Geographic disparities in the distribution of the U.S. gynecologic oncology workforce: A Society of Gynecologic Oncology study.

A recent ASCO workforce study projects a significant shortage of oncologists in the U.S. by 2020, especially in rural/underserved (R/US) areas.

Is age a prognostic biomarker for survival among women with locally advanced cervical cancer treated with chemoradiation? An NRG Oncology/Gynecologic Oncology Group ancillary data analysis.

Objective: To determine the effect of age on completion of and toxicities following treatment of local regionally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) on Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) Phase I-III trials.

Methods: An ancillary data analysis of GOG protocols 113, 120, 165, 219 data was performed. Wilcoxon, Pearson, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for univariate and multivariate analysis.

Primary and acquired platinum-resistance among women with high grade serous ovarian cancer.

Objective: Women with primary platinum resistant (PPR) high grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) are known to have a poor prognosis. Less is known regarding outcomes in patients with acquired platinum resistance (APR). The goal of this study was to evaluate survival in both PPR and APR patients.

Role of TGF-β signaling in uterine carcinosarcoma.

Uterine carcinosarcomas (UCS) are rare (3-4%) but highly aggressive, accounting for a disproportionately high (16.4%) mortality among uterine malignancies. Transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) is a multifunctional cytokine that regulates important cellular processes including epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).

Central nervous system metastasis in gynecologic cancer: symptom management, prognosis and palliative management strategies.

Introduction: CNS metastasis (CNSmet) with gynecologic malignancy (GM) is associated with poor prognosis and symptom burden. Two prognostic indices, the recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) and graded prognostic assessment (GPA), used in other solid tumors to guide intervention options were evaluated among GM patients.

Methods: Retrospective chart review was performed to identify patients with primary GM diagnosed with CNSmet from 2005-2014.

Anti-angiogenic therapy versus dose-dense paclitaxel therapy for frontline treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer: review of phase III randomized clinical trials.

The investigation of anti-angiogenic agents and dose-dense paclitaxel therapy in epithelial ovarian cancer is an active area of research. To date several phase III trials have shown both approaches to be effective strategies for the frontline treatment of ovarian cancer over standard every 21 day chemotherapy alone. However, most of the improvement is seen only in progression-free survival, with added toxicity (e.

Minimally invasive surgery for endometrial cancer: does operative start time impact surgical and oncologic outcomes?

Objective: Recent literature in ovarian cancer suggests differences in surgical outcomes depending on operative start time. We sought to examine the effects of operative start time on surgical outcomes for patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery for endometrial cancer.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery for endometrial cancer at a single institution between 2000 and 2011.

The survival detriment of venous thromboembolism with epithelial ovarian cancer.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of venous thromboembolism (VTE) chronology with respect to surgery on survival with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).

Methods: An IRB approved, retrospective review was performed of patients treated for Stage I-IV EOC from 1996 to 2011. Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess associations between VTE and the primary outcomes of progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).

Measurements of adiposity as clinical biomarkers for first-line bevacizumab-based chemotherapy in epithelial ovarian cancer.

Objective: There is a lack of reliable indicators to predict who will benefit most from anti-angiogenic therapy, such as bevacizumab. Recognizing obesity is associated with increased levels of VEGF, the main target of bevacizumab, we sought to assess if adiposity, measured in terms of BMI, subcutaneous fat area (SFA), and visceral fat area (VFA) was prognostic.

Methods: Reviewed 46 patients with advanced EOC who received primary treatment with bevacizumab-based chemotherapy (N=21) or chemotherapy alone (N=25) for whom complete records, CT prior to the first cycle of chemo, and serum were available.

Referrals to phase I clinical trials in a gynecologic oncology unit.

Objectives: Previous reviews of phase I clinical trials report limited response rates. Development of novel biologic agents and trials designs have increased these rates. A contemporary appraisal of phase I clinical trials in gynecologic malignancies could help validate these findings.

Endometriosis for the colorectal surgeon.

Endometriosis is defined as the presence of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterine cavity. Although the exact pathophysiology is unclear, endometriosis is a well-known cause of pelvic pain and infertility in reproductive-aged women. Endometriosis can have extrapelvic manifestations relevant for colorectal surgeons to appreciate, such as cyclic constipation, diarrhea, hematochezia, and dyschezia.

Neuromuscular organization of the superior longitudinalis muscle in the human tongue. 1. Motor endplate morphology and muscle fiber architecture.

Proper tongue function is essential for respiration and mastication, yet we lack basic information on the anatomical organization underlying human tongue movement. Here we use microdissection, acetylcholinesterase histochemistry, silver staining of nerves, alpha bungarotoxin binding and immunohistochemistry to describe muscle fiber architecture and motor endplate (MEP) distribution of the human superior longitudinalis muscle (SL). The human SL extends from tongue base to tongue tip and is composed of fiber bundles that range from 2.