No abstract available.

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

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) reflects changes in proton mobility caused by pathological alterations of tissue cellularity, cellular membrane integrity, extracellular space perfusion, and fluid viscosity. Functional imaging is becoming increasingly important in the evaluation of cancer patients because of the limitations of morphologic imaging. DWI is being applied to the detection and characterization of tumors and the evaluation of treatment response in patients with cancer. The advantages of DWI include its cost-effectiveness and brevity of execution, its complete noninvasiveness, its lack of ionizing radiation, and the fact that it does not require injection of contrast material, thus enabling its use in patients with renal dysfunction. In this article, we describe the clinical application of DWI to gynecological disorders and its diagnostic efficacy therein.
Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Extracellular Space ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Membranes ; Perfusion ; Protons ; Radiation, Ionizing ; Viscosity

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) using daily low-dose cisplatin for cervical cancer. METHODS: Fifty-one patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (FIGO stage IB2, bulky IIA, IIB-IVA) who were treated with CCRT as primary therapy at Kurume University Hospital between 2000 and 2007 were retrospectively reviewed. CCRT consisted of 5 mg/m2/day of cisplatin 5 days per week, and external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) administrated to whole pelvis to 45-50.6 Gy. High-dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy was delivered in a single dose of 4-5 Gy at point A, once a week after 20-30 Gy of EBRT. RESULTS: The median follow-up duration was 42 months (range, 5 to 116 months). The overall response rate was 94.1%. Five year overall survival rate was 71.5% and 46.2% in stage I or II, and stage III or IVA, respectively. During follow-up period, 30 recurrences (58.8%) were found, the local failure rate was 39%, and distant failure rate was 35.2%, and both (local and distant) were 15.7%. Hematological toxicities were the most frequent acute toxicities. Grade 3 and 4 neutropenia was observed in 37.3%. Late intestinal toxicities appeared in 7 cases (13.7%), which occurred between 6 and 114 months after treatment. Four cases required bowel surgery. CONCLUSION: CCRT using daily low-dose cisplatin was tolerable and showed favorable initial response as the primary therapy for locally advanced uterine cervical cancer. But there was no remarkable long-term benefit for patients' survival or local disease control in this study. The incidence of late intestinal toxicity still requires further investigation.
Brachytherapy ; Chemoradiotherapy ; Cisplatin ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Neutropenia ; Pelvis ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

OBJECTIVE: A number of new techniques have been developed to prevent lymphocele formation after pelvic lymphadenectomy in gynecologic cancers. We assessed whether the electrothermal bipolar vessel sealing device (EBVSD) could decrease the incidence of postoperative lymphocele secondary to pelvic lymphadenectomy. METHODS: A total of 321 patients with gynecologic cancer underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy from 2005 to 2011. Pelvic lymphadenectomy without EBVSD was performed in 134 patients, and pelvic lymphadenectomy with EBVSD was performed in 187 patients. We retrospectively compared the incidence of lymphocele and symptoms between both groups. RESULTS: Four to 8 weeks after operation, 108 cases of lymphocele (34%) were detected by computed tomography scan examination. The incidence of lymphocele after pelvic lymphadenectomy was 56% (75/134) in the tie ligation group, and 18% (33/187) in the EBVSD group. We found a statistically significant difference in the incidence of lymphocele between both groups (p<0.01). To detect the independent risk factor for lymphocele development, we performed multivariate analysis with logistic regression for three variables (device, number of dissected lymph nodes, and operation time). Among these variables, we found a significant difference (p<0.001) for only one device. CONCLUSION: Use of the EBVSD during gynecological cancer operation is useful for preventing the development of lymphocele secondary to pelvic lymphadenectomy.
Adult ; Electrocoagulation/instrumentation/*methods ; Female ; Genital Neoplasms, Female/pathology/*surgery ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision/adverse effects/*methods ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Lymphocele/etiology/*prevention & control ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Pelvis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

A radical hysterectomy was performed on patients with stage IA2 to IIB cervical cancer. For these patients, many histopathological parameters have been reported to be prognostic factors of cervical cancer, such as a pelvic lymph node (PLN) metastasis, the histological subtype, the tumor diameter, the depth of the stromal invasion, a lymph-vascular space invasion (LVSI), a parametrial invasion, a corpus invasion and a vaginal invasion. Ovarian cancer is normally treated with cytoreductive surgery followed by chemotherapy. Although physicians have paid a great deal of attention to intraperitoneal disease, a substantial number of ovarian cancers have reported to involve the retroperitoneal lymph nodes. Therefore, a lymph node metastasis has been introduced into FIGO staging. However, the prognostic significance of a lymph node metastasis is controversial. In order to determine the possibility of individualizing a pelvic lymph node (PLN) dissection in patients with endometrial cancer, the relationship between PLN metastasis and the various prognostic factors was investigated. In this paper, various prognostic variables including a lymph node metastasis were analyzed in cervical cancer, enodometrial cancer, and ovarian cancer.
Cervix Neoplasms/pathology ; Endometrial Neoplasms/pathology ; Female ; Genital Neoplasms, Female/*pathology ; Human ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Ovarian Neoplasms/pathology

A 61-year old woman underwent total abdominal hysterectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection under the diagnosis of endometrial cancer. Although pelvic lymph nodes were positive for adenocarcinoma with psamomma bodies, no other lesion that was a primary lesion was verified. A postoperative study revealed the existence of para-aortic lymph node and supraclavicular lymph node metastases. Therefore, the endometrial biopsy specimen was reviewed. With the findings of p53 positivity by immunohistochemistry in the papillary part, the final histopathological diagnosis was changed to endometrial serous adenocarcinoma. Postoperative chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy for supraclavicular lymph node metastasis achieved complete response. This type of tumor must be considered in a differential diagnosis when metastatic papillary serous carcinoma is detected, but the primary site remains unknown.
Adenocarcinoma ; Biopsy ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Endometrial Neoplasms ; Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis

This workshop was held on July 31-August 1, 2010 and was organized to promote the academic environment and to enhance the communication among Asian countries prior to the 2nd biennial meeting of Australian Society of Gynaecologic Oncologists (ASGO), which will be held on November 3-5, 2011. We summarized the whole contents presented at the workshop. Regarding cervical cancer screening in Asia, particularly in low resource settings, and an update on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination was described for prevention and radical surgery overview, fertility sparing and less radical surgery, nerve sparing radical surgery and primary chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced cervical cancer, were discussed for management. As to surgical techniques, nerve sparing radical hysterectomy, optimal staging in early ovarian cancer, laparoscopic radical hysterectomy, one-port surgery and robotic surgery were introduced. After three topics of endometrial cancer, laparoscopic surgery versus open surgery, role of lymphadenectomy and fertility sparing treatment, there was a special additional time for clinical trials in Asia. Finally, chemotherapy including neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, optimal surgical management, and the basis of targeted therapy in ovarian cancer were presented.
Asia ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Chemoradiotherapy ; Endometrial Neoplasms ; Female ; Fertility ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Laparoscopy ; Lymph Node Excision ; Mass Screening ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; Vaccination