Biomedical subjects

H Meden

Publications and source records attributed to H Meden.

60 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of interfering and influencing factors on the analyses of p105 (c-erbB-2/HER-2) oncoprotein fragment in serum.

BACKGROUND: The 105 kDa extracellular domain of c-erbB-2 encoded protein p185 is detectable in serum. Elevated p105 serum levels were found in patients with breast and ovarian cancer and in pregnancy. The effects of interfering and influencing factors on the measurement are still unclear. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We used an ELISA based on the monoclonal capture antibody OD-3 and investigated possible interfering factors, like changing transporting and storing conditions of blood and serum samples. In order to evaluate a normal range of p105 serum values we examined 71 healthy women. RESULTS: In our tests we found no influence on the reproducibility of results by changing transporting and storing conditions. We could not find any dependency of p105 serum values on the menstrual cycle or the age of controls. Postmenopausal women showed significantly higher serum values than premenopausal women (p = 0.0127). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical interpretation of female p105 serum values requires comparison with normal ranges when considering the menopause as an influencing factor.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Breast preserving surgery decision making.

Mammography, and in special cases MRT, allow the detection of DCIS and microcarcinomas. Breast preserving surgery needs intraoperative care for tumor free margins. Decision making under favourable and unfavourable conditions is discussed. Tumor grading is important with respect to locoregional recurrences. Improvements in breast cancer diagnosis are discussed in a separate paper in the same volume. The significance of c-erbB2 in pT1N0M0 stage has been determined in 472 cases. Within the c-erbB family, c-erbB2 has highest significance. p53 should also be evaluated with respect to tumor progress. In a few cases of malignant cystosarcoma phyllodes, p53 reaction was found in epithelial and mesenchymal cell systems. These results correspond to the results of Domagala et al (90) which show that vimentin positivity correlates with high proliferation, a high degree of malignancy and c-erbB2 positivity. Finally, the significance of angiogenesis with respect to the ineffective knot-formation for tumor cell transport and detachment of epithelia with apoptosis are discussed. The significance of proteolytic activity of cancer according to the results of Schmitt et al (89) is included in the discussion. Biochemical analysis seems to be much more effective for prediction of metastatic process as compared with immunohistochemical evaluations.

Breast Neoplasms↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Early intensive and myeloablative adjuvant chemotherapy in women with high-risk breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Women with breast cancer and > 10 positive lymph nodes have an unfavorable prognosis. The optimal combination and intensity of adjuvant chemotherapy is uncertain. Between July 1994 and December 1996 we treated 19 patients with early intensive followed by high-dose chemotherapy and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were initially diagnosed with breast cancer and multiple positive lymph nodes. Induction chemotherapy consisted of two courses VP16, ifosphamide, cisplatin and epirubicin (VIPE) and one course of mitoxantrone, cyclophosphamide and thiotepa (MCT). Peripheral blood stem cells were mobilized after the first or second course of VIPE and retransfused two days after high dose chemotherapy. RESULTS: Stem cells were successfully collected in all patients. Major toxicities (WHO grade III and IV) were neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, alopecia, nausea, infections and mucositis. Hematopoietic recovery occurred in all patients with a median of 10 days for leukocytes and 13 days for platelets. No patient died of therapy-induced complications. The median observation time is 24 months. Two patients have relapsed, one with locoregional disease. The projected rate of patients with disease-free survival after three years is 88%. CONCLUSIONS: Early intensive and myeloablative chemotherapy followed by peripheral blood stem cell transplantation is a highly efficient and feasible protocol for high risk patients with breast cancer.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Detection of p105 (c-erbB-2, HER2/neu) serum levels by a new ELISA in patients with ovarian carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Immunohistochemical detection of the oncogene c-erbB-2 (HER2/neu) has been shown to be an important prognostic marker in ovarian cancer. In this study we evaluated a new developed polyclonal detector antibody-based ELISA for the extracellular domain of p185 to determine whether the soluble oncoprotein fragment p105 can be detected in the serum of ovarian cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The relationship between p105 serum levels and various tumor parameters in 53 patients with newly diagnosed, untreated ovarian cancer was studied. Serum specimens were obtained prior initial surgery, and p105 levels were determined using a new developed, polyclonal detector antibody-based human neu quantitative ELISA assay. RESULTS: Using the polyclonal detector antibody-based ELISA, elevated p105 serum levels were not related to tumor stage, grade, histology and residual tumor after primary surgery. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that particular statements concerning the preoperatively taken p105 level using the polyclonal antibody-based ELISA in patients with primary ovarian cancer cannot be brawn yet.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Co-expression of the MDR1 gene and HSP27 in human ovarian cancer.

Heat-shock proteins seem to play a still undefined role in cancer. One of them particularly, the low molecular weight HSP27, seems to be involved in resistance to chemotherapy. This phenomenon has been reported in breast cancer cell lines, and the aim of this study was to investigate if it also takes place in clinical tumour samples from ovarian cancer patients. We studied ovarian carcinoma samples from 95 patients by means of immunohistochemistry for the overexpression of both the product of the multidrug-resistance gene (P-glycoprotein) and HSP27. The expression of the MDR1 gene in more than 50% of the tumour cells was associated with an almost significantly shorter survival of patients with stage II, III and IV tumours (p = 0.05), although intriguingly not with the response to chemotherapy. Tumours expressing the MDR1 gene, furthermore, also tended to co-express HSP27 (64.9% vs. 42.1%), and this difference was statistically significant (p = 0.026).

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Wertheim's hysterectomy after neoadjuvant carboplatin-based chemotherapy in patients with cervical cancer stage IIB and IIIB.

BACKGROUND: To improve local response and survival, a prospective study was designed to determine the effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the management of cervical carcinoma stage IIB and IIIB. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fourteen patients were treated with preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Three courses of carboplatin were administered in combination with ifosfamide in 11/14 patients, whereas 3 patients received three courses of carboplatin and paclitaxel. RESULTS: After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, there were 8/14 clinical responses while 6/14 patients had no change. In 8 cases, Wertheim's hysterectomy was possible after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Six of these 8 patients are still alive after a duration of 32 months median follow-up, 2 patients died of metastatic disease. In 6 cases with no change after chemotherapy, Wertheim's hysterectomy was impossible. In this subgroup, the median survival time was 15.5 months, and 4/6 patients died of metastatic disease. CONCLUSIONS: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with carboplatin/ifosfamide or carboplatin/paclitaxel is safe, well-tolerated, effective and useful to enable Wertheim's hysterectomy.

Adult↗