Concerning the biological properties of recurrent ovarian cancer, other than drug resistance, we revealed that the expressions of mutant p53 and CD44v6 genes were significantly greater in recurrent ovarian cancer than in those of its primary counterpart. These findings suggest that chemotherapeutic agents may modify some biological characteristics of cancer by altering gene expressions. The biological behavior concerning the metastatic potential of a recurrent disease must be elucidated in order to develop an optional treatment regimen against recurrent tumors. Therefore, we established in-vivo cisplatin-resistant cell lines by repeated administration, in order to find a more suitable model for reflecting the biological aggressiveness of clinically recurrent ovarian cancer following chemotherapy. Chemotherapeutic agents have given a substantial advantage to cancer patients. It must be borne in mind that the cancer cells surviving following chemotherapy possibly present different biological properties from primary cancer cells, and that these properties might be developed by the chemotherapeutic agents.
Cell Movement ; Female ; Human ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Ovarian Neoplasms/*drug therapy/pathology

It is estimated that in 2010, 1 in every 250 adults will be a childhood cancer survivor. Today, oncological surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy achieve relatively high rates of remission and long-term survival, yet are often detrimental to fertility. Quality of life is increasingly important to long-term survivors of cancer, and one of the major quality-of-life issues is the ability to produce and raise normal children. Developments in the near future in the emerging field of fertility preservation in cancer survivors promise to be very exciting. This article reviews the published literature, discusses the effects of cancer treatment on fertility and presents the options available today thanks to advances in assisted-reproduction technology for maintaining fertility in male and female patients undergoing this type of treatment. The various diagnostic methods of assessing the fertility potential and the efficacy of in vitro fertilization (IVF) after cancer treatment are also presented.
Adult ; Child ; Female ; Fertility ; Humans ; Infertility ; prevention & control ; Male ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; radiotherapy ; surgery ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; pathology ; Ovary ; pathology ; Survivors ; Testicular Neoplasms ; pathology ; Testis ; pathology

In 2014, 9 topics were selected as major advances in clinical research for gynecologic oncology: 2 each in cervical and corpus cancer, 4 in ovarian cancer, and 1 in breast cancer. For cervical cancer, several therapeutic agents showed viable antitumor clinical response in recurrent and metastatic disease: bevacizumab, cediranib, and immunotherapies including human papillomavirus (HPV)-tumor infiltrating lymphocytes and Z-100. The HPV test received FDA approval as the primary screening tool of cervical cancer in women aged 25 and older, based on the results of the ATHENA trial, which suggested that the HPV test was a more sensitive and efficient strategy for cervical cancer screening than methods based solely on cytology. For corpus cancers, results of a phase III Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) 249 study of early-stage endometrial cancer with high-intermediate risk factors are followed by the controversial topic of uterine power morcellation in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery. Promising results of phase II studies regarding the effectiveness of olaparib in various ovarian cancer settings are summarized. After a brief review of results from a phase III study on pazopanib maintenance therapy in advanced ovarian cancer, 2 outstanding 2014 ASCO presentations cover the topic of using molecular subtypes in predicting response to bevacizumab. A review of the use of opportunistic bilateral salpingectomy as an ovarian cancer preventive strategy in the general population is presented. Two remarkable studies that discussed the effectiveness of adjuvant ovarian suppression in premenopausal early breast cancer have been selected as the last topics covered in this review.
Biomedical Research/*trends ; Endometrial Neoplasms/drug therapy/pathology/surgery ; Female ; Genital Neoplasms, Female/diagnosis/*therapy ; Humans ; Ovarian Neoplasms/drug therapy/pathology/surgery ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/drug therapy/pathology/surgery

Development of ovarian cancer involves the co-evolution of neoplastic cells together with the adjacent microenvironment. Steps of malignant progression including primary tumor outgrowth, therapeutic resistance, and distant metastasis are not determined solely by genetic alterations in ovarian cancer cells, but considerably shaped by the fitness advantage conferred by benign components in the ovarian stroma. As the dynamic cancer topography varies drastically during disease progression, heterologous cell types within the tumor microenvironment (TME) can actively determine the pathological track of ovarian cancer. Resembling many other solid tumor types, ovarian malignancy is nurtured by a TME whose dark side may have been overlooked, rather than overestimated. Further, harnessing breakthrough and targeting cures in human ovarian cancer requires insightful understanding of the merits and drawbacks of current treatment modalities, which mainly target transformed cells. Thus, designing novel and precise strategies that both eliminate cancer cells and manipulate the TME is increasingly recognized as a rational avenue to improve therapeutic outcome and prevent disease deterioration of ovarian cancer patients.
Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Tumor Microenvironment ; drug effects

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate pathological complete remission rate (pCR), survival rate, recurrence rate, 91 patients who had clinical complete remission with epithelial ovarian cancer were studied. METHODS: From 1983 to 2002, 91 consecutive patients with epithelial ovarian cancer underwent surgical cytoreduction followed by platinum-based chemotherapy at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hanyang University Hospital. At the conclusion of chemotherapy, all patients who were clinically disease free and whose CA 125 was < 35 were offered a second-look operation that obtained over 20 specimens. Of 91 patients who qualified for second-look, 57 underwent the procedure and 34 did not undergo the laparotomy. RESULTS: Among 57 patients who had been performed second-look laparotomy, 40 patients (70%) had negative pathology, 9 (16%) were microscopically positive, and 8 (14%) had gross disease. Patients with positive findings received individualized salvage therapy (14/17). FIGO stage (p<0.01), initial CA 125 level (p=0.07) and residual tumor at primary surgery (p=0.01) correlated with second-look results. Eight (20%: 8/40) of the patients with negative pathology have recurred. Five year survival rate was 95% in patients refusing second look (n=34) was similar to 77% in patients who had been performed second-look operation (n=57). Five-year and ten-year survival rates were 77% and 68% in patients who had performed second-look laparotomy. And 5-year and 10-year survival rates were 84%, 84% in 40 patients with negative pathology, however, 53%, 34% of 17 patients with positive result. Stepwise logistic regression selected two covariates significantly affecting survival: the stage and residual tumor. CONCLUSION: Using the protocol described in a population of optimally resected patients with advanced stage ovarian cancer, second-look laparotomy can impact positively on survival. Patients with residual tumor > 2 cm with advanced stage at primary surgery and negative second-look findings should be the focus of future protocols for consolidation chemotherapy.
Consolidation Chemotherapy ; Drug Therapy ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Laparotomy* ; Logistic Models ; Neoplasm, Residual ; Obstetrics ; Ovarian Neoplasms* ; Pathology ; Recurrence ; Salvage Therapy ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVETo study the antitumor effects and associated mechanisms of extract of the Smilax china L. rhizome (SCR) on ovarian cancer cells.

METHODSOvarian cancer cells A2780 were treated with different concentrations of SCR extract (SCRE), and compared with controls. Effects on cell growth were evaluated by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay; proliferation effects by EdU incorporation assay; cell cycle by propidium iodide staining; apoptosis by annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide; cellular distribution of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) by immunofluorescence; protein levels of NF-κB, caspase-3, poly-adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-ribose polymerase (PARP), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), cellular inhibitor of apoptosis (cIAP)-1, anti-X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP), B-cell lymphoma-extra large (Bcl-XL), B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and AKT by Western blotting; and effects of SCRE combined with cisplatin or adriamycin on A2780 cells by CCK-8 assay.

RESULTSSCRE suppressed A2780 cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05,P<0.01), arrested cells in G2/M phase and induced apoptosis by activating caspase-3, PARP and Bax. SCRE treatment also correlated with inhibition of NF-κB and downregulation of Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, cIAP-1, XIAP and AKT. SCRE can promote chemosensitivity to cisplatin and adriamycin in A2780 cells (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSCR effectively inhibits NF-κB, induces apoptosis and reduces chemoresistance to cisplatin and adriamycin in ovarian cancer cells, which might be its molecular basis for treating ovarian cancer.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Female ; Humans ; NF-kappa B ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Smilax

We describe here a female patient who presented with a breast mass and giant abdominal mass. Fine needle aspiration cytology of the breast mass and histological examination after modified radical mastectomy confirmed metaplastic carcinoma of the breast. The epithelial components were formed by infiltrating ductal carcinoma with poor differentiation, and the sarcomatous components were formed by fibrosarcoma and osteosarcoma. Histological examination of the abdominal mass confirmed ovarian teratoma. The patient underwent modified radical mastectomy of the right breast and laparoscopic excision of the abdominal mass in the lower right quadrant. Having underwent six courses of chemotherapy, the patient is now in her tenth month after surgery and under follow-up, and she has no relapsed disease. These two diseases have never seen in one patient before. The case we report here provides some new data for research and clinical experience and it may also provide a new insight into the relationship between metaplastic breast carcinoma and ovarian teratoma.
Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Breast Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Mastectomy, Modified Radical ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms, Multiple Primary ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; surgery ; Receptor, ErbB-2 ; metabolism ; Sarcoma, Myeloid ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Teratoma ; drug therapy ; pathology ; surgery ; Vimentin ; metabolism

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; Testicular Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; drug therapy

BACKGROUNDRecent studies indicate that S100P expression may be a biomarker that can predict the success of cancer chemotherapy. Whether it is relevant to chemotherapeutics in ovarian cancer is unknown. In this study, we investigated the association of S100P expression with paclitaxel sensitivity in ovarian cancer cell lines.

METHODSWe measured S100P expression and paclitaxel resistance profiles in parent SKOV3 and OVCAR3 cell lines. Then, the two cell lines were transiently transfected with S100P siRNA. We also constructed an OVCAR3 cell clone that stably overexpressed S100P. The effect of S100P expression level on the survival of cells exposed to paclitaxel was measured using the MTT assay. S100P expression was evaluated by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting. Significance of differences was calculated using independent samples t-test and one way analysis of variance (ANOVA).

RESULTSLower S100P expression was associated with a survival advantage in OVCAR3 cells exposed to paclitaxel; the survival advantage in SKOV3 cells was smaller (P < 0.05). The survival advantage associated with decreased S100P expression was even greater for SKOV3 and OVCAR3 cells that had been transfected with S100P siRNA before being exposed to paclitaxel (P < 0.05). Consistent with this, the OVCAR3 cell clone that was transfected to overexpress S100P was more sensitive to paclitaxel (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSLow S100P expression contributes to drug resistance to paclitaxel in ovarian cancer cell lines. S100P expression thus might be a marker that can predict the effectiveness of paclitaxel based chemotherapy. Such a marker could be helpful in improving individual medication regimens for ovarian cancer patients.

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; pharmacology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Survival ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Female ; Humans ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Paclitaxel ; pharmacology ; S100 Proteins ; genetics ; physiology ; Transfection

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to identify clinical and pathologic characteristics of patients with uterine papillary serous carcinoma (UPSC) and to evaluate the overall survival. METHODS: Sixteen patients with FIGO stage I-IV UPSC who were surgically staged except one at the Asan medical Center between 1995 and 2004 were identified. For each patient, medical records, pathology reports and treatment modality were reviewed. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to generate survival data. RESULTS: There were 8 patients with stage I disease, 1 with stage II, 3 with stage III, and 4 with stage IV. The median age at the time of diagnosis was 64 years (range, 38-81 years). It occurred in 14 postmenopausal women who usually present with abnormal vaginal bleeding. Obesity, diabetes, hypertension, or a history of hormone replace therapy, known as risk factor of endometrial cancer, were not usually seen. Of the 15 patients who had surgical staging, 12 patients received adjuvant therapy, 2 patients no adjuvant therapy and 1 patient chemotherapy before and after surgery. 1 patient with advanced stage received chemotherapy without surgical staging. The 3-year survival rate was 21.4% and the median survival time for patients with early stage and advanced stage was 31.0 and 14.6 months respectively. CONCLUSION: In this patients with UPSC, there was a high proportion with abdominal metastasis and poor prognosis compared to endometrioid adenocarcinoma. Therefore, complete surgical staging like in case of ovarian cancer is vital in determining their prognosis and vigorous adjuvant therapies are required.
Carcinoma, Endometrioid ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Endometrial Neoplasms ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Medical Records ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Obesity ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Pathology ; Prognosis ; Risk Factors ; Survival Rate ; Uterine Hemorrhage