III International MD Anderson Congress on Gynecologic Cancer 'Designing the future'
Almost 12,000 women in Spain are diagnosed with gynecologic (endometrium, ovary and cervix) cancer every year. Of these, about 3,000 cases are due to ovarian tumors which, in spite of being quite unusual, are the fifth cause of death among Spanish women. However, in recent years the advances made in prevention, diagnosis and treatment have meant a marked improvement in the survival rate of patients. This was highlighted by the some 500 specialists gathered in Madrid for the III International MD Anderson Congress on Gynecologic Cancer, hosted by the MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, under the title 'Designing the future'.
The meeting, said to be one of the most important events in the field of tumors in women in Spain, covered almost everything on gynecologic cancer today. When speaking about the news on ovarian cancer, Dr Antonio Gonzalez Martin, Head of the MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid Oncology Service, admitted that "in recent years, molecular biology has found this cancer not to be a single disease, but a combination of processes with histological and molecular characteristics and of different prognoses, which allows us to move towards a more personalized treatment for patients".
One of the most important subjects at the congress was the role surgery plays in the treatment of these tumors. In particular, radical surgery was described as 'a definitive therapeutic weapon with which to change the survival rate of patients', stated Dr Luis Chiva, Head of the MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid Gynecology Service. The attendees took part in an open debate on the advisability of approaching ovarian cancer starting with surgery or with chemotherapy. During his talk, Dr Chiva looked at how ultra-radical surgery can improve the survival rate of these patients and what the limits and contra-indications are for this cytoreductive surgery.
Regarding new pharmacologic therapies, the specialists recognized the value of anti-angiogenic drugs as one of the newer treatments for these patients. In this respect, they spoke about two studies recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine that show the efficacy of the therapy.
Preserving fertility in women with tumors in the uterus and cervix was another subject dealt with at the work sessions. The attendees looked closely at all the fertility preserving solutions in the early stages - with both medical and surgical treatments. Dr Pedro Ramirez, of the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, ran through the newest solutions in preserving treatment of endometrial carcinoma, hormone therapy, laparascopy and robotic surgery techniques to preserve the uterus in the case of a cervical cancer where preservation treatment can be applied.
During the congress, the specialists also took part in practical sessions by means of a multidisciplinary tumor committee that analyzed particularly complex cases, which led to a live discussion between members of the MD Anderson Houston and Madrid teams and specialists from the Sloan-Kettering Memorial in New York. In addition, a surgical video-symposium was held at which complex surgical problems were presented by means of a short video exhibition.