Weekly administration of bevacizumab, gemcitabine, and oxaliplatin in patients with recurrent and refractory ovarian cancer: a preliminary result of 19 cases.

Objective: Combination therapy using gemcitabine with oxaliplatin (GEMOX) showed moderate activity in recurrent ovarian cancers. However, severe toxicities have been observed in patients who received full-dose therapy of GEMOX. On the other hand, bevacizumab enhances chemotherapeutic efficacy in various cancers.

Complete remission of recurrent ovarian clear cell carcinoma by chemotherapy with bevacizumab, trabectedin and oxaliplatin.

Clear cell carcinoma of the ovary has shown an exceedingly chemo-resistant phenotype, especially in cases that are recurrent or refractory to previous therapy. Also, progression-free survival was less than 6 months, even in the patients that achieved response when they were treated with conventional anti-cancer cytotoxic agents. We present a case with recurrent and refractory ovarian clear cell carcinoma that achieved complete remission using a combination of bevacizumab, trabectedin and oxaliplatin.

Effects of bevacizumab and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin for the patients with recurrent or refractory ovarian cancers.

Objectives: Currently, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) is regarded as one of the standard treatment options in recurrent ovarian cancers (ROC). Bevacizumab has shown significant antitumor activity for ROC in single-agent or in combination with cytotoxic agents. We have conducted a preliminary study to investigate effects of combination of bevacizumab and PLD for heavily pretreated patients with ROC.

Weekly administration of temsirolimus for heavily pretreated patients with clear cell carcinoma of the ovary: a report of six cases.

Clear cell carcinoma (CCC) of the ovary is well-known to be chemotherapy resistant compared with other histologic subtypes. An inhibitor against the mammalian target of rapamycin, temsirolimus (TEM) has been reported to be effective in renal CCC. Therefore, we investigated the effects of TEM in patients with CCC of the ovary.

Massive intra-abdominal undifferentiated carcinoma derived from an endometrioid adenocarcinoma in a "normal-sized" ovary.

We report a case of massive intra-abdominal undifferentiated carcinoma derived from a tiny well-differentiated endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the ovary. The patient, a 56-year-old woman, who presented with a large intra-abdominal mass, underwent cytoreductive surgery with hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Macroscopically, the intra-abdominal mass was composed of fragile and solid tumor components with extensive necro-hemorrhagic areas, mimicking a primary peritoneal tumor.

Altered phospholipid transfer protein gene expression and serum lipid profile by topotecan.

Camptothecin (CPT) and its structural analogues including topotecan and irinotecan, are inhibitors of topoisomerase I. These drugs are clinically active against a broad spectrum of cancers. To understand the genesis of chemotherapeutic resistance to the CPT family of anticancer drugs, we examined by gene expression profiling the pharmacological response to topotecan in the human hepatoma HepG2 cells and found a striking induction of the phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) gene expression by topotecan.

Interaction of the regulatory subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase with PATZ1 (ZNF278).

The effects of cAMP in cell are predominantly mediated by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), which is composed of two genetically distinct subunits, catalytic (C) and regulatory (R), forming a tetrameric holoenzyme R(2)C(2). The only known function for the R subunit is that of inhibiting the activity of the C subunit kinase. It has been shown that overexpression of RIalpha, but not the C subunit kinase, is associated with neoplastic transformation.

Identification of potential serum markers for endometrial cancer using protein expression profiling.

Objectives: Screening method of endometrial cancer (EC) has not been established yet. Our study was to explore serum biomarkers of EC patients using surface-enhanced laser desorption and ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS).

Methods: Serum samples from 65 EC patients and 40 controls were analyzed by SELDI-TOF MS (training set).

Survival analysis of ovarian clear cell carcinoma confined to the ovary with or without comprehensive surgical staging.

Pure-type clear cell carcinoma (CCC) has been recognized as a distinct subtype of ovarian cancer, showing a resistance to chemotherapy and resulting in poor prognosis. Our aim was to evaluate the effects of complete surgical procedures followed by adjuvant chemotherapy for CCC patients whose tumors were confined to the ovary (pT1M0). During the period of 1987-2005, 56 patients with stage I CCC were identified and two cases were excluded due to retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis.

Expression of platelet-derived growth factors and their receptors in ovarian clear-cell carcinoma and its putative precursors.

Recent studies have shown that platelet-derived growth factors and their receptors are frequently co-expressed in ovarian cancers. Herein, we investigated the role of the platelet-derived growth factor pathway in the development of ovarian clear-cell adenocarcinoma, a highly chemoresistant form of ovarian cancer. Immunohistochemical expression of platelet-derived growth factor receptor-alpha and receptor-beta, platelet-derived growth factor A-chain and B-chain was examined in 31 cases of clear-cell adenocarcinoma and 56 coexisting putative precursor lesions: 17 non-atypical and 19 atypical endometrioses, and 10 non-atypical and 10 atypical clear-cell adenofibroma components.

Clinicopathological significance of WT1 expression in ovarian cancer: a possible accelerator of tumor progression in serous adenocarcinoma.

Recently, oncogenic potential of the WT1 gene has been proposed in some human solid tumors and leukemias. Although previous studies have shown the frequent expression of the WT1 protein in ovarian serous adenocarcinomas (OSAs), its clinicopathologic significance is still unclear. We immunohistochemically examined the expression status of WT1 in 119 OSAs and analyzed the correlation of the intensity of WT1 immunoreactivity with the level of WT1 mRNA expression by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, clinicopathologic variables, expression of p53, Bcl-2, and Ki-67 labeling index (LI).

Clear cell adenocarcinoma associated with clear cell adenofibromatous components: a subgroup of ovarian clear cell adenocarcinoma with distinct clinicopathologic characteristics.

We occasionally encountered clear cell adenofibromatous (CCAF) components coexisting in the ovarian clear cell adenocarcinoma (CCA). To reveal the clinicopathologic significance of CCAF components in CCA, we classified 67 cases of surgically resected CCA into CCA with and without CCAF components [CCAF(+) and (-) groups], and compared clinicopathologic parameters, that is, patient age, clinical stage, the degree of optimal cytoreduction, patient outcome, histologic grade and Ki-67 labeling index of the CCA, and the presence of endometriosis, between these 2 groups. Fourteen cases (21%) and 53 cases were classified as CCAF(+) and CCAF(-) groups, respectively.

Effect of HER-2/neu overexpression on chemoresistance and prognosis in ovarian carcinoma.

Aim: To investigate the effect of HER-2/neu protein overexpression on chemoresistance and prognosis in patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma.

Methods: A total of 141 ovarian carcinoma tissues surgically resected between 1987 and 2003 were assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The characteristic of the patients and immunohistochemical results were compared by chi2-test.

Inhibitory effects of bisphosphonates on the proliferation of human ovarian cancer cell lines and the mechanism.

Bisphosphonates are now well established as successful agents for the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis and corticosteroid-induced bone loss. Bisphosphonates have also recently become important in the management of cancer-induced bone disease, and they now have a widely recognized role for patients with multiple myeloma and bone metastases secondary to breast cancer and prostate cancer. Recent studies suggest that, besides the strong antiosteoclastic activity, the efficacy of such compounds in the oncological setting could also be due to direct anti-tumor effect.

Application of expression genomics for predicting treatment response in cancer.

During tumor progression, multiple genetic changes in the genome vastly alter the transcriptomes of cancers. Some of these changes, including the mutations of various growth regulatory genes as well as alterations in the transcription of a large number of genes, may lead to resistance to treatment. Therefore, capturing such genomic information of the tumors would enable a physician to decide on the course of treatment options clinically available.

Treatment options in the management of ovarian cancer.

The standard regimen used as primary chemotherapy of ovarian cancer is combination chemotherapy using paclitaxel and carboplatin. The main objective of first-line chemotherapy is to induce complete response. Although most cases respond to the initial chemotherapy, many cases relapse within 3 years.

[The efficacy of Shakuyaku-Kanzo-to for peripheral nerve dysfunction in paclitaxel combination chemotherapy for epithelial ovarian carcinoma].

Shakuyaku-Kanzo-to was first medicated for muscular pain which was called Komuragaeri, and it has been reported that it is effective for peripheral nerve dysfunction such as arthralgia and numbness. Recently, Paclitaxel (T) and Carboplatin (J) combination chemotherapy (TJ chemotherapy) has been a standard first-line chemotherapy for epithelial ovarian carcinoma. For the arthralgia and muscular pain occurring in TJ chemotherapy, non-steroid-anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), Vitamin B12 (VB12) and Shakuyaku-Kanzo-to are the major medications.

Chronic administration of single weekly paclitaxel in heavily pretreated ovarian cancer patients.

Ovarian cancer patients with paclitaxel-resistance have been reported to respond to a weekly schedule of the same drug. In this report, two cases with long progression free interval by weekly paclitaxel (T) are presented. Case 1.

Inactivation of p16/CDKN2 and p15/MTS2 is associated with prognosis and response to chemotherapy in ovarian cancer.

To define the involvement of p16/CDKN2 and p15/MTS2 tumor-suppressor genes for response to chemotherapy in primary epithelial ovarian cancer, we analyzed alterations of the gene in 45 patients who were treated with primary cytoreductive surgery followed by 6 courses of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II) (cisplatin)-based combination chemotherapy. Homozygous deletion of p16/CDKN2 and p15/MTS2 genes was found in 8 (18%) and 15 (33%) cases, respectively. Response to the chemotherapy was confirmed by finding at second surgery after the chemotherapy in 26 patients, resulting in 17 responders and 9 nonresponders.