WT1 gene expression as a prognostic marker in advanced serous epithelial ovarian carcinoma: an immunohistochemical study

BACKGROUND: WT1 is a tumor suppressor gene responsible for Wilms' tumor. WT1 reactivity is limited to ovarian serous carcinomas. Recent studies have shown that WT1 plays an important role in the progression of disease and indicates a poorer prognosis of human malignancies such as acute myeloid leukemia and breast cancer. The aims of this study were to determine the survival and recurrence-free survival of women with advanced serous epithelial ovarian carcinoma in relation to WT1 gene expression. METHODS: The study accrued women over an 18-year period, from 1987–2004. During the study period, 163 patients were diagnosed with advanced serous epithelial ovarian carcinoma and had undergone complete post-operative chemotherapy, but the final study group comprised 99 patients. The records of these women were reviewed and the paraffin-embedded tissue of these women stained with WT1 immunostaining. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression methods. RESULTS: Fifty patients showed WT1 staining and forty-nine did not. Five-year survival of non-staining and staining groups were 39.4% and 10.7% (p < 0.00005); five-year recurrence-free survival of these groups were 29.8% and ≤ 7.5% (p < 0.00005), respectively. For survival the HR of WT1 staining, adjusted for residual tumor and chemotherapy response, was 1.98 (95% CI 1.28–3.79), and for recurrence-free survival the HR was 3.36 (95% CI 1.60–7.03). The HR for recurrence-free survival was not confounded by any other variables. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that expression of WT1 gene may be indicative of an unfavorable prognosis in patients with advanced serous epithelial ovarian carcinoma

Significance of vascular endothelial growth factor in growth and peritoneal dissemination of ovarian cancer

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a key regulator of angiogenesis which drives endothelial cell survival, proliferation, and migration while increasing vascular permeability. Playing an important role in the physiology of normal ovaries, VEGF has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer. Essentially by promoting tumor angiogenesis and enhancing vascular permeability, VEGF contributes to the development of peritoneal carcinomatosis associated with malignant ascites formation, the characteristic feature of advanced ovarian cancer at diagnosis. In both experimental and clinical studies, VEGF levels have been inversely correlated with survival. Moreover, VEGF inhibition has been shown to inhibit tumor growth and ascites production and to suppress tumor invasion and metastasis. These findings have laid the basis for the clinical evaluation of agents targeting VEGF signaling pathway in patients with ovarian cancer. In this review, we will focus on VEGF involvement in the pathophysiology of ovarian cancer and its contribution to the disease progression and dissemination

Dual-time-point FDG-PET bei Tumoren des oberen Aerodigestivtrakts: Läsionsbasierte Evaluation einer untersucherunabhängigen Methode

Einleitung: Das Speicherverhalten von 18FDG bei der PET stellt für den Nuklearmediziner eine Herausforderung in der Differenzierung benigner vs. maligner Foci dar. Diese Studie soll die Effizienz der zweizeitigen FDG-PET bei Patienten mit dem Verdacht auf ein Karzinom des Kopf-Hals-Bereichs in der Primär- und Rezidivdiagnostik evaluieren. Methode: Bei 137 Pat. (97 Primär, 40 Rezidiv) wurde eine FDG-PET-Untersuchung der Kopf-Hals-Region 45 Min. p.i. (t1) und i.R.d. Ganzkörperscans 75 Min. p.i. (t2) durchgeführt. Der "standardized uptake value" (SUV) wurde zu beiden Zeitpunkten bei 237 Foci gemessen (176 Primär-, 61 Rezidiv-, 191 maligne, 46 benigne). Zur visuellen Analyse erfolgte die Bildfusion mit einer CT und/oder MRT. Die läsionsbezogene Histologie diente als Goldstandard. Statistische Auswertung: ROC-Analyse. Ergebnisse: Die visuelle Befundung erzielte eine Sens. von 96,3% (Spez. 60%; P<0,001). Bei Primärläsionen 98,6%/ 61,3%, Rez. 89,1%/ 57,1% (P < 0,001). Die ROC-Analyse der semiquantitativen Auswertung war zu bd. Zeitpunkten signifikant. Der Mittelwert SUVmax t1/t2 erbrachte eine AUC von 0,81 bei prim. Lymphknoten(LK)foci (Sens./Spez. 89,0%/73,7%). Die Summe aus abs. SUVmean-Veränderung und doppelt gewichtetem SUVmean (t2) ergab bei rez. LK-foci eine AUC von 0,85 (rez. extranodal 0,74, prim. extranodal 0,75, prim. LK 0,83). Schlussfolgerung: Diese läsionsbasierte Untersuchung der Kopf-Hals-Tumoren zeigt die hohe Sens. der 18FDG-PET. Die dual-time-point-Methode kann insbes. bei der LK-Beurteilung annähernd die Ergebnisse der visuellen Auswertung erreichen. Die Sens./Spez. liegen höher als bei der alleinigen CT/MRT. Für eine optimale Diagnostik ist jedoch die Fusion mit CT/MRT und eine Zusammenschau mit klinischen Befunden obligat

YF[MoO4] and YCl[MoO4]: Two halide derivatives of yttrium ortho-oxomolybdate: Syntheses, structures, and luminescence properties

The halide derivatives of yttrium ortho-oxomolybdate YX[MoO 4] (X = F, Cl) both crystallize in the monoclinic system with four formula units per unit cell. YF[MoO4] exhibits a primitive cell setting (space group P2 1/c; a = 519.62(2) pm, b = 1225.14(7) pm, c = 663.30(3) pm, beta = 112.851(4) degrees ), whereas the lattice of YCl[MoO4] shows face-centering (space group C2/m; a = 1019.02(5) pm, b = 720.67(4) pm, c = 681.50(3) pm, beta = 107.130(4) degrees ). The two compounds each contain crystallographically unique Y (3+) cations, which are found to have a coordination environment of six oxide and two halide anions. In the case of YF[MoO4], the coordination environment is seen as square antiprisms, and for YCl[MoO4], trigon-dodecahedra are found. The discrete tetrahedral [MoO4](2-) units of the fluoride derivative are exclusively bound by six terminal Y(3+) cations, while those of the chloride compound show a 5-fold coordination around the tetrahedra with one edge-bridging and four terminal Y(3+) cations. The halide anions in each compound exhibit a coordination number of two, building up isolated planar rhombus-shaped units according to [Y2F2](4+) in YF[MoO4] and [Y2Cl2](4+) in YCl[MoO4], respectively. Both compounds were synthesized at high temperatures using Y2O3, MoO3, and the corresponding yttrium trihalide in a molar ratio of 1:3:1. Single crystals of both are insensitive to moist air and are found to be coarse shaped and colorless with optical band gaps situated in the near UV around 3.78 eV for the fluoride and 3.82 eV for the chloride derivative. Furthermore, YF[MoO4] seems to be a suitable material for doping to obtain luminescent materials because the Eu(3+)-doped compound shows an intense red luminescence, which has been spectroscopically investigated.status: publishe