5-aminolevulinic acid-mediated photodynamic therapy of intraepithelial neoplasia and human papillomavirus of the uterine cervix--a new experimental approach.

The aim of this study was to treat patients for ectocervical dysplasia [cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grades 1 and 2] and associated human papilloma virus (HPV) infections with photodynamic therapy (PDT). In 20 patients, 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA, 12% w/v) was applied topically with a cervical cap 8 h prior to illumination. A thermal light source (150 W halogen lamp) emitting a broadband red light (total energy: 100 J/cm2, fluence rate: 90 mW/cm2) was used for superficial illumination of the portio. In addition, an Nd:YAG pumped dye laser (652 nm) was used to illuminate the cervical canal (total energy: 50 J/cm2, fluence rate: 300 mW/cm2). Preliminary results of follow-ups at 1, 3, 6, and 9 months posttherapy showed a cytological improvement in the grading of the PAP smears in 19 patients and the eradication of cervical HPV in 80%. These results demonstrate that ectocervical dysplasia and associated HPV infections can be treated by PDT.

A significant correlation between melatonin deficiency and endometrial cancer.

Endometrial cancer is the most common pelvic genital cancer in women. Its incidence is increasing. Unlike the successful screening method for cervical cancer, there is no such equivalent procedure for the early diagnosis of endometrial cancer. Screening procedures currently being tested are too insensitive and nonspecific while diagnostics are either too complex or invasive. In Austria, a multicenter study was begun to search for parameters appropriate for a screening program. 138 women were selected based on anamnestic, serologic and cytologic risk factors. 68 women were diagnosed with endometrial cancer, 70 patients had abnormal bleeding. There were no significant differences in age and menopausal status. Secondary diseases including diabetes mellitus, hypertonia and adipositas were evenly distributed in both groups. In addition to the routine hormone analyses, we tested the patients' plasma for differences in melatonin levels. We found a significant correlation (p < 0.001) between melatonin plasma levels and the presence of endometrial cancer. The mean plasma melatonin value was 6.1 pg/ml in the cancer-positive group and 33.2 pg/ml in the cancer-negative control group resulting in a 6-fold difference between the two groups. We conclude that decreasing melatonin plasma levels may be an indicator of endometrial cancer and that this may therefore be used as a reliable screening parameter.

Differences in tumor microvessel density between squamous cell carcinomas and basal cell carcinomas may relate to their different biologic behavior.

Tumor microvessel density (TMVD) has been recognized as an important indicator for the metastatic risk in certain tumors. The purpose of this study was to analyse whether there is an association of TMVD in epithelial neoplasms of the skin with their clinical behavior. Paraffin sections of keratoacanthomas (KA, n = 10), squamous cell carcinomas (SCC, n = 9), nodular (nod-BCC, n = 13), and sclerosing (scl-BCC, n = 12) basal cell carcinomas were immunohistochemically stained for factor-VIII-related antigen and TMVD was determined. In all SCC, KA and nod-BCC, TMVD significantly exceeded perilesional skin microvessel density (PSMVD) (SCC:TMVD/PSMVD = 20.54:11.25, p < 0.0001; KA:TMVD/PSMVD = 20.90:12.17, p < 0.0001; nod-BCC:TMVD/PSMVD = 16.77:13.34, p = 0.03). In contrast, no significant difference between TMVD and PSMVD was found in scl-BCC (15.44:12.86, p = 0.22). TMVD was significantly higher in SCC and KA compared to nod-BCC (p = 0.036 and 0.006, respectively). Our data demonstrate that SCC and KA are highly vascularized tumors. The fact that TMVD does not differ significantly between SCC and KA (p = 0.80) suggests that MVD is not an indicator for the metastatic risk or aggressive growth behavior of epithelial skin tumors. The finding that MVD in both nod- and scl-BCC is significantly lower than in SCC and KA, might at least in part explain the slow growth of BCC.

Clinical effect of meso-tetrahydroxyphenylchlorine based photodynamic therapy in recurrent carcinoma of the ovary: preliminary results.

This article addresses the use of meso-tetrahydroxyphenylchlorin-based photodynamic therapy (m-THPC-PDT) to treat recurrent gynaecologic malignancies of the ovary. Photodynamic therapy is an experimental approach in the treatment of neoplasms and results indicate it is a highly tissue selective, relatively simple intervention with few side effects, therefore reducing the overall burden on the patient. Of the three patients involved in the initial study, two were treated solely with photodynamic therapy by laparoscopy, and one underwent additional palliative debulking surgery of metastatic tumours. After a post-operative period of more than two years all three women remained free of relapses.

[Sarcoma botryoides in the pediatric vagina--a soft tissue sarcoma with good prognosis]. / Das Sarcoma Botryoides der kindlichen Vagina--Ein Weichteilsarkom mit guten Heilungschancen.

Although rare, sarcoma botryoides of the vagina in infants is a highly aggressive soft tissue tumour. Former opinions suggesting exenterative surgery and radiation to improve the dismal outcome in these young children, are outdated. Due to balanced therapies (topical tumourectomy, chemotherapy and radiation adjusted to tumour stage) cure of these sarcomas may be expected dependent on tumour stage, localisation and response to chemotherapy. The rate of complete remissions has increased in recent years. We report on an eighteen-month old girl with complete remission of tumour stage IIA who had been treated according to the CWS 91 protocol. Diagnosis and treatment were performed in March 1994 at the age of six months. We observed the patient in complete remission for 8 months (till September 1995).

A new approach to cancer therapy due to appropriate uptake and retention kinetics of meta-tetrahydroxy-phenylchlorin in a human fibroblast cell line.

Studies have shown that meta-tetrahydroxy-phenylchlorin is an efficient tumor targeting agent for laser photodynamic therapy. The effectiveness of this approach for cancer treatment depends on drug concentration, incubation time and extracellular protein. We studied uptake and retention kinetics of mTHPC in a human fibroblast cell line. Our results clearly demonstrate a difference in the amount of extracellular mTHPC at an incubation temperature of 37 degrees C compared to 20 degrees C and 4 degrees C. pH-values were always constant and not responsible for the increase. Furthermore, both absorption and fluorescence of mTHPC increase when incubated at normal human body temperature. Incubation of human fibroblast cells with mTHPC (10 micg/mL) showed that intracellular mTHPC increases in a linear manner reaching saturation after 24 hours and declining until 48 hours with concommitant increase of supernatant mTHPC. Therefore, we believe that tumor cells can be treated optimally with PDT following a delay > 24 hours after drug administration with a minimum of damage to surrounding normal tissues.

The clinical effect of uterine hyperflexion and cervical elongation in cases of pelviscopic hysterectomy.

In a retrospective study of women who had undergone pelviscopic hysterectomies in the last 2 years, we focused on postoperative cyclic spotting. Preoperatively, a regular, cyclic menstruation and a premenopausal sexual hormone constellation were common to all patients. In the first group (n = 29), spotting occurred only in association with two uterine anatomical varieties: uterine hyperflexion and cervical elongation. The second group (n = 18), in which intraoperative internal electrocoagulation of the residual cervical envelope was performed, no spotting occurred despite the presence of uterine hyperflexion and cervical elongation. This procedure prevents the occurrence of postoperative spotting in cases of uterine anatomical varieties.

[Resection of cervical glands in pelviscopic hysterectomy]. / Zur Resektion zervikaler Drüsen bei der pelviskopischen Hysterektomie.

A case of pelviscopic hysterectomy with uterine hyperflexion and cervical elongation is presented. In this case we were forced to extirpate the cervical fascia because of uterine hemorrhage by laparotomy after the cervical tissue punch had been performed. The histological findings were supravaginal cervical glands. Complete removal of cervical glandular tissue may be undetermined by hyperflected uteri and cervical elongation.

[Phthirus pubis as the cause of tubo-ovarian conglomerate tumor]. / Phthirus pubis als Ursache eines tuboovarialen Konglomerattumors.

A case of an inflammatory tubo-ovarian tumour is presented. Histology and entomology identified the infectious agent as Phthirus pubis.