• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.6
• /
• pp.2719-2725
• /
• 2014

Background: Secreted frizzled-related protein (SFRP) genes, new tumor suppressor genes, are negative regulators of the Wnt pathway whose alteration is associated with various tumors. In ovarian cancer, SFRPs genes promoter methylation can lead to gene inactivation. This study investigated mechanisms of SFRP and adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) genes silencing in ovarian cancer infected with high risk human papillomavirus. Materials and Methods: DNA was extracted from 200 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded ovarian cancer and their normal adjacent tissues (NAT) and DNA methylation was detected by methylation specific PCR (MSP). High risk human papillomavirus (HPV) was detected by nested PCR with consensus primers to amplify a broad spectrum of HPV genotypes. Results: The percentages of SFRP and APC genes with methylation were significantly higher in ovarian cancer tissues infected with high risk HPV compared to NAT. The methylated studied genes were associated with suppression in their gene expression. Conclusion: This finding highlights the possible role of the high risk HPV virus in ovarian carcinogenesis or in facilitating cancer progression by suppression of SFRP and APC genes via DNA methylation.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.12
• /
• pp.7669-7674
• /
• 2013

Background: The hypothesis that patients who primarily progress on two consecutive chemotherapy regimens without evidence of clinical benefit may opt for supportive care was investigated. The purpose was to determine the quality of life in recurrent ovarian cancer patients choosing to receive salvage chemotherapy in addition to supportive care or palliative care alone. A secondary objective was to evaluate factors that affect quality of life in ovarian cancer patients. Materials and Methods: A descriptive study was conducted in patients who had histological confirmed epithelial ovarian cancer and failed to respond to at least one regimen of chemotherapy, coming for treatment at the King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand over a six-month period from August 2012-March 2013. Each patient was asked to complete the FACT-G and a general personal questionnaire. The median quality of life score was analyzed. The Mann Whitney U Test was used to compare the difference between salvage chemotherapy and palliative care groups, and the Kruskal Wallis was used to evaluate other variables. Results: Thirty-eight ovarian cancer patients were identified who failed to respond to chemotherapy. Of the 38, 30 chose salvage chemotherapy and eight palliative care for further treatment. By histology the carcimnomas were predominantly endometrioid subtype and poorly differentiated. The majority of patients in this study had FIGO stage III, and ECOG status 0-1. The median quality of life score was 76.3 (35.8-94.0), with no significant differences between the groups. Factors associated with the quality of life were the ECOG score and number of chemotherapeutic courses. Conclusions: In the setting of refractory or recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer, patients who receive salvage chemotherapy have comparable quality of life scores with patients treated with palliative care alone, providing a contrast with previous studies.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.12
• /
• pp.7203-7206
• /
• 2013

Recent studies suggested that the ovarian cancers with negative excision repair cross-complementation group 1 enzyme (ERCC1) expression have a better response to platinum-based chemotherapy than those with positive ERCC1 expression. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether ERCC1 expression is associated with response to platinum-based chemotherapy in ovarian cancers. MEDLINE, PubMed, Web of Science and CNKI databases were used for searching studies relating to ERCC1 protein expression and response to platinum-based chemotherapy in ovarian cancers. Statistical analysis was based on the method for a fixed effects meta-analysis. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals for ERCC1 protein expression and response to platinum-based chemotherapy were generated. Publication bias was investigated with Begg's test. Five studies involving 306 patients with ovarian cancer were included. Compared to patients with positive ERCC1 expression, those with negative ERCC1 expression had a better response to platinum-based chemotherapy. The pooled OR was 5.264 (95% CI: 2.928-9.464, P < 0.001) and publication bias was not found (P = 0.904). The result was similar in both in Asians and Caucasians (P < 0.001 and P = 0.028, respectively). ERCC1 protein expression status is significantly associated with response to platinum-based chemotherapy in ovarian cancers.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.603-606
• /
• 2013

Background: Ovarian cancer is the second most common malignancy in Pakistani women, accounting for 4% of all cancers in the female population. The aim of this study was to determine sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and 95% confidence intervals for ultrasound in characterization of ovarian masses in patients presenting at public and private tertiary care hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. Materials and Methods: We adopted a cross-sectional analytical study design to retrospectively collect data from January 2009-11 from medical records of two tertiary care hospitals. Using a non-probability purposive sampling technique, we recruited a sample of 86 women aged between 15 and 85 years fulfilling inclusion criteria with histopathologically proven ovarian masses presenting for an ultrasound examination in our radiology departments. Results: Our retrospective data depicted sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound to be 90.7%, 95%CI (0.77, 0.97) and 91.4%, 95%CI (0.76, 0.98) respectively. Positive predictive value was 93%, 95%CI (0.79, 0.98) and negative predictive value was 89%, 95%CI (0.73, 0.96). A total of 78 ovarian masses were detected, out of which 42 were malignant and 36 were benign. Conclusions: Results of our study further reinforce the conclusion that ultrasound should be used as an initial modality of choice in the workup of every woman suspected of having an ovarian mass. It not only results in decreasing the mortality but also avoids unnecessary surgical interventions.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.265-270
• /
• 2001

Objective : The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome the GnRH antagonist (Cetrotide) short protocol in controlled ovarian hyperstimulation comparing with GnRH agonist long protocol. Materials and Method: From July 2000 to November 2001, 26 patients, 28 cycles were performed in controlled ovarian hyperstimulation by GnRH antagonist and GnRH agonist. GnRH antagonist (Cetrotide) was administered in 12 patients (14 cycles, Group 1) and GnRH agonist (Lucrin, Sub Q, Group 2) in 14 patients (14 cycles). Ovulation induction was performed by hMG (Pergonal) in group 1, and by Combo (Metrodine HP + Pergonal) in group 2. We compared the fertilization rate, good quality embryo, and clinical pregnancy rate between the two groups. Student-t test and Chi-square were used to determine statistical significance. Statistical significance was defined as p<0.05. Results: Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome did not occurred in which estradiol (E2) level was $3874{\pm}809\;pg/ml$ and the number of retrieved oocytes was $18.4{\pm}2.4$. The number of used gonadotropin ampules was significantly decreased in Group 1 (26.0 vs. 33.1, p<0.04). There were no significant difference in the number of preovulatory oocyte ($10.6{\pm}6.9$ vs. $10.0{\pm}6.1$), fertilization rate ($74.8{\pm}23.4$ vs. $72.2{\pm}21.8$), good quality embryo ($58.7{\pm}23.6$ vs. $38.7{\pm}36.6$), and embryo transfer ($4.3{\pm}1.6$ vs. $4.4{\pm}1.6$). Although the age of the group 1 was older than the group 2 (34.4 vs. 30.8), there was no significant difference in clinical pregnancy rate (50.0% vs. 57.1%). Conclusions: We suggest that GnRH antagonist was a safe, effective, and alternative method in the controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, especially in PCOD patients who will be develop the ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• v.41 no.2
• /
• pp.86-91
• /
• 2014

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between ovarian follicle count and volume on ultrasonography and serum hormone levels including the levels of the anti-$M\ddot{u}llerian$ hormone (AMH) and gonadotropin in women with the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods: A total of 118 Korean women aged 18-35 years who were newly diagnosed with PCOS at a university hospital were included in this study. Serum LH, FSH, and AMH levels were measured in the early follicular phase, and the total antral follicle count (TFC) and the total ovarian volume (TOV) were assessed by ultrasonography. The correlations between serum hormonal parameters and ultrasonography characteristics in women with PCOS were evaluated using Pearson's correlation coefficients and a linear regression analysis. Results: Serum AMH levels were significantly correlated with serum LH levels and LH/FSH ratios, and TFC and TOV were significantly correlated with each other on ultrasonography. Serum AMH and LH levels and the LH/FSH ratio were significantly correlated with TFC. Statistically significant correlations between TOV and the LH level (r=0.208, p=0.024) and the LH/FSH ratio (r=0.237, p=0.010) were observed. However, the serum AMH level was not significantly correlated with the ovarian volume, and this result did not change after adjusting for age and body mass index. Conclusion: Serum AMH is not related to the ovarian volume in women with PCOS. My results suggest that serum LH level and the LH/FSH ratio may be more useful than the serum AMH level for representing the status of the ovarian volume in women with PCOS.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.51 no.10
• /
• pp.514-519
• /
• 2018

Ovarian cancer is the most fatal gynecological malignancy in women and identification of new therapeutic targets is essential for the continued development of therapy for ovarian cancer. TRRAP (transformation/transcription domain-associated protein) is an adaptor protein and a component of histone acetyltransferase complex. The present study was undertaken to investigate the roles played by TRRAP in the proliferation and tumorigenicity of ovarian cancer stem cells. TRRAP expression was found to be up-regulated in the sphere cultures of A2780 ovarian cancer cells. Knockdown of TRRAP significantly decreased cell proliferation and the number of A2780 spheroids. In addition, TRRAP knockdown induced cell cycle arrest and increased apoptotic percentages of A2780 sphere cells. Notably, the mRNA levels of stemness-associated markers, that is, OCT4, SOX2, and NANOG, were suppressed in TRRAP-silenced A2780 sphere cells. In addition, TRRAP overexpression increased the mRNA level of NANOG and the transcriptional activity of NANOG promoter in these cells. Furthermore, TRRAP knockdown significantly reduced tumor growth in a murine xenograft transplantation model. Taken together, the findings of the present study suggest that TRRAP plays an important role in the regulation of the proliferation and stemness of ovarian cancer stem cells.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.20 no.9
• /
• pp.1361-1366
• /
• 2007

In this project, ovarian size and activity during the peak (November-April) and the low (May-October) breeding seasons in young and adult camels were studied. Ovaries of 92 camels (Camelus dromedarius), with clinically normal reproductive tracts, aged 3-15 years and slaughtered at Faisalabad or Lahore abattoirs over a period of 24 months, were collected. Jugular blood was collected from each animal before slaughter; the serum was separated and analyzed for oestradiol concentration. The size (length, width and thickness) and weight of each ovary were measured. Grossly observable Graafian follicles were counted and their diameter was measured using Vernier Calipers. The camels having ovaries presenting follicles more than 5 mm in diameter were taken as having active ovaries. The results showed that ovarian length, width and weight were significantly higher (p<0.05) during the peak than the low breeding season. The percentage of active ovaries was also significantly higher (p<0.01) during the peak than the low breeding season. However, the effect of season on ovarian thickness was non-significant. Similarly, the ovarian length, width, thickness, weight and activity did not vary significantly between young (3-7 years old) and adult (8-15 years old) animals. Serum oestradiol concentrations were significantly higher (p<0.05) during the peak ($67.70{\pm}1.36$ pg/ml) than the low breeding season ($15.25{\pm}1.54$ pg/ml). It was concluded that in Pakistani camels ovarian size and activity were higher during the peak than the low breeding season. However, age of the camel (from 3 to 15 years) had no effect on these parameters.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.18
• /
• pp.7665-7671
• /
• 2014

Objectives: The association between body mass index (BMI) and ovarian cancer risk is unclear and requires further investigation. The present meta-analysis was conducted to assess the effect of overweight and obesity on ovarian cancer risk in the premenopausal and postmenopausal periods. Data sources: Major electronic databases were searched until February 2014 including Medline and Scopus. Reference lists and relevant conference databases were searched and the authors were contacted for additional unpublished references. Review Methods: All cohort and case-control studies addressing the effect of BMI on ovarian cancer were included, irrespective of publication date and language. The effect measure of choice was risk ratio (RR) for cohort studies and odds ratio (OR) for case-control studies. The results were reported using a random effects model with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Of 3,776 retrieved studies, 19 were ultimately analyzed including 10 cohort studies involving 29,237,219 person-years and 9 case-control studies involving 96,965 people. The results of both cohort and case-control studies showed being overweight and obesity increased the risk of ovarian cancer compared to women with normal weight during both premenopausal and postmenopausal periods: RR=1.08 (95%CI: 0.97, 1.19) and OR=1.26 (95%CI: 0.97, 1.63) for overweight and RR=1.27 (95%CI: 1.16, 1.38) and OR=1.26 (95%CI: 1.06, 1.50) for obesity. Conclusions: There is sufficient evidence that an increase in BMI can increase the risk of ovarian cancer regardless of the menopausal status, mimicking a dose-response relationship although the association is not very strong.

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