Gynecologic Oncology
Clinical discussions on gynecologic malignancies, surgical approaches, and multimodal treatment strategies.
Recent Discussions
Is there any role for PARPi maintenance in BRCA-/HRD- patients after response to front line chemotherapy +/- bevacizumab?
This is a more complex question, and relies on a conversation with the patient and shared decision making. Unfortunately, the benefit seen with PARPi maintenance in BRCA-/HRD- patients was limited (PRIMA 8.1 vs. 5.4 months; PAOLA-1 16.9 vs. 16 months). I am also sensitive to implications of incorpor...
If an anatomical defect forms due to rapid disease response from pelvic radiation for large gynecological tumors, is it safe to proceed with a further radiotherapy boost?
I would proceed with brachytherapy as planned. For a fistula, if symptomatic, would consider diversion - bilateral nephrostomy or diversion colostomy as needed. Brachytherapy would treat the involved bladder or rectal wall to a therapeutic dose without any needles in the tissue, thereby avoiding any...
What is your general approach to PARPi usage in the front-line and recurrent ovarian cancer setting in light of FDA label changes over the years?
In the frontline setting, I generally recommend PARP inhibition with olaparib x2 years for BRCAmut patients (1) and with niraparib x2-3 years for patients with HR-deficient tumors (I personally tend to do 2 years, based on SOLO1 data with olaparib) (2). For BRCAwt patients with HR-proficient tumors...
Do you routinely recommend completion hysterectomy with contralateral salpingo-oophorectomy for patients with a history of fertility-sparing staging for borderline tumor of the ovary who have since completed childbearing?
Borderline ovarian tumors, also known as atypical proliferative tumors by WHO classification, account for about 10-20% of epithelial ovarian tumors, have histologic subtypes similar to invasive ovarian cancer, and are characterized pathologically by a high degree of proliferation of the epithelial c...
What is your strategy to prevent and treat constipation in patients initiating or receiving opioids?
I am a radiation oncologist and palliative care physician.I teach: "the hand that writes the opioids, writes the laxatives - or else it does the disimpaction". Opioid induced constipation is very common, can cause physical and psychological discomfort, and have a major impact on quality of life. It ...
With the addition of pembrolizumab following chemoradiation per KEYNOTE-A18, would you be less likely to treat the paraaortic chain prophylactically?
I would favor the same volume of RT with or without pembro. If there is an indication to treat PA nodal chain, would treat as per plan.
Is there a role for leucovorin in a patient who is 3 days post her most recent treatment dose of methotrexate for GTN, who is experiencing grade 3 mucositis?
I would give it, but it has not been shown to be effective. I just feel like I should do something.
What adjuvant treatment would you recommend for a patient with FIGO 2023 IIIB2 endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinoma (Grade 3, p53mut, MMR proficient), metastatic to the uterine serosa, bilateral ovaries, and anterior peritoneal reflection?
Chemotherapy followed by pelvic RT
What is your approach to cancer patients who inquire about alternative or complementary treatments?
It depends a little bit on what specifically they want to use, and if they are truly investigating alternative medicine or complementary medicine. For people seeking full alternative medicine without any conventional treatment, I tell them that a research study showed that people who pursued the alt...
For vaginal cuff recurrence of an endometrial cancer, when do you utilize a multichannel cylinder versus single channel cylinder if a patient has <5 mm residual disease after EBRT?
If disease is confined to one wall, favor MC applicator as I treat vaginal wall thickness for side involved while surface on other side. MC allows that flexibility.Here is the link to our publicationGebhardt et al., PMID 29929925