[Clinical Application of Gemcitabine plus Cisplatin plus Bevacizumab Combination Chemotherapy for Ovarian Clear Cell Carcinoma].

Ovarian clear cell carcinoma(OCCC)shows a poor response to standard chemotherapy, and it is often difficult to choose a regimen for patients with recurrent OCCC. Several reports have suggested a synergistic effect between gemcitabine and cisplatin; another report suggested that gemcitabine, platinum, and bevacizumab are efficacious against recurrent ovarian cancer. We treated patients with OCCC using a combination chemotherapy regimen consisting of gemcitabine(1,000 mg/ m2)and cisplatin(40 mg/m2)on days 1 and 15, and bevacizumab(15 mg/kg)on day 1, with the cycle repeated every 4 weeks. Six patients received this therapy after informed consent, and 2 evaluable patients showed a partial response. Adverse events were mild, with Grade 3 anemia, leukopenia, and neutropenia occurring in 67%, 33%, and 17% of cases, respectively. No Grade 4 events were observed, including hematological or non-hematological toxicities. This suggests that a regimen of combined gemcitabine, platinum, and bevacizumab can be efficacious and feasible for the treatment of OCCC.

[Efficacy of Olaparib Treatment for Platinum-Sensitive Recurrent Ovarian, Fallopian Tube, and Primary Peritoneal Cancers].

We reviewed our clinical experience of olaparib treatment for patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian, fallopian tube, and peritoneal cancer. Of the 10 cases, the primary sites of cancer were the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and peritoneum in 7, 1 and 2 cases, respectively. The median period of treatment administration was 10 months. The observed Grade 3 or 4 adverse events as per the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0 were: anemia, leukopenia and neut r openia in 4, 4 and 3 cases, respectively. Eight cases needed treatment to be interrupted, and 5 cases required a reduction in dose. Three patients were treated for more than 12 months, while the others had to discontinue due to disease progression. However, none of the patients had to discontinue treatment due to adverse events. Therefore, it appears that olaparib can be safely used despite some patients requiring a withdrawal or reduction in treatment.

Efficacy of dienogest in thinning the endometrium before hysteroscopic surgery.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of administration of dienogest to thin the endometrium before hysteroscopic surgery and to evaluate the surgical outcome. DESIGN: Retrospective clinical study (Canadian Task Force classification III). SETTING: Community hospital. PATIENTS: Twenty-six patients who underwent hysteroscopic surgery for treatment of endometrial polyps or submucous myomas <25 mm. INTERVENTIONS: Before hysteroscopic surgery, 13 patients (dienogest group) received 2 mg dienogest orally for 2 weeks, and 13 patients (GnRH group) received a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist subcutaneously 1 to 3 times every 4 weeks, and 4 of those received hormone therapy after surgery. Endometrial thickness, serum estradiol and progesterone concentrations, duration of surgery, weight of tissue removed, surgical field visualization, and time to resumption of spontaneous menstruation were recorded. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Endometrial thickness decreased from approximately 7.0 mm to 3.9 mm in the dienogest group. Duration of surgery and weight of tissue removed were similar between groups. The surgical field was clearly visualized in 12 patients in each group. Spontaneous menstruation resumed at approximately 22.0 days after hysteroscopic surgery in the dienogest group; in contrast, no resumption of spontaneous menstruation was observed within the first postoperative month in the GnRH group. No patients had perioperative complications, and none exhibited any residual tumor. CONCLUSION: Administration of dienogest for 2 weeks thinned the endometrium and yielded favorable surgical outcomes, similar to those with GnRH agonists. Administration of dienogest may be an effective and convenient treatment before hysteroscopy.

Total laparoscopic hysterectomy in patients with previous abdominal surgery.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of previous abdominal surgery on the feasibility and the safety of total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH). METHODS: One hundred seventy-four consecutive patients who underwent TLH in private hospital between February 2008 and December 2009 were retrospectively reviewed. Surgical history, operation time, blood loss, transfusion, conversion to an open surgery, complications and hospital stay were assessed in each patient. The patients were classified into two groups; patients with or without a history of abdominal surgery. RESULTS: Group 1 included patients with a history of abdominal surgery (n = 44) and Group 2 included patients without a history (n = 130). The complication rate was 6.8% in patients with (Group 1) and 5.4% in patients without (Group 2) a history of abdominal surgery, respectively. No bladder, bowel, ureteral, or vascular injuries occurred in either group. Transfusion was required in one patient without a history of abdominal surgery (Group 2; 0.8%). Three patients with (Group 1; 6.8%) and two patients without (Group 2; 1.5%) a history of abdominal surgery were converted to laparotomy. No statistically significant difference was noted between the groups with respect to the complication and conversion rates. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, TLH can be performed successfully in patients with a history of abdominal surgery.