EOTTD newsletter December 2024

To keep members of EOTTD and others interested in the field of GTD informed, the EOTTD Board will publish regular newsletters. These will include updates on upcoming meetings, working party developments, and other current events or news. If you have suggestions for special topics or wish to contribute to the newsletter, please contact the EOTTD Board.

We warmly welcome Andrea Gmür, the representative of residents in OB/GYN, who joined the Board in September 2024.

EOTTD and membership
EOTTD is an academic organization with the mission to improve the management of patients with GTD in Europe. The EOTTD engages in various activities, such as:
- Developing and improving diagnostics, treatment, and care of patients with GTD
- Annual scientific meetings alternating between European cities
- Developing European and international consensus guidelines
- Outreach programs with teaching sessions at newly formed GTD centers
- Regular virtual journal clubs
- Pathological and clinical teaching cases on the website

Membership benefits include updates, participation in working parties and journal clubs, discounts for meetings, and access to presentations and recordings. The yearly membership fee is €50 for full members and €25 for nurses and trainees. For more information, visit [this link].

Meetings
The French Reference Center for Trophoblastic Disease hosted the XXII World Congress on Gestational Trophoblastic Diseases from October 22–25, 2024, at the Palais Hirsch in Lyon, France. Board members Francois Golfier and Pierre-Adrien Bolze were heavily involved in this highly successful event. Key topics included immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in GTN, the role of artificial intelligence in rare tumor studies, and a presentation by Jean-Yves Blay, coordinator of EURACAN, on rare tumors.

Fig.1. XXII World Congress on Gestational Trophoblastic Diseases participants in front of the Palais Hirsch.

During the Congress, EOTTD had one hour exclusively for finalizing and agreeing on three teaching cases, which are to be published on eottd.org

Upcoming meetings and congresses:
23-24.05.2025 13th EOTTD Meeting, Madrid, Spain

2026 14th EOTTD Meeting, Antalya, Turkey
2027 15 EOTTD Meeting, Prague, Czech Republic

EOTTD FOUNDATION
By the decision of the board, a foundation was established supporting the activities of EOTTD (Foundation Support for Trophoblastic Diseases) with an account opened in the Dutch bank. Members of the Foundation are: Fred Sweep, Christianne Lok, Michael Seckl and Nienke van Trommel.

Foundation name and a bank account number
Stichting Support Trofoblast Ziekten
IBAN: NL41SWNB4757009949

Recent EOTTD activities
Publishing
The publication of the EOTTD-ESGO-GCIG-ISSTD practical guidelines for the treatment of gestational trophoblastic disease is being finalized – we eagerly await the final release!

Teaching sessions
As part of an outreach program to facilitate the establishment of new GTD centers, the board members of the EOTTD hold teaching sessions in hospitals that have expressed an interest in improving the care of GTD patients. Anyone interested in hosting a teaching session should contact a member of the board. The host will cover dinner and accommodation, but travel costs can be claimed from EOTTD.
The current chairs are Gloria Marquina and John Coulter. Please check the EOTTD website, eottd.org, for contact details and email info@eottd.org.

hCG Working Party Update
In order to promote quality improvement in hCG measurement for clinical surveillance in EOTTD GTD patients, and to ensure equity of access for all patients to a quality assured hCG service, members of the EOTTD hCG working party in close collaboration with the Edinburgh UK National External Quality Assessment Scheme (UK NEQAS) intends to arrange a small specialist distribution of hCG samples from known GTD patients. EOTTD laboratory specialist are invited to support and participate in this project.
The project’s main aims are:
(1) to compare hCG results across platforms and between institutes;
(2) to stimulate discussion and exchange ideas between participants; and
(3) to communicate results to the wider GTD community
See also attached invitation flyer.

TO JOIN, or for further information please contact:
lesley.mcmahon2@nhs.scot
carolinejoyce@ucc.ie
Fred.Sweep@radboudumc.nl

EOTTD Traineeship (a visiting scholar and mentorship program).
It is a pleasure to announce that the first traineeship has been awarded to Sanja Kostic (Serbia) – for her visit to Charing Cross in London. She spent two weeks of September immersed in care of GTD under the supervision of an excellent teacher, Michael Seckl.

Fig. 2. Sanja Kostic with her tutor at the Charing Cross traineeship.

The EOTTD aims at improving the management for patients with GTD in all European countries. This goal is accomplished through a variety of activities. Since there are differences in the development of centres dedicated to the treatment of GTD within Europe, EOTTD wants to introduce a new program providing trainees and early career specialists an opportunity to visit and witness the working of more established units so they may identify improved resource utilization in their own setting.
In this way EOTTD is creating opportunities for trainees/early career professionals to visit more established centres with specific goals of seeking mentorship. Traineeships are advertised on website. Other EOTTD member countries are invited to advertise this traineeship.

Topics that can be learned in this program:
• Multidisciplinary team management and governance
• The diagnostic process in GTD
• Research and clinical trial design
• Proper hCG management
• Treatment of high and ultrahigh risk patients
• Pathology and Genetics in GTD
The duration of the traineeship is 1-2 weeks, and the maximum number of yearly positions is four. Centres that can be visited are London, Sheffield, Amsterdam/Nijmegen, Lyon and Stockholm. EOTTD will give financial support to every approved traineeship with 500 euros. The applicant should present his/her resume and the goal(s) of the proposed visit to the EOTTD board as part of the application process. Young professionals interested in GTD are encouraged to apply for a traineeship.

Journal club
The EOTTD aims at introducing an every three months recurring journal club in which all EOTTD members are welcome to participate. The idea is to choose a recent or in other ways important publication which will be discussed. Host is to be rotated round within all countries. The next Journal Club is planned on 6th Jan, 2025. More information will be published on the website eottd.org as well as the zoom link will be circulated to registered EOTTD members.

Different activities focused on GTD
Swedish GTD nurse specialists have started their 4th digital support group for GTD patients after the ISSTD meeting. They plan to have four meetings with different themes, including rare diagnosis, rehabilitation, sexuality/fertility and life today and in the future. They have good experience from the first three groups which they presented at the ISSTD meeting.

Fig. 3 Nurses part at the ISSTD Congress

New and selected publications on GTD 2024 (3rd selection in 2024)
Boonyapipat S, Nanthamongkolkul K, Saeaib N, Liabsuetrakul T. Fertility-sparing surgical interventions for low-risk, non-metastatic gestational trophoblastic neoplasia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2024 Sep 23;9(9):CD014755. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD014755.pub2. PMID: 39312299; PMCID: PMC11418970.

Young AN, Lin LH, Abel MK, Badhey MO, Lechner A, Horowitz NS, Berkowitz RS, Parra-Herran C, Elias KM. Atypical placental site nodules: Clinicopathologic features, management and patient outcomes in an institutional series. Gynecol Oncol. 2024 Nov;190:215-221. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2024.08.018. Epub 2024 Sep 4. PMID: 39236483.

Gu Y, Liu Y, Cheng H, Wang W, Xue X, Wan X, Feng F, Yang J, Ren T, Zhao J, Jiang F, Li Y, Xiang Y. Clinicopathological characteristics and oncologic outcomes of patients with gestational trophoblastic neoplasia manifesting as isolated pulmonary lesions. Gynecol Oncol. 2024 Nov;190:28-34. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2024.07.686. Epub 2024 Aug 10. PMID: 39128338.

Benoit You et al. Avelumab + methotrexate to eradicate low-risk gestational trophoblastic tumors in first-line setting: TROPHAMET phase I/II trial. oral presentation at ESMO congress, Barcelona, 14 Sept 2024

Walbum P, Andreasen L, Geilswijk M, Niemann I, Sunde L. Aneuploidy is frequent in heterozygous diploid and triploid hydatidiform moles. Sci Rep. 2024 Mar 22;14(1):6876. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-57465-5. PMID: 38519579; PMCID: PMC10960034.

Season's Greetings
As we approach the end of the year, the EOTTD Board wishes all our members, colleagues, and their families a joyful holiday season. May this Christmas bring you peace, happiness, and cherished moments with your loved ones.

We also extend our warmest wishes for a prosperous and successful New Year. Together, we look forward to continuing our mission of improving the care and management of GTD patients across Europe in 2025.

Thank you for being part of the EOTTD community!

With best regards, the EOTTD Board