Publications by authors named "Robert P Woolas"
Objective: Currently available tumor markers for ovarian cancer are still inadequate in both sensitivity and specificity to be used for population-based screening. Artificial neural network (ANN) as a modeling tool has demonstrated its ability to assimilate information from multiple sources and to detect subtle and complex patterns. In this paper, an ANN model was evaluated for its performance in detecting early stage epithelial ovarian cancer using multiple serum markers.
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- Intrauterine progesterone therapy, specifically using the levonorgestrel intrauterine system (Mirena), may be a simpler treatment option for women with Stage I Grade I endometrial cancer who are not suitable for surgery.
- A study involving four women showed that while one achieved complete regression of the cancer after six months, others did not respond, leading to a surgical intervention where endometrial cancer was still present.
- The findings suggest that relying on intrauterine progesterone therapy as a definitive treatment for early endometrial cancer might be questionable.
Article Synopsis
- This study explores improving early-stage ovarian cancer detection by combining multiple biomarkers (CA-125II, CA 15-3, CA 72-4, and M-CSF), leading to increased preoperative sensitivity while keeping a low referral rate for ultrasounds.
- Results showed that the combination of these biomarkers can raise sensitivity for early-stage disease from 45% (CA-125II alone) to 70% (using all markers), while maintaining a very high specificity rate of 98%.
- The study suggests that using mixture discriminant analysis (MDA) is an effective method for merging biomarker data to enhance screening processes in ovarian cancer detection.
Vulval carcinoma is relatively rare. The disease spreads from the vulva through embolization to the locoregional lymphatic station, the inguinofemoral nodes. Prior to this event cure can be achieved, but rarely predicted with certainty.
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- The study analyzed data from 100 women with Stage I endometrial cancer, focusing on the effects of omental biopsy in diagnosing extrapelvic disease.* -
- Out of the participants, 80 underwent an omental biopsy, with six cases showing adenocarcinoma in the omentum; no significant complications were reported from the procedure.* -
- The findings suggest that visual inspection and biopsy of the omentum during surgery can reveal more extensive disease, potentially changing treatment plans for around 10% of patients who may need additional pelvic radiation.*