An approach to teaching ethical, legal, and psychosocial aspects of gynecologic oncology in a residency program.

An approach to teaching ethical, legal, and psychosocial issues in gynecologic oncology has been integrated into an obstetrics and gynecology residency program. Team-teaching is used, involving gynecologic oncology faculty members and a medical ethicist with experience teaching in the clinical setting of obstetrics and gynecology. The teaching takes place as part of ongoing teaching rounds in the division of gynecologic oncology.

Paclitaxel has moderate activity in squamous cervix cancer. A Gynecologic Oncology Group study.

Purpose: Taxol (paclitaxel; Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ) is a new antineoplastic drug with broad-spectrum activity in solid tumors, including epithelial ovarian cancer, head and neck cancer, esophageal cancer, breast cancer, bladder cancer, and lung cancer. Its unique mechanism of action, polymerization of tubulin monomers, has stimulated both clinical and preclinical research on this agent. As limited drug supplies became more plentiful, a phase II trial of Taxol was initiated in patients with advanced squamous cervix cancer who had received no prior chemotherapy.

Nucleolar organizer regions in adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix.

Background: Nucleolar organizer regions (AgNORs) are associated with proliferative activity and ploidy in many tumors. The endocervical growth pattern of cervical adenocarcinoma renders tumor volume assessment more difficult, necessitating additional prognostic indicators.

Methods: Thirty-five cases of cervical adenocarcinoma were evaluated by reviewing charts and histologic sections.

Identification of p53 mutations in endometrial adenocarcinoma by polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism.

Objective: We determined whether mutations in p53 exons 5-6-7-8, as detected in the polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) test, might be correlated with stage or grade in endometrial adenocarcinoma.

Methods: We amplified sequences containing exons 5, 6, 7, or 8 in DNA from tumors and controls. Mutation within the amplified sequences was indicated by changes in electrophoretic mobility (band shifts) in the SSCP test.

Surgicopathologic staging of endometrial adenocarcinoma.

In 1988, the International Federation of Gynecologists and Obstetricians' (FIGO) staging criteria for endometrial cancer were changed to require that surgical observations be included in the staging process. Staging now requires thorough intraperitoneal and retroperitoneal search and documentation of metastatic cancer; in addition, direct uterine inspection for tumor invasion and degree of cervical involvement replace length of uterine cavity and endocervical curettage. With change, there have naturally been questions regarding the method, benefit, and risk of surgical staging.