Retrospective study of the impact of pharmacogenetic variants on paclitaxel toxicity and survival in patients with ovarian cancer.

Purpose: Paclitaxel has a broad spectrum of anti-tumor activity and is useful in the treatment of ovarian, breast, and lung cancer. Paclitaxel is metabolized in the liver by CYP2C8 and CYP3A4 and transported by P-glycoprotein. The dose-limiting toxicities are neuropathy and neutropenia, but the interindividual variability in toxicity and also survival is large.

Accuracy of preoperative tumor grade and intraoperative gross examination of myometrial invasion in patients with endometrial cancer.

Background And Aims: Preoperative prediction of metastases to the regional lymph nodes in women with endometrioid endometrial cancer is a challenge. According to the Danish Gynaecological Cancer Society guidelines, a pelvic lymphadenectomy is warranted in all poorly differentiated tumors and all stage Ic disease. We have evaluated the accuracy of preoperative tumor grade and intraoperative gross examination of myometrial invasion, in predicting the need for a pelvic lymphadenectomy.

Gene expression in epithelial ovarian cancer: a study of intratumor heterogeneity.

The aim of this study was to investigate the intratumor heterogeneity of gene expression profiles in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). This was done to evaluate whether sampling of a single macrodissected tissue sample from each EOC case would bias the data and result in, eg, prognostic studies based on gene expression microarray experiments. From nine EOCs removed at Odense University Hospital, Denmark, three tumor samples of 200-300 mg each were taken with greatest possible mutual distance.

[Screening for cervical cancer in the county of Funen. Status of 25 years of development and experiences].

Introduction: Since 1979 screening against cervical cancer has been conducted in the County of Funen. In the period 1979-1988 the screening against cervical cancer was opportunistic, where women aged 25-55 years had a PAP-smear taken once a year by their GP or gynaecologists at the hospitals. In this period the coverage was only about 50% and the number of cervical cancer was not decreasing as seen in Counties with organised screening programmes.

Prognostic significance of p53, Her-2, and EGFR overexpression in borderline and epithelial ovarian cancer.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the prognostic effect of p53, Her-2, and EGFR in borderline and epithelial ovarian cancer. Tumor tissue from 85 patients with borderline and 783 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer stage I-IV were analyzed immunohistochemically for p53 positivity and over-expression of Her-2 and EGFR. In the ovarian cancer (OC) group 415 patients (53%) had p53-positive tumors, 272 (35%) had tumors with Her-2 over-expression, and 483 (62%) had over-expression of EGFR.

[False negative Pap smears in a Danish material].

Introduction: The aims of screening against cervical cancer are: 1) to reduce the number of cervical cancer cases, 2) to diagnose the cervical carcinoma precursor lesions of which treatment is quite simple and 3) to use the available resources in the best possible way. The purposes of this study were firstly to get an impression of the false negative rate in the County of Funen, secondly to illustrate some of the causes, and thirdly to recommend some ways to reduce the false negative cases in the future.

Material And Methods: All previously negative Pap smears in the period from April 1, 1989 to December 31, 1999 from women who had shown at least moderate dysplasia histologically in the period from Jan 1, 1996 to December 31, 2000 were reevaluated.

[Cause and follow-up of inadequate cervical smears in the county of Funen].

Background: Inadequate cervical smears cause repetition of sampling, which is both costly and a cause of concern to the patient. The objective of this study was to examine why cervical smears were classified as inadequate and to elucidate the underlying diagnoses in order to make recommendations on how to improve smear quality and the interpretation of the sample.

Materials And Methods: We investigated 2113 inadequate smears from the screening population in the County of Funen and they were classified according to the cause of inadequacy and the final diagnoses.

Does plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) control trophoblast invasion? A study of fetal and maternal tissue in intrauterine, tubal and molar pregnancies.

Urokinase plasminogen activator, its receptor and the inhibitor PAI-1 are believed to control proteolysis and remodelling of maternal tissue during trophoblast invasion. This system appears to be strictly regulated in normal intrauterine pregnancies whereas tubal and molar pregnancies seem to be characterized by an uncontrolled excessive placental invasion. This study evaluates subcellular PAI-1 by immunohistochemistry in the villous placenta, in the basal plate and placental bed, and in the decidual compartments of normal, tubal and molar pregnancies.

Localization of E-cadherin in villous, extravillous and vascular trophoblasts during intrauterine, ectopic and molar pregnancy.

Previous reports have described down-regulation of E-cadherin in trophoblasts differentiating to an invasive phenotype. This study shows the localization of E-cadherin in a prospective design with stereological sampling of fetal and maternal first, second and third trimester tissue. E-cadherin was observed in villous cytotrophoblasts, and in non-proliferating, intermediate trophoblasts (IT) within cell columns and islands in intrauterine, ectopic and partial molar placentas.

Mucinous cystadenocarcinoma in combination with hemangiosarcoma in the ovary.

The ovary is the sixth most frequent site of cancer in women in Denmark with an incidence of approximately 600 cases per year. Carcinomas predominate whereas sarcomas are rare. We describe a case of the combination mucinous cystadenocarcinoma and hemangiosarcoma in a 37-year old woman, who had a right-sited oophorectomy because of a cyst.

Efficacy of Ki-67 antigen staining in Papanicolaou (Pap) smears in post-menopausal women with atypia--an audit.

In cervical smears from post-menopausal women with mucosal atrophy it can be difficult to distinguish atrophic epithelial cell groups from neoplastic cell groups on cytomorphological criteria only. The consequence of post-menopausal atypia is that the woman is referred for a repeat smear after local oestrogen treatment or for colposcopy. We investigated whether immunocytochemical expression of Ki-67 (MIB-1) on the primary Papanicolaou-stained smear could be of any diagnostic help.

Localization and significance of urokinase plasminogen activator and its receptor in placental tissue from intrauterine, ectopic and molar pregnancies.

Urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) is a membrane-anchored protein with urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) as the ligand. This complex induces proteolysis and remodelling of maternal decidua during placental implantation. The presence of uPAR on trophoblasts is supposed to promote adhesion, migration and invasion.

[Evaluation of PAPNET--a semiautomated system used in the screening against cervical cancer].

The PAPNET-system is a current example of automated technological progress in the pathological laboratory field. As the first Department of Pathology in Denmark, we have tested the applicability of this semi-automatical screening system in screening against cervical cancer. 3000 prospectively selected cervical smears were entered into the project.

[Follow-up of non-negative cervical cytological smears in the county of Funen].

The outcome of screening for cervical cancer in the county of Funen was evaluated in two sequential periods (1.7.-31.

Primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) of the uterine cavity.

The occurrence of primitive neuroectodermal tumors located in the uterus is extremely rare. Eight cases have been described in the literature, and with the addition of this ninth case, we summarize treatment and outcome of PNET located in the uterine cavity.

[Screening against cervical cancer. Experiences, attitudes and knowledge of women in the county of Funen].

Questionnaires on women's attitudes and knowledge of cervical screening in the County of Funen were mailed to a sample of 1505 attenders aged 23-59 years, stratified on age and residence. A high proportion of attenders (80.4%) answered the questionnaire.

[Patients with early stages of endometrial cancer should be spared adjuvant radiotherapy. Danish Endometrial Cancer Group].

In an attempt to create uniform nationwide guidelines for the management of all stages of endometrial carcinoma, and to limit the use of adjuvant radiation therapy in stage I disease to high-risk patients only, a protocol was developed by the Danish Endometrial Cancer group (DEMCA). From September 1986 through August 1988, 1214 women in Denmark with newly diagnosed carcinoma of the endometrium have been treated according to this protocol. This figure represents all endometrial carcinomas diagnosed in Denmark during this two-year period.

Immunohistochemistry (Ki-67 and p53) as a tool in determining malignancy in smooth muscle neoplasms (exemplified by a myxoid leiomyosarcoma of the uterus).

Smooth muscle tumours of the uterus at times represent a problem as it may be difficult to distinguish between benign and malignant tumours. The myxoid leiomyosarcoma (a rare type of neoplasm) reported here is an example of this. We present a case history and examine the suitability of Ki-67 and p53 as indicators of malignancy.

[Costs and effects of alternative screening programs against cervical cancer].

This paper presents a framework for comparison of screening programme designs, based on efficiency and cost effectiveness criteria. Design parameters such as choice of screening interval and which population segments to screen are varied simultaneously. The costs and effects for a range of existing and hypothetical screening programmes for cervical cancer are estimated, using a mathematical simulation model.

[Atypical cervix uteri smears--consequences?].

Among 37,992 cervical smears (725 (1.9%)) were found to be atypical. All atypial smears were referred for colposcopically guided biopsies and cervical abrasio within three months.

Ectopic pregnancy: histopathology and assessment of cell proliferation with and without methotrexate treatment.

Objective: To evaluate tubal morphology, trophoblast proliferation, and inflammatory reaction in response to methotrexate (MTX) treatment of ectopic pregnancy (EP).

Design: Nonrandomized controlled study.

Setting: Academic hospital.

A cost-effectiveness analysis of cervical cancer screening: health policy implications.

This paper presents a framework for comparison of screening programme designs, based on efficiency and cost effectiveness criteria. The design parameters, such as choice of screening interval, which population segments to screen and expected participation rates in the selected population segments, are varied simultaneously. The costs and effects for a range of existing and hypothetical screening programmes against cervical cancer are estimated, using a mathematical simulation model.