Browsing by Author "Spirtos, Nick M."

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    Is Bilateral Lymphadenectomy For Midline Squamous Carcinoma Of The Vulva Always Necessary? An Analysis From Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) 173
    (Elsevier, 2013) Coleman, Robert L.; Ali, Shamshad; Levenback, Charles F.; Gold, Michael A.; Fowler, Jeffrey M.; Judson, Patricia L.; Bell, Maria C.; De Geest, Koen; Spirtos, Nick M.; Potkul, Ronald K.; Leitao, Mario M., Jr.; Bakkum-Gamez, Jamie N.; Rossi, Emma C.; Lentz, Samuel S.; Burke, James J., II; Van Le, Linda; Trimble, Cornelia L.; Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine
    Objective: To determine which patients with near midline lesions may safely undergo unilateral groin dissection based on clinical exam and lymphoscintigraphy (LSG) results. Methods: Patients participating in GOG-173 underwent sentinel lymph node (SLN) localization with blue dye, and radiocolloid with optional LSG before definitive inguinal-femoral lymphadenectomy (LND). This analysis interrogates the reliability of LSG alone relative to primary tumor location in those patients who had an interpretable LSG and at least one SLN identified. Primary tumor location was categorized as lateral (>2cm from midline), midline, or lateral ambiguous (LA) if located within 2cm, but not involving the midline. Results: Two-hundred-thirty-four patients met eligibility criteria. Sixty-four had lateral lesions, and underwent unilateral LND. All patients with LA (N=65) and midline (N=105) tumors underwent bilateral LND. Bilateral drainage by LSG was identified in 14/64 (22%) patients with lateral tumors, 38/65 (58%) with LA tumors and in 73/105 (70%) with midline tumors. At mapping, no SLNs were found in contralateral groins among those patients with LA and midline tumors who had unilateral-only LSGs. However, in these patients groin metastases were found in 4/32 patients with midline tumors undergoing contralateral dissection; none were found in 27 patients with LA tumors. Conclusion: The likelihood of detectable bilateral drainage using preoperative LSG decreases as a function of distance from midline. Patients with LA primaries and unilateral drainage on LSG may safely undergo unilateral SLN.
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    Preoperative and pre-chemotherapy CA-125 levels in high-risk early-stage ovarian cancer - An NRG/GOG study
    (Elsevier, 2024) Chan, John K.; Tian, Chunqiao; Kesterson, Joshua P.; Lin, Ken Y.; Darcy, Kathleen; Richardson, Michael T.; Kapp, Daniel S.; Monk, Bradley J.; McNally, Leah; Landrum, Lisa; Copeland, Larry; Walker, Joan L.; Wenham, Robert M.; Phippen, Neil; Spirtos, Nick M.; Tewari, Krishnansu; Shahin, Mark; Berry, Laurel; Bell, Jeffery G.; Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine
    Objectives: To determine clinical significance of preoperative and pre-chemotherapy CA-125 in high-risk early-stage epithelial ovarian cancer patients. Methods: All patients with stage IA/IB and grade 3, stage IC, clear cell, or completed resected stage II cancer were enrolled in a phase III trial and treated with chemotherapy. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model were used for statistical analyses. Results: 427 patients with high-risk early-stage ovarian cancer were enrolled. Of 213 patients with preoperative CA-125 data, 79% had elevated CA-125. Median preoperative CA-125 level was 103 U/mL. Patients with ≤10, 11-15, and > 15 cm tumors had median preoperative CA-125 levels of 62, 131 and 158 U/mL, respectively (p = 0.002). For the 350 patients with data for pre-chemotherapy CA-125 level, 69% had elevated pre-chemotherapy CA-125 above 35 U/mL with median value of 65 U/mL. However, age, race, stage, cell type and grade of disease were not correlated with CA-125 levels before and after surgery. On multivariate analysis, elevated pre-chemotherapy CA-125 independently predicted worse recurrence-free survival (HR = 2.13, 95% CI: 1.23-3.69; p = 0.007) and overall survival (HR = 1.99, 95% CI: 1.10-3.59; p = 0.022) after adjusting for age, stage, cell type and grade of disease. Compared to those with normal CA-125, patients with elevated pre-chemotherapy CA-125 had lower recurrence-free survival (RFS, 87% vs. 75%; p = 0.007) and overall survival (OS, 88% vs. 82%; p = 0.02). However, preoperative CA-125 was not prognostic of RFS (p = 0.699) or OS (p = 0.701). Conclusions: Preoperative CA-125 was elevated in nearly 80% of high-risk early-stage ovarian cancer patients. Pre-chemotherapy CA-125 was associated with recurrence-free and overall survival; however, preoperative CA-125 was not prognostic.
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    Symptoms of Women With High-Risk, Early-Stage Ovarian Cancer
    (Wolters Kluwer, 2022) Chan, John K.; Tian, Chunqiao; Kesterson, Joshua P.; Monk, Bradley J.; Kapp, Daniel S.; Davidson, Brittany; Robertson, Sharon; Copeland, Larry J.; Walker, Joan L.; Wenham, Robert M.; Casablanca, Yovanni; Spirtos, Nick M.; Tewari, Krishnansu S.; Bell, Jeffery G.; Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine
    Objective: To assess the presentation, characteristics, and prognostic significance of symptoms in patients with high-risk early-stage epithelial ovarian cancer. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on all patients enrolled in a phase III clinical trial (GOG 157). All patients had surgically staged, high-risk early-stage epithelial ovarian cancer (stage IA-IB and grade 3, any clear cell, stage IC or II). Chi-square and Kaplan-Meier estimates and Cox proportional hazards models were used for statistical analyses. Results: Of 419 patients evaluated for symptoms, 301 (72%) presented with one or more symptoms, and 118 (28%) were asymptomatic but had a mass found on examination. Forty percent had only one symptom, and 32% had more than one symptom. Among those with at least one symptom, the most common were abdominal and pelvic pain (31%), and increased girth or fullness (26%). Overall, 23% of patients with tumors 10 cm or smaller, 27% of patients with tumors larger than 10 cm to 15 cm, and 46% of patients with tumors larger than 15 cm had multiple symptoms (P<.001). There was no significant difference in presentation of symptoms based on age, stage, or histologic subtype. Symptoms at diagnosis were not associated with recurrence or survival. Conclusion: More than 70% of patients with high-risk early-stage, epithelial ovarian cancer present with one or more symptoms, with the most common being abdominal or pelvic pain. The proportion of women with symptoms and the number of symptoms increase with enlarging tumor size.