The influence of systemic inflammatory markers on early-stage cervical cancer (ECC) patients is contradictory. No previous study analyzed whether these markers may be suggestive of recurrence. The aim of this study was to assess whether the inflammatory markers level of patients with recurrence during surveillance was different from those of patients without recurrence representing a risk factor for recurrence. Retrospective, single-center, observational study. Patients with 2009 FIGO EEC surgically treated between 2012 and 2019 were included. Baseline inflammatory markers were evaluated on the results of the complete blood count (CBC) and coagulation tests. Inflammatory markers of relapsed patients were evaluated on the last CBC performed before the relapse diagnosis. Inflammatory markers of patients with no recurrence were evaluated on the available CBC taken at the same median follow-up time as the one from relapsed patients. 174 patients were included. Baseline Systemic immune inflammation index (SII) > 663 and Systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) > 0.98 were associated with significant risk of recurrence. SII>663 and Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) > 2.41 were associated with increased risk of death. Significant changes between relapsed (n = 23) and non-relapsed (n = 151) patients in median values of SII (615 versus 490, p-value = 0.001), SIRI (0.74 versus 1.05, p-value = 0.005), NRL (2.95 versus 2.15, p-value = 0.0035), and MLR (0.26 versus 0.22 p-value = 0.020), showed that different levels of inflammatory markers could help identifying recurrent disease during surveillance. Baseline SII>663 and SIRI>0.98 were associated with increased risk of recurrence. Higher median values of SII, SIRI, NLR and MLR in relapsed patients highlight their potential association with recurrence.

Purpose: To assess the rate of bilateral sentinel lymph node (SLN) detection with indocyanine green (ICG), to evaluate the sensitivity and the negative predictive value of cervical cancer patients undergoing open radical hysterectomy; to compare open versus minimally invasive SLN biopsy performance and to assess factors related to no/unilateral SLN mapping. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients with FIGO 2018 stage IA1 with lymph-vascular space involvement to IIB and IIIC1p cervical carcinoma who underwent SLN mapping with ICG followed by systematic pelvic lymphadenectomy between 05/2017 and 06/2020. Patients were divided according to surgical approach for statistical analysis. Results: Eighty-five patients met inclusion criteria. Twenty-seven (31.8%) underwent open and 58 (68.2%) underwent minimally invasive SLN mapping. No difference in any SLN mapping (laparotomy 92.6% and minimally invasive 91.4%) or in SLN bilateral detection (laparotomy 72.0% and minimally invasive 84.9%) (p = 0.850 and p = 0.222, respectively), in median number of SLNs mapped and retrieved (2 in both groups, p = 0.165) and in site of SLN mapping per hemi-pelvis (right side, p = 0273 and left side, p = 0.618) was evident between open and minimally invasive approach. Per-patient sensitivity of SLN biopsy in laparotomy was 83.3% (95% CI 35.9–99.6%) and the negative predictive value was 95.0% (95% CI 76.0–99.1%). No difference in per-patient sensitivity was noted between two approaches (p = 0.300). None of the analyzed variables was associated with no/unilateral SLN mapping. Conclusion: The use of ICG to detect SLN in cervical cancer treated with open surgery allows a bilateral detection, sensitivity and negative predictive value comparable to minimally invasive surgery with potential advantages of ICG compared to other tracers.

Introduction: Lynch Syndrome (LS) represents the hereditary condition that is most frequently associated with endometrial cancer (EC). The aim of this study is to assess the presence of Lynch Syndrome (LS) in young women with mismatch repair (MMR)-deficient atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AEH) and non-myoinvasive FIGO G1 endometrioid EC and its possible impact on the outcome of conservative treatment.Methods: Six MMR-deficient cases identified from a previous cohort of 69 conservatively treated patients were selected to be screened for germline mutations in MMR genes. In each patient, the outcomes of conservative treatment for AEH and EEC, including response, relapse, progression, and pregnancy, were assessed.Results: Five out of 6 patients underwent genetic test for LS. Three out of these 5 patients showed a positive genetic test. Patient 1 showed the c.942 + 2 T>A heterozygous variant of MSH2 mutation; after 12 months of complete response, she had relapse and progression of disease. Patient 4 showed the c.2459-1G>C variant of MSH2 mutation; after complete response, she failed to achieve pregnancy; she had relapse after 24 months and underwent hysterectomy. Patient 6 showed the c.803 + 1 heterozygous variant of PMS2 mutation; she had relapse of disease after 18 months from the first complete response and then underwent hysterectomy.Conclusions: In this series, 3 out of 6 women with MMR-deficiency had LS. None of the patients achieved pregnancy, and those who responded to treatment had subsequent relapse of disease. Patients undergoing fertility-sparing treatment for atypical endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial cancer should perform MMR immunohistochemical analysis in order to screen LS.

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is part of surgical treatment of apparent early-stage cervical cancer. SLN is routinely analyzed by ultrastaging and immunohistochemistry. The aim of this study was to assess the survival of patients undergoing SLN analyzed by one-step nucleic acid amplification (OSNA) compared with ultrastaging. Single-center, retrospective, cohort study. Patients undergoing primary surgery and SLN mapping ( ±pelvic lymphadenectomy) for apparent early-stage cervical cancer between May 2017 and January 2021 were included. SLN was analyzed exclusively with OSNA or with ultrastaging. Patients with bilateral SLN mapping failure, with SLN analyzed alternatively/serially with OSNA and ultrastaging, and undergoing neo-adjuvant therapy were excluded. Baseline clinic-pathological differences between the two groups were balanced with propensity-match analysis. One-hundred and fifty-seven patients were included, 50 (31.8%) in the OSNA group and 107 (68.2%) in the ultrastaging group. Median follow up time was 41 months (95%CI:37.9-42.2). 5-year DFS in patients undergoing OSNA versus ultrastaging was 87.0% versus 91.0% (p = 0.809) and 5-year overall survival was 97.9% versus 98.6% (p = 0.631), respectively. No difference in the incidence of lymph node recurrence between the two groups was noted (OSNA 20.0% versus ultrastaging 18.2%, p = 0.931). In the group of negative SLN, no 5-year DFS difference was noted between the two groups (p = 0.692). No 5-year DFS and OS difference was noted after propensity-match analysis (87.6% versus 87.0%, p = 0.726 and 97.4% versus 97.9%, p = 0.998, respectively). The use of OSNA as method to exclusively process SLN in cervical cancer was not associated with worse DFS compared to ultrastaging. Incidence of lymph node recurrence in the two groups was not different.

Occult parametrial involvement in apparent early-stage cervical cancer might be overlooked with standard pathologic assessment. The primary endpoint of the present study was to assess the rate of positive parametrial lymph nodes and of microscopic continuous or discontinuous parametrial involvement. This is a retrospective, single-center, observational study including patients with FIGO 2018 stage IA1–IIA1 and IIIC1p in whom bilateral sentinel lymph node (SLN) detection and ultrastaging of SLN were performed according to institutional protocol, with surgery as primary treatment performed between May 2017 and February 2021, as well as type B2/C1/C2 (Querleu–Morrow) radical hysterectomy and usual histology (squamous cell, adenocarcinoma and adenosquamous carcinoma). Thirty-one patients were included in the study period. Six (18.7%) patients had metastatic lymph nodes, of whom four had only SLN metastasis (two cases of ITC, one case of micrometastasis and one case of macrometastasis). We found a macroscopic deposit of cancer cells in the parametrial lymph node of one patient (3.1%). There was a positive statistical correlation between the incidence of parametrial lymph node involvement and the metastatic pelvic lymph nodes (p = 0.038). When performed per patient, the sensitivity, negative predictive value and accuracy of parametrial lymph node involvement in predicting pelvic lymph node metastasis were 16.7%, 83.3% and 83.9%, respectively. Ultrastaging of parametrial tissue did not identify any occult continuous or discontinuous parametrial metastasis. In conclusion, the incidence of lymph node parametrial involvement in a retrospective series of early-stage cervical cancer was 3.1% of all included patients. Lymph node involvement of the parametrium was associated with lymph node metastasis. The sensitivity of parametrial lymph node involvement to predict pelvic lymph node metastasis was low. The lack of parametrial involvement revealed by parametrial ultrastaging could be related to the number of patients with tumors with a pathologic diameter < 2 cm (54.8%). Further prospective studies are needed to analyze the role of parametrial ultrastaging in early-stage cervical cancer and to assess whether it can be considered the “sentinel” of the sentinel lymph node.

This study aimed to compare the feasibility, diagnostic accuracy, and sample adequacy of trans-vaginal ultrasound-guided biopsy versus per-vagina biopsy for detecting persistent or recurrent pelvic disease after chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer. Procedure-related pain was also evaluated. This prospective, single-center diagnostic study conducted at Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS (Rome, Italy) from November 2019 to September 2024 included consecutive patients with clinical or radiologic suspicion of persistent or recurrent cervical cancer after chemoradiotherapy. Patients undergoing trans-vaginal ultrasound-guided biopsy and per-vagina biopsy (index tests) were analyzed. Histology from pelvic exenteration or follow-up imaging when surgery was not performed served as the reference standard. Accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were calculated for each index test and compared using the McNemar test. Feasibility was defined as the rate of successfully performed biopsies and adequacy as the proportion of samples yielding a conclusive histologic diagnosis. Fifty-three patients were included. A total of 44 of 53 patients (83.0%) underwent pelvic exenteration, whereas 9 of 53 (17.0%) underwent imaging follow-up. Ultrasound-guided biopsy was feasible in 52 of 53 cases (98.1%) compared with 40 of 53 cases (75.5%) for per-vagina biopsy. All samples obtained from both techniques were adequate. Ultrasound-guided biopsy showed a sensitivity of 0.84, specificity of 1.00, and accuracy of 0.87. Per-vagina biopsy showed a sensitivity of 0.55, specificity of 0.86, and accuracy of 0.60. Among 39 paired feasible cases, specificity did not differ significantly between the 2 techniques (p = .27); however, ultrasound-guided biopsy showed significantly higher sensitivity and accuracy (p = .022 and p = .021, respectively). Ultrasound-guided biopsy appeared to be a feasible method for histologic confirmation in suspected persistent or recurrent cervical cancer after chemoradiotherapy. It demonstrated superior diagnostic accuracy over per-vagina biopsy and holds potential for routine clinical application. Successful integration into clinical practice requires appropriate clinician training and access to specialized equipment.