Gene expression profiling of mucinous ovarian tumors and comparison with upper and lower gastrointestinal tumors identifies markers associated with adverse outcomes.

PURPOSE: Advanced-stage mucinous ovarian carcinoma (MOC) has poor chemotherapy response and prognosis and lacks biomarkers to aid stage I adjuvant treatment. Differentiating primary MOC from gastrointestinal (GI) metastases to the ovary is also challenging due to phenotypic similarities. Clinicopathologic and gene-expression data were analyzed to identify prognostic and diagnostic features. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Discovery analyses selected 19 genes with prognostic/diagnostic potential. Validation was performed through the Ovarian Tumor Tissue Analysis consortium and GI cancer biobanks comprising 604 patients with MOC (n = 333), mucinous borderline ovarian tumors (MBOT, n = 151), and upper GI (n = 65) and lower GI tumors (n = 55). RESULTS: Infiltrative pattern of invasion was associated with decreased overall survival (OS) within 2 years from diagnosis, compared with expansile pattern in stage I MOC [hazard ratio (HR), 2.77; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.04–7.41, P = 0.042]. Increased expression of THBS2 and TAGLN was associated with shorter OS in MOC patients (HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.04–1.51, P = 0.016) and (HR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.01–1.45, P = 0.043), respectively. ERBB2 (HER2) amplification or high mRNA expression was evident in 64 of 243 (26%) of MOCs, but only 8 of 243 (3%) were also infiltrative (4/39, 10%) or stage III/IV (4/31, 13%). CONCLUSIONS: An infiltrative growth pattern infers poor prognosis within 2 years from diagnosis and may help select stage I patients for adjuvant therapy. High expression of THBS2 and TAGLN in MOC confers an adverse prognosis and is upregulated in the infiltrative subtype, which warrants further investigation. Anti-HER2 therapy should be investigated in a subset of patients. MOC samples clustered with upper GI, yet markers to differentiate these entities remain elusive, suggesting similar underlying biology and shared treatment strategies

Leptosphaeria maculans (stem canker) on winter oilseed rape in England : some relationships between plant and pathogen development

Non peer reviewe

Maturation of Leptosphaeria maculans pseudothecia in relation to forecasting phoma leaf spots (stem canker) on oilseed rape

Non peer reviewe

Factors affecting development of phoma canker (Leptosphaeria maculans) on stems of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus) in southern England

In winter oilseed rape experiments at Rothamsted in 1997/98 (cvs Lipton and Capitol), 1998/99 (cv. Apex) and 1999/2000 (cvs Apex, Lipton and Capitol), development of crown canker and phoma stem lesions in spring was related to development of phoma leaf spot in the previous autumn/winter. There were differences in thermal time (degree-days) from the first appearance of phoma leaf spot (autumn) to the first appearance of crown canker (spring) between cultivars (cvs Lipton and Capitol, 12201240; cv. Apex, 1120-1140 degree-days) but not between growing seasons. In 1998/99 and 1999/2000, fungicide (November) treatment delayed the start of crown canker development in the spring but did not affect the rate of increase in severity. In 1997/98, fungicide treatments did not delay the appearance of crown canker but decreased the rate of increase in crown canker severity. In all three seasons, fungicide treatments generally decreased the proportions of plants at harvest with crown canker severity scores 3 or 4 and increased the proportions with scores 0 or 1. There were differences between seasons in the distributions of crown canker severity scores at harvest. The severity of both crown canker and phoma stem lesions increased linearly with accumulated degree-days in plots with or without fungicide treatment in 1997/98 (cv. Lipton), 1998/99 (cv. Apex) and 1999/2000 (cv. Apex). Regressions showed that severity of crown canker at harvest in July was related to severity in the spring in 1997/98 (early June, cv. Lipton), 1998/99 and 1999/2000 (April, cv. Apex).Peer reviewe

Use of fungicides to control early and late epidemics of stem canker (Leptosphaeria maculans) in winter oilseed rape in England

Non peer reviewe

Development of phoma canker (Leptosphaeria maculans) on stems of winter oilseed rape in England in relation to thermal time

Non peer reviewe

Improving stem canker control in winter oilseed rape by accurate timing of fungicide applications based on disease forecasting

This three year project focused on improving strategies for control of canker (Leptosphaeria maculans) in winter oilseed rape. There were three main objectives, which were addressed using historical data and field experiments: a) to quantify yield losses in relation to the development of phoma leaf spot and the severity of stem canker epidemics, b) to identify factors affecting ascospore discharge and hence phoma leaf spot attacks and c) to optimise fungicide timing for stem canker control and yield respons