Intravaginal brachytherapy in FIGO stage I low-risk endometrial cancer: a controlled randomized study.

The purpose of the study was to compare postoperative vaginal irradiation with surgery alone in low-risk International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IA-IB endometrial carcinoma. The study was a prospective, randomized trial of 645 evaluable low-risk endometrial carcinoma patients from 6 European gynecologic cancer centers. All tumors were in FIGO stage IA-IB, of endometrioid histological type, and FIGO grade 1-2.

2-DE protein expression in endometrial carcinoma.

The objective of this study was to explore the protein expression pattern in normal endometrial mucosa (n = 5) and endometrial carcinoma (n = 15) of low (diploid) and high (aneuploid) malignancy potential by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). The specimens were evaluated for histopathologic subtype, stage and grade in relation to DNA ploidy. A match-set consisting of five samples from normal endometrium, eight diploid and seven aneuploid tumours was created.

Clinical and histopathologic factors related to prognosis in primary squamous cell carcinoma of the vagina.

The goal of this retrospective study concerning primary carcinoma of the vagina (PCV) was to analyze clinical and histopathologic prognostic factors in one of the largest known material, which comprised 314 patients. PCV is a rare disease, and the majority of published studies are based on small materials; therefore, the established knowledge concerning prognostic factors is insufficient. Routine treatment is based on irradiation with risk for undertreatment or overtreatment, which leads to unnecessary complications in the absence of prognostic factors.

Expression of DNA damage response proteins and complete remission after radiotherapy of stage IB-IIA of cervical cancer.

The primary aim of this study was to investigate if the expression of the DNA damage identifying protein DNA-PKcs known to be involved in DNA repair after treatment with ionising radiation can be used as a predictive marker for radiotherapy (RT) response in cervical cancer. Formalin-fixed primary tumour biopsies from 109 patients with cervical cancer, FIGO-stage IB-IIA, treated with preoperative brachytherapy followed by radical surgery were analysed by immunohistochemistry. In addition, correlation studies between early pathological tumour response to radiation and expression of Ku86, Ku70, Mdm-2, p53 and p21 in primary tumours were also performed.

Primary carcinoma of the vagina: factors influencing the age at diagnosis. The Radiumhemmet series 1956-96.

The objective to this retrospective study of 341 cases of primary carcinoma of vagina (PCV) diagnosed between 1956 and 1996 was to find whether epidemiological, clinical, and histopathological variables were related to the age at diagnosis of patients with PCV. The univariate statistical analysis showed that younger age at diagnosis significantly correlated with a history of cervical dysplasia, hysterectomy, gynecological infections, and tumors located in the upper part of the vagina, whereas older age at diagnosis significantly correlated with late menarche and exophytically growing tumors. In the multivariate regression analysis, the remaining independent predictors were a history of cervical dysplasia and age at menarche.

A population-based study of cervical carcinoma and HPV infection in Latvia.

Objectives: We wished to quantify the population-based importance of cervical carcinoma risk factors in Latvia.

Methods: Totally, 223 of 224 eligible cases of incident invasive cervical carcinoma were enrolled during July 1998-February 2001 in Latvia. An age-matched sample of 300 healthy control women was selected from the Latvian population registry and 239 of these women (79%) were enrolled.

Prognostic factors in surgical stage I endometrial carcinoma.

The prognostic impact of DNA ploidy, MIB-1 and p53 was evaluated in relation to clinical and histopathological features in surgical stage I endometrial carcinoma (n = 284) and in the histopathological endometrioid subgroup (n = 257). Tumour material from 284 consecutive patients was analysed regarding image cytometric DNA ploidy and the immunohistochemical MIB-1 and p53 expression. Twenty-four tumours relapsed.

Laminin-5 gamma2-chain expression and DNA ploidy as predictors of prognosis in endometrial carcinoma.

Expression of the laminin-5 gamma2-chain in carcinoma cells has been implicated in tumor invasion. The aim was to investigate the expression and prognostic significance of the ln-5 gamma2-chain compared with clinicopathological factors and tumor cell DNA ploidy in endometrial carcinoma. Histological specimens from 80 endometrial carcinomas were examined with respect to immunohistochemical ln-5 gamma2-chain expression and correlated to the clinicopathological characteristics, DNA ploidy, and survival.

Pathologic complete remission after preoperative intracavitary radiotherapy of cervical cancer stage Ib and IIa is a strong prognostic factor for long-term survival: analysis of the Radiumhemmet data 1989-1991.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the treatment results of preoperative brachytherapy and the prognostic value of pathologic complete remission after preoperative intracavitary irradiation in patients with stage Ib and IIa cervical carcinoma in relation to recurrence rate and survival. The clinical records of 185 patients with stage Ib (129 patients) and IIa (56 patients) cervical carcinoma, consecutively admitted to Radiumhemmet from January 1989 to December 1991 were reviewed. The median follow-up time was 71 months.

Evaluation of antibodies to human papillomavirus as prognostic markers in cervical cancer patients.

Objectives: We wished to evaluate whether the presence of antibodies to HPV or to the HPV oncoproteins E6 and E7 or type of HPV DNA is related to prognosis among cervical cancer patients.

Methods: Blood samples were drawn from 313 patients with incident, untreated cervical cancer on admission to two hospitals in Sweden. Patients were followed from enrollment in 1984-1991 until death or up to June 1999.

Nuclear DNA content, proliferative activity, and p53 expression related to clinical and histopathologic features in endometrial carcinoma.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic impact of image cytometry DNA ploidy, MIB-1, and p53 in relation to clinicopathologic variables in 376 consecutive patients with endometrial carcinoma stages I-IV. Following primary treatment 358 patients were considered tumor-free. Relapses and tumor-specific deaths of these patients were noted.

Cancer of the vagina: Laminin-5gamma2 chain expression and prognosis.

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the expression and the prognostic impact of the gamma2 subchain of laminin-5 in vaginal malignancies. The outcome of the rare disease primary carcinoma of the vagina is poor and little is known about prognostic markers. The gamma2 chain of laminin-5, an epithelial basement membrane protein, is thought to play a crucial role in tumor cell adhesion, migration, and proliferation, and may thus be an additive potential marker.

Serological evidence for protection by human papillomavirus (HPV) type 6 infection against HPV type 16 cervical carcinogenesis.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) exists as more than 100 genotypes. It is not well-established whether the different HPV types interfere with infection or pathogenesis by each other. Possible interactions in cervical carcinogenesis between infection with the most common HPV types (6, 11, 16, 18 and 33) were studied in a seroepidemiological case- control study of 218 women with primary untreated cervical cancer and 219 healthy age-matched control women.

Cisplatin administration to gynecologic cancer patients. Long-term effects on hearing.

Background: Cisplatin is known to create an acute dose-related ototoxic effect. There are unanswered questions regarding the long term effect of cisplatin on hearing in gynecologic cancer patients.

Methods: A retrospective review of 59 to 115 months' duration was performed on 184 women with gynecologic cancer who were treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy between 1982 and 1986.

Doxorubicin-melphalan with and without cisplatin in advanced ovarian cancer--ten-year survival results from a prospective randomized study by the Swedish Cooperative Ovarian Cancer Study Group.

In a controlled prospective randomized study the regimen doxorubicin (A) 40 mg/m2 + melphalan (M) 0.4 mg/kg was compared with A + M + cisplatin (C) 50 mg/m2 given every four weeks in advanced ovarian cancer, FIGO stage III or IV and with serous or anaplastic histology. From 1981 to 1983, 300 patients entered the study and 295 patients were evaluable for response, toxicity and long-term survival.

An open, randomized study to compare the efficacy and tolerability of tropisetron with that of a metoclopramide-containing antiemetic cocktail in the prevention of cisplatin-induced emesis.

In a prospective randomized study comprising 66 women treated for gynecologic malignancies with cisplatin-containing chemotherapy, the new 5-hydroxytryptamine3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonist tropisetron (Navoban, Sandoz Pharma Ltd.) was compared with a metoclopramide cocktail for the prevention of nausea and emesis. All patients were chemotherapy-naive.

Hexamethylmelamine as second-line therapy in platin-resistant ovarian cancer.

A total of 61 patients with recurrent or persistent clinically measurable platin-resistant epithelial ovarian carcinoma were treated with 260 mg/m2 oral hexamethylmelamine daily for 14 days, repeated at 4-week intervals. Platin resistance was defined as progression or stable disease during cis- or carboplatin treatment (used alone or in combination with other drugs), or relapse within 6 months after the end of that therapy. Fifty patients were evaluable for response and 57 for toxicity.

Prognostic flow cytometric information in cervical squamous cell carcinoma: a multivariate analysis of 307 patients.

In a prospective study of 307 patients with invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix, the prognostic impact of flow cytometric parameters (ploidy level and the fraction of S-phase cells) and clinical variables was evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses (Cox model). Mean follow-up time as 39 (4-84) months. A total of 93 patients died from their disease during the follow-up.

DNA ploidy, morphometry, and nuclear grade as prognostic factors in endometrial carcinoma.

In a retrospective analysis of 106 cases of endometrial carcinoma stages I-IV (FIGO), the prognostic value of DNA ploidy and nuclear morphometry of tumor cells was evaluated and compared with that of conventional clinical and histopathologic parameters. Paraffin-embedded tumor tissue from the original curettage specimens was used. A flow cytometric technique was employed to distinguish diploid from aneuploid tumors.

Intracavitary irradiation of endometrial carcinoma stage I by a high dose-rate afterloading technique.

Intracavitary irradiation was administered to 366 patients with endometrial carcinoma stage I by a high dose-rate afterloading method using 60Co sources (bulb technique). In 275 cases hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy were performed 6 weeks later and in 91 cases dilation and curettage was used to verify tumor eradication. In 58% of the hysterectomy specimens no residual carcinoma was detected at the histopathologic evaluation.

Misonidazole combined with radiotherapy in the treatment of carcinoma of the uterine cervix.

Between April 1979 and January 1982, 331 patients were included in a study to establish whether misonidazole (MISO) had any effect as an adjuvant to radiotherapy in the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix (FIGO Stage IIb, III, and IVa). Patients were randomized to receive either MISO (12 g/m2 applied within 6 weeks) or placebo. This was given in conjunction with each institution's normal radiotherapy schedule and thus varied with regard to external and intracavitary irradiation.

VM-26-vincristine-cisplatin combination chemotherapy in the treatment of primary advanced and recurrent endometrial carcinoma.

A chemotherapeutic combination consisting of VM-26-vincristine-cisplatin was used to treat 44 consecutive patients with primary advanced or recurrent endometrial carcinomas. Nine complete remissions (20.5%) and 14 partial remissions (31.

Preoperative intracavitary irradiation of endometrial carcinoma stage I by a high dose rate afterloading technique.

Preoperative intracavitary irradiation was administered to 366 patients with endometrial carcinoma stage I by a high dose rate afterloading method using 60Co sources (bulb-technique). In 275 cases hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy were performed 6 weeks later and in 91 cases dilation and curettage was used to verify tumor eradication. In 58% of the hysterectomy specimens no residual carcinoma was detected at the histopathologic evaluation.