Measuring the impact of specific surgical complications after ovarian cancer cytoreductive surgery on short-term outcomes.

Objective: We sought to measure the impact of specific peri-operative complications after primary cytoreductive surgery on relevant patient outcomes and use of resources.

Methods: A cohort of patients with advanced ovarian cancer who underwent primary cytoreductive surgery at two institutions (2006-2016) were studied. Specific known complications ('exposures') within 30 days of surgery were evaluated to determine the impact on outcomes.

Validation of a risk-based algorithm to reduce poor operative outcomes after complex surgery for ovarian cancer.

Objective: We developed an algorithm that identifies patients at high risk of morbidity/mortality after cytoreductive surgery for advanced ovarian cancer. We have previously shown that the Mayo triage algorithm reduces operative mortality internally, followed by validation using an external low complexity national dataset. However, validation in a higher complexity surgical setting is required before widespread acceptance of this approach, and this was the goal of our study.

A Living, Interactive Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis of First-line Treatment of Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Context: Identifying the most effective first-line treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) is challenging as rapidly evolving data quickly outdate the existing body of evidence, and current approaches to presenting the evidence in user-friendly formats are fraught with limitations.

Objective: To maintain living evidence for contemporary first-line treatment for previously untreated mRCC.

Evidence Acquisition: We have created a living, interactive systematic review (LISR) and network meta-analysis for first-line treatment of mRCC using data from randomized controlled trials comparing contemporary treatment options with single-agent tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Sequencing chemotherapy before radiotherapy for women with stage IIIC endometrial cancer.

Objective: It is unclear how to best sequence adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy for advanced endometrial cancer. We studied the outcomes for women treated with chemotherapy before radiotherapy in a chemotherapy-first (chemotherapy for 6 cycles followed radiotherapy) or 'sandwich' approach (chemotherapy for 3 cycles followed by radiotherapy and subsequently chemotherapy for 3 cycles).

Methods: Women with stage IIIC endometrial cancer and no gross residual disease treated with chemotherapy before radiotherapy between April 2003 and April 2016 were included.

Appropriate triage allows aggressive primary debulking surgery with rates of morbidity and mortality comparable to interval surgery after chemotherapy.

Objective: Morbidity and mortality (M/M) after primary debulking surgery (PDS) is often cited as a rationale for neoadjuvant chemotherapy and interval debulking surgery (IDS). We tested if using an evidence-based algorithm to identify patients fit for surgery would reduce M/M after PDS to that seen after IDS.

Methods: We included women who underwent PDS or IDS for advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) (1/2012-7/2016) guided by the use of a prospective triage algorithm.

Frailty is a determinant of suboptimal chemotherapy in women with advanced ovarian cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between frailty and chemotherapy delivery among women with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).

Methods: We included women who underwent primary debulking surgery (PDS) for stage IIIC/IV EOC between 1/2/2003 and 12/30/2011, received adjuvant chemotherapy at our institution, and had data available to calculate a frailty deficit index. Frailty was defined as a frailty deficit index ≥0.

Less guessing, more evidence in identifying patients least fit for cytoreductive surgery in advanced ovarian cancer: A triage algorithm to individualize surgical management.

Objective: We previously reported an algorithm that identifies women at high risk of postoperative morbidity & mortality (M/M) as a tool to triage between neoadjuvant chemotherapy and primary surgery for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). We sought to independently validate its performance using multicenter data.

Methods: Women who underwent surgery for stage IIIC/IV EOC between 1/1/2014 and 12/31/2017 were identified from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database and classified as "high risk" or "triage appropriate" using our algorithm.

External beam radiotherapy versus vaginal brachytherapy in patients with stage II endometrial cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: The choice of adjuvant treatment for women with stage II endometrial cancer is challenging, given the known increase in morbidity with external beam radiation compared with vaginal brachytherapy, and the lack of consensus on its benefits. We summarized the evidence on survival and recurrence for stage II endometrial cancer, defined as cervical stromal invasion, after adjuvant postoperative external beam radiotherapy and vaginal brachytherapy.

Methods: We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and Scopus databases from inception to January 2019 to identify studies that compared adjuvant postoperative external beam radiotherapy with or without vaginal brachytherapy and vaginal brachytherapy alone in stage II endometrial cancer.

Using evidence to direct quality improvement efforts: Defining the highest impact complications after complex cytoreductive surgery for ovarian cancer.

Objective: We sought to identify postoperative complications with the greatest impact on patient-centric outcomes to serve as high yield QI targets in ovarian cancer (OC) surgery.

Methods: Women undergoing complex CRS (defined as cytoreductive surgery with colon resection) for OC between January 1, 2012 and 12/31/2016 were identified from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database. We determined the population attributable fraction (PAF) to quantify the contribution of each major complication towards adverse outcomes.

Using an evidence-based triage algorithm to reduce 90-day mortality after primary debulking surgery for advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of an evidence-based triage algorithm to decide between primary debulking surgery (PDS) and neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by interval debulking surgery (NACT/IDS) for advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).

Methods: Surgical morbidity and mortality (M/M) after PDS for stage IIIC-IV EOC at Mayo Clinic after implementation of the triage algorithm (contemporary cohort, 2012-July 2016) were compared to that of a historic PDS cohort (2003-2011).

Results: Mean age of the 232 women who met inclusion criteria in the contemporary cohort was 63.

Robotic-assisted laparoscopy in reproductive surgery: a contemporary review.

Robotic surgery is a conceptual fusion of the conventional open surgery and the minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery. We reviewed the current role of robotic-assisted laparoscopy in the field of reproductive surgery by a literature search in PubMed database. We analyzed the reported advantages and limitations of the use of robotics in reproductive surgeries like myomectomy, tubal reanastomosis, endometriosis, ovarian tissue cryopreservation, and ovarian transposition.

Patterns of Internet Use by Pregnant Women, and Reliability of Pregnancy-Related Searches.

Objective To assess patterns of e-health use in pregnancy in an underserved racially diverse inner-city population, and to assess the accuracy of pregnancy-related information obtained from the Internet. Methods A cross sectional study of 503 pregnant/postpartum women belonging to an underserved racially diverse inner-city population who completed a survey regarding e-health use. To assess accuracy, four independent expert-reviewers rated the first 10 webpages on Google searches for each of five questions based upon those in ACOG bulletins.

Immune checkpoint blockade in human cancer therapy: lung cancer and hematologic malignancies.

Tumor immune evasion is one of the hallmarks of cancer, and expression of the B7 family of immune checkpoints (PD-L1, PD-L2, B7-H3, B7x and HHLA2) is one mechanism of immune evasion by tumors to suppress T-cell function. Antibodies blocking these interactions of B7-1/B7-2/CTLA-4 and PD-L1/PD-L2/PD-1 have had remarkable clinical success in several cancers and are less toxic than traditional chemotherapy. Even though only a small proportion of patients respond to checkpoint blockade, the duration of such responders due to immunological memory is remarkable and is longer than would be expected with any other agent in refractory disease.

Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma in the Caribbean cohort is a distinct clinical entity with dismal response to conventional chemotherapy.

Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is a rare and aggressive disease caused by human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 that predominantly affects Japanese and Caribbean populations. Most studies have focused on Japanese cohorts. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 53 cases of ATLL who presented to our institution between 2003-2014.

50% dextrose versus normal saline as distension media during cystoscopy for assessment of ureteric patency.

Objective: To compare the visualization of ureteric jets when using 50% dextrose (D50) as opposed to normal saline (NS) as distension media during cystoscopy.

Study Design: Cross sectional study.

Methods: Two patients each had two cystoscopy videos recorded at the time of a ureteric jet; one using NS and the other using D50 resulting in two sets of paired videos (four videos).

Healthcare Workers' Attitudes Toward Patients With Ebola Virus Disease in The United States.

Background.  We assessed healthcare workers' (HCWs) attitudes toward care of patients with Ebola virus disease (EVD). Methods.

Torsion of an iatrogenic parasitic fibroid related to power morcellation for specimen retrieval.

Parasitic fibroids are generally diagnosed incidentally at the time of surgery performed for symptomatic uterine fibroids. Torsion of a parasitic fibroid causing severe acute onset pain is extremely rare. We report a torsed parasitic fibroid in a patient who underwent hysterectomy using power morcellation for specimen retrieval.

Use of 50% Dextrose as the Distension Medium During Cystoscopy for Visualization of Ureteric Jets.

Background: Indigotindisulfonate sodium has been used to color the urine and thereby improve the visualization of ureteric jets during intraoperative cystoscopy. After indigotindisulfonate sodium became unavailable, there has been an ongoing search for an alternate agent to improve visualization of the jets.

Method: We used 50% dextrose, which is more viscous than urine, as the distension medium during cystoscopy so that the ureteric efflux is seen as a jet of contrasting viscosity.

Brain metastasis in two patients with stage IA papillary serous carcinoma of the uterus.

We report two cases of brain metastasis in patients initially diagnosed with extremely early stage UPSC after extensive staging surgery. They did not receive either adjuvant chemotherapy or adjuvant pelvic or vaginal cuff radiation. At the same time that these patients were diagnosed with systemic metastasis, they both had a local "drop" metastasis in the vulva or the vaginal cuff.

Early Diagnosis of a Small Adenocarcinoma in a Rectovaginal Fistula Related to Crohn's Disease.

While adenocarcinomas have occasionally been reported in perianal fistulae, malignant changes occurring in rectovaginal fistulae are rare, with only a handful of reported cases. We report a 73-year-old woman with Crohn's disease who was diagnosed at an early stage with adenocarcinoma in a rectovaginal fistula. This rare disease poses many diagnostic challenges.

Resolution of superimposed pre-eclampsia, and improvement in umbilical artery flow in a surviving twin after intrauterine demise of its co-twin.

Pre-eclampsia has a progressive clinical course, and is only cured by delivery of the placenta. We report a 30-year-old G1P0 with dichorionic twins, discordant growth and chronic hypertension who developed superimposed pre-eclampsia in her 21st week of gestation. After intrauterine demise of the severely growth-restricted twin, the superimposed pre-eclampsia resolved.

Intrapartum Spontaneous Ureteral Rupture.

Background: Although spontaneous rupture of the renal pelvis during pregnancy has been reported, albeit rarely, spontaneous ureteral rupture is extremely rare.

Case: We present the case of a 22-year-old nulliparous woman with spontaneous ureteral rupture after vaginal delivery diagnosed on contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan. Ureteroscopy revealed a rupture of her right midureter and a JJ stent was successfully placed.

Endometrial osseous metaplasia: an unusual cause of infertility.

Osseous metaplasia of the endometrium is a rare disorder associated with the presence of bone in the uterine endometrium. Most patients with this condition presenting with infertility do so owing to the presence of a foreign body in the endometrium. We report a case of a 38-year-old woman who presented with secondary infertility due to osseous metaplasia in the endometrial cavity.