Highlights of the SGO 38th Annual Meeting

Sarah Lee, MD, MBA, discusses the use of checkpoint inhibitors in endometrial cancer, research regarding the association between MSI-H, dMMR, and TMB-H disease, and the importance of broad molecular testing to ensure all eligible patients are appropriately matched to immunotherapeutic options.

Amer Karam, MD, discusses the role of secondary cytoreductive surgery in ovarian cancer and the need for careful patient selection, plus the results from 3 clinical trials and the key differences between these efforts.

Cortney Eakin, MD, discusses alarming trends in uterine cancer histologies in Black women and some of the potential underlying risk factors at play.

According to government estimates, the incidence of ovarian cancer is almost 13 per 100,000 women per year, and most cases are diagnosed in an advanced stage. As such, proper treatment is critical to ensure survival. However, Dr Melissa M. Thrall, fellow in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Washington, found that less than 40% of women reliant on Medicare receive standard care.

Primary care physicians are the entry point for care for many patients. They are often responsible for determining when additional expertise is needed and to which specialist a patient should go for additional care. Although studies have shown that gynecologic oncologists can improve surgical and survival outcomes for patients with ovarian cancer, the referral rate from primary care physicians to gynecologic oncologists remains relatively low.

SGO Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer in San Diego from March 3-7, 2007