Highlights from The 2023 SGO Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer

From March 25-28, 2023, gynecologic cancer experts from around the world converged on Tampa, Florida to participate in the Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer hosted by the Society of Gynecologic Oncology. The meeting was packed with educational and scientific sessions highlighting the latest in the care of patients with gynecologic cancers. Below are some highlights of research presented at the meeting.

Minimally Invasive Surgery Linked to Longer Survival in Advanced Ovarian Cancer

Patients with advanced ovarian cancer may live longer if they undergo minimally invasive surgery (MIS) rather than laparotomy. In this study, patients who underwent MIS had lower rates of mortality at 30 days and 90 days as well as longer median overall survival (OS) than patients who underwent laparotomy.

“Groundbreaking” Trials Show Benefit of Immunotherapy for Advanced Endometrial Cancer

Two impressive trials presented at SGO showed that immunotherapy combined with standard chemotherapy significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, results from the two trials (NRG-GY018 and RUBY) confirmed the hypothesis that the addition of chemotherapy could improve the response to checkpoint inhibitors.

Clinical Trial Participation May Be Associated with Improved Overall Survival in Patients With Ovarian Cancer

Investigators have found that patients with platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian cancer who participate in clinical trials may have higher rates of overall survival compared with those who don’t participate in clinical trials.

Cold Compression May Prevent Chemo-Induced Neuropathy

Cryocompression was found to be tolerable and effective in preventing chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in a small study.

Obesity Significantly Impacts Endometrial Cancer Risk in Younger Women

Obesity poses a significantly greater risk of uterine cancer in younger women as compared with their older counterparts, an analysis of a database from Taiwan showed.

Botensilimab Plus Balstilimab Yields Enduring Responses in Resistant Ovarian Cancer

Treatment with botensilimab plus balstilimab produced responses in patients with refractory or resistant ovarian cancer, according to results from a phase 1 study.  Adding the T-cell primer to the PD-1 inhibitor led to objective responses in a third of patients with recurrent platinum-refractory/resistant ovarian cancer. Two-thirds of the patients derived clinical benefit, and a majority had some degree of tumor reduction.

VTE Risk in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer Increases With More Lines of Chemotherapy

A prospective study found that as lines of therapy increased for recurrent ovarian cancer, so did the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE).  Almost 80% of VTEs occurred in patients who had received three or more chemotherapy regimens. Almost three-fourths of the events occurred while patients were on chemotherapy.

Ribociclib (Kisqali) and Letrozole Active Combination in Low Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer

About a fourth of patients with recurrent low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC) obtained durable responses to the combination of CDK4/6 inhibitor ribociclib (Kisqali) and letrozole, a small single-arm trial showed.

Niraparib Yields Limited OS in Final Analysis for Ovarian Cancer

Niraparib maintenance therapy for recurrent ovarian cancer does not yield a significant overall survival benefit in an updated analysis of the phase 3 ENGOT-OV16/NOVA study.

Treatment with niraparib (Zejula) maintenance therapy did not produce a statistically significant improvement in overall survival (OS), according to findings from an updated exploratory analysis in the phase 3 ENGOT-OV16/NOVA study

Uterine Cancer Mortality on the Rise, but Research Remains Underfunded

A new study suggests that research on uterine cancer is underfunded, when compared with other reproductive cancers, despite the fact that death rates are increasing in patients with uterine cancer. The study also highlighted racial disparities in research funding for uterine cancer and other reproductive cancers.