Each year in France, more than 15,000 women learn that they have gynecological cancer (cancer of the cervix, endometrium, ovary, fallopian tubes, vagina and vulva). Among these cancers, some are preventable thanks to the anti-HPV vaccine or detectable.
Very involved in the face of this public health issue, the Institut Curie invests both in fundamental, applied and clinical research, and in terms of care in the fight against these cancers. They represent the 3rd location in number of patients treated at the institute.
Referral structure for complex or rare cases, the departments of the Institut Curie hospital complex are certified by the European Society of Gynecological Oncology (ESGO). This guarantee of excellence guarantees women an optimal level of care. Depending on the case, they can count on surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or even immunotherapy or targeted therapy, supplemented by supportive care.
The recent decision by the health authorities to raise the thresholds for authorization to operate on women with ovarian cancer will lead to a concentration of care, confirming the added value, for patients, of expert centers such as the Institute Curia.
Our organization on our two sites allows each patient easy access to a medical and paramedical team with recognized expertise, wherever she lives in Ile-de-France.
Explains Dr Nicolas Pouget, President of the Establishment Medical Commission (CME) and Head of the Gynecological and Breast Surgery Department at the Saint-Cloud site.
Today, in addition to this expertise, personalized medicine requires an efficient technical platform. The historical and avant-garde investment and experience of Institut Curie makes it possible to meet this dual requirement with innovative examples of tumor characterization by digital pathology – which combines digitization of very fine sections from tumor samples and tools artificial intelligence – and oncogenetics, both implemented in the management of gynecological cancers.
Gynecologists and oncologists also pay particular attention to the preservation of fertility before treatment, but also to subjects on sexuality and post-therapeutic gynecological disorders, with specialized support.
Major advances made by Institut Curie►Advanced cervical cancer: the place of immunotherapy? At the Institut Curie, the multicenter NICOL trial is currently evaluating the addition of immunotherapy to the standard treatment which combines radiotherapy and chemotherapy in locally advanced cancers of the cervix. The results, presented at the last ASCO congress* in June 2022, show the absence of added toxicity; translational analyzes are underway to identify factors predicting better efficacy. This will allow a new step: identify subgroups of patients who respond better to this innovative combination in order to be able to offer the best treatment to each patient according to her profile. ► Cancers of the vagina and vulva: shared expertise ► Ovarian cancers: the avenues opened up by research >> Continuing the path opened up by new targeted therapies, Dr. Manuel Rodrigues is exploring the data from the international PAOLA1 study to better understand the role of BRCA 1 or 2 mutations. >> The work of the research team of Fatima Mechta-Grigoriou, Stress et cancer (Inserm Unit U830), have also demonstrated the role of fibroblasts in the carcinogenesis of ovarian and breast tissue. A subgroup of these non-cancerous cells, naturally present in tissues, creates an immunosuppressive environment. Thus, they not only block the patient’s natural defenses but also immunotherapies. In addition, his team has also studied the heterogeneity of ovarian cancer cells by demonstrating the major impact of oxidative stress and metabolism on their sensitivity to chemotherapy. Tracks that the Institute’s Research Center is investigating among others, in various fields, particularly in genetics or cancer biology to provide innovative responses to the fight against gynecological cancers. * ASCO pour American Society of Clinical Oncology |