Prognosis of epithelial ovarian cancer related to its ascites

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is usually complicated with ascites. However, it is uncertain up to now that whether ascites affects the patient's prognosis. Therefore, we made a retrospective analysis of the clinical, pathological and followed-up data of 101 in-patients operated with tumor debulking surgery in our hospital from January 1986 to December 1993 to detect whether EOC ascites is related to the pateint's prognosis.MATERIALS AND METHODSPatients 101 ovarian cancer cases wer…     

Malignant peritoneal effusion acting as a tumor environment in ovarian cancer progression: Impact and significance

Until recently, ovarian cancer research has mainly focused on the tumor cells themselves ignoring for the most part the surrounding tumor environment which includes malignant peritoneal effusions. However, one of the major conceptual advances in oncology over the last few years has been the appreciation that cancer progression cannot be explained by aberrations in cancer cells themselves and is strongly influenced by the surrounding tumor environment. The mechanisms of ovarian cancer progression differ from that of other solid tumors because ovarian cancer cells primarily disseminate within the peritoneal cavity. Malignant peritoneal effusion accumulates in the peritoneal cavity during ovarian cancer progression. These exudative fluids act as a unique tumor environment providing a framework that orchestrates cellular and molecular changes contributing to aggressiveness and disease progression. The composition of ascites, which includes cellular and acellular components, constantly adapts during the course of the disease in response to various cellular cues originating from both tumor and stromal cells. The tumor environment that represents peritoneal effusions closely constitute an ecosystem, with specific cell types and signaling molecules increasing and decreasing during the course of the disease progression creating a single complex network. Although recent advances aiming to understand the ovarian tumor environment have focused one at a time on components, the net impact of the whole environment cannot be understood simply from its parts or outside is environmental context.     

免疫治疗在卵巢癌中的应用研究进展

卵巢癌的临床早期症状不明显,筛查手段有限,就诊时常处于晚期阶段,5年生存率仅30%~45%,严重威胁着女性健康。免疫治疗尤其是免疫检查点抑制剂治疗因其持久的抗肿瘤效应已被批准用于晚期或复发性的多种类型癌症的治疗。目前免疫治疗的一些研究进展为卵巢癌患者的临床管理提供了新的机遇与挑战。     

Effects of interleukin-6 (IL-6) on chemotherapy-induced apoptosis in human ovarian cancer cell lines

Background. Apoptosis is a cascade of events that is regulated by many factors. We studied the effects of interleukin-6 (IL-6) on chemotherapy-induced apoptosis in three human ovarian cancer cell lines (JV, GG, and NF). Methods. Cells were treated with the anticancer drugs cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II) (CDDP) and paclitaxel (Taxol; Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmacessticals, Noble Park, Australia) over a period of 72 h. The treatments were repeated in combination with human recombinant IL-6 or anti-IL-6 monoclonal antibody (anti-IL-6 mAb). The induction of cell death was examined by morphology and by internucleosomal DNA fragmentation. Results. Reduced cytotoxicity and fewer apoptotic cells were observed after treatment with CDDP or Taxol combined with IL-6 compared with treatment with CDDP or Taxol alone. However, treatment with CDDP or Taxol combined with anti-IL-6 mAb enhanced the cytotoxic effects of the drugs and increased the number of apoptotic cells. These findings indicated that apoptosis caused by CDDP or Taxol was influenced negatively by high doses of IL-6. Conclusion. The use of CDDP or Taxol combined with anti-IL-6 mAb may have therapeutic value for patients with ovarian cancer. Received: April 27, 1998 / Accepted: October 28, 1998     

Impact of serum interleukin-18 level as a prognostic indicator in patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma

Background Interleukin-18 (IL-18), a cytokine produced by macrophages, is capable of inducing T-lymphocyte synthesis of interferon- (IFN-). In this study, for the first time, the serum concentration of IL-18 and its significance as a prognostic indicator was evaluated in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer.Methods The serum IL-18 level was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 69 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer and 8 healthy controls. Relationships between the IL-18 level and clinicopathological features were examined by univariate and multivariate analyses.Results The median serum IL-18 level in the ovarian cancer patients was 229.6pg/ml, and the level was significantly elevated compared with that in the normal controls (151.3pg/ml; P 0.01). No significant correlations were detected between the IL-18 level and stage or histology (P = 0.08 and P = 0.12, respectively). On univariate analysis, overall survival was shown to be affected by IL-18 serum levels. However, multivariate analysis failed to demonstrate an independent prognostic significance for IL-18 serum levels, while confirming the role of previously established prognostic variables, such as performance status, stage, and residual tumor.Conclusion This study showed that IL-18 serum levels were elevated in ovarian cancer patients and were correlated with overall survival, although they were shown not to be an independent prognostic factor.     

Autocrine production of interleukin-6 confers cisplatin and paclitaxel resistance in ovarian cancer cells

It has been shown that IL-6 is elevated in the serum and ascites of ovarian cancer patients, and increased IL-6 concentration correlates with poor prognosis and chemoresistance. However, the role of IL-6 expression in the acquisition of the chemoresistance phenotype and the underlining mechanisms of drug resistance in ovarian cancer cells remain unclear. Here we demonstrate that both exogenous (a relatively short period of treatment with recombination IL-6) and endogenous IL-6 (by transfecting with plasmid encoding for sense IL-6) induce cisplatin and paclitaxel resistance in non-IL-6-expressing A2780 cells, while deleting of endogenous IL-6 expression in IL-6-overexpressing SKOV3 cells (by transfecting with plasmid encoding for antisense IL-6) promotes the sensitivity of these cells to anticancer drugs. IL-6-mediated resistance of ovarian cancer cells exhibits decreased proteolytic activation of caspase-3. Meanwhile, the further study demonstrates that the chemoresistance caused by IL-6 is associated with increased expression of both multidrug resistance-related genes (MDR1 and GSTpi) and apoptosis inhibitory proteins (Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and XIAP), as well as activation of Ras/MEK/ERK and PI3K/Akt signaling. Therefore, modulation of IL-6 expression or its related signaling pathway may be a promising strategy of treatment for drug-resistant ovarian cancer.     

Doxorubicin levels in the serum and ascites of patients with ovarian cancer.

AIMS: To investigate the diffusion and accumulation of doxorubicin metabolites in the ascites of patients with ovarian cancer following intravenous injection, as a model for intraperitoneal accumulation of drugs. METHODS: The concentrations of doxorubicin and its metabolites [Doxorubicinol (Dox-ol), 7-deoxydoxorubicinolone (7d-Dox-ol-on) and 7-deoxydoxorubicinone (7d-Dox-on)] were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography in the serum and in the ascites of seven patients with recurrent ovarian carcinoma suffering from symptomatic ascites and treated with intravenous doxorubicin. RESULTS: Doxorubicin metabolites accumulated in the peritoneal cavity. The concentrations of the doxorubicin metabolites were initially higher in the serum compared to the ascitic fluid, but following several hours the doxorubicin metabolites became higher in the ascites, and remained detectable in the ascites for up to 168h, long after disappearance from the serum. CONCLUSIONS: Doxorubicin metabolites accumulate in the ascites and are cleared more slowly from the peritoneal compartment than from the serum. Accumulation in the peritoneal cavity with prolonged half-life should be considered when administering medication in patients with ascites.     

Clinical and biological significance of HLA-G expression in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic neoplastic disease in which the molecular etiology remains largely unclear. Like other cancer types, evolution of ovarian tumor cell species is accompanied by acquisition of novel gene products and these new tumor-associated antigens elicit a host immune response that creates selection pressure upon the emerging tumor clones. One of the mechanisms that ovarian cancer cells evade immune surveillance is by upregulating human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) expression. HLA-G is a non-classical MHC class I molecule and accumulated evidence has suggested its biological role in inactivating immune response. It has been well known that HLA-G expression is frequently detected in the most aggressive type of ovarian cancer, i.e., high-grade serous carcinoma, and measurement of HLA-G protein levels has shown promise for detection and prognosis prediction in ovarian cancer. This review summarizes those recent studies on HLA-G expression in ovarian cancer with special focus on its clinical and biological significance which is fundamental to elucidate the molecular mechanisms in ovarian cancer development and paves the foundation for future HLA-G-based diagnostics and therapeutics.     

Risk of epithelial ovarian cancer in relation to benign ovarian conditions and ovarian surgery

Objective  Some forms of ovarian neoplasms may be preventable through the removal of precursor lesions. We assessed the risk associated with a prior diagnosis of, and ovarian surgery following, ovarian cysts and endometriosis, with a focus on characterizing risk among tumor subgroups. Methods  Information was collected during in-person interviews with 812 women with ovarian cancer diagnosed in western Washington State from 2002 to 2005 and 1,313 population-based controls. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results  The risk of a borderline mucinous ovarian tumor associated with a history of an ovarian cyst was increased (OR=1.7, 95% CI: 1.0–2.8), but did not vary notably according to receipt of subsequent ovarian surgery. While risk of invasive epithelial ovarian cancer was slightly increased among women with a cyst who had no subsequent ovarian surgery, it was reduced when a cyst diagnosis was followed by surgery (OR = 0.6, 95% CI: 0.4–0.9). This reduction in risk was most evident for serous invasive tumors. Women with a history of endometriosis had a threefold increased risk of endometrioid and clear cell invasive tumors, with a lesser risk increase among women who underwent subsequent ovarian surgery. Conclusions  Our results suggest differences in the relation of ovarian cysts and endometriosis with risk of specific subtypes of ovarian cancer as well as the possibility that ovarian surgery in women with these conditions may lower the risk of invasive disease. Funding for this work was provided by the National Institutes of Health (RO1 CA87538).     

卵巢癌患者血液高凝状态临床研究进展

卵巢癌患者的静脉血栓发生率远高于其他妇科肿瘤,约20%以上的卵巢癌患者存在高凝状态。肿瘤可导致血液高凝状态,而凝血功能的过度激活也极大地促进肿瘤的进展,是影响患者预后的重要因素。近年来,高凝状态逐渐成为卵巢癌研究领域的新热点,本文将对卵巢癌患者高凝状态的形成机制、临床意义及相关治疗进展进行综述。     

Profiling of cytokines in human epithelial ovarian cancer ascites

Background

The behavior of tumor cells is influenced by the composition of the surrounding tumor environment. The importance of ascites in ovarian cancer (OC) progression is being increasingly recognized. The characterization of soluble factors in ascites is essential to understand how this environment affects OC progression. The development of cytokine arrays now allows simultaneous measurement of multiple cytokines per ascites using a single array.

Methods

We applied a multiplex cytokine array technology that simultaneously measures the level of 120 cytokines in ascites from 10 OC patients. The ascites concentration of a subset (n = 5) of cytokines that was elevated based on the multiplex array was validated by commercially available ELISA. The ascites level of these 5 cytokines was further evaluated by ELISA in a cohort of 38 patients. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to assess the association of cytokine expression with progression-free survival (PFS) in this cohort.

Results

We observed a wide variability of expression between different cytokines and levels of specific cytokines also varied in the 10 malignant ascites tested. Fifty-three (44%) cytokines were not detected in any of the 10 ascites. The level of several factors including, among others, angiogenin, angiopoietin-2, GRO, ICAM-1, IL-6, IL-6R, IL-8, IL-10, leptin, MCP-1, MIF NAP-2, osteprotegerin (OPG), RANTES, TIMP-2 and UPAR were elevated in most malignant ascites. Higher levels of OPG, IL-10 and leptin in OC ascites were associated with shorter PFS. IL-10 was shown to promote the anti-apoptotic activity of malignant ascites whereas OPG did not.

Conclusion

Our data demonstrated that there is a complex network of cytokine expression in OC ascites. Characterization of cytokine profiles in malignant ascites may provide information from which to prioritize key functional cytokines and understand the mechanism by which they alter tumor cells behavior. A better understanding of the cytokine network is essential to determine the role of ascites in OC progression.     

Ascites modulates cancer cell behavior,contributing to tumor heterogeneity in ovarian cancer

Malignant ascites constitute a unique tumor microenvironment providing a physical structure for the accumulation of cellular and acellular components. Ascites is initiated and maintained by physical and biological factors resulting from underlying disease and forms an ecosystem that contributes to disease progression. It has been demonstrated that the cellular contents and the molecular signatures of ascites change continuously during the course of a disease. Over the past decade, increasing attention has been given to the characterization of components of ascites and their role in the progression of ovarian cancer, the most malignant gynecologic cancer in women. This review will discuss the role of ascites in disease progression, in terms of modulating cancer cell behavior and contributing to tumor heterogeneity.     

Chemotherapy in epithelial ovarian cancer

Epithelial ovarian cancer is the most common type of ovarian cancer; usually occurs in women older than 50years, and because 75% of cases are diagnosed at stage III or IV it is associated with a poor prognosis. Treatment of ovarian cancer is based on the integration of surgery and chemotherapy. Chemotherapy plays a major role both in the adjuvant treatment and in the care of patients with advanced disease. Several active drugs have been introduced in the treatment of ovarian cancer in the last decades and novel targets and agents are under evaluation.     

Clinical trials of nimodipine as a potential neuroprotector in ovarian cancer patients treated with cisplatin

Our previous randomised trial in patients with advanced ovarian cancer indicated a significant response and survival advantage for those receiving high-dose (100 mg/m²) as compared with low-dose (50 mg/m²) cisplatin in combination with cyclophosphamide (750 mg/m²). However, this was accompanied by more toxicity; peripheral neuropathy was troublesome, with 32% of patients experiencing ≥ WHO grade 2 at the cisplatin dose of 100 mg/m². Nimodipine is a calcium-channel antagonist that has provided protection from cisplatin-induced neurotoxicity in a rat model system. We performed a pilot study in 50 patients that demonstrated the feasibility of co-administration of nimodipine in a chronic oral dosing schedule with cisplatin-based chemotherapy in an open-label non-randomised trial. This led us to initiate a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised trial in patients with ovarian cancer, which was prematurely discontinued because of problems with nausea and vomiting, leading to poor patient compliance, that were not predicted by the pilot study. These studies did not demonstrate a neuroprotective effect for nimodipine. The primary efficacy variable, i.e, the neurotoxicity score at the end of treatment, gave a significantly lower mean for placebo patients than for nimodipine patients. This report details our experience and discusses the reasons for premature termination of the randomised trial. Received: 8 September 1996 / Accepted: 14 June 1997     

抗米勒管激素用于年轻乳腺癌患者卵巢功能抑制个体化治疗的评价

背景与目的：年轻乳腺癌患者应用促黄体生成素释放激素类似物戈舍瑞林治疗没有个体化用药方案,并缺乏临床可用的指导依据。该研究皆在探讨抗米勒管激素(anti-Müllerian hormone,AMH)在年轻乳腺癌患者卵巢功能抑制个体化治疗的评价作用。方法：选取2012年5月—2014年1月在上海交通大学附属仁济医院因雌激素受体(estrogen receptor,ER)和孕激素受体(progesterone receptor,PR)阳性的乳腺癌41例患者,术前随机分为戈舍瑞林6个疗程+化疗组(简称戈舍瑞林组)20例,化疗组21例,30例同年龄组健康妇女为正常对照组,随访(17.4±6.2)个月。观察两组治疗后的停经时间与复潮时间,于术前1个月、戈舍瑞林组或化疗组术后月经复潮后3、6个月检测AMH、促卵泡激素(follicle-stimulating hormone,FSH)和E₂水平。正常对照组在相应时间段内检测AMH、FSH和E₂水平。结果：3组患者的术前临床资料及术前FSH、E2水平差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05),乳腺癌患者术前AMH水平较正常对照组降低,差异有统计学意义(P=0.04);戈舍瑞林组较化疗组停经时间更短,差异有统计学意义(P=0.00);戈舍瑞林组较化疗组复潮时间更短,差异有统计学意义(P=0.00);与正常对照组及术前比较,戈舍瑞林组及化疗组FSH、E₂水平在5个测定时间的差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05);戈舍瑞林组及化疗组在5个测定时间的AMH水平均显著降低,差异均有统计学意义(P=0.00),两组在复潮后3、6个月AMH水平逐渐上升,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05);与化疗组相比,戈舍瑞林组的AMH水平下降明显,戈舍瑞林组的AMH水平在复潮6个月后比化疗组升高,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论：年轻乳腺患者在卵巢功能抑制治疗+化疗过程中,AMH较其他评价卵巢储备的指标明显下降,在其他指标恢复术前水平后仍提示卵巢受损,提示AMH可以作为评价年轻乳腺癌患者卵巢功能的指标,亦有可能成为戈舍瑞林个体化治疗的评价指标。     

卵巢功能抑制治疗雌激素受体阳性早期乳腺癌的短期效应和长期生存的影响因素分析

背景与目的:内分泌治疗已经是激素受体阳性乳腺癌患者手术后辅助治疗的常规手段之一。本研究旨在分析影响可手术乳腺癌患者接受卵巢功能抑制(ovarian function suppression,OFS)治疗后短期效应(雌激素抑制效果)和长期生存(无病生存期)的影响因素。方法:回顾性分析2017年6月—2019年6月于复旦大学附属肿瘤医院行手术且完成术后标准化疗和内分泌治疗(OFS联合他莫昔芬或芳香化酶抑制剂)的435例雌激素受体(estrogen receptor,ER)阳性乳腺癌患者的临床病理学资料和无病生存期(disease-free survival,DFS)。采用单因素和多因素logistic回归分析对雌激素抑制效应有影响的因素,并运用log-rank检验和Cox比例风险回归模型分析对患者DFS有影响的因素。结果:OFS治疗后,年龄≤35岁患者雌激素抑制失败率为8.7%,显著高于35～40岁患者1%的雌激素抑制失败率(P<0.05);不同OFS药物如戈舍瑞林和亮丙瑞林的雌激素抑制作用基本一致(P>0.05)。内分泌治疗方案(HR=0.49,P<0.05)、腋窝淋巴...     

New agents in ovarian cancer

A small number of women with metastatic ovarian cancer can now be cured with cytotoxic agents. The majority, however, succumb and die. To aid in the search for new and more effective agents the National Cancer Institute has developed a preclinical screening program using human tumor xenografts in nude mice in addition to the more traditional experimental animal tumors. A number of cancer centers and cooperative clinical groups have developed programs for human trials. The recent development of an ovarian cancer clonogenic assay may provide an additional in vitro method for identifying useful new drugs specifically directed against ovarian cancer.     

中国早期乳腺癌卵巢功能抑制临床应用专家共识（2016年版）

乳腺癌已经成为威胁中国女性健康的第一大恶性肿瘤,发病率呈逐年递增趋势。中国乳腺癌发病率年增幅速度是世界平均水平的2倍,且年轻化趋势显著,约有60%的患者在诊断时仍为绝经前状态［1］。据统计,中国绝经前女性早期乳腺癌患者中50%~60%激素受体为阳性,辅助内分泌治疗是降低这类患者复发风险的重要手段,如采用他莫昔芬治疗5~10年已经成为绝经前激素受体阳性的早期乳腺癌患者的标准内分泌治疗方式［2-5］。