Publications by authors named "Lars Hanker"

Article Synopsis
  • The SHAPE trial showed that simple hysterectomy is just as effective as radical hysterectomy in preventing pelvic recurrence in low-risk early-stage cervical cancer, but offers better quality of life and sexual health.
  • A cost-effectiveness analysis using a Markov model over 5 years found that simple hysterectomy costs less ($11,022) and provides more quality-adjusted life years (3.56 QALYs) compared to radical hysterectomy ($12,533 and 3.54 QALYs).
  • The study concluded that simple hysterectomy is a better option overall due to being more cost-effective and yielding a higher quality of life post-surgery.
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The Ovarian Cancer Retrospective European (O'CaRE) study assessed the cumulative impact of high-risk factors on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) following first-line treatment in patients diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer. Medical records were collected from five European countries (2014 and 2015). Patients were grouped by number of high-risk factors: stage IV diagnosis, no known , interval debulking surgery or no surgery, or visible residual disease.

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Article Synopsis
  • Survival rates for ovarian cancer are influenced by the success of primary surgery in removing tumors.
  • Researchers conducted genome-wide studies on 7,705 ovarian cancer patients to find genetic variants linked to resection status, particularly focusing on high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSOC).
  • The study highlighted significant associations with the rs72845444 variant and the genes MGMT (involved in DNA repair) and PPP2R5C (a tumor suppressor), correlating with disease outcomes and patient survival.*
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Purpose: The use of autologous tissues is considered gold standard for patients undergoing breast reconstruction and is the preferred method in the post-radiation setting. Although the latissimus dorsi flap (LDF) has been replaced by abdominal flaps as technique of choice, it remains a valuable option in several specific clinical situations and its use has been regaining popularity in recent years. In this work, we present an 18-year retrospective analysis of a single-institution single-surgeon experience with LDF-based reconstruction with focus on early complications and reconstructive failures.

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Current treatment of using doxycycline and azithromycin introduces detrimental side effects on the host's microbiota. As a potential alternative treatment, the myxobacterial natural product sorangicin A (SorA) blocks the bacterial RNA polymerase. In this study we analyzed the effectiveness of SorA against in cell culture, and explanted fallopian tubes and systemic and local treatment in mice, providing also pharmacokinetic data on SorA.

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Background: Surgery is the backbone of early-stage ovarian cancer (OC) management. However, in practice, there is disagreement about the extent of surgical staging and whether additional adjuvant treatment should be provided. As omitting relevant diagnostic or therapeutic procedures might lead to undertreatment, we aimed to structurally investigate treatment practice in addition to prognostic factors in a multicentre series of patients (pts) diagnosed with early-stage OC.

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Objective: The quality assurance program for ovarian cancer (QS-OVAR) evaluates the implementation of treatment standards and impact on survival for International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage I ovarian cancer.

Methods: Patients with a first diagnosis of ovarian cancer, diagnosed in the third quarter of 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016, were documented. Surgical quality was categorized as optimal (maximum one surgical item missing) versus suboptimal (≥2 surgical items missing).

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Background: Dostarlimab is an immune-checkpoint inhibitor that targets the programmed cell death 1 receptor. The combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy may have synergistic effects in the treatment of endometrial cancer.

Methods: We conducted a phase 3, global, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

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Objective: Gynecological sarcomas account for 3% of all gynecological malignancies and are associated with a poor prognosis. Due to the rarity and heterogeneity of gynecological sarcomas there is still no consensus on optimal therapeutic strategies. This study's objective was to describe the treatment strategies used in patients with gynecological sarcomas in the primary course of disease.

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After performing laparoscopic unilateral adnexectomy in a 53-year-old woman for a rapidly grown unilateral adnexal mass, pathologists reported a primary ovarian leiomyoma with no genuine ovarian tissue. This rare diagnosis is found in less than 100 reports after systematic literature review, a greater number of asymptomatic ovarian leiomyomas can be expected. Thorough preoperative diagnostic measures are essential as rare cases of malignancy have been described.

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This non-interventional, prospective phase IV trial evaluated trabectedin in patients with soft tissue sarcoma (STS) in real-life clinical practice across Germany. The primary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) rates at 3 and 6 months, as defined by investigators. Overall, 128 patients from 19 German sites were evaluated for efficacy and 130 for safety.

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Purpose: To compare standard versus extended duration of bevacizumab treatment in combination with front-line chemotherapy in women with newly diagnosed stage IIB-IV ovarian cancer.

Methods: In this multicenter, open-label, randomized phase III trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01462890), patients with newly diagnosed International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IIB-IV epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer underwent primary cytoreductive surgery followed by six cycles of chemotherapy (paclitaxel 175 mg/m plus carboplatin area under the curve 5 once every 3 weeks) and bevacizumab (15 mg/kg once every 3 weeks).

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Purpose: The identification of a robust IHC marker to predict the response to antiangiogenic bevacizumab in ovarian cancer is of high clinical interest. VEGF-A, the molecular target of bevacizumab, is expressed as multiple isoforms with pro- or antiangiogenic properties, of which VEGF-A165b is the most dominant antiangiogenic isoform. The balance of VEGF-A isoforms is closely related to the angiogenic capacity of a tumor and may define its vulnerability to antiangiogenic therapy.

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Wire-guided localization (WGL) is the most frequently used localization technique in non-palpable breast cancer (BC). However, low negative margin rates, patient discomfort, and the possibility of wire dislocation have been discussed as potential disadvantages, and re-operation due to positive margins may increase relapse risk. Intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS)-guided excision allows direct visualization of the lesion and the resection volume and reduces positive margins in palpable and non-palpable tumors.

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Patients with high-risk non-metastatic breast cancer are recommended for chemotherapy, preferably in the neoadjuvant setting. Beyond advantages such as a better operability and an improved assessment of individual prognosis, the preoperative administration of systemic treatment offers the unique possibility of selecting postoperative therapies according to tumor response. In patients with HER2-positive disease, both the escalation of therapy in the case of high-risk features and the de-escalation in patients with a low tumor load are currently discussed.

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Article Synopsis
  • * In a study of 306 patients, pelvic LAE was performed in 35.6% of cases, with pelvic nodal involvement found in 18.5%, primarily in patients with more advanced nodal status (≥pN2a).
  • * Adjuvant RT was given to 64.4% of the patients, but only half of those with pelvic nodal involvement received it, highlighting a significant risk of recurrence, particularly in cases with higher nodal status, while suggesting that
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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated the impact of lymphadenectomy on morbidity and mortality in patients with endometrial cancer who underwent surgery, highlighting the potential complications associated with this procedure.
  • Data from 232 patients were analyzed, revealing that those who had lymphadenectomy experienced significantly more postoperative complications, such as the need for revision surgery due to lymphoceles.
  • Despite the increased complications, the study found no significant difference in survival rates between patients who had lymphadenectomy and those who did not, suggesting a need for improved risk assessment before surgery.
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Robotic-assisted surgery has gained widespread acceptance in the surgical community and appears to be the most rapidly developing sector of minimally invasive surgery. However, robotic surgery has been viewed as a development of, or alternative to, laparoscopic surgery and not necessarily as a superior technology. The advantages of MIS over open surgery apply to robotic-assisted surgery as well.

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Background: Cancer patients are at risk of secondary therapy-related myeloid neoplasms (t-MNs). Acquired blood-specific mutations in clonal hematopoiesis (CH)-associated genes are t-MN risk factors, and their occurrence associated with cancer therapy and age. Patients with ovarian cancer (OC) showed a particularly high prevalence of CH-associated gene mutations, which may additionally be explained by the high proportion of a hereditary disease cause in this cancer entity.

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Background: Recently, antibodies against the alpha isoform of the glial-fibrillary-acidic-protein (GFAPα) were identified in a small series of patients with encephalomyelitis. Coexisting autoantibodies (NMDA receptor, GAD65 antibodies) have been described in a few of these patients. We describe a patient with rapidly progressive encephalomyeloradiculitis and a combination of anti-ITPR1, anti-GFAP and anti-MOG antibodies.

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Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent female cancer and preferentially metastasizes to bone. The transcription factor TGFB-induced factor homeobox 1 (TGIF) is involved in bone metabolism. However, it is not yet known whether TGIF is associated with BC bone metastasis or patient outcome and thus of potential interest.

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Purpose: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is characterized by an unfavorable prognosis and missing systemic therapeutic approaches beside chemotherapy. Targeting the immune checkpoint PD-1/PD-L1 showed promising results in breast cancer and especially in TNBC. The extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) is an important driver of carcinogenesis.

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Introduction: The aim of the present study was to compare surgical outcomes of total laparoscopic hysterectomy with those of the robotic approach using the da Vinci Xi system.

Methods: Patients who underwent hysterectomy with da Vinci Xi for early endometrial cancer or benign indications from 2018 to 2019 were selected. The control group consisted of patients who underwent conventional laparoscopy.

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