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Ovarian Cancer Patients (ovarian + cancer_patient)
Selected AbstractsGuidelines Help Referrals in Ovarian Cancer PatientsNURSING FOR WOMENS HEALTH, Issue 3 2004Carolyn Davis Cockey MLS executive editor No abstract is available for this article. [source] Influence of the prodrugs 5-fluorocytosine and CPT-11 on ovarian cancer cells using genetically engineered stem cells: tumor-tropic potential and inhibition of ovarian cancer cell growthCANCER SCIENCE, Issue 4 2010Ki-Yon Kim Recent studies have shown that genetically engineered stem cells (GESTECs) to produce suicide enzymes that convert non-toxic prodrugs to toxic metabolites selectively migrate toward tumor sites and reduce tumor growth. In the present study, we evaluated whether these GESTECs were capable of migrating to human ovarian cancer cells and examined the potential therapeutic efficacy of the gene-directed enzyme prodrug therapy against ovarian cancer cells in vitro. The expression of cytosine deaminase (CD) or carboxyl esterase (CE) mRNA of GESTECs was confirmed by RT-PCR. A modified transwell migration assay was performed to determine the migratory capacity of GESTECs to ovarian cancer cells. GESTECs (HB1.F3.CD or HB1.F3.CE cells) engineered to express a suicide gene (CD or CE) selectively migrated toward ovarian cancer cells. A [3H] thymidine incorporation assay was conducted to measure the proliferative index. Treatment of human epithelial ovarian cancer cell line (SKOV-3, an ovarian adenocarcinoma derived from the ascites of an ovarian cancer patient) with the prodrugs 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) or camptothecin-11 (CPT-11) in the presence of HB1.F3.CD or HB1.F3.CE cells resulted in the inhibition of ovarian cancer cell growth. Based on the data presented herein, we suggest that GESTECs expressing CD/CE may have a potent advantage to selectively treat ovarian cancers. (Cancer Sci 2010; 101: 955,962) [source] Autoantibodies against stress-induced phosphoprotein-1 as a novel biomarker candidate for ovarian cancerGENES, CHROMOSOMES AND CANCER, Issue 7 2010Sunghoon Kim Detection of autoantibodies against tumor-associated antigens (TAA) has recently been shown to be a powerful tool for early detection of various cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of using autoantibodies against TAA as novel biomarkers by a proteomics-based approach in patients with ovarian cancer. We used two-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis analysis of immuno-precipitated tumor antigens (2D-DITA) to compare the levels of autoandibodies in pretreatment and posttreatment sera of patients with ovarian cancers. The identified autoantibodies were validated by SYBR Green real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC). We further evaluated the level of autoantibody in sera of 68 ovarian cancer patients by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The autoantibody directed against stress-induced phosphoprotein-1 (STIP-1) emerged as a novel biomarker candidate for ovarian cancer. SYBR Green PCR and IHC confirmed that the STIP-1 mRNA and protein expression levels were significantly up-regulated in ovarian cancers compared with normal and benign tumors (P = 0.003 and P < 0.001, respectively). A preliminary ELISA study showed that the serum levels of anti-STIP-1 autoantibodies were significantly elevated in ovarian cancer patients compared with healthy controls (P = 0.03). The results suggest that 2D-DITA is a useful tool to detect autoantibodies and that STIP-1 is a potential biomarker candidate for ovarian cancers. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Identification of novel alternatively spliced BRCA1-associated RING domain (BARD1) messenger RNAs in human peripheral blood lymphocytes and in sporadic breast cancer tissuesGENES, CHROMOSOMES AND CANCER, Issue 9 2007Grazia Lombardi BARD1 (BRCA1-associated RING domain) is the dominant binding partner of BRCA1 in vivo. The BARD1 gene has been reported to be mutated in a subset of breast and ovarian cancer patients and BARD1 germ-line mutations have been identified in breast cancer patients negative for BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene alterations. In the present study, we show by RT-PCR and direct sequencing analysis the occurrence of seven novel and one previously identified BARD1 splicing variants in human lymphocytes and breast cancers. Two of the eight variants (BARD1, and BARD1 ,RIN) preserve a correct open reading frame and could encode BARD1 internally deleted proteins, while the remaining six variants display premature stop codons. Characterization of the relative expression of BARD1 FL, BARD1,, and BARD1 ,RIN using quantitative PCR analysis indicated that the mean expression levels of BARD1 FL, BARD1,, and BARD1 ,RIN were significantly higher in tumors than in morphologically normal tissues and lymphocytes. However, we were unable to identify either qualitatively or quantitatively tumor-specific expression patterns of the identified BARD1 splicing variants. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Immunization with a P53 synthetic long peptide vaccine induces P53-specific immune responses in ovarian cancer patients, a phase II trial,INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 9 2009Ninke Leffers Abstract The prognosis of ovarian cancer, the primary cause of death from gynecological malignancies, has only modestly improved over the last decades. Immunotherapy is one of the new treatment modalities explored for this disease. To investigate safety, tolerability, immunogenicity and obtain an impression of clinical activity of a p53 synthetic long peptide (p53-SLP) vaccine, twenty patients with recurrent elevation of CA-125 were included, eighteen of whom were immunized 4 times with 10 overlapping p53-SLP in Montanide ISA51. The first 5 patients were extensively monitored for toxicity, but showed no , grade 3 toxicity, thus accrual was continued. Overall, toxicity was limited to grade 1 and 2, mostly locoregional, inflammatory reactions. IFN-, producing p53-specific T-cell responses were induced in all patients who received all 4 immunizations as measured by IFN-, ELISPOT. An IFN-, secretion assay showed that vaccine-induced p53-specific T-cells were CD4+, produced both Th1 and Th2 cytokines as analyzed by cytokine bead array. Notably, Th2 cytokines dominated the p53-specific response. P53-specific T-cells were present in a biopsy of the last immunization site of at least 9/17 (53%) patients, reflecting the migratory capacity of p53-specific T-cells. As best clinical response, stable disease evaluated by CA-125 levels and CT-scans, was observed in 2/20 (10%) patients, but no relationship was found with vaccine-induced immunity. This study shows that the p53-SLP vaccine is safe, well tolerated and induces p53-specific T-cell responses in ovarian cancer patients. Upcoming trials will focus on improving T helper-1 polarization and clinical efficacy. © 2009 UICC [source] Prevalence of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in Pakistani breast and ovarian cancer patientsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 12 2006Muhammad U. Rashid Abstract Among Asian countries, Pakistan has the highest rates of breast and ovarian cancer. To assess the contribution of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 germ line mutations to these high rates, we conducted the first study of 176 Pakistani breast and ovarian cancer patients, selected on family history and on age of diagnosis. Comprehensive BRCA mutation screening was performed using a range of techniques, including denaturing high-pressure liquid chromatography, single strand conformational polymorphism analysis and protein truncation test, followed by DNA sequencing. Thirty deleterious germ-line mutations were identified in the 176 families (17.0%), including 23 in BRCA1 and 7 in BRCA2. Four mutations, 185delAG, 185insA, S1503X and R1835X, were recurrent; these accounted for 52% of all identified BRCA1 mutations. Haplotype analyses suggested founder effects for 3 of these. The prevalence of BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations was 42.8% for families with multiple cases of breast cancer, and was 50.0% for the breast/ovarian cancer families. The prevalence of mutations was 11.9% for single cases of early-onset breast cancer (,30 years) and was 9.0% for single cases of early-onset ovarian cancer (,45 years). Our findings show that BRCA mutations account for a substantial proportion of hereditary breast/ovarian cancer and early-onset breast and ovarian cancer cases in Pakistan. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Expression profiling correlates with treatment response in women with advanced serous epithelial ovarian cancerINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 4 2006Tanya R. Newton Abstract The majority of epithelial ovarian carcinomas are of serous subtype, with most women presenting at an advanced stage. Approximately 70% respond to initial chemotherapy but eventually relapse. We aimed to find markers of treatment response that might be suitable for routine use, using the gene expression profile of tumor tissue. Thirty one women with histologically-confirmed late-stage serous ovarian cancer were classified into 3 groups based on response to treatment (nonresponders, responders with relapse less than 12 months and responders with no relapse within 12 months). Gene expression profiles of these specimens were analyzed with respect to treatment response and survival (minimum 36 months follow-up). Patients' clinical features did not correlate with prognosis, or with specific gene expression patterns of their tumors. However women who did not respond to treatment could be distinguished from those who responded with no relapse within 12 months based on 34 gene transcripts (p < 0.02). Poor prognosis was associated with high expression of inhibitor of differentiation-2 (ID2) (p = 0.001). High expression of decorin (DCN) and ID2 together was strongly associated with reduced survival (p = 0.003), with an estimated 7-fold increased risk of dying (95% CI 1.9,29.6; 14 months survival) compared with low expression (44 months). Immunohistochemical analysis revealed both nuclear and cytoplasmic distribution of ID2 in ovarian tumors. High percentage of nuclear staining was associated with poor survival, although not statistically significantly. In conclusion, elevated expression of ID2 and DCN was significantly associated with poor prognosis in a homogeneous group of ovarian cancer patients for whom survival could not be predicted from clinical factors. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] From gene profiling to diagnostic markers: IL-18 and FGF-2 complement CA125 as serum-based markers in epithelial ovarian cancerINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 7 2006Cécile Le Page Abstract We used an oligonucleotide-based DNA microarray to identify potential markers in 39 primary cultures of ovarian cancer specimens compared with 11 primary cultures of normal ovarian epithelia. Differential gene expression of IL-18 and FGF-2 was validated on a subset of samples by quantitative PCR and by IHC, using an independent tissue array of 90 cores of 20 normal ovarian surface epithelia and 70 EOCs representing different grades and pathologies of ovarian disease. We further compared, by ELISA, these two markers with CA125 in sera from 25 cancer-free and 47 ovarian cancer patients. IL-18 and FGF-2 proteins were significantly elevated in tumor tissues (p<0.04) and sera (p<0.05) from patients with ovarian cancer. In combination, the three markers (IL-18, FGF-2, and CA125) showed similar sensitivity in scoring for ovarian cancer (35/45 patients) compared to that of CA125 alone (37/45) and significantly improved the specificity of detection (20/25 patients) compared to each marker individually (15/25 for CA125; 18/25 FGF-2; 16/25 for IL-18). In conclusion we show that a combination of the three serum markers (IL-18, FGF-2 and CA125) is associated with EOC, with higher specificity than CA125 alone. Prospective studies with a large cohort of susceptible ovarian cancer patients will be required to expand these findings. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Lysophosphatidic acid in malignant ascites stimulates migration of human mesenchymal stem cellsJOURNAL OF CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2008Mi Jeong Lee Abstract Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is elevated in ascites of ovarian cancer patients and is involved in growth and invasion of ovarian cancer cells. Accumulating evidence suggests a pivotal role of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) or stromal cells in tumorigenesis. In the present study, we demonstrated that ascites from ovarian cancer patients and LPA increased migration of human MSCs. The migration of MSCs induced by LPA and malignant ascites was completely abrogated by pretreatment with Ki16425, an antagonist of LPA receptors, and by silencing of endogenous LPA1, but not LPA2, with small interference RNA, suggesting a key role of LPA played in the malignant ascites-induced migration. LPA induced activation of ERK through pertussis toxin-sensitive manner, and pretreatment of MSCs with U0126, a MEK inhibitor, or pertussis toxin attenuated the LPA-induced migration. Moreover, LPA induced activation of RhoA in MSCs, and pretreatment of the cells with Y27632, a Rho kinase inhibitor, markedly inhibited the LPA-induced migration. In addition, LPA and malignant ascites increased intracellular concentration of calcium in MSCs, and Ki16425 completely inhibited the elevation of intracellular calcium. These results suggest that LPA is a crucial component of the malignant ascites which induce the migration of MSCs and elevation of intracellular calcium. J. Cell. Biochem. 104: 499,510, 2008. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Preoperative plasma osteopontin level as a biomarker complementary to carbohydrate antigen 125 in predicting ovarian cancerJOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY RESEARCH (ELECTRONIC), Issue 3 2006Mitsuhiro Nakae Abstract Aim:, New biomarkers other than carbohydrate antigen (CA) 125 are needed for the detection of ovarian cancer. Osteopontin (OPN) is one of the candidates identified by high-throughput complementary DNA microarray techniques. We evaluated the preoperative plasma OPN level as a diagnostic biomarker for ovarian cancer in comparison with CA125. Methods:, Preoperative plasma OPN and CA125 levels were measured and compared in 32 patients with ovarian cancer, 34 patients with benign ovarian tumor, 30 patients with other gynecologic cancers and 31 healthy women. Preoperative plasma OPN levels were also assessed according to tumor stage, the volume of ascites and histological types. The sensitivity and specificity for predicting ovarian cancer was compared between OPN and CA125. Results:, Preoperative plasma OPN levels were significantly higher in patients with ovarian cancer than in those with benign ovarian tumor, in other gynecologic patients or in healthy women. Stage IV ovarian cancer patients and ovarian cancer patients with ascites had higher plasma OPN levels than those without ascites and in a lower stage. There was no relation between OPN and the histological type. The sensitivity of preoperative plasma OPN in detecting ovarian cancer was 81.3% and almost reached that of CA125. The specificity was moderate. Sensitivity increased to 93.8% with the combination of CA125, compared to 84.4% with CA125 alone. Conclusion:, Preoperative OPN is a useful biomarker for predicting ovarian cancer. It is especially useful when used complementary to CA125. Larger studies of patients with ovarian cancer showing a low CA125 level or in early stages of ovarian cancer are needed. [source] Increased staining for phosphorylated AKT and nuclear factor-,B p65 and their relationship with prognosis in epithelial ovarian cancerPATHOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 12 2008Rui-Xia Guo AKT plays an important role in malignant behavior of tumors. The purpose of the present study was to determine the expression of phosphorylated AKT (P-AKT) and nuclear factor-,B (NF-,B) p65 and their association with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis in epithelial ovarian tumor. On immunohistochemistry 115 samples of ovarian tissue that included 68 specimens of epithelial ovarian cancer, 12 of borderline tumor, 24 of epithelial benign tumor and 11 of normal ovary, were evaluated. Sixty-three patients with ovarian cancer were followed up from 7 to 68 months. The positive expression rate of P-AKT and NF-,B p65 were higher in epithelial ovarian cancer than in normal ovarian tissue (P < 0.01). Elevated P-AKT or NF-,B p65 expression was significantly correlated with late clinical stage (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01) and poor histological differentiation (both P < 0.01). P-AKT expression was significantly correlated with NF-,B p65 immunostaining (, = 0.272, P < 0.05). Elevated expression of P-AKT was negatively correlated with the survival of ovarian cancer patients, but it was not an independent prognostic factor after multivariate analysis. Overexpression of P-AKT and NF-,B p65 were involved in the carcinogenesis and metastasis of ovarian cancer. P-AKT might contribute to the malignant transformation through NF-,Bp65 upregulation. [source] Effect of a combination of extract from several plants on Cell-mediated and humoral immunity of patients with advanced ovarian cancerPHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, Issue 5 2006N. Kormosh Abstract The influence of a plant preparation AdMax (Nulab Inc., Clearwater, FL, USA) on immunity in ovarian cancer patients was studied. The preparation is a combination of dried ethanol/water extracts from roots of Leuzea carthamoides, Rhodiola rosea, Eleutherococcus senticosus and fruits of Schizandra chinensis. Twenty eight patients with stage III,IV epithelial ovarian cancer were treated once with 75 mg/m2 cisplatin and 600 mg/m2 cyclophosphamide. Peripheral blood was collected 4 weeks after the chemotherapy. Subclasses of T, B and NK lymphocytes were tested for in the blood samples: CD3, CD4, CD5, CD7, CD8, CD11B, CD16, CD20, CD25, CD38, CD45RA, CD50, CD71 and CD95. Immunoglobulin G, A and M concentrations were also determined. Changes were observed in the following T cell subclasses: CD3, CD4, CD5 and CD8. In patients who took AdMax (270 mg a day) for 4 weeks following the chemotherapy, the mean numbers of the four T cell subclasses were increased in comparison with the mean numbers of the T cell subclasses in patients who did not take AdMax. In patients who took AdMax, the mean amounts of IgG and IgM were also increased. The obtained results suggest that the combination of extracts from adaptogenic plants may boost the suppressed immunity in ovarian cancer patients who are subject to chemotherapy. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Comparison of proteomic biomarker panels in urine and serum for ovarian cancer diagnosisPROTEOMICS - CLINICAL APPLICATIONS, Issue 3 2010Anette Lykke Petri Abstract Purpose: The purposes of this study were to confirm previously found candidate epithelial ovarian cancer biomarkers in urine and to compare a paired serum biomarker panel and a urine biomarker panel from the same study cohort with regard to the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) area under the ROC curve (AUC) values. Experimental design: Four significant urine biomarkers were confirmed among 130 pelvic mass patients in the present study. The four biomarkers form a potential urine biomarker panel. From the same study cohort, the potential urine biomarker panel was compared to a serum biomarker panel, consisting of seven proteins/peptides, OvaRI. Results: Multivariate analysis of the urine panel demonstrated a significant differentiation (p<0.0001) between epithelial ovarian cancer patients and patients with benign ovarian pelvic masses. The ROC AUC of the urine panel was 0.84 and the ROC AUC of OvaRI was 0.83. Combining the urine panel with OvaRI demonstrated a significant contribution from both, for urine peaks, OR=2.12 and for OvaRI, OR=1.39; the ROC AUC of this model was 0.88. Conclusions and clinical relevance: We demonstrated that both urine and serum can be used individually or in combination to potentially aid in ovarian cancer diagnostics. Urine proteomic profiling could provide biomarkers for the non-invasive test required in clinical practice. [source] Psychological distress and its correlates in ovarian cancer: a systematic reviewPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 11 2008Emily Arden-Close Abstract Objective: Ovarian cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, and consequently high levels of distress are often experienced. It is necessary to understand the factors associated with psychological distress in order to guide interventions to target those factors. The purpose of this systematic review was therefore to identify correlates of psychological distress in ovarian cancer. Methods: Included studies had to be quantitative and empirical, with standardized measures of psychological distress (anxiety or depression), and to present results for ovarian cancer patients specifically. Standard systematic search methods were used. Information about design, ovarian cancer sample size, disease stage, time since diagnosis, measures of distress used and findings was extracted from each study. The studies were quality assessed using experimenter-defined criteria as good, average and poor quality. Strength of the evidence (strong, some, inconclusive) was based on the quality and consistency of findings. Results: Eighteen studies meeting the inclusion criteria were identified. There was strong evidence for a relationship between younger age, being diagnosed with more advanced disease, more physical symptoms and shorter time since diagnosis with increased levels of anxiety and/or depression. Additional factors (e.g. immune) tested in a few studies also emerged as correlates of distress. Conclusions: Demographic, disease and quality of life factors correlated with distress. However, too few studies assessed possible psychological and immunological correlates, which could be potentially modified and should be assessed in future studies. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Communication and decision-making about seeking inherited cancer risk information: findings from female survivor-relative focus groupsPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 3 2006Suzanne Mellon Abstract Dramatic advances in cancer genetics and identification of germline mutations in cancer genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 have led to new options in genetic risk assessment for families with histories of breast and ovarian cancer. However, little research has been carried out with individuals and their families regarding how cancer risk information is communicated within families and factors that may affect individuals and family members making informed decisions about their health. This study explored participants' knowledge of cancer risk, their perceptions and concerns regarding inherited cancer risk information, family communication patterns, and factors that may affect their decision to learn about inherited cancer risk in their families. Nine focus groups of family dyads were conducted (N=39) consisting of breast or ovarian cancer patients and close female relatives. All transcribed interviews were analyzed using qualitative software. Key findings showed diversity in how families communicated and made decisions about their health, persistent worry for their families, lack of knowledge about inherited cancer, vigilance in watching their health, and barriers present in communicating about genetic risk. Results from this study support inclusion of family members in addressing inherited cancer risk information and contextual family factors critical to consider in potentially high risk families. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Limited prognostic value of tissue protein expression levels of BCl-2 in Danish ovarian cancer patients: from the Danish ,MALOVA' ovarian cancer studyAPMIS, Issue 8 2010ESTRID V.S. Høgdall Høgdall EVS, Christensen L, Kjaer SK, Blaakaer J, Christensen IJ, Høgdall CK. Limited prognostic value of tissue protein expression levels of BCl-2 in Danish ovarian cancer patients. APMIS 2010; 118: 557,64. The purpose of the study was to determine the expression of BCl-2 in epithelial ovarian tumors and to correlate expression levels with selected clinicopathologic parameters, time to progression and prognosis of the disease. Using tissue arrays (TA), we analyzed BCl-2 expression in tissues from 191 women diagnosed with low malignant potential ovarian tumors (LMP) and from 582 patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer (OC). Using 30% as cutoff level for BCl-2 overexpression, 5% of LMPs were positive with a higher proportion of serous ovarian tumor of LMP, compared to mucinous ovarian tumor of LMP (p = 0.02). Women with a BCl-2-positive LMP tumor were older than women with a BCl-2 negative tumor (p = 0.02). Ten percent of OCs were positive for BCl-2 expression (,30%). No significant association was found between BCl-2 expression levels and histologic type of tumors (serous vs mucinous, p = 0.19). A 30% cutoff value or a percentage scale showed that BCl-2 expression had no prognostic value, both in univariate and in multivariate survival analyses. No difference in time to progression was observed between patients with BCl-2-positive and negative tumors. These data suggest that BCl-2 expression may not be of important clinical value in the treatment of Danish OC patients. [source] Role of chemotherapy for patients with recurrent platinum-resistant advanced epithelial ovarian cancer,CANCER, Issue 3 2006A cost-effectiveness analysis Abstract BACKGROUND. Current chemotherapy in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer patients has demonstrated minimal to no improvements in survival. Despite the lack of benefit, significant resources are utilized with such therapies. Therefore, the objective in the current study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of salvage chemotherapy for patients with platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). METHODS. A decision analysis model evaluated a hypothetical cohort of 4000 platinum-resistant patients with recurrent EOC. Several chemotherapy strategies were analyzed: 1) best supportive care (BSC); 2) second-line chemotherapy-monotherapy; 3) second-line chemotherapy-combination therapy; 4) third-line chemotherapy after disease progression on second-line monotherapy; and 5) third-line chemotherapy after disease progression on second-line combination therapy. Sensitivity analyses were performed on all pertinent uncertainties. RESULTS. Using costs alone, BSC was the only definitive cost-effective treatment for platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer patients, and second-line monotherapy was a reasonable cost-effective strategy with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $64,104. The cost-effectiveness ranged from $4,065 per month of overall survival (OS) for BSC to $12,927 for third-line previous combination therapy. Compared with BSC, second-line monotherapy gained an additional 3 months of OS, with a cost-effectiveness of $4,703 per month of OS. Second-line combination therapy and third-line therapies exhibited unfavorable ICER. CONCLUSIONS. The current decision analysis was intended to be thought-provoking and bring awareness to the high costs of subsequent chemotherapy with limited effectiveness in patients with recurrent platinum-resistant EOC. Although actual patients may receive multiple lines of chemotherapy, from the perspective of costs alone this model using a hypothetical cohort demonstrated that best supportive care was the only cost-effective strategy, with second-line monotherapy appearing to be a reasonable cost-effective strategy given current chemotherapeutic options. Cancer 2006. © 2006 American Cancer Society. [source] Psychosocial factors and interleukin-6 among women with advanced ovarian cancerCANCER, Issue 2 2005Erin S. Costanzo M.A. Abstract BACKGROUND Relations among psychological stress, depression, social support, and interleukin-6 (IL-6, a proinflammatory cytokine) have been documented in humans and animals. Because elevated IL-6 is associated with a poorer prognosis among ovarian cancer patients and has been implicated in the metastasis of ovarian cancer, the current study examined relations between psychosocial factors and IL-6 among women with advanced-stage ovarian cancer. METHODS Sixty-one ovarian cancer patients completed assessments of social support, distressed mood, and quality of life before surgery. Peripheral blood was drawn preoperatively, and the plasma was assayed for IL-6. Ascites samples were also assayed for IL-6 for a subset of patients. RESULTS Both IL-6 levels and distressed mood were elevated among patients. After statistically adjusting effects of age and disease stage, social attachment was associated with lower levels of IL-6 in peripheral blood (P = 0.03), whereas poorer health-related quality of life was associated with higher IL-6 (P values ranged from 0.01 to 0.03 on different measures). This pattern of relations was also found in the ascites. Moreover, IL-6 levels in peripheral blood plasma correlated significantly with IL-6 in the ascites (P < 0.001), suggesting that peripheral IL-6 reflects IL-6 levels at the site of the tumor. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that social support may play a protective role with respect to IL-6 elevations, and IL-6 may be an independent marker of health-related quality of life among ovarian cancer patients. Processes involving IL-6 represent possible pathways by which behavioral factors may contribute to disease outcomes among women with ovarian cancer. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society. [source] | |||||||||||||