drug screening with carboplatin, paclitaxel, tamoxifen and other first-line treatments. Conclusion Patient-derived aGCT organoids can be established. Organoid establishment is more successful for primary tumours than for metastases, and organoid establishment optimization is necessary. Tumour cell culture establishment and drug screens are likely to provide insight into patient-specific treatment response. Disclosure Nothing to disclose.

Introduction/Background Frozen section diagnoses of borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) are not always straightforward (ambiguous), and sometimes the pathologist may tend towards a diagnosis of invasive carcinoma. It must be decided whether or not additional lymph node sampling (LNS) should be performed to prevent a second procedure in the event of a carcinoma as a definite postoperative diagnosis. The aims of the present study were (i) to compare (un)ambiguous BOT frozen section diagnoses (FSDs) and their definite diagnoses, (ii) to evaluate how often a LNS was performed in these cases and (iii) to discuss managerial implications. Methodology All patients who underwent ovarian surgery with perioperative frozen section analysis in the participating hospitals between January 2007 and July 2018 were identified and included in case of a BOT FSD (whether or not tending towards invasive carcinoma) and a definite diagnosis of a BOT or carcinoma. Results Of 106 patients with a serous BOT FSD, 92 were unambiguous, of whom two patients were diagnosed with a carcinoma (figure 1). Five of 92 patients underwent LNS (one carcinoma) and 87 patients did not (one carcinoma). Of the remaining 14 patients with an ambiguous serous BOT FSDs, 5 were diagnosed with a carcinoma (35.7%). Two of 14 underwent LNS (two carcinomas) and 12 did not (3 carcinomas). The results with respect to (un)ambiguous mucinous BOT FSDs (n=88) are shown in figure 1 as well. Conclusion The chance of a carcinoma in case of ambiguous serous BOT FSD is 35.7%. Implementation of LNS in case of an ambiguous serous BOT FSD should be discussed with the patient individually. LNS in case of unambiguous BOT FSDs can be omitted, as well as in case of mucinous ambiguous BOT FSDs, since LNS in case of mucinous ovarian carcinomas is not performed frequently because of a low incidence of lymph node metastases. Disclosure L.F.S. Kooreman received grant support from Novartis and Roche, intented for financing research into breast cancer.

Introduction/Background High-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is the premalignant condition of cervical cancer. Treatment is usually performed by large loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ), but is associated with an increased risk of premature birth in subsequent pregnancies. Topical imiquimod cream may be an alternative treatment modality. This study aims to provide evidence on treatment efficacy and side-effects of topical imiquimod cream compared to standard LLETZ treatment. Methodology A multi-centre, non-randomized controlled trial was performed among women with a histological diagnosis of CIN 2/3. Women who opted for standard treatment, underwent LLETZ treatment. Successful treatment was defined as no need for second LLETZ after 6 months follow-up. Women who opted for imiquimod treatment, administered 6.25 mg imiquimod 5% cream vaginally up to three times per week during 16 weeks. Treatment efficacy was evaluated with colposcopy at 20 weeks follow-up and defined as CIN 1 or less. Results 123 patients were included. 62 women underwent LLETZ treatment, which was successful in 58 women (95%). 37% of women reported severe side-effects (Visual analogue scale [VAS] ≥ 8). 61 women underwent topical imiquimod treatment. Twelve women discontinued treatment due to side effects. Treatment was successful in 27 (59%) of remaining women. Side effects were reported by all women who underwent imiquimod treatment and consisted most frequently of headache and fatigue. 69.0% of women reported severe side-effects (VAS ≥ 8). All reported side-effects can be found in tables 1 and 2. Conclusion Topical imiquimod is a feasible alternative treatment for patients with high-grade CIN, although efficacy is considerably lower than LLETZ treatment. It could be an alternative treatment, especially for women with a future pregnancy desire. Predictive biomarkers are necessary to better select those patients who will benefit from imiquimod treatment. Disclosure The authors declare that they have no competing interests. This study and manuscript preparation were funded by the Academic Hospital of Maastricht (Academic Fund) and MedaPharma. Both funding bodies were not involved in the study design and will not be involved in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, in the writing of the manuscript and in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

Introduction/Background Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynecological cancer in the Western world. For those with advanced stage EC outcome is significantly worse despite adjuvant treatment. Different adjuvant treatment strategies for these patients have been compared in the GOG-258 and PORTEC-3 studies. Since EC patients are mainly elderly women with substantial comorbidity, these patients are often underrepresented in clinical trials. The aim of this study is to evaluate outcome in stage III EC patients, according different applied treatment strategies in a population based study. Methodology All patients treated for FIGO stage III EC in the period 2005–2015 were extracted from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR). Patients without surgery, and those with residual tumor after surgery were excluded from analyses. The 5-year overall survival was compared for different adjuvant treatment strategies: observation, vaginal brachytherapy (VBT), external beam radiation (EBRT), chemotherapy (CT), and chemoradiation (CRT). Results A total of 997 EC patients were eligible for analysis. The mean age at diagnosis was 67, and most patients (68%) were diagnosed with endometrioid histology. Adjuvant treatment was applied in 83%, and consisted of EBRT/VBT (53%), CT (12%), and CRT (15%). Patients >70 years more often received no adjuvant treatment, 23% compared to 13% ( Conclusion This population based study demonstrates the benefit of chemoradiation in FIGO III EC, with a significant better 5-year overall survival compared to external beam radiation. Disclosure Nothing to disclose.

Introduction/Background Recently published data have renewed the debate on surgical approach (open vs. laparoscopic) in radical hysterectomy and its effect on survival and recurrence. In addition, an estimation of risk factors of surgical complications would be beneficial in the management of these patients. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate possible predictors of short-term surgical complications after radical hysterectomy for early-stage cervical cancer. Methodology Patients diagnosed with cervical cancer FIGO (2009) stage IB1 and IIA1 between January 2015 and December 2017 who underwent radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy in one of the nine specialized centres in the Netherlands, were identified from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Patients were excluded if primary treatment consisted of simple hysterectomy (i.e. without parametrial dissection) or radical trachelectomy. Complications and type of complications, developing within 30 days after surgery, were registered. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors for surgical complications. Results Of the 472 patients, 166 (35%) developed surgical complications. Predominant FIGO stage was IB1 (97%), mean age was 45±12 years, mean body mass index was 26±5 kg/m2. Most patients were treated with open surgery (58%). The most frequent complications were urinary retention with catheterisation in 73 patients (15%) and excessive perioperative blood loss >1000 mL (EBL) in 50 patients (11%) (table 1). Open surgery, chronic pulmonary disease, vascular disease and medical centre emerged as independent predictors of the occurrence of complications (table 2). BMI was found as negative predictor for urinary retention. Open surgery and BMI were found to be independent predictors for EBL. Conclusion We conclude that open surgery, chronic pulmonary disease, vascular disease and BMI negatively affect the occurrence of short-term surgical complications. We believe these findings should also be taken into consideration, together with data on survival and recurrence, in the choice of surgical approach. Disclosure None of the authors received financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article. Hans Wenzel - Nothing to disclose; Toon van Gorp - Nothing to disclose; Ruud Bekkers - Nothing to disclose; Cor de Kroon - Nothing to disclose; Luc van Lonkhuijzen - Nothing to disclose; Leon Massuger - Nothing to disclose; Hans Nijman - Grant Dutch Cancer Society; Stock owner SME Vicinivax; Grant Aduro; Ramon Smolders - Nothing to disclose; Nienke van Trommel - Nothing to disclose; Refika Yigit - Nothing to disclose; Ronald Zweemer - Proctor Intuitive Surgical; Roy Kruitwagen - Nothing to disclose; Maaike van der Aa - Nothing to disclose

Introduction/Background Adult granulosa cell tumours (aGCT) are rare ovarian malignancies, molecularly characterized by a single somatic c.402C>G mutation in FOXL2. Recurrent disease after initial surgical treatment occurs in 30–50% of patients. Serum markers are used for diagnosis and follow-up, but are not always accurate for GCT monitoring. The use of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) to monitor disease has been suggested in many cancer types. We aimed to assess the presence of FOXL2 mutant ctDNA in aGCT patients and perform an initial evaluation of its potential as a marker for disease activity. Methodology In a national, multicenter GCT study, plasma samples (n=27) were prospectively collected from 7 patients with primary (n=1) or recurrent (n=6) aGCT harbouring the FOXL2 c.402C>G mutation. Circulating cell-free DNA was extracted and assessed for the FOXL2 mutation using droplet digital PCR. Identification of FOXL2 mutation positive ctDNA, defined as ≥ 3 mutant droplets, was correlated with clinical parameters. Results The FOXL2 c.402C>G mutation was found in the plasma of 5 out of 7 aGCT patients (71%), with mutant ctDNA fractions ranging between 0.4% and 47.8%. The tumour load in two patients without FOXL2 mutant ctDNA was limited, while all aGCT patients with FOXL2 mutant ctDNA had multifocal recurrent disease. In all ctDNA positive patients, increasing FOXL2 mutant ctDNA levels were associated with disease progression or relapse defined by a rise in serum markers and/or CT scan findings. In 3 out of 4 ctDNA positive patients with plasma taken before and after treatment, the observed clinical response to therapy was accompanied by a marked decrease in FOXL2 mutant ctDNA fractions. Conclusion FOXL2 c.402C>G mutant ctDNA can be detected in patients with aGCT. Our results suggest that this test may have clinical value in disease monitoring, particularly when standard biomarkers inaccurately reflect tumour burden. Further research in a larger cohort is currently ongoing. Disclosure Nothing to disclose

Introduction/Background In the Netherlands, approximately one third of the cervical cancer patients is diagnosed with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC). In the past decades, chemoradiation (CRT) has replaced radiotherapy (RT) as preferred treatment. Alternatively, radiotherapy with hyperthermia and radical hysterectomy ± neoadjuvant chemotherapy (RH) are applied in LACC treatment as well. We aimed to evaluate trends in guideline adherence and survival since the introduction of CRT as standard of treatment for LACC in the national guidelines of 2004. Methodology In this retrospective study, patients diagnosed with cervical cancer (FIGO stages IB2, IIA2-IVA 2009) between 2005–2016, were identified from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Patients were classified guideline-adherent when receiving primary treatment according to the guideline. Trends, from 2005–2007 to 2014–2016, were analysed with the Cochran-Armitage trend test and 5-year relative survival (RS) was calculated. Multivariable Poisson regression was applied. Subanalyses for FIGO IB2 (only stage for which all treatment modalities apply) and IIB (most prevalent stage) were conducted. Results 2915 patients (mean age 57±17 years) were diagnosed with LACC - mainly with FIGO IIB (47%). Guideline adherence was observed in 73% of all patients, with higher RS compared to non-adherent patients (see table 1). Over time, increases were seen in guideline adherence and 5-year RS (see figure 1) and CRT was administered more often (73%–86%). Of the 532 IB2 patients, guideline adherence was observed in 86%, CRT was the most common treatment (58%) and those treated with RH (n=173) showed highest survival (82%). Of the 1371 IIB patients, guideline adherence was observed in 79%, CRT was the most common treatment (86%) and those treated with RH (n=43) showed highest survival (84%). Conclusion Guideline adherence is associated with higher survival. This may partly be explained by confounding by indication. Expectedly, survival rates improved with the replacement of RT by CRT. Disclosure None of the authors received financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article. Hans Wenzel - Nothing to disclose; Ruud Bekkers - Research funds from Roche Diagnostics; Hans Nijman - Grants from Dutch Cancer Society; Collaborations with Aduro, DCprime, MSD, TRON; Founder of ViciniVax; Valery Lemmens - Unrestricted research grants and educational grants from Roche; Maaike van der Aa - Nothing to disclose.

In the era of personalized medicine, the introduction of translational studies in clinical trials has substantially increased their costs, but provides the possibility of improving the productivity of trials with a better selection of recruited patients. With the overall goal of creating a roadmap to improve translational design for future gynecological cancer trials and of defining translational goals, a main discussion was held during a brainstorming day of the Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup (GCIG) Translational Research Committee and overall conclusions are here reported. A particular emphasis was dedicated to the new frontier of the immunoprofiling of gynecological cancers. The discussion pointed out that to maximize patients’ benefit, translational studies should be integral to clinical trial design with standardization and optimization of procedures including a harmonization program of Standard Operating Procedures. Pathology-reviewed sample collection should be mandatory and ensured by dedicated funding. Biomarker validation and development should be made public and transparent to ensure rapid progresses with positive outcomes for patients. Guidelines/templates for patients’ informed consent are needed. Importantly for the public, recognized goals are to increase the involvement of advocates and to improve the reporting of translational data in a forum accessible to patients.

BackgroundPatients with ovarian cancer who are diagnosed with Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IV disease are a highly heterogeneous group with possible survival differences. The FIGO staging system was therefore updated in 2014.ObjectiveTo evaluate the 2014 changes to FIGO stage IV ovarian cancer on overall survival.MethodsWe identified all patients diagnosed with FIGO stage IV disease between January 2008 and December 2015 from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. We analyzed the prognostic effect of FIGO IVa versus IVb. In addition, patients with extra-abdominal lymph node involvement as the only site of distant disease were analyzed separately. Overall survival was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariable Cox regression models.ResultsWe identified 2436 FIGO IV patients, of whom 35% were diagnosed with FIGO IVa disease. Five-year overall survival of FIGO IVa and IVb patients (including those with no or limited therapy) was 8.9% and 13.0%, respectively (p=0.51). Patients with only extra-abdominal lymph node involvement had a significant better overall survival than all other FIGO IV patients (5-year overall survival 25.9%, hazard ratio 0.77 [95% CI 0.62 to 0.95]).ConclusionOur study shows that the FIGO IV sub-classification into FIGO IVa and IVB does not provide additional prognostic information. Patients with extra-abdominal lymph node metastases as the only site of FIGO IV disease, however, have a better prognosis than all other FIGO IV patients. These results warrant a critical appraisal of the current FIGO IV sub-classification.

Introduction: Intraepithelial CD8+ tumour-infiltrating T-lymphocytes (TIL) are associated with a prolonged survival in endometrial cancer (EC). By contrast, stromal infiltration of CD8+ TIL does not confer prognostic benefit. A single marker to discriminate these populations would therefore be of interest for rapid assessment of the tumour immune contexture, ex vivo analysis of intraepithelial and stromal T-cells on a functional level and/or adoptive T-cell transfer. Here we determined whether CD103, the alpha E subunit of the alpha Eb7integrin, can be used to specifically discriminate the epithelial and stromal CD8+ TIL populations in EC.Methods: CD103+ TIL were quantified in a cohort of 305 EC patients by immunohistochemistry. Localization of CD103+ cells and co-expression of CD103 with CD3, CD8, CD16 and FoxP3 were assessed by immunofluorescence. Further phenotyping of CD103+ cells was performed by flow cytometry on primary endometrial tumour digests.Results: CD8+CD103+ cells were preferentially located in endometrial tumour epithelium, whereas CD8+CD103-cells were located in stroma. CD103+ lymphocytes were predominantly CD3+CD8+ T-cells and expressed PD1. The presence of a high CD103+ cell infiltration was associated with an improved prognosis in patients with endometrial adenocarcinoma (p = 0.035). Moreover, this beneficial effect was particularly evident in high-risk adenocarcinoma patients (p = 0.031).Conclusions: Because of the restricted expression on intraepithelial CD8+ T-cells, CD103 may be a suitable biomarker for rapid assessment of immune infiltration of epithelial cancers. Furthermore, this intraepithelial tumour-reactive subset might be an interesting T-cell subset for adoptive T-cell transfer and/or target for checkpoint inhibition therapy. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Purpose: Therapeutic vaccination with human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) E6 and E7 synthetic long peptides (SLP) is effective against HPV16-induced high-grade vulvar and vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN/VaIN). However, clinical nonresponders displayed weak CD8+ T-cell reactivity. Here, we studied if imiquimod applied at the vaccine site could improve CD8+ T-cell reactivity, clinical efficacy, and safety of HPV16-SLP (ISA101). Experimental Design: A multicenter open-label, randomized controlled trial was conducted in patients with HPV16+ high-grade VIN/VaIN. Patients received ISA101 vaccination with or without application of 5% imiquimod at the vaccine site. The primary objective was the induction of a directly ex vivo detectable HPV16-specific CD8+ T-cell response. The secondary objectives were clinical responses (lesion size, histology, and virology) and their relation with the strength of vaccination-induced immune responses. Results: Forty-three patients were assigned to either ISA101 with imiquimod (n = 21) or ISA101 only (n = 22). Imiquimod did not improve the outcomes of vaccination. However, vaccine-induced clinical responses were observed in 18 of 34 (53%; 95% CI, 35.1–70.2) patients at 3 months and in 15 of 29 (52%; 95% CI, 32.5–70.6) patients, 8 of whom displayed a complete histologic response, at 12 months after the last vaccination. All patients displayed vaccine-induced T-cell responses, which were significantly stronger in patients with complete responses. Importantly, viral clearance occurred in all but one of the patients with complete histologic clearance. Conclusions: This new study confirms that clinical efficacy of ISA101 vaccination is related to the strength of vaccine-induced HPV16-specific T-cell immunity and is an effective therapy for HPV16-induced high-grade VIN/VaIN. Clin Cancer Res; 22(10); 2342–50. ©2016 AACR. See related commentary by Karaki et al., p. 2317

// Marjolijn D. Trietsch 1 , Maaike H.M. Oonk 2 , Lukas J.A.C. Hawinkels 3 , Rosalie Bor 3 , Jaap D.H. van Eendenburg 1 , Zina Ivanova 4 , Alexander A.W. Peters 5 , Hans W. Nijman 2 , Katja N. Gaarenstroom 5 , Tjalling Bosse 1 1 Department of Pathology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands 2 Department of Gynaecology, University Medical Center Groningen, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands 3 Gastroenterology-Hepatology and Molecular Cell Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands 4 Institute for Pathology and Parasitology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1040 Sofia, Bulgaria 5 Department of Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands Correspondence to: Marjolijn D. Trietsch, e-mail: M.D.Trietsch@LUMC.nl Keywords: L1 cell adhesion molecule, L1CAM, vulvar cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, survival Received: December 31, 2015 Accepted: March 04, 2016 Published: March 25, 2016 ABSTRACT Background: Vulvar cancer treatment is mostly curative, but also has high morbidity rates. In a search for markers that can identify patients at risk of metastases, we investigated the prognostic value of L1-cell adhesion molecule (L1CAM) in large series of vulvar squamous cell carcinomas (VSCCs). L1CAM promotes cell motility and is an emerging prognostic factor for metastasis in many cancer subtypes. Results: L1CAM expression was observed at the invasive front or in spray-patterned parts of 17% of the tumours. L1CAM-positive tumours expressed vimentin more often, but L1CAM expression was not associated with TP53 or CTNNB1 mutations. Five-year survival was worse for patients with L1CAM expression (overall survival 46.1% vs 63.6%, P =.014, disease specific survival 63.8% vs 80.0%, P =.018). Multivariate analysis indicates L1CAM expression as an independent prognostic marker (HR 2.9, 95% CI 1.10–7.68). An in vitro spheroid invasion assay showed decreased invasion of L1CAM-expressing VSCC spindle cells after treatment with L1CAM-neutralising antibodies. Materials and Methods: Paraffin-embedded tumour tissue from two cohorts (N=103 and 245) of primary VSCCs were stained for L1CAM, vimentin and E-cadherin. Patients of the first cohort were tested for human papilloma virus infection and sequenced for TP53 and CTNNB1 (β-catenin) mutations. The expression of L1CAM was correlated to clinical characteristics and patient survival. Conclusion: This is the first study to show high L1CAM-expression at the infiltrating margin of VSCC’s. L1CAM-expressing VSCCs had a significantly worse prognosis compared to L1CAM-negative tumours. The highest expression was observed in spindle-shaped cells, where it might be correlated to their invasive capacity.

// Sara Corvigno 1 , G. Bea A. Wisman 3 , Artur Mezheyeuski 1 , Ate G.J. van der Zee 3 , Hans W. Nijman 3 , Elisabeth Avall-Lundqvist 1, 4 , Arne Ostman 1 , Hanna Dahlstrand 1, 2 1 Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden 2 Unit for Breast, Gynecologic Cancer and Sarcoma, Department of Oncology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden 3 Department of Gynecologic Oncology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands 4 Department of Oncology and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linkoping University, Linkoping, Sweden Correspondence to: Hanna Dahlstrand, email: hanna.dahlstrand@ki.se Keywords: serous ovarian cancer, tumor microenvironment, cancer associated fibroblasts, pericytes, prognosis Received: August 20, 2015 Accepted: February 11, 2016 Published: February 23, 2016 ABSTRACT Inter- and intra-patient variations in tumor microenvironment of serous ovarian cancer are largely unexplored. We aimed to explore potential co-regulation of tumor stroma characteristics, analyze their concordance in primary and metastatic lesions, and study their impact on survival. A tissue microarray (TMA) with 186 tumors and 91 matched metastases was subjected to immunohistochemistry double staining with endothelial cell marker CD34 and fibroblast and pericyte markers α-SMA, PDGFβR and desmin. Images were digitally analyzed to yield “metrics” related to vasculature and stroma features. Intra-case analyses showed that PDGFβR in perivascular cells and fibroblasts were strongly correlated. Similar findings were observed concerning α-SMA. Most stroma characteristics showed large variations in intra-case comparisons of primary tumors and metastasis. Large PDGFβR-positive stroma fraction and high PDGFβFR positive perivascular intensity were both significantly associated with shorter survival in uni- and multi-variate analyses (HR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.5; HR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.8). In conclusion, we found PDGFβR- and α-SMA-expression to be largely independent of each other but concordantly activated in perivascular cells and in fibroblasts within the primary tumor. Stromal characteristics differed between primary tumors and metastases. PDGFβR in perivascular cells and in fibroblasts may be novel prognostic markers in serous ovarian cancer.

Purpose: Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) are associated with a better prognosis in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC). However, it is largely unknown how this prognostic benefit of TIL relates to current standard treatment of surgical resection and (neo-)adjuvant chemotherapy. To address this outstanding issue, we compared TIL infiltration in a unique cohort of patients with advanced-stage HGSC primarily treated with either surgery or neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Experimental Design: Tissue microarray slides containing samples of 171 patients were analyzed for CD8+ TIL by IHC. Freshly isolated CD8+ TIL subsets were characterized by flow cytometry based on differentiation, activation, and exhaustion markers. Relevant T-cell subsets (CD27+) were validated using IHC and immunofluorescence. Results: A prognostic benefit for patients with high intratumoral CD8+ TIL was observed if primary surgery had resulted in a complete cytoreduction (no residual tissue). By contrast, optimal ( Conclusions: Our findings indicate that treatment regimen, surgical result, and the differentiation of TIL should all be taken into account when studying immune factors in HGSC or, by extension, selecting patients for immunotherapy trials. Clin Cancer Res; 22(3); 714–24. ©2015 AACR.

BACKGROUND: Precision cancer medicine depends on defining distinct tumour subgroups using biomarkers that may occur at very modest frequencies. One such subgroup comprises patients with exceptionally mutated (ultramutated) cancers caused by mutations that impair DNA polymerase epsilon (POLE) proofreading.METHODS: We examined the association of POLE proofreading domain mutation with clinicopathological variables and immune response in colorectal cancers from clinical trials (VICTOR, QUASAR2, and PETACC-3) and colorectal cancer cohorts (Leiden University Medical Centre 1 and 2, Oslo 1 and 2, Bern, AMC-AJCC-II, and Epicolon-1). We subsequently investigated its association with prognosis in stage II/III colorectal cancer by Cox regression of pooled individual patient data from more than 4500 cases from these studies.FINDINGS: Pathogenic somatic POLE mutations were detected in 66 (1·0%) of 6517 colorectal cancers, and were mutually exclusive with mismatch repair deficiency (MMR-D) in the 6277 cases for whom both markers were determined (none of 66 vs 833 [13·4%] of 6211; pINTERPRETATION: POLE proofreading domain mutations identify a subset of immunogenic colorectal cancers with excellent prognosis. This association underscores the importance of rare biomarkers in precision cancer medicine, but also raises important questions about how to identify and implement them in practice.FUNDING: Cancer Research UK, Academy of Medical Sciences, Health Foundation, EU, ERC, NIHR, Wellcome Trust, Dutch Cancer Society, Dutch Digestive Foundation.

The TransPORTEC consortium previouslclassified high-risk endometrial cancer including poor-risk histologies such as clear cells, into four molecular subtypes "POLE mutated," "microsatellite unstable," "TP53 mutated," and "no specific molecular profile." We evaluated whether DNA damage response biomarkers could further refine this high-risk tumors classification, in particular the heterogeneous "no specific molecular profile" and "TP53 mutated" subsets recently qualified as poor prognosis in high-risk endometrial cancer. DNA damage response biomarkers including proteins involved in DNA damage (delta-H2AX), homologous recombination (RAD51), regulators of error-prone Non Homologous End-Joining (DNA-pk, FANCD2), and PARP-1 were evaluated in 116 high-risk tumors by immunohistochemistry. CD8 and PD-1 expression by immunochemistry and mutation analyses were performed previously. Survival outcome were calculated using Kaplan-Meier and Log-rank test. None of the DNA damage response biomarkers alone were prognostic. However markers were informative within molecular subsets. Among the "no specific molecular profile" subset, delta-H2AX+ was significantly predictive of poor disease free survival (Hazard Ratio = 2.56; p = 0.026), and among "TP53 mutated," a DNA-pk+/FANCD2-profile (favouring error-prone Non Homologous End-Joining) predicted worst disease free survival (Hazard Ratio = 4.95; p = 0.009) resulting in five distinct prognostic subgroups from best to worst prognosis: group1 "POLE mutated/Microsatellite unstable" > group2 "no specific molecular profile with no DNA damage" > group3 "TP53 mutated/Non Homologous End-Joining negative" > group4 "no specific molecular profile with high DNA damage" > group5 "TP53 mutated/Non Homologous End-Joining positive"; p = 0.0002). Actionable targets were also different among subsets. Group3 had significantly higher infiltration of PD-1+ immune cells (p = 0.003), segregating with group1. Group2 had frequent PI3K pathway mutations and ER positivity. While group5, with the worst prognosis, had high DNA damage and PARP-1 expression providing a rationale for PARP inhibition. Our findings have refined the TransPORTEC prognostic classification of high-risk endometrial cancer into five distinct subgroups by integrating DNA damage response biomarkers and identified molecular subtype-specific therapeutic strategies.

Uterine carcinosarcoma (UCS) has been proposed as a model for epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process characterized by a functional change facilitating migration and metastasis in many types of cancer. L1CAMis an adhesion molecule that has been involved in EMT as a marker for mesenchymal phenotype.We examined expression of L1CAM in UCS in a cohort of 90 cases from four different centers. Slides were immunohistochemically stained for L1CAMand scored in four categories (0%, < 10%, 10–50%, and > 50%). A score of more than 10% was considered positive for L1CAM. The median age at presentation was 68.6 years, and half of the patients (53.3%) presented with FIGO stage 1 disease. Membranous L1CAM expression was positive in the epithelial component in 65.4% of cases. Remarkably, expression was negative in the mesenchymal component. In cases where both components were intermingled, expression limited to the epithelial component was confirmed by a double stain for L1CAMand keratin. Expression of L1CAMdid not relate to overall or disease-free survival. Our findings suggest L1CAMis either not a marker for the mesenchymal phenotype in EMT, or UCS is not a good model for EMT.

BACKGROUND: This is the second update of the review first published in the Cochrane Library (2010, Issue 2) and later updated (2014, Issue 9). Despite advances in chemotherapy, the prognosis of ovarian cancer remains poor. Antigen‐specific active immunotherapy aims to induce tumour antigen‐specific anti‐tumour immune responses as an alternative treatment for ovarian cancer. OBJECTIVES: Primary objective • To assess the clinical efficacy of antigen‐specific active immunotherapy for the treatment of ovarian cancer as evaluated by tumour response measured by Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST) and/or cancer antigen (CA)‐125 levels, response to post‐immunotherapy treatment, and survival differences ◦ In addition, we recorded the numbers of observed antigen‐specific humoral and cellular responses Secondary objective • To establish which combinations of immunotherapeutic strategies with tumour antigens provide the best immunological and clinical results SEARCH METHODS: For the previous version of this review, we performed a systematic search of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2009, Issue 3), in the Cochrane Library, the Cochrane Gynaecological Cancer Group Specialised Register, MEDLINE and Embase databases, and clinicaltrials.gov (1966 to July 2009). We also conducted handsearches of the proceedings of relevant annual meetings (1996 to July 2009). For the first update of this review, we extended the searches to October 2013, and for this update, we extended the searches to July 2017. SELECTION CRITERIA: We searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs), as well as non‐randomised studies (NRSs), that included participants with epithelial ovarian cancer, irrespective of disease stage, who were treated with antigen‐specific active immunotherapy, irrespective of type of vaccine, antigen used, adjuvant used, route of vaccination, treatment schedule, and reported clinical or immunological outcomes. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviews authors independently extracted the data. We evaluated the risk of bias for RCTs according to standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane, and for NRSs by using a selection of quality domains deemed best applicable to the NRS. MAIN RESULTS: We included 67 studies (representing 3632 women with epithelial ovarian cancer). The most striking observations of this review address the lack of uniformity in conduct and reporting of early‐phase immunotherapy studies. Response definitions show substantial variation between trials, which makes comparison of trial results unreliable. Information on adverse events is frequently limited. Furthermore, reports of both RCTs and NRSs frequently lack the relevant information necessary for risk of bias assessment. Therefore, we cannot rule out serious biases in most of the included trials. However, selection, attrition, and selective reporting biases are likely to have affected the studies included in this review. GRADE ratings were high only for survival; for other primary outcomes, GRADE ratings were very low. The largest body of evidence is currently available for CA‐125‐targeted antibody therapy (17 studies, 2347 participants; very low‐certainty evidence). Non‐randomised studies of CA‐125‐targeted antibody therapy suggest improved survival among humoral and/or cellular responders, with only moderate adverse events. However, four large randomised placebo‐controlled trials did not show any clinical benefit, despite induction of immune responses in approximately 60% of participants. Time to relapse with CA‐125 monoclonal antibody versus placebo, respectively, ranged from 10.3 to 18.9 months versus 10.3 to 13 months (six RCTs, 1882 participants; high‐certainty evidence). Only one RCT provided data on overall survival, reporting rates of 80% in both treatment and placebo groups (three RCTs, 1062 participants; high‐certainty evidence). Other small studies targeting many different tumour antigens have presented promising immunological results. As these strategies have not yet been tested in RCTs, no reliable inferences about clinical efficacy can be made. Given the promising immunological results and the limited side effects and toxicity reported, exploration of clinical efficacy in large well‐designed RCTs may be worthwhile. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that despite promising immunological responses, no clinically effective antigen‐specific active immunotherapy is yet available for ovarian cancer. Results should be interpreted cautiously, as review authors found a significant dearth of relevant information for assessment of risk of bias in both RCTs and NRSs.

ObjectiveVaginal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy may be an alternative strategy for patients with low-risk endometrial cancer and medical co-morbidities precluding laparoscopic or abdominal procedures. The current study evaluates the prevalence of co-existent ovarian malignancy in patients with endometrial cancer and the influence of bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy on survival outcomes in these patients.MethodsMedline and EMBASE were searched for studies published between January 1, 2000 and November 20, 2017 that investigated (1) the prevalence of co-existing ovarian malignancy (either metastases or primary synchronous ovarian cancer in women with endometrial cancer, and (2) the influence of bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy on recurrence and/or survival rates.ResultsOf the pre-menopausal and post-menopausal patients (n=6059), 373 were identified with metastases and 106 were identified with primary synchronous ovarian cancer. Of the post-menopausal patients (n=6016), 362 were identified with metastases and 44 were identified with primary synchronous ovarian cancer. Survival outcomes did not differ for pre-menopausal patients with endometrial cancer with and without bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (5-year overall survival rates were 89–94.5% and 86–97.8%, respectively).ConclusionBilateral salpingo-oophorectomy during vaginal hysterectomy seems to have a limited impact on disease outcome in patients with endometrial cancer. These results support the view that vaginal hysterectomy alone or with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy may be an option for patients with endometrial cancer who are not ideal surgical candidates.

The chemokine CXCL13 mediates recruitment of B cells to tumors and is essential for the formation of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs). TLSs are thought to support antitumor immunity and are associated with improved prognosis. However, it remains unknown whether TLSs are formed in response to the general inflammatory character of the tumor microenvironment, or rather, are induced by (neo)antigen-specific adaptive immunity. We here report on the finding that the TGFβ-dependent CD103

Coordinated immune responses against human tumors are frequently characterized by tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) which predict improved prognosis. The development of TLS is dependent on the chemokine CXCL13, reported to be secreted by dendritic cells and follicular helper T cells only. We report the unexpected finding that CXCL13 is also secreted by activated CD8+ T cells following stimulation by transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β). Using single cell RNA sequencing we found that expression ofCXCL13in CD8+ T cells was restricted to the intraepithelial CD103+ population. Accordingly, CD8+ T cells activated in the presence of TGF-β simultaneously upregulated CD103 and secreted CXCL13.CXCL13expression was strongly correlated with neo-antigen burden and cytolytic gene signatures in bulk tumors. In line with this, TLS were abundant in neo-antigen-high, CD103+ T cell-enriched tumors. TGF-β thus appears to play a role in coordinating immune responses against human tumors through CD8-dependent CXCL13-associated formation of TLS.

Contains fulltext : 200325.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) Cervical cancer develops as a result of infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) through persistent expression of early proteins E6 and E7. Our group pioneered a recombinant viral vector system based on Semliki Forest virus (SFV) for vaccination against cervical cancer. The most striking benefit of this alphavirus vector-based vaccine platform is its high potency. DNA vaccines on the other hand, have a major advantage with respect to ease of production. In this study, the benefits associated with both SFV-based vaccines and DNA vaccines were combined with the development of a DNA-launched RNA replicon (DREP) vaccine targeting cervical cancer. Using intradermal delivery followed by electroporation, we demonstrated that DREP encoding for E6,7 (DREP-E6,7) induced effective, therapeutic antitumor immunity. While immunizations with a conventional DNA vaccine did not prevent tumor outgrowth, immunization with a 200-fold lower equimolar dose of DREP (0.05 microg of DREP) resulted in approximately 85% of tumor-free mice. To overcome the safety concern of potential malignant transformation at the vaccination site, we evaluated the anti-tumor effect of a DREP vaccine encoding a shuffled version of E7 (DREP-E7sh). DREP-E7sh delayed tumor growth yet not to the same extent as DREP-E6,7. In addition, inclusion of a helper cassette and an ER targeting signal (sigHelp) did not significantly further enhance the suppression of tumor outgrowth in the long term, albeit exhibiting better tumor control early after immunization. Collectively, this study points towards the clinical evaluation of DREP encoding HPV antigens as a potent immunotherapy for patients with HPV16 (pre)-malignancies.

Background Laparoscopic hysterectomy (LH) for the treatment of early-stage endometrial carcinoma/cancer (EC) has demonstrated to be safe in several randomized controlled trials. Yet, data on implementation of LH in clinical practice are limited. In the present study, implementation of LH for EC was evaluated in a large oncology network in the Netherlands. Results Retrospectively, a total of 556 EC patients with FIGO stage I-II were registered in the selected years. The proportion of LH gradually increased from 11% in 2006 to 85% in 2015. LH was more often performed in patients with low-grade EC and was not related to the studied patient characteristics. The introduction of TLH was frequently preceded by LAVH. Patients treated in teaching hospitals were more likely to undergo a LH compared to patients in non-teaching hospitals. The conversion rate was 7.7%, and the overall complication rates between LH and AH were comparable, but less postoperative complications in LH. Conclusions Implementation of laparoscopic hysterectomy for early-stage EC increased from 11 to 85% in 10 years. Implementation of TLH was often preceded by LAVH and was faster in teaching hospitals.

Objective. Surgical care for advanced stage epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients has been centralized in the Netherlands since 2012. We evaluated whether the likelihood for patients to undergo surgery depends on the hospital of initial diagnosis before and after centralization of surgical care. Methods. Patients with EOC FIGO stage IIB-IV, diagnosed in the Netherlands between 2000 and 2015, were identified from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Multilevel multivariate logistic regression was used to study the association between hospital of diagnosis and patients' likelihood of undergoing surgery in subsequent time periods. Furthermore, changes in overall survival were analyzed by multivariable Cox regression models. Results. 15,314 EOC patients were selected from the NCR. Hospital of diagnosis was identified as a significant level for patients' likelihood of undergoing surgery in 2000-2005 (LR test p < 0.001), as well as in 2006-2011 (LR test p = 0.002) but not in 2012-2015 (LR test p = 0.127). Patients who underwent surgery in 2012-2015 had a better survival when compared to 2006-2011 (HR 0.90(0.84-0.96)). Conclusion. This study shows that centralization of surgical care resolved the variation between hospitals in the probability to undergo cytoreductive surgery for patients with advanced EOC. Since centralization was established in 2012, the decision to operate patients seems solely attributable to patient and tumor characteristics. This supports the growing evidence in favor of centralizing (surgical) treatment for complex and heterogeneous diseases such as EOC. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

BACKGROUND: Implementation of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination raised concerns that vaccination could lead to riskier sexual behavior. This study explored how possible differences in sexual behavior and HPV knowledge developed over time between HPV-vaccinated and unvaccinated girls.METHODS: A random sample of 19,939 girls (16-17 year olds) eligible for the catch-up HPV vaccination campaign in the Netherlands was invited for a longitudinal study with questionnaires every 6 months over a two-year follow-up period. Possible differences over time between vaccinated and unvaccinated participants were studied using generalized equations estimation (GEE).RESULTS: A total of 2989 girls participated in round one, of which 1574 participated (52.7%) in the final 5th round. Vaccinated girls were more likely to live in more urban areas (OR 1.28, 95%CI 1.10-1.47) and to use alcohol (OR 1.46, 95%CI 1.24-1.70) and contraceptives (OR 1.69, 95%CI 1.45-1.97). Vaccinated and unvaccinated girls showed comparable knowledge on HPV, HPV vaccination, and transmission. Vaccinated girls were more likely to be sexually active (OR 1.19, 95%CI 1.02-1.39), and this difference increased over time (OR for interaction 1.06, 95%CI 1.00-1.12). However, they had a slightly lower number of lifetime sexual partners (mean difference - 0.20, 95%CI -0.41-0.00). Vaccinated girls were less likely to use a condom with a steady partner (aOR 0.71, 95%CI 0.56-0.89). However, the difference between vaccinated and unvaccinated girls with regard to condom use with casual or steady partner(s) did not significantly change over time.CONCLUSION: Overall, we did not find indications that vaccination influenced sexual behavior in girls during 2 years of follow-up. The few differences found may be related to existing disparities in the socio-demographic characteristics of the young population pointing to the importance and improvement of education with regard to safe sex practices. Our findings do not suggest that vaccination status is associated with changes in sexual risk behavior and thus it is unlikely that this might influence the effectiveness of the vaccination program.

Background The PORTEC-3 trial investigated the benefit of combined adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy (CTRT) versus radiotherapy alone (RT) for women with stage I-III endometrial cancer with high-risk features (HREC). Since the TCGA defined 4 molecular subgroups of EC with strong prognostic value, we investigated outcomes and impact of chemotherapy for each molecular subgroup using tissue samples from PORTEC-3 trial participants. Methods Paraffin-embedded tissues of 423 consenting patients (64% of 660) were collected. Immunohistochemistry for p53 and mismatch repair (MMR) proteins, and DNA sequencing for POLE pathogenic exonuclease domain mutations were done to classify tumours as p53 mutant staining (p53abn), POLE ultramutated (POLEmut), MMR deficient (MMRd), or no specific molecular profile (NSMP). The Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test and Cox model were used for analysis. Results Molecular analysis was successful in 410 HREC (97%), identifying the four subgroups; p53abn (n = 92, 22%), POLEmut (n = 52, 13%), MMRd (n = 137, 33%) and NSMP (n = 129, 32%). Five-year recurrence free survival (RFS) was 50% for patients with p53abn HREC, 98% for POLEmut, 74% for MMRd and 76% for NSMP (p Table: LBA63 . Recurrence-free survival by molecular subgroup Events 5-year estimate % HR (95% CI) P value of HR p53abn EC RT 28 37,2 1 CTRT 20 61,1 0,50 (0,28-0,88) 0,017 POLEmut EC RT 1 96,6 1 CTRT 0 100 0,02 ( 104) 0,632 MMRd EC RT 17 75,8 1 CTRT 18 72,4 1,15 (0,59-2,22) 0,687 NSMP EC RT 19 68,9 1 CTRT 17 81,2 0,71 (0,37-1,37) 0,311 Conclusions Molecular EC classification has a strong prognostic value in HREC and better identifies those who benefit from adjuvant CTRT than clinicopathological factors. Patients with p53abn HREC had significantly improved RFS with adjuvant CTRT, while those with MMRd did not seem to benefit from chemotherapy. Patients with POLEmut HREC had an excellent RFS in both arms. Future trials should incorporate the molecular classification and target specific subgroups. Clinical trial identification NCT00411138. Legal entity responsible for the study Leiden University Medical Center. Funding Koningin Wilhelmina Fonds voor de Nederlandse Kankerbestrijding (KWF). Disclosure A. Leary: Travel / Accommodation / Expenses, Officer / Board of Directors: AZ; Officer / Board of Directors: Tesaro; Officer / Board of Directors: Clovis; Officer / Board of Directors: MSD; Officer / Board of Directors: Grisdstone; Officer / Board of Directors: Seattle Genetics; Officer / Board of Directors: Gamamabs; Officer / Board of Directors: Biocad; Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Roche . H.W. Nijman: Leadership role, Founder: SME Vicinivax; Advisory / Consultancy: Aduro; Advisory / Consultancy: TRON ; Advisory / Consultancy: Merck. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

// Eveline M. Dijkgraaf 1 , Saskia J.A.M. Santegoets 1 , An K.L. Reyners 2 , Renske Goedemans 1 , Hans W. Nijman 3 , Mariette I.E. van Poelgeest 4 , Arien R. van Erkel 5 , Vincent T.H.B.M. Smit 6 , Toos A.H.H. Daemen 7 , Jacobus J.M. van der Hoeven 1 , Cornelis J.M. Melief 8 , Marij J.P. Welters 1 , Judith R. Kroep 1, * , Sjoerd H. van der Burg 1, * 1 Department of Medical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands 2 Department of Clinical Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9713 GZ, Groningen, The Netherlands 3 Department of Gynecologic Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9713 GZ, Groningen, The Netherlands 4 Department of Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands 5 Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands 6 Department of Pathology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands 7 Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9713 GZ, Groningen, The Netherlands 8 Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Sjoerd H. van der Burg, e-mail: shvdburg@lumc.nl Judith R. Kroep, e-mail: j.r.kroep@lumc.nl Keywords: ovarian cancer, p53, immunotherapy, chemoresistance, tumor immunity Received: May 27, 2015 Accepted: August 03, 2015 Published: August 14, 2015 ABSTRACT Purpose : Preclinical tumor models show that chemotherapy has immune modulatory properties which can be exploited in the context of immunotherapy. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility and immunogenicity of combinations of such an immunomodulatory chemotherapeutic agent with immunotherapy, p53 synthetic long peptide (SLP) vaccine and Pegintron (IFN-α) in patients with platinum-resistant p53-positive epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Experimental design : This is a phase 1/2 trial in which patients sequential 6 cycles of gemcitabine (1000 mg/kg 2 iv; n = 3), gemcitabine with Pegintron before and after the first gemcitabine cycle (Pegintron 1 μg/kg sc; n = 6), and gemcitabine and Pegintron combined with p53 SLP vaccine (0.3 mg/peptide, 9 peptides; n = 6). At baseline, 22 days after the 2 nd and 6 th cycle, blood was collected for immunomonitoring. Toxicity, CA-125, and radiologic response were evaluated after 3 and 6 cycles of chemotherapy. Results : None of the patients enrolled experienced dose-limiting toxicity. Predominant grade 3/4 toxicities were nausea/vomiting and dyspnea. Grade 1/2 toxicities consisted of fatigue (78%) and Pegintron-related flu-like symptoms (72%). Gemcitabine reduced myeloid-derived suppressor cells ( p = 0.0005) and increased immune-supportive M1 macrophages ( p = 0.04). Combination of gemcitabine and Pegintron stimulated higher frequencies of circulating proliferating CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells but not regulatory T-cells. All vaccinated patients showed strong vaccine-induced p53-specific T-cell responses. Conclusion : Combination of gemcitabine, the immune modulator Pegintron and therapeutic peptide vaccination is a viable approach in the development of combined chemo-immunotherapeutic regimens to treat cancer.

Background: Adjuvant therapy increases disease-free survival in endometrial cancer (EC), but has no impact on overall survival and negatively influences the quality of life. We investigated the discriminatory power of classical and immunological predictors of recurrence in a cohort of EC patients and confirmed the findings in an independent validation cohort.Methods: We reanalysed the data from 355 EC patients and tested our findings in an independent validation cohort of 72 patients with EC. Predictors were selected and Harrell's C-index for concordance was used to determine discriminatory power for disease-free survival in the total group and stratified for histological subtype.Results: Predictors for recurrence were FIGO stage, lymphovascular space invasion and numbers of cytotoxic and memory T-cells. For high risk cancer, cytotoxic or memory T-cells predicted recurrence as well as a combination of FIGO stage and lymphovascular space invasion (C-index 0.67 and 0.71 vs 0.70). Recurrence was best predicted when FIGO stage, lymphovascular space invasion and numbers of cytotoxic cells were used in combination (C-index 0.82). Findings were confirmed in the validation cohort.Conclusions: In high-risk EC, clinicopathological or immunological variables can predict regional or distant recurrence with equal accuracy, but the use of these variables in combination is more powerful.

Purpose: Recent studies have shown that 7% to 12% of endometrial cancers are ultramutated due to somatic mutation in the proofreading exonuclease domain of the DNA replicase POLE. Interestingly, these tumors have an excellent prognosis. In view of the emerging data linking mutation burden, immune response, and clinical outcome in cancer, we investigated whether POLE-mutant endometrial cancers showed evidence of increased immunogenicity. Experimental Design: We examined immune infiltration and activation according to tumor POLE proofreading mutation in a molecularly defined endometrial cancer cohort including 47 POLE-mutant tumors. We sought to confirm our results by analysis of RNAseq data from the TCGA endometrial cancer series and used the same series to examine whether differences in immune infiltration could be explained by an enrichment of immunogenic neoepitopes in POLE-mutant endometrial cancers. Results: Compared with other endometrial cancers, POLE mutants displayed an enhanced cytotoxic T-cell response, evidenced by increased numbers of CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and CD8A expression, enrichment for a tumor-infiltrating T-cell gene signature, and strong upregulation of the T-cell cytotoxic differentiation and effector markers T-bet, Eomes, IFNG, PRF, and granzyme B. This was accompanied by upregulation of T-cell exhaustion markers, consistent with chronic antigen exposure. In silico analysis confirmed that POLE-mutant cancers are predicted to display more antigenic neoepitopes than other endometrial cancers, providing a potential explanation for our findings. Conclusions: Ultramutated POLE proofreading-mutant endometrial cancers are characterized by a robust intratumoral T-cell response, which correlates with, and may be caused by an enrichment of antigenic neopeptides. Our study provides a plausible mechanism for the excellent prognosis of these cancers. Clin Cancer Res; 21(14); 3347–55. ©2015 AACR.

This study aimed to investigate whether molecular analysis can be used to refine risk assessment, direct adjuvant therapy, and identify actionable alterations in high-risk endometrial cancer. TransPORTEC, an international consortium related to the PORTEC3 trial, was established for translational research in high-risk endometrial cancer. In this explorative study, routine molecular analyses were used to detect prognostic subgroups: p53 immunohistochemistry, microsatellite instability and POLE proofreading mutation. Furthermore, DNA was analyzed for hotspot mutations in 13 additional genes (BRAF, CDKNA2, CTNNB1, FBXW7, FGFR2, FGFR3, FOXL2, HRAS, KRAS, NRAS, PIK3CA, PPP2R1A, and PTEN) and protein expression of ER, PR, PTEN, and ARID1a was analyzed. Rates of distant metastasis, recurrence-free, and overall survival were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. In total, samples of 116 high-risk endometrial cancer patients were included: 86 endometrioid; 12 serous; and 18 clear cell. For endometrioid, serous, and clear cell cancers, 5-year recurrence-free survival rates were 68%, 27%, and 50% (P=0.014) and distant metastasis rates 23%, 64%, and 50% (P=0.001), respectively. Four prognostic subgroups were identified: (1) a group of p53-mutant tumors; (2) microsatellite instable tumors; (3) POLE proofreading-mutant tumors; and (4) a group with no specific molecular profile (NSMP). In group 3 (POLE-mutant; n=14) and group 2 (microsatellite instable; n=19) patients, no distant metastasis occurred, compared with 50% distant metastasis rate in group 1 (p53-mutant; n=36) and 39% in group 4 (NSMP; P

The natural history of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is largely unpredictable and current histopathological examination is unable to differentiate between lesions that will regress and those that will not. Therefore, most high-grade lesions are currently treated by surgical excision, leading to overtreatment and unnecessary complications. Prognostic biomarkers may differentiate between lesions that will regress and those that will not, making individualized treatment of high-grade CIN possible. This review identifies several promising prognostic biomarkers. These biomarkers include viral genotype and viral DNA methylation (viral factors), human leukocyte antigen-subtypes, markers of lymphoproliferative response, telomerase amplification and human papillomavirus-induced epigenetic effects (host factors) and Ki-67, p53 and pRb (cellular factors). All identified biomarkers were evaluated according to their role in the natural history of high-grade CIN and according to established criteria for evaluation of biomarkers (prospective-specimen-collection, retrospective-blinded-evaluation [PROBE] criteria). None of the biomarkers meets the PROBE criteria for clinical applicability and more research on prognostic biomarkers in high-grade CIN is necessary.

The therapeutic effect of anti-cancer monoclonal antibodies stems from their capacity to opsonize targeted cancer cells with subsequent phagocytic removal, induction of antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) or induction of complement-mediated cytotoxicity (CDC). The major immune effector cells involved in these processes are natural killer (NK) cells and granulocytes. The latter and most prevalent blood cell population contributes to phagocytosis, but is not effective in inducing ADCC. Here, we report that targeted delivery of the tumoricidal protein tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) to granulocyte marker C-type lectin-like molecule-1 (CLL1), using fusion protein CLL1:TRAIL, equips granulocytes with high levels of TRAIL. Upon CLL1-selective binding of this fusion protein, granulocytes acquire additional TRAIL-mediated cytotoxic activity that, importantly, potentiates antibody-mediated cytotoxicity of clinically used therapeutic antibodies (e.g., rituximab, cetuximab). Thus, CLL1:TRAIL could be used as an adjuvant to optimize the clinical potential of anticancer antibody therapy by augmenting tumoricidal activity of granulocytes.

The skin is an attractive organ for immunization because of the presence of antigen-presenting cells. Intradermal delivery via tattooing has demonstrated superior vaccine immunogenicity of DNA vaccines in comparison to conventional delivery methods. In this study, we explored the efficacy of tattoo injection of a tumor vaccine based on recombinant Semliki Forest virus replicon particles (rSFV) targeting human papillomavirus (HPV). Tattoo injection of rSFV particles resulted in antigen expression in both the skin and draining lymph nodes. In comparison with intramuscular injection, the overall antigen expression determined at the site of administration and draining lymph nodes was 10-fold lower upon tattoo injection. Delivery of SFV particles encoding the E6 and E7 antigens of human papillomavirus type 16 (SFVeE6,7) via tattooing resulted in HPV-specific cytotoxic T cells and in vivo therapeutic antitumor response. Strikingly, despite the observed lower overall transgene expression, SFVeE6,7 delivered via tattoo injection resulted in higher or equal levels of immune responses as compared to intramuscular injection. The intrinsic immunogenic potential of tattooing provides a benefit for immunotherapy based on an alphavirus.

Objective: Emphasis on improving healthcare quality has led to centralization of services for patients suspected of ovarian cancer. As centralization of services may induce treatment delays, we aimed to assess compliance with health system interval guidelines in patients suspected of ovarian cancer.Design: Evaluation of health system intervals, comparison between direct and indirect referrals and between 2013 and 2014.Setting: A managed clinical network (MCN) comprising 11 hospitals in the Netherlands.Participants: Patients that were treated for ovarian cancer within the University Medical Center Groningen in 2013 and 2014.Intervention: Introduction of an MCN to centralize services for patients suspected of ovarian cancer.Main Outcome Measure: Compliance with national guidelines regarding health system intervals.Results: Between 2013 and 2014 a clinically relevant improvement in compliance with guidelines was demonstrated. Within this period, median treatment intervals decreased from 34 to 29 days, and the percentage of patients in which treatment interval guidelines were met increased from 63.5 to 72.2%. New regulations and increased awareness of health system intervals inspired changes in local practice leading to improved compliance with guidelines. Compliance was highest in patients that were directly referred to our academic hospital.Conclusion: Evaluation of health system intervals in patients suspected of ovarian cancer was feasible and may be applicable to other MCNs. Though compliance with guidelines improved within the study period, there is potential for improvement. To facilitate real-time evaluation of compliance with national guidelines establishing uniformity of electronic patient files in the MCN is deemed essential.