Ovarian carcinoma associated with pregnancy: A clinicopathologic analysis of 23 cases and review of the literature

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to analyze and describe cases of ovarian cancer in pregnant women treated at our center and to review the literature concerned, and to discuss the rationale for therapy.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Twenty-Three patients of ovarian malignancies during pregnancy were treated at Vali- Asr Hospital between 1991 and 2002. Data on treatment and follow-up were evaluated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The incidence of ovarian carcinoma associated with pregnancy in our series was 0.083/1000 deliveries. Eleven (47.8%) were found with ovarian malignant germ cell tumors, five (21.7%) with low malignant potential tumors, four (17.4%) with invasive epithelial tumors, and three (13%) with sex cord stromal tumors. Seventeen (73.9%) of the patients were diagnosed in stage I and had complete remission. Five of the six in advanced stage died. The mean follow-up was 36.3 months. The prognosis was significantly related with stage and histological type (<it>P </it>< 0.05). Sixteen healthy live babies were recorded in this group, and two premature newborn died of respiratory distress syndrome. Chemotherapy was administered to 44% of the patients, in two cases during pregnancy. Overall survival at 5 years was 61%. In most of case conservative surgical treatment could be performed with adequate staging and debulking.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Early finding of ascitis by ultrasound and persistent large ovarian mass during pregnancy may be related to malignancy and advanced stage. Pregnant women in advanced stage of ovarian cancer seem to have poor prognosis.</p

The CDK inhibitors in cancer research and therapy

Chemical compounds that interfere with an enzymatic function of kinases are useful for gaining insight into the complicated biochemical processes in mammalian cells. Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) play an essential role in the control of the cell cycle and/or proliferation. These kinases as well as their regulators are frequently deregulated in different human tumors. Aberrations in CDK activity have also been observed in viral infections, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s diseases, ischemia and some proliferative disorders. This led to an intensive search for small-molecule CDK inhibitors not only for research purposes, but also for therapeutic applications. Here, we discuss seventeen CDK inhibitors and their use in cancer research or therapy. This review should help researchers to decide which inhibitor is best suited for the specific purpose of their research. For this purpose, the targets, commercial availability and IC50 values are provided for each inhibitor. The review will also provide an overview of the clinical studies performed with some of these inhibitors