Short-term outcomes of uterine artery embolization for urgent or emergent abnormal uterine bleeding.

Purpose: To evaluate the outcomes of uterine artery embolization (UAE) for patients with urgent or emergent abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB).

Materials And Methods: Retrospective review of all patients from 1/2009-12/2020 who were treated urgently or emergently with UAE for AUB. Urgent and emergent cases were defined as those requiring inpatient admissions.

Systematic Next Generation Sequencing is feasible in clinical practice and identifies opportunities for targeted therapy in women with uterine cancer: Results from a prospective cohort study.

Background: Both incidence and mortality of uterine cancer are on the rise and mortality is higher for African American women. The aim of our study was to evaluate how Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) may facilitate identification of and intervention for treatment disparities when integrated into clinical workflows.

Results: Our cohort included 159 uterine cancer patients with recurrent/progressive and newly diagnosed advanced stage and/or high-risk histology.

Neutralization of TGFβ Improves Tumor Immunity and Reduces Tumor Progression in Ovarian Carcinoma.

The immunosuppressive effects of TGFβ promotes tumor progression and diminishes response to therapy. In this study, we used ID8-p53 tumors as a murine model of high-grade serous ovarian cancer. An mAb targeting all three TGFβ ligands was used to neutralize TGFβ.

Inhibiting WNT Ligand Production for Improved Immune Recognition in the Ovarian Tumor Microenvironment.

In ovarian cancer, upregulation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway leads to chemoresistance and correlates with T cell exclusion from the tumor microenvironment (TME). Our objectives were to validate these findings in an independent cohort of ovarian cancer subjects and determine whether inhibiting the Wnt pathway in a syngeneic ovarian cancer murine model could create a more T-cell-inflamed TME, which would lead to decreased tumor growth and improved survival. We preformed RNA sequencing in a cohort of human high grade serous ovarian carcinoma subjects.

Novel Therapeutics for Recurrent Cervical Cancer: Moving Towards Personalized Therapy.

While screening programs and HPV vaccination have decreased the incidence of cervical cancer, still over 13,000 cases occur in the USA annually. Early-stage cervical cancer has an excellent long-term prognosis, with 5-year survival for localized disease being > 90%. Survival decreases markedly for both locally advanced and metastatic disease, and both are associated with a higher risk of recurrence.

Neutrophilia and mortality in women with uterine carcinosarcoma.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between pre-treatment absolute neutrophil count and clinical outcomes in patients with uterine carcinosarcoma.

Methods: In an Institutional Review Board approved, retrospective cohort study of 103 patients with uterine carcinosarcoma, the pre-treatment absolute neutrophil count data were obtained from the medical records, along with clinical, pathologic, treatment, and outcome data. Kaplan-Meier survival estimates were calculated and compared by the log rank test.

Review: Targeting the Transforming Growth Factor-Beta Pathway in Ovarian Cancer.

Despite extensive efforts, there has been limited progress in optimizing treatment of ovarian cancer patients. The vast majority of patients experience recurrence within a few years despite a high response rate to upfront therapy. The minimal improvement in overall survival of ovarian cancer patients in recent decades has directed research towards identifying specific biomarkers that serve both as prognostic factors and targets for therapy.

Hypoalbuminemia is a Predictive Factor for Fistula Formation in Recurrent Cervical Cancer.

Objective: Antivascular endothelial growth factor monoclonal antibodies inhibit tumor angiogenesis, consequently impeding the recruitment of new vasculature to existing and new tumor lesions. We sought to evaluate toxicities in women with recurrent cervical cancer after receiving bevacizumab combination chemotherapy.

Methods: A review was conducted of women with recurrent and metastatic cervical cancer who were treated with salvage chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab between 2005 and 2015.

Results of a pilot multicenter genotype-based randomized placebo-controlled trial of propranolol to reduce pain after major thermal burn injury.

Background: Results of previous studies suggest that β-adrenoreceptor activation may augment pain, and that β-adrenoreceptor antagonists may be effective in reducing pain, particularly in individuals not homozygous for the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) high-activity haplotype.

Materials And Methods: Consenting patients admitted for thermal burn injury at participating burn centers were genotyped; those who were not high-activity COMT homozygotes were randomized to propranolol 240 mg/d or placebo. Primary outcomes were study feasibility (consent rate, protocol completion rate) and pain scores on study days 5 to 19.

Catechol-O-methyltransferase genotype predicts pain severity in hospitalized burn patients.

Increasing evidence suggests that stress system activation after burn injury may contribute to burn-related pain. If this is the case, then genetic variations influencing the function of important stress system components, such as the enzyme catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), may predict pain severity after thermal burn injury. The authors evaluated the association between COMT genotype and pain intensity in 57 individuals hospitalized after thermal burn injury.