Indications and techniques for robotic pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy in gynecologic oncology.

Robotic-assisted laparoscopy is now the most common surgical method for treatment of early-stage endometrial, cervical, and a growing number of ovarian cancers in the U.S. Para-aortic and pelvic lymphadenectomy is integral to surgical staging and subsequent treatment planning.

Vaccinations recommended during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Optimal protection against preventable diseases for the pregnant woman and her fetus can be provided through vaccination prior to pregnancy. When indicated, however, the benefits of immunization during pregnancy and breastfeeding may outweigh the theoretical risks of potential adverse events. Several vaccinations recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) can reduce maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality from preventable diseases.

gp100(209-2M) peptide immunization of human lymphocyte antigen-A2+ stage I-III melanoma patients induces significant increase in antigen-specific effector and long-term memory CD8+ T cells.

Thirty-five HLA-A2(+) patients with completely resected stage I-III melanoma were vaccinated multiple times over 6 months with a modified melanoma peptide, gp100(209-2M), emulsified in Montanide adjuvant. Direct ex vivo gp100(209-2M) tetramer analysis of pre- and postvaccine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) demonstrated significant increases in the frequency of tetramer(+) CD8(+) T cells after immunization for 33 of 35 evaluable patients (median, 0.36%; range, 0.

Adjuvant immunization of HLA-A2-positive melanoma patients with a modified gp100 peptide induces peptide-specific CD8+ T-cell responses.

Purpose: To measure the CD8+ T-cell response to a melanoma peptide vaccine and to compare an every-2-weeks with an every-3-weeks vaccination schedule.

Patients And Methods: Thirty HLA-A2-positive patients with resected stage I to III melanoma were randomly assigned to receive vaccinations every 2 weeks (13 vaccines) or every 3 weeks (nine vaccines) for 6 months. The synthetic, modified gp100 peptide, g209-2M, and a control peptide, HPV16 E7, were mixed in incomplete Freund's adjuvant and injected subcutaneously.

Altered chemokine receptor sensitivity in FVBN202 rat neu transgenic mice.

We report here that breast cancer cells from spontaneous tumors that arise in rat neu transgenic mice produce several chemokines capable of acting upon cells of the immune system. Moreover, mice bearing these spontaneous tumors possess splenic T cells as well as CD11c+, CD11b+ and CD19+ cells with an altered sensitivity to recombinant chemokines compared to naïve mice. A comparison between T-cell migration and the level of chemokines produced by the tumor cells revealed that the altered chemotactic activity was not a direct consequence of tumor-derived chemokines.