Gynecologic oncology
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Paclitaxel is one of the most active chemotherapy agents for the treatment of ovarian and other gynecologic cancers. Hypersensitivity reactions (HSR) remain one of the major clinical concerns in the use of paclitaxel. This report deals with 183 consecutive patients treated with paclitaxel chemotherapy. ⋯ All patients recovered uneventfully from these reactions. Two of these patients received additional oral decadron followed by the standard premedication and were successfully retreated with multiple courses of paclitaxel therapy without reaction. Our findings confirm other reports that paclitaxel chemotherapy hypersensitivity reactions can be decreased with a single-dose intravenous decadron premedication regimen and that patients who do have paclitaxel HSRs may be safely retreated with paclitaxel.
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Gynecologic oncology · Apr 1998
Uterine papillary serous carcinoma: evaluation of long-term survival in surgically staged patients.
Earlier studies have demonstrated that the uterine papillary serous carcinoma (UPSC) variant of endometrial carcinoma has a high recurrence rate, even when disease is apparently confined to the uterus. The current study evaluated survival in patients with surgically staged UPSC. ⋯ Women with UPSC have a good prognosis when surgical staging confirms that disease is confined to the uterus (Stage I/II). Surgical findings can also be used to tailor adjuvant radiation treatments. Further study is required to define the optimal treatment for women with metastatic UPSC.
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Gynecologic oncology · Feb 1998
Response to salvage treatment in recurrent ovarian cancer treated initially with paclitaxel and platinum-based combination regimens.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the response to salvage treatment in recurrent ovarian cancer treated initially with paclitaxel-based chemotherapy. ⋯ Recurrent ovarian cancer patients initially treated with paclitaxel-based chemotherapy frequently responded to salvage treatment. However, the duration of response was brief, and hospitalization for treatment-related side-effects was common. Tumor response to initial paclitaxel/platinum treatment was predictive of future response to second-line agents. Current salvage therapies appear to provide little benefit in cases of tumors resistant to primary chemotherapy.
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The objective of this study is to clarify the association between the expression of two types angiogenic factors, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor (PD-ECGF)/thymidine phosphorylase(dThdPase) and clinicopathological features, including tumor angiogenesis, in cervical cancers. ⋯ The expression of VEGF appears to be involved in the promotion of angiogenesis in cervical cancers. Furthermore, we propose that angiogenic pathways may be different in different types of cervical cancers.