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Biomedical subjects

E Petru

Publications and source records attributed to E Petru.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

[Significance of prophylactic ovariectomy at the time of uterus extirpation for prevention of an ovarian carcinoma].

There is no general recommendation with regard to a certain age, after which prophylactic oophorectomy should be performed at the time of hysterectomy. We investigated how many patients who were treated for ovarian cancer at the University Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Graz between 1980 and 1989, had a history of hysterectomy because of benign uterine disease. In 42 of 382 patients with ovarian cancer (11%), a hysterectomy had been performed 2 to 43 years before the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. 12 of the 42 patients with ovarian cancer and previous hysterectomy (29%) additionally had unilateral oophorectomy because of benign tumors of the ovary. In 79% of patients, hysterectomy was carried out before the 45th year of age and in 86% of patients before the 50th year of age. Thus, prophylactic extirpation of sound ovaries before the age of 50 years does not seem to be generally indicated in patients with retained ovarian function who undergo hysterectomy. However, the rare genetically determined ovarian cancer is the exception to the rule.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Cytotoxic chemotherapy-induced second primary neoplasms: clinical aspects.

The incidence of second malignancies was assessed by retrospectively analyzing data from previous studies in well-defined and closely followed patient cohorts. After a median follow-up of more than 6 years following MOPP (mechlorethamine/vincristine/procarbazine/prednisone) chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy, 5% of patients with Hodgkin's disease developed second primaries, 60% of which were leukemias. Melphalan caused a 3% leukemia rate among 1129 patients with ovarian cancer who were followed for a median period of 4 years. No leukemia was observed among 1132 breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant CMF (cyclophosphamide/methotrexate/5-fluorouracil) after a median follow-up of 7.5 years. Long-term, comprehensive studies are needed to improve the current knowledge and the prognosis of patients with second primary neoplasms.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1991

[The significance of hormone receptor content in primary tumors for cytostatic therapy of advanced breast carcinoma].

The influence of the hormone receptor content in the primary tumor on the survival of 83 non-selected patients with advanced breast cancer who underwent cytostatic chemotherapy was investigated. 89% of the patients received anthracycline-containing regimens. There were no significant differences between receptor-positive and receptor-negative patients with regard to the localization of metastases. No survival advantage from the start of chemotherapy was found in the overall group of patients with estrogen-receptor-(ER-)positive and/or progesterone-receptor-(PR-)positive tumors. However, separate analysis of the ER-status revealed a significant survival advantage for patients with positive ER compared to those with negative ER (median survival of 18 months from the start of chemotherapy in ER-positive patients versus 9 months in ER-negative patients). These data indicate that the ER-status in the primary tumor may have an impact on the survival of patients treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy for their advanced disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Potentiation of cisplatin cytotoxicity by methylxanthines in vitro.

The ability of two supposed DNA-repair inhibitors to modulate cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity in a human ovarian cancer cell line (CAOV-3) and a human cervical cancer cell line (Me-180) was investigated using a short-term chemosensitivity assay based on bioluminescence of cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Cisplatin concentrations bracketing the reported peak plasma concentration (2.5 micrograms/ml) were used and the 50% inhibitory concentrations were determined by linear regression of log-transformed survival data. At 2.5 mM, the methylxanthine caffeine enhanced cisplatin sensitivity 2.9-fold in CAOV-3 cells and 2.7-fold in Me-180 cells. At 2.5 mM, pentoxifylline, a closely related methylxanthine, increased cisplatin sensitivity 2.9-fold in CAOV-3 cells and 3.4-fold in Me-180 cells. Chemical modification of cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity by assumed inhibition of DNA-repair mechanisms may hold promise for clinical application in the treatment of gynecological cancer.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1990

Comparative chemosensitivity profiles in four human ovarian carcinoma cell lines measuring ATP bioluminescence.

cis-Platinum (DDP) and cyclophosphamide are commonly used for the treatment of ovarian cancer; however, survival remains poor. The degree of cytotoxicity of the standard antineoplastic agents DDP, 4-hydroperoxy-cyclophosphamide (4-OH-CTX), mitomycin C (MITOM C), vincristine (VCR), etoposide (VP-16), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), cytosine arabinoside (ARA-C), and interferon (IF) in four representative ovarian cancer cell lines was studied using the ATP assay, which measures total cell kill. Cell lines CAOV-3, OVCAR-3, SKOV-3, and BG-1, which were derived from both pretreated and untreated patients, were exposed to six different concentrations for 90 min. On Day 7, intracellular ATP determinations were done. Sensitivity was defined as greater than or equal to 50% cell kill at 0.5 x peak plasma concentration as compared to controls. For 4-OH-CTX and ARA-C, 3 and 0.5 micrograms/ml were chosen as 0.5 x reference values. For each drug in each cell line, a highly reproducible dose-response relationship was observed. CAOV-3 cells were sensitive to all drugs except DDP, ARA-C, and IF, and OVCAR-3 cells to all except DDP and IF. SKOV-3 cells were resistant to all agents except VCR, and BG-1 cells to all except MITOM C and 5-FU. The apparent heterogeneic response to antineoplastic agents observed in the above cell lines underscores the importance of assessing individual patients' sensitivity profiles before treatment.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1990

Comparison of three tumor markers--CA-125, lipid-associated sialic acid (LSA), and NB/70K--in monitoring ovarian cancer.

The monitoring value of three tumor markers--CA-125, lipid-associated sialic acid (LSA), and NB/70K--alone and in combination has been studied in 152 patients with invasive, epithelial ovarian cancer. The sensitivity and specificity of CA-125 (90 and 92%, respectively) were superior to those of LSA (79 and 63%, respectively) and NB/70K (76 and 74%, respectively). CA-125 by itself showed equal or higher sensitivity as well as higher specificity than in combinations with either LSA or NB/70K. CA-125 predicted cancer at second-look in 87% of cases as did LSA and NB/70K in 70 and 57%, respectively. In patients with negative second-look, CA-125 predicted the disease status in 93% as did LSA and NB/70K in 54 and 63%, respectively. On the basis of these data, the value of simultaneous determination of LSA and NB/70K, in addition to the clinically established CA-125, seems to be limited. This is due mainly to the lack of specificity of LSA and NB/70K. However, the sensitivity and specificity of CA-125 in this study were in the upper reported range.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗
PubMed1990

Chemical enhancement of cisplatin cytotoxicity in a human ovarian and cervical cancer cell line.

While many advances have been made in the chemotherapy of gynecologic cancers, treatment failures remain a major clinical problem. A growing understanding of the mechanisms of tumor cell resistance to antineoplastic drugs provides a framework for the development of chemotherapy regimens containing agents capable of modulating tumor response. Using a short-term ATP bioluminescence assay we studied the ability of two methylxanthines (caffeine, pentoxifylline) and an inhibitor of ADP-ribosyl transferase (3-aminobenzamide) to enhance cisplatin cytotoxicity in gynecologic cancer cell lines. Our findings of significantly enhanced cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity with two different analysis techniques confirms the effectiveness of these agents. These results may have future clinical significance.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1990

[Scalenus biopsy in diagnosis of ovarian and uterine cancers].

Patients with tumours of the lower pelvis were submitted to a biopsy of the scalene fat pad. The primary tumour was a carcinoma of the ovary in 32, of the cervix in 4, and of the body of the uterus in 2 cases. Microscopic metastases in the pre-scalene lymph nodes were found in 7 of the 32 cases of ovarian carcinoma (21.8%), but in none of the patients with carcinoma of the uterus. Since a histologically positive finding of a scalene lymph node influences the treatment, biopsy of the scalene fat pad is recommended as part of the pre-operative investigation of patients with ovarian carcinoma.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1989

[In vitro study of estradiol-linked nitrosourea in breast cancers in the mouse, rat and human: interspecies comparison].

In vitro activity of 1-(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosocarbamoyl-L-alanine-oestradiol-17-ester (CNC-ala-17-E2) at three concentrations in transplanted MXT mammary carcinoma in mice and autochthonous methylnitrosourea (MNU)-induced mammary carcinoma in Sprague-Dawley rats, as well as in 30 human primary breast carcinomas using the bilayer soft agar assay is described. Eighty-five percent of MXT tumours showed a more than 70% inhibition of colony formation in response to CNC-ala-17-E2. The MNU-induced model did not show this high degree of inhibition; only 5% of tumours showed an inhibition of up to 70%, but a superiority of the hormone-linked agent over the unlinked single agents was nevertheless discernible. By contrast, in human breast carcinomas there was no statistically superior response to the hormone-linked preparation as opposed to the single agents. Thus, in MXT mammary carcinoma the in vitro results parallelled previous findings in vivo, whereas in the MNU-induced autochthonous tumour model this close in vivo-in vitro correlation was not observed. The discrepancy between in vivo and in vitro results found in the autochthonous rat model indicates that hormone-linked nitrosoureas should not necessarily be abandoned for the treatment of human breast carcinoma on the basis of negative in vitro results alone.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

In vitro chemosensitivity testing in the treatment of ovarian carcinoma.

In vitro chemosensitivity to cisplatinum, adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, and 5-fluorouracil was investigated in 58 cases of ovarian carcinoma using Volm's short-term test. These in vitro results were retrospectively correlated with the relapse-free interval. Operative treatment in all patients (FIGO stage I (5), III (43), IV (10)) comprised maximum debulking procedure including hysterectomy, adnexectomy, omentectomy, pelvic and in most cases additionally paraaortic lymphadenectomy. Subsequently, all patients were treated with the cisplatinum-epirubicin-cyclophosphamide regimen. 33/58 tumors (66%) were sensitive in vitro (inhibition of nucleic acid precursor incorporation of more than 45% as compared to untreated controls). The median relapse-free interval of patients with sensitive tumors was significantly longer than that of those with resistant carcinomas (30.3 versus 22.6 months, respectively; P less than 0.05). Histopathological evaluation showed the majority of serous cystadenocarcinomas to be sensitive (26/33 = 79%, P less than 0.05).

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Pelvic and paraaortic lymphocysts after radical surgery because of cervical and ovarian cancer.

To determine the incidence and clinical import of lymphocysts after radical gynecologic surgery including lymphadenectomy, we reviewed the records of 173 patients with cervical cancer and 135 patients with ovarian cancer who were followed up by computed tomography. Lymphocysts were found in 35 (20%) and 43 (32%) of the patients, respectively. Patients with cervical cancer and positive lymph nodes had a significantly higher rate of lymphocyst formation than did those with negative nodes (29% versus 14%, respectively, p less than 0.02). Age, type of lymphadenectomy, volume of fluid furthered by postoperative drains, disease stage, and tumor histology were not related to lymphocyst development. We saw no complications strictly attributable to lymphocysts. The clinical import and treatment possibilities are discussed.

Adenocarcinoma↗