EOTTD newsletter September 2023

EOTTD and membership
EOTTD is an academic organization with the mission to improve management of patients with GTD in Europe. The EOTTD engages in many different activities, such as:

• Working parties aiming at developing and improving diagnostics, treatment and care of patients with GTD
• Annual scientific meetings alternating between European cities
• Development of European and international consensus guidelines
• Outreach programs where members of the board hold teaching sessions at newly formed GTD centres together with the local teams
• Regular virtual journal clubs
• Pathological and clinical teaching cases on website

Membership of EOTTD is encouraged for anyone with an interest in the field of GTD or treating GTD patients. Some of the benefits of a membership are regular updates including the newsletter, possibility to take part in working parties and journal clubs, meeting discounts and access to meeting presentations and recordings. The yearly fee is 50 euros for a full membership and 25 euros for nurses and trainees. For more information, please see the EOTTD website eottd.org.

Updates from the working parties
1. Clinical working party
The clinical working party continues to work on the joint international clinical guidelines for GTD based on the published EOTTD clinical guidelines together with representatives from ESGO (European Society of Gynecological Oncology), ISSTD (International Society for the Study of Trophoblastic Diseases) and GCIG (Gynecological Cancer InterGroup). The work is progressing nicely, and the plan is to present the guidelines at ESGO in Barcelona in March 2024. Submission of a manuscript is planned.

2. Pathology and genetics working party
The EOTTD guidelines on diagnostics of hydatidiform moles are ready for publication. No other update from the pathology and genetics working party this time.

3. Biochemistry working party
The hCG working party is starting to approach EOTTD laboratories to ask for their willingness to participate in a pilot round robin. Such an EQA scheme for hCG will take quite some time to organize. Regular meetings are scheduled for the ongoing work.

4. Nursing working party
The nursing working party holds regular educational/teaching sessions based on patient cases and management of care. These virtual meetings attract members from different European centres. The latest update from the Scottish Team was held in September.

Recent EOTTD activities

• Joint publication
  The special issue of (GOI) Gynaecol and Obstet Investigation on GTD will soon be published. It contains 9 excellent articles written by members of the EOTTD. The issue can be bought for 30 euros. The different topics in the special issue are:

  1. Editorial
  2. The development of hCG testing and the need for reference laboratories
  3. Expert pathology for GTD: towards an international multidisciplinary MDT
  4. Immunotherapy for GTN: why and when it works
  5. Consequences of GTD treatment for patients
  6. Surgical treatment of GTD
  7. From national to international collaboration in GTD: hurdles and possibilities
  8. Why to consult a geneticist in GTD
  9. The rare if the rarest: PSTT, ETT, APSN

• Teaching sessions
  As a part of an outreach program to facilitate the establishment of new GTD centres, the board members of the EOTTD hold teaching sessions in hospitals which have expressed an interest in improving care of GTD patients. Anyone interested in hosting a teaching session should contact a member of the board. Please see the EOTTD website, eottd.org for contact details.

  On September 15, 2023, four members of the EOTTD visited professor Vesna Kesic and her team in Belgrade, Serbia. The meeting was much appreciated by both the teachers and the local team, as can be seen in these photos.

  
  The local organizers and teachers
• 
  The host professor Kesic, Belgrade
• 
  Dr John Coulter, Cork, Ireland
• 
  Dr Gloria Marquina, Madrid, Spain

Upcoming teaching sessions
2024 Reykjavik, Iceland in spring

• Meetings
  The UK have celebrated their 50th anniversary with centralized GTD registration and care this year, hosting events in London and Sheffield, attended by previous and current patients as well as retired and current staff.

  
  Celebration in Londen June 2023
• 
  
  Celebration in Sheffield with retired and current staff

Upcoming meetings:

2024 12th EOTTD meeting May 24-25, Stockholm, Sweden
2024 XXII World Congress on Gestational Trophoblastic Diseases October 22-25, Lyon, France
2025 13th EOTTD meeting, Madrid, Spain

EOTTD Traineeship (a visiting scholar and mentorship program)
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.

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 a regularly 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. The first virtual journal club will be held Monday October 23 and new dates will be set every three months. More information will be published on the website.

New and selected publications on GTD 2023 (third selection in 2023)

• Progress of immunotherapies in gestational trophoblastic neoplasms.
  Tong Wang, Wenxiu Guo , Xiaochen Ren , Fangfang Lang , Ying Ma , Chunping Qiu , Jie Jiang
  J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2023 Aug 18.doi: 10.1007/s00432-023-05010-8.
  PMID: 37594534

• Psychological impact over time of women with pregnancy loss due to gestational trophoblastic disease compared with miscarriage.
  Blok L, Eysbouts Y, Lok CAR, Coppus SFPJ, Sweep FCGJ, Ottevanger P.
  Int J Gynecol Cancer. 2023 Sep 18:ijgc-2023-004639. doi: 10.1136/ijgc-2023-004639.
  PMID: 37723103

• Morbidity, mortality, and prognostic factors in gestational trophoblastic neoplasia with liver metastasis.
  Raffin D, Descargues P, Hajri T, Massardier J, You B, Lotz JP, Rousset P, Tordo J, Devouassoux-Shisheboran M, Golfier F, Bolze PA.
  J Gynecol Obstet Hum Reprod. 2023 Oct;52(8):102636. doi: 10.1016/j.jogoh.2023.102636.
  PMID: 37500013

• Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia: does centralization of care impact clinical management?
  Mitric C, Yang K, Bhat G, Lheureux S, Laframboise S, Li X, Bouchard-Fortier G.
  Int J Gynecol Cancer. 2023 Sep 18:ijgc-2023-004526. doi: 10.1136/ijgc-2023-004526.
  PMID: 37723102

• Measurement of hCG in women with Gestational Trophoblastic Disease.
  McMahon LM, Joyce CM, Cuthill L, Mitchell H, Jabbar I, Sweep F; hCG working party of the EOTTD.
  Gynecol Obstet Invest. 2023 Jun 12. doi: 10.1159/000531499.
  PMID: 37307803

• Surgical Management of Gestational Trophoblastic Disease.
  Coopmans L, Larsson A, Joneborg U, Lok C, van Trommel N.
  Gynecol Obstet Invest. 2023 Oct 3. doi: 10.1159/000534065.
  PMID: 37788661

• Immunotherapy for GTN: a new paradigm.
  Baas IO, Westermann AM, You B, Bolze PA, Seckl M, Ghorani E.
  Gynecol Obstet Invest. 2023 Sep 13. doi: 10.1159/000533972.
  PMID: 37703867