OBJECTIVE: Notch is known as a transmembranous receptor family with four homologous forms - Notch 1, Notch 2, Notch 3, and Notch 4 and related to cell fate regulation and angiogenesis. The purpose is to investigate the effect of follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) on the Notch 1 expression and proliferation in ovarian cancer cells. METHODS: Human ovarian cancer cell line, SK-OV-3 and FSH were used. XTT cell proliferation and cell migration assay were carried out with FSH 100 mIU/mL and Notch 1 siRNA. Western blots and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCR) were carried out to determine the expression level of the Notch 1 protein and mRNA with FSH treatment in 0, 1, 5, 10, 100, 200, 300 mIU/mL concentrations. Immunofluorescent (IF) stains were performed in SK-OV-3 cell cultures with FSH 100 mIU/mL. Student-t tests were used in statistical analyses. RESULTS: The SK-OV-3 have Notch 1 receptors in their natural status. FSH stimulated SK-OV-3 cells in XTT cell proliferation and cell migration assays and notch 1 siRNA inhibited. The expression level of Notch 1 protein and mRNA were increased in a dose dependent pattern according to FSH concentrations compared to untreated cells. IF stains also showed brighter Notch1 expressions in the FSH treated cells compared to the control cells. CONCLUSION: FSH enhances proliferation & migration and Notch 1 signaling in SK-OV-3 cells. The Notch signaling probably supports one of the cell proliferating mechanisms of FSH in ovarian cancer cells.
Blotting, Western ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Line ; Cell Migration Assays ; Cell Proliferation ; Coloring Agents ; Humans ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; RNA, Messenger ; RNA, Small Interfering

OBJECTIVE: To examine the trends and survival for women with early-stage epithelial ovarian cancer who underwent adequate lymphadenectomy during surgical treatment. METHODS: This is a retrospective observational study examining the Surveillance, Epidemiology, End Results program between 1988 and 2013. We evaluated 21,537 cases of stage I–II epithelial ovarian cancer including serous (n=7,466), clear cell (n=6,903), mucinous (n=4,066), and endometrioid (n=3,102) histology. A time-trend analysis of the proportion of patients who underwent adequate pelvic lymphadenectomy (≥ 8 per Gynecologic Oncology Group [GOG] criteria, ≥ 12 per Collaborative Group Report [CGR] criteria for bladder cancer, and > 22 per Mayo criteria for endometrial cancer) and a survival analysis associated with adequate pelvic lymphadenectomy were performed. RESULTS: There were significant increases in the proportion of women who underwent adequate lymphadenectomy: GOG criteria 3.6% to 28.6% (1988–2010); CGR criteria 2.4% to 22.4% (1988–2013); and Mayo criteria 0.7% to 9.5% (1988–2013) (all, p < 0.05). On multivariable analysis, adequate lymphadenectomy was independently associated with improved cause-specific survival compared to inadequate lymphadenectomy: GOG criteria, adjusted-hazard ratio (HR)=0.75, CGR criteria, adjusted-HR=0.77, and Mayo criteria, adjusted-HR = 0.85 (all, p < 0.05). Compared to inadequate lymphadenectomy, adequate lymphadenectomy was significantly associated with improved cause-specific survival for serous (HR range = 0.67–0.73), endometrioid (HR range = 0.59–0.61), and clear cell types (HR range = 0.66–0.73) (all, p < 0.05) but not in mucinous type (HR range = 0.80–0.91; p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Quality of lymphadenectomy during the surgical treatment for early-stage epithelial ovarian cancer has significantly improved. Adequate lymphadenectomy is associated with a 15%–25% reduction in ovarian cancer mortality compared to inadequate lymphadenectomy.
Epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision* ; Mortality ; Mucins ; Observational Study ; Ovarian Neoplasms* ; Retrospective Studies ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms

No abstract available.
Trachelectomy* ; United States* ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between tumor grade and survival for women with squamous cervical cancer. METHODS: This retrospective observational study utilized the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result program data between 1983 and 2013 to examine women with squamous cervical cancer with known tumor differentiation grade. Multivariable analyses were performed to assess independent associations between tumor differentiation grade and survival. RESULTS: A total of 31,536 women were identified including 15,175 (48.1%) with grade 3 tumors, 14,084 (44.7%) with grade 2 neoplasms and 2,277 (7.2%) with grade 1 tumors. Higher tumor grade was significantly associated with older age, higher stage disease, larger tumor size, and lymph node metastasis (all, p < 0.001). In a multivariable analysis, grade 2 tumors (adjusted-hazard ratio [HR]=1.21; p < 0.001) and grade 3 tumors (adjusted-HR=1.45; p < 0.001) were independently associated with decreased cause-specific survival (CSS) compared to grade 1 tumors. Among the 7,429 women with stage II–III disease who received radiotherapy without surgical treatment, grade 3 tumors were independently associated with decreased CSS compared to grade 2 tumors (adjusted-HR=1.16; p < 0.001). Among 4,045 women with node-negative stage I disease and tumor size ≤4 cm who underwent surgical treatment without radiotherapy, grade 2 tumors (adjusted-HR=2.54; p=0.028) and grade 3 tumors (adjusted-HR=4.48; p < 0.001) were independently associated with decreased CSS compared to grade 1 tumors. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that tumor differentiation grade may be a prognostic factor in women with squamous cervical cancer, particularly in early-stage disease. Higher tumor grade was associated with poorer survival.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cervix Uteri* ; Epidemiology ; Epithelial Cells* ; Female ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Observational Study ; Radiotherapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms