Contemporary provider perspectives on how to address HPV vaccine hesitancy in the US: A qualitative study.

Introduction: Despite over 15 years of real-world data that supports the safety and efficacy of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, in the United States vaccine hesitancy persists. Many studies have focused on vaccine-hesitant parents, but fewer have examined provider perspectives on how to address HPV vaccine hesitancy.

Methods: Between July 2021-April 2022, we recruited providers in Maryland and the broader Mid-Atlantic region who practiced pediatrics, primary care, family medicine, or adolescent medicine and who provided outpatient care for children ages 10-17.

Differential utilization of the online patient portal for completion of health-related social needs screening during routine gynecologic cancer care.

Background: Telehealth technologies offer efficient ways to deliver health-related social needs (HRSN) screening in cancer care, but these methods may not reach all populations. The authors examined patient characteristics associated with using an online patient portal (OPP) to complete HRSN screening as part of gynecologic cancer care.

Methods: From June 2021 to June 2023, patients in a gynecologic oncology clinic completed validated HRSN screening questions either (1) using the OPP (independently before the visit) or (2) in person (verbally administered by clinic staff).

Long-term disease-free survival with chemotherapy and pembrolizumab in a patient with unmeasurable, advanced stage dedifferentiated endometrial carcinoma.

Dedifferentiated endometrial carcinoma is a rare, highly aggressive subtype of endometrial cancer associated with poor survival outcomes. Current guidelines recommend treatment of advanced-stage disease with surgical staging or cytoreduction and platinum/taxane-based chemotherapy. Despite these approaches, the achievement of long-term remission or prolonged survival is challenging.

Overweight and obese women's symptoms, knowledge, and preferences regarding endometrial biopsy for endometrial cancer detection: A threshold technique survey.

Background: The incidence of endometrial cancer (EC) in the United States continues to rise, driven mainly by the obesity epidemic. We sought to determine overweight and obese women's cancer risk knowledge and preferences regarding diagnostic endometrial biopsy (EMB) for EC detection.

Methods: An online survey was administered to overweight and obese women without EC recruited through the electronic medical record's online patient portal.

Integrating Social Needs Screening and Resource Referral Into Standard Ambulatory Oncology Care: A Quality Improvement Project.

Purpose: We previously implemented paper-based screening for health-related social resource needs (HRSN) in our gynecologic oncology clinic and found that 36% of patients who completed the screening reported HRSN. We identified two primary deficiencies with our process. First, only 52% of patients completed the screening.

Case report: prolonged durable clinical benefit and low toxicity from combination endocrine therapy in a patient with recurrent endometrial carcinoma.

Background: Endometrial carcinoma is the most common gynecologic cancer, with increasing incidence and mortality. Combination endocrine therapy comprised of tamoxifen and progestational agents has demonstrated promising results in treating recurrent disease. This case report describes the prolonged clinical benefit of treatment with tamoxifen and megestrol acetate in a woman with recurrent, metastatic endometrial endometrioid carcinoma positive for estrogen (ER) and progesterone receptors (PR).

Identifying women 45 years and younger at elevated risk for endometrial hyperplasia or cancer.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of, and identify risk factors associated with, endometrial hyperplasia and/or cancer (EH/EC) in patients ≤45 years old undergoing endometrial sampling for abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB).

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients 18-45 years old with AUB who underwent endometrial sampling between 2016 and 2019 within a US-based multi-hospital system using billing code queries. We used multivariable Poisson regression to identify factors associated with EH/EC and calculated prevalence stratified by these factors.

Exploring HPV vaccine hesitant parents' perspectives on decision-making and motivators for vaccination.

Introduction: The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is highly effective at preventing HPV-associated cancers in both males and females, yet vaccination rates remain sub-optimal in part due to vaccine hesitancy. This study sought to assess which strategies vaccine-hesitant parents perceive as most likely to motivate them to vaccinate their children against HPV.

Methods: In 2021, we recruited parents with children ages 10-17 years old who were not vaccinated against HPV and who felt unsure or hesitant about their decision to vaccinate their child.

Disparities in Diagnosis and Treatment of Cervical Adenocarcinoma Compared With Squamous Cell Carcinoma: An Analysis of the National Cancer Database, 2004-2017.

Objectives: The aim of the study are to compare trends in diagnosis and treatment of adenocarcinoma of the cervix (AC) to squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix (SCC) and to examine associations between stage at diagnosis and guideline-concordant treatment with race, age, and insurance type for AC and SCC.

Materials And Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of cervical AC ( n = 18,811) and SCC ( n = 68,421) from the 2004-2017 National Cancer Database. We used generalized linear models to evaluate trends in frequency of histologies and to evaluate associations between race, age, and insurance status with stage of diagnosis and receipt of National Comprehensive Cancer Network guideline-concordant treatment for AC and SCC.

The Role of Sentinel Lymph Node Mapping in High-grade Endometrial Cancer.

Total hysterectomy with lymph node assessment is the current standard-of-care for surgical staging in apparent early-stage endometrial cancer. Compared to the traditional complete pelvic lymphadenectomy with or without para-aortic lymphadenectomy, sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping results in fewer surgical complications, decreased operative time, and lower rates of chronic lymphedema. The technique is endorsed by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and the Society of Gynecologic Oncology guidelines, and over the past two decades the majority of gynecologic oncologists worldwide have adopted SLN mapping into their practice.

Gynecologic oncology HPV vaccination practice patterns: Investigating practice barriers, knowledge gaps and opportunities for maximizing cervical cancer prevention.

Objective: HPV vaccination is an important form of cancer prevention. Gynecologic oncologists have an opportunity to improve adult vaccination rates. We aimed to describe current HPV vaccination practices and barriers to vaccination reported by gynecologic oncologists.

Levels of Parental Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Hesitancy and Their Reasons for Not Intending to Vaccinate: Insights From the 2019 National Immunization Survey-Teen.

Purpose: A nuanced understanding of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine hesitancy is key to tailoring public health interventions to reach HPV vaccination goals in the United States. We aimed to understand the spectrum of parental vaccine hesitancy and identify reasons for lack of vaccination.

Methods: Using cross-sectional data from the 2019 National Immunization Survey-Teen, we examined parents of adolescents aged 13-17 years who had not initiated HPV vaccination.

Clinician's commentary: Atypical peritoneal cytology in ovarian and endometrial cancers.

Peritoneal cytology results play an important role in staging, prognostication, and treatment recommendations in early-stage ovarian cancer. In endometrial cancer, while no longer part of staging criteria, peritoneal cytology results can influence patient-provider shared-decision making regarding adjuvant therapy choices after definitive surgery. We explore two cases demonstrating the impact uncertain cytology can have on patients and providers in these two gynecologic cancers.

Beyond Sedlis-A novel histology-specific nomogram for predicting cervical cancer recurrence risk: An NRG/GOG ancillary analysis.

Purpose: The Sedlis criteria define risk factors for recurrence warranting post-hysterectomy radiation for early-stage cervical cancer; however, these factors were defined for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) at an estimated recurrence risk of ≥30%. Our study evaluates and compares risk factors for recurrence for cervical SCC compared with adenocarcinoma (AC) and develops histology-specific nomograms to estimate risk of recurrence and guide adjuvant treatment.

Methods: We performed an ancillary analysis of GOG 49, 92, and 141, and included stage I patients who were surgically managed and received no neoadjuvant/adjuvant therapy.

Fertility-sparing Surgery for Patients with Cervical, Endometrial, and Ovarian Cancers.

Objective: Nearly 10% of the 1.3 million women living with a gynecologic cancer are aged <50 years. For these women, although their cancer treatment can be lifesaving, it's also life-altering because traditional surgical procedures can cause infertility and, in many cases, induce surgical menopause.

Genome-wide mutation analysis in precancerous lesions of endometrial carcinoma.

Clinicopathological evidence supports endometrial atypical hyperplasia (AH) or endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia as the precursor of uterine endometrioid carcinoma (EC), the most common gynecologic malignancy. However, the pathogenic progression from AH to EC remains unclear. Here, we employed whole-exome sequencing to identify somatic mutations and copy number changes in micro-dissected lesions from 30 pairs of newly diagnosed AH and EC.

Prevalence of endometrial cancer symptoms among overweight and obese women presenting to a multidisciplinary weight management center.

Endometrial cancer rates are rising in parallel with the obesity epidemic. We aimed to determine the prevalence of endometrial hyperplasia or cancer (EH/EC) bleeding symptoms among at-risk women. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of overweight and obese women at a multidisciplinary weight management center who had completed a gynecologic/menstrual history questionnaire from May 2018 to October 2019.

Low-Grade Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma Diagnosed 8 Years After Hysterectomy With Morcellation.

Background: Morcellation at the time of minimally invasive hysterectomy or myomectomy for presumed benign indications carries a risk of disseminating undiagnosed uterine malignancies.

Case: A 57-year-old woman with a remote history of laparoscopic hysterectomy with morcellation of a cellular leiomyoma presented with a newly diagnosed complex pelvic mass. Owing to adherence of the mass to the rectum and numerous peritoneal tumor implants, a surgical cytoreductive procedure was performed.

Basic social resource needs screening in the gynecologic oncology clinic: a quality improvement initiative.

Background: Social determinants of health are known to contribute to disparities in health outcomes. Routine screening for basic social needs is not a part of standard care; however, the association of those needs with increased healthcare utilization and poor compliance with guideline-directed care is well established.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to assess the prevalence of basic social resource needs identified through a quality improvement initiative in a gynecologic oncology outpatient clinic.

The addition of metformin to progestin therapy in the fertility-sparing treatment of women with atypical hyperplasia/endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia or endometrial cancer: Little impact on response and low live-birth rates.

Objective: Our objectives were 1) to compare the efficacy of progestin therapy combined with metformin (Prog-Met) to Prog alone as primary fertility sparing treatment in women with atypical hyperplasia/endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia (AH/EIN) or early-stage endometrioid carcinoma (EC), and 2) to analyze the proportion of women achieving live birth following treatment.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of all reproductive-aged women with AH/IN or EC treated with Prog ± Met from 1999-2018 was conducted. Complete response (CR) was assessed and Kaplan-Meier analysis used to calculate time to CR.

Adjuvant therapy for early stage, endometrial cancer with lymphovascular space invasion: Is there a role for chemotherapy?

Objectives: Lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) is an independent risk factor for recurrence and poor survival in early-stage endometrioid endometrial cancer (EEC), but optimal adjuvant treatment is unknown. We aimed to compare the survival of women with early-stage EEC with LVSI treated postoperatively with observation (OBS), radiation (RAD, external beam and/or vaginal brachytherapy), or chemotherapy (CHEMO)+/-RAD.

Methods: This was a multi-institutional, retrospective cohort study of women with stage I or II EEC with LVSI who underwent hysterectomy+/-lymphadenectomy from 2005 to 2015 and received OBS, RAD, or CHEMO+/-RAD postoperatively.