Standardization of caregiver and nursing perioperative care on gynecologic oncology wards in a resource-limited setting.

Introduction: In Kampala, Uganda, there is a strong cultural practice for patients to have designated caregivers for the duration of hospitalization. At the same time, nursing support is limited. This quality improvement project aimed to standardize caregiver and nursing perioperative care on the gynecologic oncology wards at the Uganda Cancer Institute and Mulago Specialised Women and Neonatal Hospital.

Utilization of and charges for robotic versus laparoscopic versus open surgery for endometrial cancer.

Background And Objectives: To analyze the utilization and hospital charges associated with robotic (RS) versus laparoscopic (LS) versus open surgery (OS) in endometrial cancer patients.

Methods: Hospital discharge data were extracted from Florida Agency for Health Care Administration between October 2008 and December 2009.

Results: Of 2,247 patients (median age: 64 years), 29% had RS, 10% had LS, and 61% had OS.

Factors associated with publication of plenary presentations at the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists annual meeting.

Objective: To determine the rate and factors associated with publication of plenary abstract presentations from the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists annual meeting.

Methods: Plenary presentations were reviewed from 2000 to 2005. A PubMed search was performed to identify subsequent peer-reviewed publication of these presentations.

Stage I noninvasive and minimally invasive uterine serous carcinoma: comprehensive staging associated with improved survival.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine if comprehensive surgical staging is a better predictor of outcome than incomplete staging for women with stage I noninvasive or minimally invasive (≤3 mm) uterine serous carcinoma (USC).

Methods: Retrospective chart review was used to identify patients undergoing hysterectomy at the Johns Hopkins Hospital from 1989 to 2010. Relevant clinical and pathologic data were extracted.

Abnormal cervical cytology in the diagnosis of uterine papillary serous carcinoma: earlier detection of a poor prognostic cancer subtype?

Objective: Early detection of uterine papillary serous (UPSC), clear cell (CCC), and grade 3 endometrioid carcinomas (G3EC) - all poor prognostic variants of endometrial carcinoma (EC) - is of particular clinical relevance. The study objective was to assess the utility of liquid-based cytology (Pap) in the detection of high-grade EC.

Study Design: A retrospective, two-institution analysis of patients diagnosed with UPSC, CCC, or G3EC with a preoperative Pap from 1999 to 2010 was conducted.

Analysis of postoperative complications associated with the use of anti-adhesion sodium hyaluronate-carboxymethylcellulose (HA-CMC) barrier after cytoreductive surgery for ovarian, fallopian tube and peritoneal cancers.

Objective: To evaluate the risk of postoperative complications related to HA-CMC use in patients undergoing optimal cytoreductive surgery for primary and recurrent ovarian, fallopian tube, and peritoneal cancers.

Methods: A single institution retrospective review identified all patients undergoing optimal (≤1 cm) cytoreductive surgery for primary or recurrent ovarian, fallopian tube, and peritoneal cancers between 1/95 and 12/08. Operative details and post-operative complications (<30 days) were extracted from the medical record.

Expression of Fatty Acid Synthase Depends on NAC1 and Is Associated with Recurrent Ovarian Serous Carcinomas.

Our previous reports demonstrated that NAC1, a BTB/POZ domain-containing nuclear protein, upregulates in recurrent ovarian serous carcinoma and participates in developing drug resistance in cancer cells. The current study applies quantitative proteomics to identify the proteins controlled by NAC1 by comparing the proteomes of SKOV3 cells with and without expression of a dominant negative NAC1 construct, N130. From the proteins that are downregulated by N130 (upregulated by NAC1), we chose to further characterize fatty acid synthase (FASN).

Trophoblastic neoplasms express fatty acid synthase, which may be a therapeutic target via its inhibitor C93.

Fatty acid synthase (FASN) is an emerging tumor-associated marker and a promising antitumor therapeutic target. In this study, we analyzed the expression of FASN in normal and molar placentas, as well as gestational trophoblastic neoplasia, and assessed the effects of a new FASN inhibitor, C93, on cellular proliferation and apoptosis in choriocarcinoma cells. Using a FASN-specific monoclonal antibody, we found that FASN immunoreactivity was detected in the cytotrophoblast and intermediate (extravillous) trophoblast of normal and molar placentas, as well as in placental site nodules.

Cytoreductive surgery for advanced and recurrent endometrial cancer: a review of the literature.

There is no standard approach to managing women with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer; however, there is increasing evidence to support a role for cytoreductive surgery in these women to improve survival outcome. The existing literature is limited by the inherent biases of retrospective studies, as well as small numbers of patients in individual studies; however, the association between optimal or complete cytoreductive surgery in patients with advanced and recurrent endometrial cancer and improved overall survival has been consistent. Furthermore, there is also a strong association between the size of postoperative residual disease and survival; as such, maximal cytoreduction should be the goal in carefully selected patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer who are candidates for surgical management.

Analysis of phase II studies on targeted agents and subsequent phase III trials: what are the predictors for success?

Purpose: To identify the characteristics of phase II studies that predict for subsequent "positive" phase III trials (those that reached the proposed primary end points of study or those wherein the study drug was superior to the standard regimen investigating targeted agents in advanced tumors.

Methods: We identified all phase III clinical trials of targeted therapies against advanced cancers published from 1985 to 2005. Characteristics of the preceding phase II studies were reviewed to identify predictive factors for success of the subsequent phase III trial.

Trends in demographic and clinical characteristics in women diagnosed with corpus cancer and their potential impact on the increasing number of deaths.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine factors responsible for the increasing number of deaths from corpus cancer over three time periods.

Study Design: Data were collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database from 1988-2001. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were performed.