Background and Objectives: Local and distant relapse (LR, DR) in breast cancer vary according to its molecular subtypes, with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) being the most aggressive. The surgical resection margin width (SRMW) for breast-conserving surgery (BCS) has been intensely debated, especially for the aforementioned subtype. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of SRMW on LR following BCS in TNBC patients. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective study including all patients with TNBC for whom BCS was performed between 2005 and 2014. Results: Final analysis included a total of 92 patients, with a median tumor size of 2.5 cm (range 0–5 cm) and no distant metastasis at the time of diagnosis. A total of 87 patients had received neoadjuvant and/or adjuvant chemotherapy, and all patients had received adjuvant whole-breast radiotherapy. After a median follow-up of 110.7 months (95% CI, 95.23–126.166), there were 5 local recurrences and 8 regional/distant recurrences with an overall LR rate of 5.4%. The risk of LR and DR was similar between groups of patients with several SRMW cut-off values. Conclusions: Our study supports a safe “no ink on tumor” approach for TNBC patients treated with BCS.

Background: Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynecologic malignancy in developed countries. Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment, recurrence and mortality remain significant concerns. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), a marker of systemic inflammation, has shown prognostic value in several malignancies, but its utility in EC remains underexplored. Objective: To evaluate the prognostic significance of the preoperative NLR in patients with endometrial cancer undergoing primary surgical treatment. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study including 398 patients with histologically confirmed endometrial adenocarcinoma surgically treated at a tertiary cancer center. Preoperative complete blood counts were used to calculate NLR, and a cutoff value of 2.27 was determined through Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis. Survival outcomes were assessed using Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards modeling. Results: Patients with NLR ≥ 2.27 had significantly reduced median overall survival (OS) compared to those with NLR < 2.27 (72.3 vs. 92.8 months, p = 0.008). In multivariate analysis, elevated NLR remained an independent predictor of poorer OS (HR = 1.87; 95% CI: 1.156–3.017; p = 0.011), alongside age ≥ 64 years, lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI), lymph node involvement, and distant metastases. ROC analysis yielded an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.646 for NLR. Notably, vaginal brachytherapy was associated with improved survival (HR = 0.53; p = 0.026), while other adjuvant therapies were not independently significant. Conclusions: Preoperative NLR is an accessible, independent prognostic biomarker in endometrial cancer and may serve as a surrogate indicator of tumor-promoting inflammation and immune dysregulation. Its integration into preoperative assessment could enhance risk stratification and guide personalized treatment strategies. However, findings should be interpreted in light of the study’s retrospective design, single-center setting, and lack of molecular classification data. Prospective validation is warranted to confirm its clinical utility.

CT angiography might be a suitable procedure to avoid arterial puncture in combined intracavitary and interstitial brachytherapy for cervical cancer curatively treated with combined chemoradiation and brachytherapy boost. Data in the literature about this technique are scarce. We introduced this method and collected brachytherapy data from patients treated in our department between May 2021 and April 2024. We analyzed the applicator subtype, needle insertion (planned versus implanted), implanted depth and the role of CT angiography in selecting needle trajectories and insertion depths. None of the patients managed through this protocol experienced atrial puncture and consequent hemorrhage. Needle positions were accurately selected with the aid of CT angiography with proper coverage of brachytherapy targets and avoidance of organs at risk. CT angiography is a promising method for guiding needle insertion during interstitial brachytherapy.

Background/Objectives: Nowadays, lymph node assessment represents a key component in the surgical staging of endometrial cancer, as sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping increased in adoption as an alternative to lymphadenectomy. This study aimed to compare SLN mapping and selective lymph node sampling (SLNS) in endometrial cancer cases managed in a tertiary oncologic center. Moreover, the study evaluated clinicopathological characteristics and the association between tumor stage and nodal involvement. Methods: This prospective observational cohort study included 137 patients with histologically confirmed endometrial cancer who underwent surgical staging between January 2020 and August 2025. Either SLN mapping using indocyanine green (ICG) or methylene blue (blue dye–BD) or SLNS was performed during the surgery. Clinical, surgical, and histopathological data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: SLN mapping was performed in 86 patients (BD: 45; ICG: 41), while the other 51 underwent SLNS. Median lymph node yield was significantly higher in the SLNS group (10 nodes) in comparison to SLN mapping (four nodes for both BD and ICG; p < 0.001). The overall nodal metastasis rate was 9.5%, with no significant difference between techniques (SLNS: 9.8%, BD: 8.9%, ICG: 9.8%; p = 0.99). Bilateral nodal detection rates were higher in the BD group compared to the ICG group (73.3% vs. 51.2%; OR = 2.62, p = 0.045). Nodal involvement increased significantly in parallel with advancing pathological T stage (p < 0.001), ranging from 0% in T1a to 40.0% in T3a disease. Conclusions: Even though SLNS resulted in a higher number of lymph nodes retrieved, SLN mapping demonstrated similar observed rates of nodal metastases across groups within the limits of this observational study. BD demonstrates superior bilateral detection rates compared to ICG in this cohort. Tumor stage remains a predictor of lymph node involvement. All these findings justify the use of SLN mapping as an effective staging strategy in patients with endometrial cancer.

The primary aim of this review is to summarize current evidence from clinical and pre-clinical studies on endogenous molecular biomarkers associated with radiosensitivity and radioresistance in cervical cancer, including patients treated with photon-based radiotherapy, cervical cancer cell lines, and xenograft models, and to evaluate the association of these biomarkers with radiotherapy response, residual disease, recurrence and survival, and experimental measures of radiosensitivity. A systematic literature review was conducted for studies published over the last 10 years that evaluated associations between genomic, epigenetic, or protein biomarkers and radiotherapy response or survival outcomes in cervical cancer. Eligible studies included in the current analysis summarize clinical, translational, and pre-clinical studies in correlation with photon-based radiotherapy. Research focusing exclusively on non-coding RNAs, exogenous radiosensitizers, or non-photon modalities was excluded. In total, 112 studies were identified, and 46 of them met the inclusion criteria. The identified biomarkers clustered into several key biological processes: DNA damage response and cell cycle regulation, cancer stemness, hypoxia and microenvironment, epigenetic and transcriptional regulation, and signaling pathways, including exosome-mediated communication. Most markers were linked to radioresistance and adverse outcomes, whereas a smaller subset was associated with increased radiosensitivity. A limited group of biomarkers was linked to clinical outcomes such as local control, residual disease, or survival, and emerging multi-marker protein signatures suggested that combinatorial approaches may outperform single-marker strategies. Radiosensitivity in cervical cancer is regulated by a network of biological pathways. Validated, integrated biomarker panels that capture DNA repair proficiency, stemness, hypoxia adaptation, and key signaling pathways are needed to improve risk stratification and enable biomarker-guided radiosensitization.

Background: This study aims to investigate the influence of Body Mass Index (BMI) on the doses received by organs at risk (OAR) during high-dose-rate (HDR) vaginal cuff brachytherapy in pa-tients diagnosed with early-stage endometrial carcinoma. Understanding the relationship be-tween BMI and OAR doses could enhance treatment planning and minimize complications. Methods: We collected brachytherapy data for 242 endometrial cancer patients treated with ad-juvant HDR vaginal cuff brachytherapy. The patients were categorized based on their BMI into normal weight, overweight, and obese groups. Dosimetric data were collected for OARs, includ-ing the bladder, rectum, and sigmoid colon and also for dose fractionation, D90 and the active length of the brachytherapy cylinder. The analysis included comparing the doses received by each organ across different BMI categories using appropriate statistical methods Results: Preliminary findings indicated a significant variation in the doses to OARs correlating with BMI classifications. Obese patients exhibited slightly higher mean doses to the rectum and bladder compared to those with a normal BMI. The statistical analysis demonstrated that as BMI increased, the dose to these organs at risk also tended to increase, suggesting a need for ad-justed treatment planning strategies in this population. Conclusions: Obesity is a key concern in endometrial cancer patients, with higher BMI linked to slightly increased doses to the rectum and sigmoid, though treatment remained homogeneously delivered.Future work should focus on refining dosimetric techniques and exploring strategies to mitigate OAR exposure in patients with higher BMI.