Laparoscopic Fertility-Sparing Surgery for Early Ovarian Malignancies.

The demand for fertility-sparing surgery (FSS) has increased in the last decade due to increased maternal age, increased incidence of ovarian malignancies in younger patients, and technical advances in surgery. Data on oncological safety and fertility outcomes of patients with ovarian cancer after laparoscopic FSS are sparse, but some retrospective studies have shown that open FSS may be offered to selected patients. We assessed the role of minimally invasive FSS in comparison with radical surgery (RS) in terms of oncological safety and reproductive outcomes after FSS in this multicenter study.

Stem cell toxicity of oxazaphosphorine metabolites in comparison to their antileukemic activity.

The oxazaphosphorine agent cyclophosphamide (CP) is an alkylating agent with a relative low stem cell toxicity. The aim of this study was to further evaluate the stem cell toxicity of the active metabolites of CP and its structural analogue ifosfamide (IFO) in comparison to their antileukemic efficacy. Cells of different malignant hematologic disorders (HL-60, HS-Sultan and THP-1) and CD34+ stem cells were treated with cytotoxic CP-metabolite mafosfamide (MAFO) and IFO-metabolites 4-hydroxy-IFO (4-OH-IFO) and chloroacetaldehyde.

The cytotoxicity of mafosfamide on G-CSF mobilized hematopoietic progenitors is reduced by SH groups of albumin--implications for further purging strategies.

The efficacy of mafosfamide purging depends on factors like incubation time, drug and erythrocyte concentration. To determine the influence of protein-bound SH groups in the incubation medium, the cytotoxicity of mafosfamide on G-CSF mobilized CD34+/- cells was evaluated by short-term culture assays and drug concentration measurements. 100 micromol/ml mafosfamide was incubated for 30 min in five buffers (PBS, PBS with 1%, 5% and 10% BSA and plasma).