• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.13
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• pp.5123-5126
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• 2014

Background: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of IOTA simple rules in differentiating between benign and malignant ovarian tumors. Materials and Methods: A study of diagnostic performance was conducted on women scheduled for elective surgery due to ovarian masses between March 2007 and March 2012. All patients underwent ultrasound examination for IOTA simple rules within 24 hours of surgery. All examinations were performed by the authors, who had no any clinical information of the patients, to differentiate between benign and malignant adnexal masses using IOTA simple rules. Gold standard diagnosis was based on pathological or operative findings. Results: A total of 398 adnexal masses, in 376 women, were available for analysis. Of them, the IOTA simple rules could be applied in 319 (80.1%) including 212 (66.5%) benign tumors and 107 (33.6%) malignant tumors. The simple rules yielded inconclusive results in 79 (19.9%) masses. In the 319 masses for which the IOTA simple rules could be applied, sensitivity was 82.9% and specificity 95.3%. Conclusions: The IOTA simple rules have high diagnostic performance in differentiating between benign and malignant adnexal masses. Nevertheless, inconclusive results are relatively common.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.10
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• pp.4275-4279
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• 2014

Background: The aim of this work is to assess the frequency of BRCA1 protein immunohistochemical (IHC) expression in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and to evaluate the association of BRCA1 expression with clinical and pathological characteristics and the overall survival (OS) of patients treated with postoperative platinum-based chemotherapeutic agents. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on 35 cases of epithelial ovarian cancer selected from the files of the Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Egypt. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed for BRCA1 gene protein. BRCA1 expression was compared to patient's age, tumor histology, grade, stage and OS time. Statistical analysis was carried out with the SPSS version 16.0 to assess significant associations. Results: BRCA1 nuclear expression was detected in 40% of EOC, in which a mild increase in the percentage of positive cases was observed with serous histology, stage IV, and grade 3 carcinomas. There was a significant statistical difference in BRCA1 expression with regard to histological subtypes of EOC (p=0.048), but not grade or stage. Mean OS and survival rate were slightly better for BRCA1 expressing group, but there was no statistically significant difference (p=0.528). Conclusions: No association between BRCA1 immunohistochemical expression and tumor grade, stage or overall survival was noted in platinum-treated epithelial ovarian cancer patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.185-189
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• 2015

Background: Due to the increase in morbidity and mortality rate, cancer has become an alarming threat to the human population worldwide. Since cancer is a progressive disorder, timely diagnosis is necessary to prevent/stop cancer from progressing to a severe stage. In Khyber Paktunkhwa, Pakistan, many tumors are diagnosed with endoscopy and biopsy; rare studies exist regarding the diagnosis and evaluation of ovarian cancer, based on tumor markers like CA-125. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to investigate and evaluate levels of CA-125 in hospitalized ovarian cancer patients. Materials and Methods: In this study, a total of 63 admitted patients having ovarian cancer by biopsy were included. The level of CA-125 was determined in the blood of these patients using ELISA technique. Results: Out of 63 patients, the level of CA-125 was high in 52%. The affected individuals were more in the group of 40-60 and the level of CA-125 was comparatively higher in patients having moderately differentiated histology than those having well differentiated and poorly differentiated tumor histology. Moreover, the highest level of CA-125 was present among the patients having serous subtype of carcinoma and the common stage of carcinoma was stage II followed by stage III, I and IV. Conclusions: CA-125 level was high in more than 50% of the total patients. Moreover, CA-125 elevation was more common in serous subtype and stage II cancer patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.1057-1060
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• 2013

Recent investigations have confirmed up-regulation of serum miR-21 and its diagnostic and prognostic value in several human malignancies. In this study, we examined serum miR-21 levels in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients, and explored its association with clinicopathological factors and prognosis. The results showed significantly higher serum miR-21 levels in EOC patients than in healthy controls. In addition, increased serum miR-21 expression was correlated with advanced FIGO stage, high tumor grade, and shortened overall survival. These findings indicate that serum miR-21 may serve as a novel diagnostic and prognostic marker, and be used as a therapeutic target for the treatment of EOC.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.228-232
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• 2006

The Drosophila protein, Rbp9, is homologous to human Hu, which is reported to be involved in small cell lung cancer. Rbp9 functions in cystocyte differentiation, and mutations in Rbp9 cause ovarian tumors. Here we show that the antimicrobial peptide, Attacin, is upregulated in Rbp9 mutants, especially in ovaries where tumors form. Upregulation seems to result from activation of the NF-${\kappa}B$ pathway since we detected nuclear localization of Relish in Rbp9 mutant ovaries but not in wild type ovaries. Inactivation of NF-${\kappa}B$ in the Rbp9 mutant allows prolonged survival of malformed egg chambers. We conclude that Drosophila initiates an anti-tumor defense response via activation of NF-${\kappa}B$.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.521-525
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• 2014

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the bloodstream of cancer patients provide an accessible source for detection, characterization, and monitoring of nonhematological cancers. The effectiveness of the CTC-Chip for the isolation of ovarian cancer cells was demonstrated by adapting the herringbone-chip (HB-Chip). The motions of the particles on the HB chip were simulated by a unique combination of buoyant, gravitational forces, and helical flows with a computational modeling. The motions of cells are demonstrated by applying polystylene bead and ovarian cancer cells into the microfabricated HB-Chip. The experimental results from beads and cells are well accordance with the simulated ones, as previously reported by Toner group. Thus, I expect that these modeling and experimental skills will play key roles in the clinical applications on CTC isolation as well as the basic research on characterization of CTCs under flow.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.41-49
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• 2013

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal world-wide gynecological disease among women due to the lack of molecular biomarkers to diagnose the disease at an early stage. In addition, there are few well established relevant animal models for research on human ovarian cancer. For instance, rodent models have been established through highly specialized genetic manipulations, but they are not an excellent model for human ovarian cancer because histological features are not comparable to those of women, mice have a low incidence of tumorigenesis, and they experience a protracted period of tumor development. However, the laying hen is a unique and highly relevant animal model for research on human ovarian cancer because they spontaneously develop epithelial cell-derived ovarian cancer (EOC) as occurs in women. Our research group has identified common histological and physiological aspects of ovarian tumors from women and laying hens, and we have provided evidence for several potential biomarkers to detect, monitor and target for treatment of human ovarian cancers based on the use of both genetic and epigenetic factors. Therefore, this review focuses on ovarian cancer of laying hens and relevant regulatory mechanisms, based on genetic and epigenetic aspects of the disease in order to provide new information and to highlight the advantages of the laying hen model for research in ovarian carcinogenesis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.4377-4380
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• 2016

Background: To compare diagnostic performance in differentiating benign from malignant ovarian masses between IOTA (the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis) simple rules and subjective sonographic assessment. Materials and Methods: Women scheduled for elective surgery because of ovarian masses were recruited into the study and underwent ultrasound examination within 24 hours of surgery to apply the IOTA simple rules by general gynecologists and to record video clips for subjective assessment by an experienced sonographer. The diagnostic performance of the IOTA rules and subjective assessment for differentiation between benign and malignant masses was compared. The gold standard diagnosis was pathological or operative findings. Results: A total of 150 ovarian masses were covered, comprising 105 (70%) benign and 45 (30%) malignant. Of them, the IOTA simple rules could be applied in 119 (79.3%) and were inconclusive in 31 (20.7%) whereas subjective assessment could be applied in all cases (100%). The sensitivity and the specificity of the IOTA simple rules and subjective assessment were not significantly different, 82.9% vs 86.7% and 94.0% vs 94.3% respectively. The agreement of the two methods in prediction was high with a Kappa index of 0.835. Conclusions: Both techniques had a high diagnostic performance in differentiation between benign and malignant ovarian masses but the IOTA rules had a relatively high rate of inconclusive results. The IOTA rules can be used as an effective screening technique by general gynecologists but when the results are inconclusive they should consult experienced sonographers.

• BMB Reports
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• v.53 no.12
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• pp.622-627
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• 2020

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) or tumor-initiating cells are thought to play critical roles in tumorigenesis, metastasis, drug resistance, and tumor recurrence. For the diagnosis and targeted therapy of CSCs, the molecular identity of biomarkers or therapeutic targets for CSCs needs to be clarified. In this study, we identified CD166 as a novel marker expressed in the sphere-forming CSC population of A2780 epithelial ovarian cancer cells and primary ovarian cancer cells. The CD166+ cells isolated from A2780 cells and primary ovarian cancer cells highly expressed CSC markers, including ALDH1a1, OCT4, and SOX2, and ABC transporters, which are implicated in the drug resistance of CSCs. The CD166+ cells exhibited enhanced CSC-like properties, such as increased sphere-forming ability, cell migration and adhesion abilities, resistance to conventional anticancer drugs, and high tumorigenic potential in a xenograft mouse model. Knockdown of CD166 expression in the sphere-forming ovarian CSCs abrogated their CSC-like properties. Moreover, silencing of CD166 expression in the sphere-forming CSCs suppressed the phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase, paxillin, and SRC. These results suggest that CD166 plays a key role in the regulation of CSC-like properties and focal adhesion kinase signaling in ovarian cancer.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.143-149
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• 2005

We have demonstrated previously on a replication incompetent recombinant adenoviral vector, AdLPCD, in which the expression of cytosine deaminase (CD) gene is driven by the tumor-specific L-plastin promoter. The object of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of AdLPCD together with 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) in suppression of the growth of established human tumor cells of ovary, Consistent with the knowledge that infection of OVCAR-3 cells with AdLPCD resulted in expression of a functional intracellular CD enzyme capable of converting 5-FC to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) (Chung and Deisseroth, 2004), statistically significant differences in cytotoxicity were observed when AdLPCD infected cells were also exposed to 5-FC for 6 days (p=0.05), 9 days (p<0.0005) and 12 days (p<0.005), compared to 5-FC exposure alone, These results indicate that the CD gene delivered by adenoviral vector could efficiently sensitize OVCAR-3, otherwise non-toxic 5-FC. On the other hand, SKOV-3 cells, an ovarian carcinoma cell line, were more resistant to the CD/5-FC strategy compared with OVCAR-3 cells under the same condition. The results of present study suggest that the replacement of 5-FU with CD/5-FC in combination chemotherapy would be less toxic and much greater cytotoxicity than the conventional combination chemotherapy in some patients.