Standardized Surgical Video Curriculum for Teaching Residents Principles of Abdominal Hysterectomy.

Objectives: To evaluate whether an institutionally created video-based educational module will improve obstetrics and gynecology residents' understanding of surgical anatomy and principles for performing abdominal hysterectomy. Secondary aims included evaluating the trainees' confidence levels and perceptions before and after the educational experience and ultimately implementing the module into the program curriculum, if successful.

Methods: In this prospective study, postgraduate obstetrics and gynecology resident physicians (n = 27) at the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University were assigned to watch an institutionally created video-based educational module on abdominal hysterectomy before the start of their gynecologic oncology rotation.

Targeting the Microenvironment in High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer.

Cancer⁻stroma interactions play a key role in cancer progression and response to standard chemotherapy. Here, we provide a summary of the mechanisms by which the major cellular components of the ovarian cancer (OC) tumor microenvironment (TME) including cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), myeloid, immune, endothelial, and mesothelial cells potentiate cancer progression. High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is characterized by a pro-inflammatory and angiogenic signature.

Phase I trial of selenium plus chemotherapy in gynecologic cancers.

Purpose: Preclinical studies performed in our laboratory have shown that high-dose selenium inhibits the development of carboplatin drug resistance in an ovarian cancer mouse xenograft model. Based on these data, as well as the potential serious toxicities of supranutritional doses of selenium, a phase I trial of a combination of selenium/carboplatin/paclitaxel was designed to determine the maximum tolerated dose, safety, and effects of selenium on carboplatin pharmacokinetics in the treatment of chemo-naive women with gynecologic cancers. Correlative studies were performed to identify gene targets of selenium.

Survival Disparities by Hospital Volume Among American Women With Gynecologic Cancers.

Purpose: We describe survival disparities among women with uterine, ovarian, or cervical cancer by cancer-specific mean annual hospital volume.

Methods: National Cancer Database 1998-2011 uterine (n = 441,863), ovarian (n = 223,017), and cervical (n = 146,698) cancer data sets were used. Cancer-specific mean annual hospital volumes were calculated.