Increase in Bifidobacterium is a characteristic of the difference in the salivary microbiota of pregnant and non-pregnant women.

BACKGROUND: The establishment of symbiotic microbiota in pregnant women is important for both the mother and her offspring. Little is known about the salivary symbiotic bacteria in pregnancy, and analysis of composition of microbiome (ANCOM) is useful to detect small differences in the number of bacteria. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in the salivary bacteria between healthy pregnant and non-pregnant women using ANCOM. METHODS: Unstimulated saliva samples were collected from 35 healthy pregnant women at 35 weeks gestation and 30 healthy non-pregnant women during menstruation. All participants underwent a periodontal examination. Estradiol and progesterone levels were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. DNA extracted from the saliva was assessed by 16S ribosomal RNA amplicon sequencing and real-time PCR. RESULTS: Salivary estradiol and progesterone levels were significantly increased in pregnant women. The alpha and beta diversities were higher in pregnant women than in non-pregnant women. The largest effect size difference noted when the microbiota of the pregnant and non-pregnant women were analyzed was that for Bifidobacteriales. Levels of Bifidobacterium dentium, but not of Bifidobacterium adolescentis, were significantly increased in pregnant women, and the levels were significantly correlated with progesterone concentration. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that Bifidobacterium and progesterone levels are elevated in the saliva of healthy pregnant women compared with non-pregnant women.

Measurement of endometrial thickness in premenopausal women in office gynecology.

Purpose: To define the median endometrial thickness (ET) in office gynecology is thought to be important for clinical practice. However, there are few reports about ET that have included the general female population on a large scale. The median ET was determined prospectively in premenopausal women who attended office gynecology for cervical cancer screening. Methods: In total, 849 women were enrolled. The median ET was determined by using transvaginal ultrasound and the relationships between the ET and various clinical factors were analyzed. Results: The participants' median age was 38.5 years. The median ET was 8.6 mm (90% and 95% quantiles: 13.8 and 15.8 mm). The ET was not related to their age, symptoms, obstetric history, geographical location, or risk factors for endometrial cancer. In the women with a menstrual cycle length of 28-30 days, the ET was 7 mm on days 1-6, but it increased from 5.4 mm immediately after menstruation (day 7 or 8) to 9.2 mm on days 13-14. Subsequently, the ET increased further to 11.1 mm on day 18. Conclusion: In all the women, the upper limit of the ET was 13.8 mm and 15.8 mm in the 90% and 95% quantile, respectively, in office gynecology.

Administration of standard-dose BEP regimen (bleomycin+etoposide+cisplatin) is essential for treatment of ovarian yolk sac tumour.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate prognostic factors, including postoperative chemotherapy regimen, for the treatment of ovarian yolk sac tumour (YST), and resulting fertility outcome. METHODS: A multi-institutional retrospective investigation was undertaken to identify patients with ovarian pure or mixed YST who were treated between 1980 and 2007. Postoperative chemotherapy regimen and other variables were assessed in univariate and multivariate analyses. Additionally, the reproductive safety of the BEP (bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin) regimen was evaluated. RESULTS: There were 211 patients enrolled from 43 institutions. The BEP regimen and a non-BEP regimen were administered to 112 and 99 patients as postoperative chemotherapy, respectively. In univariate and multivariate analyses, age⩾22, alpha-fetoprotein⩾33,000 ng/ml, residual tumours after surgery and non-BEP regimen were independently and significantly associated with poor overall survival (OS). BEP was significantly superior to non-BEP in 5-year OS (93.6% versus 74.6%, P=0.0004). Reduced-dose BEP (<75% standard-dose bleomycin and<50% etoposide dose) was significantly associated with poorer 5-year OS compared with standard-dose BEP (89.4% versus 100%, P=0.02 and 62.5% versus 96.9%, P=0.0002). All patients who underwent fertility-sparing surgery recovered their menstrual cycles. Sixteen of 23 patients receiving BEP (70.0%) and 13 of 17 patients receiving non-BEP (76.5%) who were nulliparous at fertility-sparing surgery and married at the time of investigation gave birth to 21 and 19 healthy children, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study suggest that standard-dose BEP should be administered for ovarian YST. BEP is as safe as non-BEP for preserving reproductive function.

Status of treatment for the overall population of patients with stage IVb endometrial cancer, and evaluation of the role of preoperative chemotherapy: a retrospective multi-institutional study of 426 patients in Japan.

OBJECTIVE: We previously reported on the role of cytoreduction in 248 patients with surgical stage IVb endometrial cancer (EMCA). This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics, prognosis according to initial treatment, and impact of preoperative chemotherapy in the overall population of patients with clinical and surgical stage IVb EMCA. METHODS: A multi-institutional retrospective analysis was performed in 426 patients diagnosed with clinical and surgical stage IVb EMCA from 1996 to 2005. Factors associated with overall survival (OS) were identified using univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: The median OS for all 426 patients was 14 months. Patients were divided into three groups according to their initial treatment: primary surgery group (n=279), primary chemotherapy group (n=125), and palliative care group (n=22). The median OS times for these groups were 21, 12, and 1 month, respectively (p<0.0001). Patients in the primary surgery group had better performance status (PS) and lower numbers of extra-abdominal metastases than those in the primary chemotherapy group. Multivariate analysis identified good PS, endometrioid histology, absence of clinical intra-abdominal stage IVb metastasis, hysterectomy, and chemotherapy as independent predictors of OS. In the primary chemotherapy group, 59 patients subsequently underwent surgery, and these patients had similar OS to those in the primary surgery group. CONCLUSIONS: Hysterectomy and chemotherapy may prolong OS in selected patients with stage IVb EMCA. Our data suggest that primary chemotherapy followed by surgery may be a useful treatment choice in patients not suitable for primary surgery.

Predicting time to ovarian carcinoma recurrence using protein markers.

Patients with ovarian cancer are at high risk of tumor recurrence. Prediction of therapy outcome may provide therapeutic avenues to improve patient outcomes. Using reverse-phase protein arrays, we generated ovarian carcinoma protein expression profiles on 412 cases from TCGA and constructed a PRotein-driven index of OVARian cancer (PROVAR). PROVAR significantly discriminated an independent cohort of 226 high-grade serous ovarian carcinomas into groups of high risk and low risk of tumor recurrence as well as short-term and long-term survivors. Comparison with gene expression-based outcome classification models showed a significantly improved capacity of the protein-based PROVAR to predict tumor progression. Identification of protein markers linked to disease recurrence may yield insights into tumor biology. When combined with features known to be associated with outcome, such as BRCA mutation, PROVAR may provide clinically useful predictions of time to tumor recurrence.

Comparison of the outcome between cervical adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma patients with adjuvant radiotherapy following radical surgery: SGSG/TGCU Intergroup Surveillance.

The efficacy of radiotherapy (RT) for adenocarcinoma (AC) is controversial, although patients with AC of the uterine cervix are treated in a similar manner to those with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). This retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of adjuvant RT for patients with AC compared to those with SCC following radical hysterectomy. A total of 820 patients with stage IB-IIB cervical cancer, who underwent type III radical hysterectomy between 1997 and 2003, were retrospectively examined; the sample included 280 patients with AC and 540 with SCC. A total of 139 patients with AC and 327 with SCC underwent adjuvant treatment. The histological type did not affect the outcome for patients with stage I disease; however, stage II patients with AC exhibited a significantly worse 5-year overall survival (OS) rate compared to those with SCC. Patients with SCC exhibited significantly higher lymph node involvement compared to those with AC in stage IB1; however, there were no differences between stages IB2 and II. Among patients with lymph node involvement, patients with AC exhibited a significantly worse 5-year survival rate compared to those with SCC (46.4 vs. 72.3%, respectively; P=0.0005). Among patients receiving adjuvant RT, those with AC recurred more frequently compared to those with SCC, particularly in the pelvic cavity, including the vaginal stump and/or pelvis (24.6 vs. 10.5%, respectively; P= 0.0022). By contrast, the histological type did not affect the incidence of recurrence in paraaortic lymph nodes and/or distant recurrence. In conclusion, RT may not suffice as an adjuvant treatment for patients with cervical AC following radical hysterectomy.

Detection of Fusobacterium nucleatum in chorionic tissues of high-risk pregnant women.

AIM: This study was undertaken to investigate the existence of a periodontopathic bacterium, Fusobacterium nucleatum, in chorionic tissues of pregnant women, and the effects of F. nucleatum on human chorion-derived cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Oral and chorionic tissue samples were collected from 24 high-risk pregnant women and 15 normal pregnant women. The presence of F. nucleatum in the samples was detected using polymerase chain reaction. Chorion-derived cells and Toll-like receptor (TLR)-2 or TLR-4 gene-silenced chorion-derived cells were stimulated with F. nucleatum lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Interleukin (IL)-6 and corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) levels in the culture supernatants were measured using ELISA. RESULTS: F. nucleatum was detected in all oral samples and seven chorionic tissues from the high-risk pregnant women, but was not detected in chorionic tissues from the normal pregnant women. F. nucleatum LPS significantly increased IL-6 and CRH secretion by chorion-derived cells. The F. nucleatum LPS-induced IL-6 and CRH levels were significantly reduced in TLR-2 or TLR-4 gene-silenced chorion-derived cells. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that F. nucleatum is detected in chorionic tissues of high-risk pregnant women, but not in chorionic tissues of normal pregnant women, and that F. nucleatum induces IL-6 and CRH production via both TLR-2 and TLR-4 in chorion-derived cells.

High-risk ovarian cancer based on 126-gene expression signature is uniquely characterized by downregulation of antigen presentation pathway.

PURPOSE: High-grade serous ovarian cancers are heterogeneous not only in terms of clinical outcome but also at the molecular level. Our aim was to establish a novel risk classification system based on a gene expression signature for predicting overall survival, leading to suggesting novel therapeutic strategies for high-risk patients. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: In this large-scale cross-platform study of six microarray data sets consisting of 1,054 ovarian cancer patients, we developed a gene expression signature for predicting overall survival by applying elastic net and 10-fold cross-validation to a Japanese data set A (n = 260) and evaluated the signature in five other data sets. Subsequently, we investigated differences in the biological characteristics between high- and low-risk ovarian cancer groups. RESULTS: An elastic net analysis identified a 126-gene expression signature for predicting overall survival in patients with ovarian cancer using the Japanese data set A (multivariate analysis, P = 4 × 10(-20)). We validated its predictive ability with five other data sets using multivariate analysis (Tothill's data set, P = 1 × 10(-5); Bonome's data set, P = 0.0033; Dressman's data set, P = 0.0016; TCGA data set, P = 0.0027; Japanese data set B, P = 0.021). Through gene ontology and pathway analyses, we identified a significant reduction in expression of immune-response-related genes, especially on the antigen presentation pathway, in high-risk ovarian cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS: This risk classification based on the 126-gene expression signature is an accurate predictor of clinical outcome in patients with advanced stage high-grade serous ovarian cancer and has the potential to develop new therapeutic strategies for high-grade serous ovarian cancer patients.

Evaluation of oral etoposide in combination with cisplatin for patients with recurrent cervical cancer: long-term follow-up results of a Japanese multicenter study.

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and toxicities of cisplatin and daily oral etoposide in patients with recurrent cervical cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Treatment was initiated with oral etoposide 25 mg/day for 21 consecutive days, with intravenous cisplatin at 50 mg/m², on day 1, every 4 weeks, then the etoposide dose was increased to 50 mg/day. RESULTS: Thirty patients were enrolled in this study. Twenty-seven (90.0%) patients had a history of prior treatment (cisplatin with concurrent chemoradiotherapy in 15, radiation therapy in 3, chemotherapy in 1, and both radiation therapy and chemotherapy in 9), and 22 (73.3%) patients had a treatment-free interval of less than 6 months. NCI-CTC grade 3/4 hematologic toxicities were leukopenia in 19 (63.3%), neutropenia in 17 (58.6%), anemia in 15 (50.0%) and thrombocytopenia in 6 (20.0%). Four patients developed febrile neutropenia. NCI-CTC grade 3 nonhematologic toxicities consisted of nausea/vomiting in 2 (6.7%), anorexia in 4 (13.3%) and fatigue in 2 (6.7%). The overall response rate was 16.7% including one complete response. The median progression-free survival period and overall survival period were 4.5 and 9.7 months, respectively. CONCLUSION: Combination chemotherapy consisting of oral etoposide and intravenous cisplatin is safe and effective for recurrent cervical cancer.

Prenatal diagnosis and management of vasa previa: a 6-year review.

AIM: To evaluate the methods of screening and prenatal diagnosis of vasa previa. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We reviewed cases of vasa previa in our hospital between January 2002 and December 2007. During this period, we visualized the site of cord insertion using transabdominal ultrasonography and observed the internal os using gray-scale transvaginal ultrasonography. A diagnosis of vasa previa was confirmed by transvaginal color Doppler imaging. RESULTS: We encountered 10 cases of vasa previa among 5131 deliveries. All cases had one or more known risk factors. In all of the four cases that underwent screening in the second trimester (i.e. between 20 and 25 weeks of gestation), the diagnosis was correct. Routine ultrasonography detected in only three of the other six cases of vasa previa that were referred to our hospital after 26 weeks of gestation. Of the other three cases referred after 26 weeks of gestation, in two cases vasa previa was detected by detailed examination using color Doppler transvaginal ultrasonography after fetal heart rate monitoring detected the presence of non-reassuring fetal status; in the remaining case, we were unable to make an antenatal diagnosis. Non-reassuring fetal status was seen on fetal heart rate monitoring in four of the five detected cases complicated by preterm labor. CONCLUSION: We consider that the best timing of antenatal screening for vasa previa is the second trimester. Non-reassuring fetal heart rate pattern without other possible causes warrants detailed examination of vasa previa.

A phase II clinical trial of topotecan in Japanese patients with relapsed ovarian carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: This Phase II study was carried out to investigate the efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics of topotecan in Japanese patients with relapsed ovarian carcinoma. METHODS: Patients with relapsed ovarian carcinoma after having received one regimen containing platinum-based chemotherapy were eligible for this study. Topotecan was administered at 1.2 mg/m(2)/day for five consecutive days, repeated every 3 weeks. RESULTS: Seventy-two patients were enrolled in the study. The response rate was 28.2% (95% confidence interval, 18.1-40.1%). Signs of myelosuppression, such as neutropenia (Grade 3, 12.5%; Grade 4, 83.3%), thrombocytopenia (Grade 3, 36.2%; Grade 4, 4.2%) and decreased hemoglobin (Grade 3, 36.1%; Grade 4, 11.1%), were the most common hematological toxicities. Grade 3 febrile neutropenia occurred in 5 (6.9%) patients. There was little intraindividual or interindividual variability in the pharmacokinetics of topotecan. CONCLUSIONS: Topotecan at 1.2 mg/m(2)/day is an effective and tolerable therapeutic option for Japanese patients with relapsed ovarian carcinoma.

Outcomes of fertility-sparing surgery for stage I epithelial ovarian cancer: a proposal for patient selection.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to assess clinical outcomes and fertility in patients treated conservatively for unilateral stage I invasive epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A multi-institutional retrospective investigation was undertaken to identify patients with unilateral stage I EOC treated with fertility-sparing surgery. Favorable histology was defined as grade 1 or grade 2 adenocarcinoma, excluding clear cell histology. RESULTS: A total of 211 patients (stage IA, n = 126; stage IC, n = 85) were identified from 30 institutions. Median duration of follow-up was 78 months. Five-year overall survival and recurrence-free survival were 100% [corrected] and 97.8% for stage IA and favorable histology (n = 108), 100% and 100% for stage IA and clear cell histology (n = 15), 100% and 33.3% for stage IA and grade 3 (n = 3), 96.9% and 92.1% for stage IC and favorable histology (n = 67), 93.3% and 66.0% for stage IC and clear cell histology (n = 15), and 66.7% and 66.7% for stage IC and grade 3 (n = 3). Forty-five (53.6%) of 84 patients who were nulliparous at fertility-sparing surgery and married at the time of investigation gave birth to 56 healthy children. CONCLUSION: Our data confirm that fertility-sparing surgery is a safe treatment for stage IA patients with favorable histology and suggest that stage IA patients with clear cell histology and stage IC patients with favorable histology can be candidates for fertility-sparing surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy.

Gene expression profile for predicting survival in advanced-stage serous ovarian cancer across two independent datasets.

BACKGROUND: Advanced-stage ovarian cancer patients are generally treated with platinum/taxane-based chemotherapy after primary debulking surgery. However, there is a wide range of outcomes for individual patients. Therefore, the clinicopathological factors alone are insufficient for predicting prognosis. Our aim is to identify a progression-free survival (PFS)-related molecular profile for predicting survival of patients with advanced-stage serous ovarian cancer. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Advanced-stage serous ovarian cancer tissues from 110 Japanese patients who underwent primary surgery and platinum/taxane-based chemotherapy were profiled using oligonucleotide microarrays. We selected 88 PFS-related genes by a univariate Cox model (p<0.01) and generated the prognostic index based on 88 PFS-related genes after adjustment of regression coefficients of the respective genes by ridge regression Cox model using 10-fold cross-validation. The prognostic index was independently associated with PFS time compared to other clinical factors in multivariate analysis [hazard ratio (HR), 3.72; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.66-5.43; p<0.0001]. In an external dataset, multivariate analysis revealed that this prognostic index was significantly correlated with PFS time (HR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.20-1.98; p = 0.0008). Furthermore, the correlation between the prognostic index and overall survival time was confirmed in the two independent external datasets (log rank test, p = 0.0010 and 0.0008). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The prognostic ability of our index based on the 88-gene expression profile in ridge regression Cox hazard model was shown to be independent of other clinical factors in predicting cancer prognosis across two distinct datasets. Further study will be necessary to improve predictive accuracy of the prognostic index toward clinical application for evaluation of the risk of recurrence in patients with advanced-stage serous ovarian cancer.

The sensitivity and specificity of a new formula to distinguish endometrioid type endometrial carcinoma from ovarian endometrial carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: Endometrioid type adenocarcinoma sometimes occupies both endometrium and ovary and in some cases the origin cannot be determined. STUDY DESIGN: In this study, we established a formula to distinguish ovarian endometrioid cancer (EOC) from endometrioid type endometrial cancer (EEC), based on our previous report of cyclin and KI67 expression pattern by immunohistochemistry of 36 EECc and 37 OECc by the logistic regression. We calculated the diagnostic accuracy using 92 test samples retrospectively and finally could diagnose the origin of 16 cases in whom endometrioid type adenocarcinoma arose in both ovary and endometrium and could be determined by Scully's criteria, and 15 cases in whom endometrioid type adenocarcinoma arose in both ovary and endometrium and Scully's criteria were not useful retrospectively. RESULTS: The estimated formula is as follows: Logit(Prob(EOC))=-1.1437-0.0853 CNA+0.0423 CNB+0.173 CND1+0.0129 CNE+0.0224 CNF+0.0508 KI67, where Prob(EOC) is the probability that a clinical sample is EOC. If Prob(EOC) is larger than 0.5, the diagnosis is ovarian cancer; if less than 0.5 it is endometrial cancer. Finally, using the formula, 37 of 48 EECs (77.1%) and 33 of 44 EOCs (75.0%) were correctly classified, with an accuracy of 76.1% (p<0.0001), retrospectively. In 12 of the 16 cases (75%) who could be determined by Scully's criteria, the origin determined by Scully's criteria was concordant with the origin determined by the formula retrospectively. In the other 15 cases, 12 cases were judged as ovary/ovary, 2 cases were judged as uterus/uterus and 1 case was judged as uterus/ovary. CONCLUSION: The formula we established was thought to be useful to distinguish the origin of the cases in whom endometrioid type adenocarcinoma arises in both ovary and endometrium.

Gene expression profiling of advanced-stage serous ovarian cancers distinguishes novel subclasses and implicates ZEB2 in tumor progression and prognosis.

To elucidate the mechanisms of rapid progression of serous ovarian cancer, gene expression profiles from 43 ovarian cancer tissues comprising eight early stage and 35 advanced stage tissues were carried out using oligonucleotide microarrays of 18,716 genes. By non-negative matrix factorization analysis using 178 genes, which were extracted as stage-specific genes, 35 advanced stage cases were classified into two subclasses with superior (n = 17) and poor (n = 18) outcome evaluated by progression-free survival (log rank test, P = 0.03). Of the 178 stage-specific genes, 112 genes were identified as showing different expression between the two subclasses. Of the 48 genes selected for biological function by gene ontology analysis or Ingenuity Pathway Analysis, five genes (ZEB2, CDH1, LTBP2, COL16A1, and ACTA2) were extracted as candidates for prognostic factors associated with progression-free survival. The relationship between high ZEB2 or low CDH1 expression and shorter progression-free survival was validated by real-time RT-PCR experiments of 37 independent advanced stage cancer samples. ZEB2 expression was negatively correlated with CDH1 expression in advanced stage samples, whereas ZEB2 knockdown in ovarian adenocarcinoma SKOV3 cells resulted in an increase in CDH1 expression. Multivariate analysis showed that high ZEB2 expression was independently associated with poor prognosis. Furthermore, the prognostic effect of E-cadherin encoded by CDH1 was verified using immunohistochemical analysis of an independent advanced stage cancer samples set (n = 74). These findings suggest that the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related genes such as ZEB2 and CDH1 may play important roles in the invasion process of advanced stage serous ovarian cancer.

Feasibility study of neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by interval debulking surgery for stage III/IV ovarian, tubal, and peritoneal cancers: Japan Clinical Oncology Group Study JCOG0206.

BACKGROUND: To assess the safety and efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by interval debulking surgery (IDS) for müllerian carcinomas, such as ovarian, tubal, and peritoneal cancers, and to determine whether we can omit diagnostic laparoscopy before treatment initiation, a feasibility study was performed. METHODS: Eligible patients had presumed stage III/IV müllerian carcinomas clinically diagnosed by imaging studies, cytology, and tumor markers. All patients underwent diagnostic laparoscopy to confirm the clinical diagnosis. Four cycles of paclitaxel and carboplatin were administered as NAC, followed by interval debulking surgery and an additional 4 cycles of chemotherapy. The primary end point was the proportion of patients achieving clinical complete remission (cCR) among all stage III/IV müllerian carcinomas confirmed by diagnostic laparoscopy. The major secondary end point was the positive predictive value (PPV) of clinical diagnosis. RESULTS: Fifty-six patients were enrolled into the study. The PPV of overall clinical diagnosis for the tumor origin, histology, and stage was 95% (53/56). Fifty-three patients received the protocol treatment starting with NAC. IDS was performed in 89% (47/53) of patients. Complete resection without residual tumors was achieved in 55% (29/53) and residual tumors became <1 cm in 17% (9/53) of patients. Twenty-two patients (42%) achieved cCR after completion of the treatment. The median overall and progression-free survival was 45 and 14 months, respectively. CONCLUSION: NAC without diagnostic laparoscopy for advanced müllerian carcinomas holds sufficient promise to be compared with direct surgery in a phase III trial.

Beta1,3-galactosyltransferases-4/5 are novel tumor markers for gynecological cancers.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: While the CA 125 and SCC antigens are used as tumor markers for ovarian cancer and uterine cervical cancer, respectively, an effective marker for uterine corpus cancer has not been identified. We asked whether beta1,3-galactosyltransferase-4 and/or 5 (beta3Gal-T4/T5) could serve as novel tumor markers for detecting gynecological carcinomas, especially those of the uterine corpus. METHODS: We obtained a monoclonal antibody and a polyclonal antiserum against beta3Gal-T5 and constructed a sandwich ELISA method. Western blot analysis and immunoprecipitation revealed that this ELISA recognizes both beta3Gal-T4 and beta3Gal-T5. RESULTS: We found beta3Gal-T4 and T5 enzymatic activity in ovarian cancer tissues, indicating that these enzymes are expressed at least in ovarian cancer. The cutoff value was determined by ROC analysis to be 5.4 ng/ml in the sera. The beta3Gal-T4/T5-positive rates for the sera from ovarian cancer and uterine cervical cancer patients were comparable with the CA 125- and SCC antigen-positive rates for these cancers, respectively. Significantly, the beta3Gal-T4/T5-positive rate was higher for uterine corpus cancer (64%) than the CA 125 (37%)- and CA 19-9 (24%)-positive rates. The stage I uterine corpus cancers had particularly high beta3Gal-T4/T5-positive rates (57%). CONCLUSION: beta3Gal-T4/T5 is a novel tumor marker for uterine corpus cancer and other gynecological cancers.

N-Acetylglucosamine 6-O-sulfotransferase-2 as a tumor marker for uterine cervical and corpus cancer.

N-Acetylglucosamine 6-O-sulfotransferase-2 (GlcNAc6ST2) is ectopically expressed in ovarian mucinous and clear cell adenocarcinoma [Kanoh et al., Glycoconj J 23:453-460, 2006]. Here we studied whether GlcNAc6ST2 protein can be detected in sera from patients with gynecological cancers and could serve as a tumor marker. First, we created a monoclonal antibody and polyclonal antiserum against GlcNAc6ST2. These antibodies were specific for GlcNAc6ST2, as shown by Western blot analysis and immunoprecipitation. Using these antibodies, we constructed a sandwich ELISA method for detecting GlcNAc6ST2 in the serum. GlcNAc6ST2 provided lower positive rates for ovarian cancer than CA125, but higher positive rates for uterine cervical and corpus cancer than SCC antigens and CA125, respectively. A significantly higher percentage of stage I uterine cervical and corpus cancers were positive for GlcNAc6ST2 than for SCC antigens and CA125, respectively. GlcNAc6ST2 could therefore be a good serological marker for detecting early-stage uterine cervical and corpus cancers.

Phase II clinical trial of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (JNS002) in Japanese patients with mullerian carcinoma (epithelial ovarian carcinoma, primary carcinoma of fallopian tube, peritoneal carcinoma) having a therapeutic history of platinum-based chemotherapy: a Phase II Study of the Japanese Gynecologic Oncology Group.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) in Japanese patients with Müllerian carcinoma having a therapeutic history of platinum-based chemotherapy. METHODS: Patients who were diagnosed with Müllerian carcinoma (epithelial ovarian carcinoma, primary carcinoma of fallopian tube and peritoneal carcinoma) by histological examination and had received the initial platinum-based chemotherapy were included in the study. The study drug was administered to the patients at 50 mg/m(2) every 4 weeks. RESULTS: Seventy-four patients were enrolled in the study. All patients had received platinum-based chemotherapy as first-line regimen and more than 90% of patients had also received taxanes. The overall response rate was 21.9% (95% confidence interval, 13.1-33.1%) and 38.4% of patients had stable disease. The median time to progression was 166 days. The major non-haematological toxicities were hand-foot syndrome (Grade 3; 16.2%) and stomatitis (Grade 3; 8.1%). Myelosuppression such as leukopenia (Grade 3; 52.7%, Grade 4; 6.8%), neutropenia (Grade 3; 31.1%, Grade 4; 36.5%) and decreased haemoglobin (Grade 3; 14.9%, Grade 4; 2.7%) were the most common haematological toxicities. CONCLUSION: We confirmed that a 50 mg/m(2) every 4 weeks regimen of PLD was active in Japanese patients with Müllerian carcinoma having a therapeutic history of platinum-based chemotherapy and toxicity was manageable by dose modification of PLD or supportive care.

Multicenter phase II study of fertility-sparing treatment with medroxyprogesterone acetate for endometrial carcinoma and atypical hyperplasia in young women.

PURPOSE: To assess the efficacy of fertility-sparing treatment using medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) for endometrial carcinoma (EC) and atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AH) in young women. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This multicenter prospective study was carried out at 16 institutions in Japan. Twenty-eight patients having EC at presumed stage IA and 17 patients with AH at younger than 40 years of age were enrolled. All patients were given a daily oral dose of 600 mg of MPA with low-dose aspirin. This treatment continued for 26 weeks, as long as the patients responded. Histologic change of endometrial tissue was assessed at 8 and 16 weeks of treatment. Either estrogen-progestin therapy or fertility treatment was provided for the responders after MPA therapy. The primary end point was a pathologic complete response (CR) rate. Toxicity, pregnancy rate, and progression-free interval were secondary end points. RESULTS: CR was found in 55% of EC cases and 82% of AH cases. The overall CR rate was 67%. Neither therapeutic death nor irreversible toxicities were observed; however, two patients had grade 3 body weight gain, and one patient had grade 3 liver dysfunction. During the 3-year follow-up period, 12 pregnancies and seven normal deliveries were achieved after MPA therapy. Fourteen recurrences were found in 30 patients (47%) between 7 and 36 months. CONCLUSION: The efficacy of fertility-sparing treatment with a high-dose of MPA for EC and AH was proven by this prospective trial. Even in responders, however, close follow-up is required because of the substantial rate of recurrence.