BACKGROUND: Cisplatin‐based chemoradiation (CRT) is the standard treatment for patients with locally advanced cervical cancer. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is frequently overexpressed in cervical cancer, and EGFR inhibition itself has antitumor effects and potentiates CRT. Results of a previous phase 1 trial of the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib combined with cisplatin‐based CRT (E + CRT) recommended a phase 2 erlotinib dose of 150 mg/day.METHODS: Eligibility criteria included International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IIB to IIIB epidermoid cervical cancer, no prior therapy, and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 to 2. Patients received erlotinib at a dose of 150 mg/day 1 week before and in combination with cisplatin (40 mg/m² administered weekly for 5 cycles) and radiotherapy (4500 centigrays in 25 fractions), followed by brachytherapy (4 fractions at a dose of 600 centigrays weekly).RESULTS: A total of 36 patients completed treatment with E + CRT. The median duration of therapy was 77 days and the median follow‐up period was 59.3 months. The therapy was well tolerated overall, and 34 patients (94.4%) achieved a complete response. The 2‐year and 3‐year cumulative overall and progression‐free survival rates were 91.7% and 80.6% and 80% and 73.8%, respectively.CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with E + CRT appears to be safe and exerts significant activity against locally advanced cervical cancer. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to date to demonstrate that a target agent has promising activity against locally advanced cervical cancer. Cancer 2014;120:1187–1193. © 2014 American Cancer Society.

Cervical cancer remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality amongst females in Latin America (LATAM). Cervical cancer is a preventable disease and HPV vaccination is a main key strategy towards its elimination. This study analyzes HPV vaccine implementation current status and the main barriers to achieve adequate coverage in the region. Data from the nineteen sovereign states of LATAM (comprised of all Portuguese and Spanish-speaking nations located south of the United States) were collected, including year of HPV vaccine implementation, gender and age targets, the number of doses included in the public program and coverage by dose. Sixteen out of the 19 evaluated countries have already implemented HPV vaccination programs. However, despite its proven efficacy and safety, HPV vaccine uptake in LATAM has been lower than expected. There is an evident decline in adhesion, mainly regarding the second dose. Several reasons are probably involved, of note: limited knowledge of HPV and HPV vaccine, misguided safety concerns, high cost, cultural barriers, and the Covid19 pandemic. Proper strategies to overcome these barriers are needed to ensure successful uptake. Effective policies are: adopting the one dose schedule, delivering the vaccine on both health center and schools, and advising health professionals to recommend the vaccine. Further research regarding HPV vaccine hesitancy in Latin America is needed.

PURPOSE: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ASCO launched a Global Webinar Series to address various aspects of cancer care during the pandemic. Here we present the lessons learned and recommendations that have emerged from these webinars. METHODS: Fifteen international health care experts from different global regions and oncology disciplines participated in one of the six 1-hour webinars to discuss the latest data, share their experiences, and provide recommendations to manage cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic. These sessions include didactic presentations followed by a moderated discussion and questions from the audience. All recommendations have been transcribed, categorized, and reviewed by the experts, who have also approved the consensus recommendations. RESULTS: The summary recommendations are divided into different categories, including risk minimization; care prioritization of patients; health care team management; virtual care; management of patients with cancer undergoing surgical, radiation, and systemic therapy; clinical research; and recovery plans. The recommendations emphasize the protection of patients and health care teams from infections, delivery of timely and appropriate care, reduction of harm from the interruption of care, and preparation to handle a surge of new COVID-19 cases, complications, or comorbidities thereof. CONCLUSION: The recommendations from the ASCO Global Webinar Series may guide practicing oncologists to manage their patients during the ongoing pandemic and help organizations recover from the crisis. Implementation of these recommendations may improve understanding of how COVID-19 has affected cancer care and increase readiness to manage the current and any future outbreaks effectively.

PURPOSE: Little is known, or has been published previously, regarding consolidated data on the epidemiology of gynecologic cancers (GC) in Brazil. This article describes the incidence, morbidity, and mortality of women in Brazil affected with GC between the years of 2000 and 2017. METHODS: Incidence, morbidity, and mortality data from patients with a diagnosis of one out of the five most common GC, cervical (CC), uterine (UC), ovarian (OC), vulvar (VvC), and vaginal (VgC), were obtained from three governmental sources of data. RESULTS: From 2000 to 2015 CC, OC, and VgC incidence rates (IRs) decreased, whereas the IRs for UC and VvC remained relatively stable. Data from 382,932 women with GC were analyzed. Most patients presented with locally advanced or advanced disease at diagnosis: 60.1% of patients with CC, 31.2% of patients with UC, 67.2% of patients with OC, 45.2% of patients with VvC, and 67.0% of patients with VgC. Time from diagnosis to first treatment was ≥ 60 days in 58.0% of patients with CC, 58.5% of patients with UC, 27.0% of patients with OC, 55.3% of patients with VvC, and 52.7% of patients with VgC. Regarding mortality rates (MRs), with the exception of CC, UC, and VvC, which showed a slight decrease, MRs remained stable between 2000 and 2017. CONCLUSION: A comparison with international data indicates that Brazilian patients are diagnosed with more advanced disease and face a longer delay between diagnosis and first treatment. Despite advances in screening and treatment, GC mortality has not decreased satisfactorily in this country.