Publications by authors named "R D Swensen"
Article Synopsis
- Denileukin diftitox (ONTAK) is a fusion protein that can deplete regulatory T cells, which are linked to poor outcomes in ovarian cancer, and this study aimed to assess its safety and effects when given directly into the abdomen of patients with advanced ovarian cancer.
- A phase I trial included 10 patients who received ONTAK at escalating doses, revealing a maximum tolerated dose of 15 μg/kg with mostly mild side effects, though one patient experienced a severe reaction at the highest dose.
- While some patients showed a decrease in CA-125 levels (a marker for ovarian cancer), there were no significant changes in the overall cancer response, although ONTAK successfully reduced regulatory T cells in both blood and
Article Synopsis
- The study evaluated the combination of pembrolizumab (an immune checkpoint inhibitor) and carboplatin (a chemotherapy) in patients with recurrent platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, showing generally low response rates but some signs of stability in disease.
- Among 29 treated patients, only 10.3% achieved a partial response, but 51.7% had stable disease, indicating that while the treatment had limited effectiveness, some patients experienced no further progression.
- The treatment was relatively well tolerated, with common side effects being mild lymphopenia and anemia, and notable immune responses were observed, particularly in PD-L1-positive patients who fared better overall.
Approximately one third of protein therapeutics are produced in Escherichia coli, targeting a wide variety of diseases. However, due to immune recognition of endotoxin (a lipid component in the E. coli cell membrane), these protein products must be extensively purified before application to avoid adverse reactions such as septic shock.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) stimulates immunity via recruitment of antigen presenting cells and tumor specific T-cell stimulation. Albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel) followed by GM-CSF may enhance antitumor responses and prolong remissions in ovarian cancer. Immune phenotypes present before treatment may identify responders to chemo-immunotherapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To determine the impact of a new cur- riculum based on the "flipped classroom" model on the gynecologic oncology (gyn onc) section of the annual in-service examination for residents in obstetrics and gynecology.
Study Design: We intro- duced a curriculum focused on a weekly topic for teach- ing the residents on the gyn onc service in January of 2009. We compared the over- all mean gyn onc-specific percent-correct scores on the in-service examination be- fore (1999-2009) and after (2010-2011) the implemen- tation of the curriculum using linear regression to estimate the mean percentage point change and 95% confidence interval, adjusting for clustering by residents.