This case report describes a unique pattern of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 expression in a patient with uterine carcinosarcoma. The endometrial tumor showed biphasic morphology composed of serous carcinoma and a heterologous high-grade sarcoma component. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 immunostaining showed positive (3+) expression in foci of myoinvasion, lymphovascular invasion, and lymph node metastasis but was negative in both the endometrial surface tumor and sarcomatous component.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Chemo-radiation (chemoRT) has improved the overall survival for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) though women whose disease involves the para-aortic nodes (PAN) experience recurrence rates and worse survival outcomes compared to those without PAN involvement. This Phase I study determined if additional cycles of systemic chemotherapy could be safely added to extended field chemoRT in this population of patients.
Methods: Women with LACC and documented positive PAN were eligible for treatment.
The Da Vinci robotic surgical platform has rapidly been adopted by skilled surgeons for procedures in gynecologic oncology. The lack of specific procedural guides and surgical atlases for robotic surgery in gynecologic oncology produces challenges in the education of trainees in their role both as the assistant and as the console surgeon. This procedural guide was developed in order to facilitate trainee education in the technical aspects of radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer using the Da Vinci robotic surgical platform.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) conducted a phase II trial to assess the efficacy and tolerability of the anti-EGFR antibody cetuximab, in persistent or recurrent carcinoma of the cervix.
Patients And Methods: Eligible patients had cervical cancer, measurable disease, and GOG performance status ≤2. Treatment consisted of cetuximab 400 mg/m(2) initial dose followed by 250 mg/m(2) weekly until disease progression or prohibitive toxicity.
Background: We tested if magnesium would diminish bothersome hot flashes in breast cancer patients.
Methods: Breast cancer patients with at least 14 hot flashes a week received magnesium oxide 400 mg for 4 weeks, escalating to 800 mg if needed. Hot flash score (frequency × severity) at baseline was compared to the end of treatment.
Purpose: To assess the differences in health-related quality of life (HRQL) of 4 cisplatin containing doublet chemotherapy combinations in women with advanced/recurrent cervical carcinoma.
Methods: Patients were randomized to three-week cycles of paclitaxel + cisplatin (PC); vinorelbine + C (VC); gemcitabine + C (GC); or topotecan + C (TC). We report HRQL results from data available on 434 eligible patients enrolled into this 513 patient trial.
Purpose: Assess toxicity and efficacy of cisplatin (Cis) doublet combinations in advanced and recurrent cervical carcinoma.
Patients And Methods: Patients were randomly assigned to paclitaxel 135 mg/m(2) over 24 hours plus Cis 50 mg/m(2) day 2 every 3 weeks (PC, reference arm); vinorelbine 30 mg/m(2) days 1 and 8 plus Cis 50 mg/m(2) day 1 every 3 weeks (VC); gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m(2) day 1 and 8 plus Cis 50 mg/m(2) day 1 every 3 weeks (GC); or topotecan 0.75 mg/m(2) days 1, 2, and 3 plus Cis 50 mg/m(2) day 1 every 3 weeks (TC).
Purpose: To estimate the antitumor activity of pemetrexed in patients with persistent or recurrent platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian or primary peritoneal cancer and to determine the nature and degree of toxicities.
Patients And Methods: A phase II trial was conducted by the Gynecologic Oncology Group. Patients must have had cancer that had progressed on platinum-based primary chemotherapy or recurred within 6 months.
Non-healing wounds represent a significant cause of morbidity and mortality for a large portion of the adult population. Wounds that fail to heal are entrapped in a self-sustaining cycle of chronic inflammation leading to the destruction of the extracellular matrix. Among cancer patients, malnutrition, radiation, physical dehabilitation, chemotherapy, and the malignancy itself increase the likelihood of chronic wound formation, and these co-morbidity factors inhibit the normal wound healing process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEpithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the leading cause of death among all gynecologic cancers in the United States. Because women who are diagnosed with early stage disease have a better prognosis than women diagnosed with late stage disease, early detection represents a potentially practical approach to reduce the mortality associated with EOC. Unfortunately, no single screening test has proven to be effective for this purpose, and a valid and feasible screening program to detect early stage EOC in the general population has not yet been devised.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEpithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the leading cause of death from gynecologic malignancies in the United States, for which risk assessment, screening, and diagnostic tests are needed. We have shown previously that women with stage III/IV EOC have lower serum p110 sEGFR/sErbB1 (Soluble Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor) concentrations than healthy women. Here, we show that serum p110 sEGFR/sErbB1 is the product of a 3-kb EGFR/ERBB1 alternate transcript.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The purpose of this study was to determine the survival rates and toxicity levels that are associated with multimodal therapy (including neoadjuvant methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin [MVAC]) in patients with stage IIB to IVB cervical cancer.
Study Design: We retrospectively reviewed the cases of 49 patients who were treated between 1989 and 1997 with neoadjuvant MVAC for advanced cervical cancer.
Results: The clinical response rate was 90% (27 partial responders, 17 complete responders).