The lancet oncology
-
Although it is widely believed that ovarian epithelial tumours arise in the coelomic epithelium that covers the ovarian surface, it has been suggested that they could instead arise from tissues that are embryologically derived from the Müllerian ducts. This article revisits this debate by discussing recent epidemiological and molecular biological findings as well as evidence based on histopathological observations of surgical specimens from individuals with familial ovarian cancer predisposition. ⋯ An argument is made that primary ovarian epithelial tumours, fallopian tube carcinomas, and primary peritoneal carcinomas are all Müllerian in nature and could therefore be regarded as a single disease entity. Although a substantial proportion of cancers currently regarded as of primary ovarian origin arise in the fimbriated end of the fallopian tube, this site cannot account for all of these tumours, some of which are most likely derived from components of the secondary Müllerian system.
-
The lancet oncology · Nov 2008
Prediagnostic body-mass index, plasma C-peptide concentration, and prostate cancer-specific mortality in men with prostate cancer: a long-term survival analysis.
Excess body-mass index (BMI) has been associated with adverse outcomes in prostate cancer, and hyperinsulinaemia is a candidate mediator, but prospective data are sparse. We assessed the effect of prediagnostic BMI and plasma C-peptide concentration (reflecting insulin secretion) on prostate cancer-specific mortality after diagnosis. ⋯ Excess bodyweight and a high plasma concentration of C-peptide both predispose men with a subsequent diagnosis of prostate cancer to an increased likelihood of dying of their disease. Patients with both factors have the worst outcome. Further studies are now needed to confirm these findings.
-
The lancet oncology · Nov 2008
Ovarian ageing, follicle depletion, and cancer: a hypothesis for the aetiology of epithelial ovarian cancer involving follicle depletion.
The association between ovarian cancer risk and reproductive factors has been well established, and two main theories, incessant ovulation and gonadotropin stimulation, have been proposed to explain the mechanism. Recent studies using animal models of ovarian tumorigenesis, and analysis of ovarian tissues from prophylactic oophorectomies, suggest that depletion of ovarian follicles might underlie the epidemiological findings linking reproductive history and ovarian cancer risk.