The activity of taxanes in the treatment of sex cord-stromal ovarian tumors.

PURPOSE: To determine the efficacy and side effects of taxanes, with or without platinum, for the treatment of sex cord-stromal tumors of the ovary. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of all patients seen from 1985 to 2002 at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center with ovarian sex cord-stromal tumors. Eligible patients underwent pathology confirmation and clinical evaluation at M.D. Anderson and received a taxane for initial or recurrent disease. RESULTS: Of 222 patients identified, 44 were eligible for analysis. For nine patients treated in the first-line adjuvant setting, median progression-free survival (PFS) was not reached at 51 months. Of two patients treated for measurable disease in the first-line setting, one had a complete response. Median PFS was 34.3 months; median overall survival (OS) was not reached. Median follow-up was 90.3 months (range, 39.4 to 140.5 months). Response rate for 30 patients treated with a taxane +/- platinum for recurrent, measurable disease was 42%. Median PFS was 19.6 months; median OS was not reached. Median follow-up was 100.7 months (range, 8.1 to 361.3 months). The presence of platinum correlated with response in the recurrent, measurable disease setting. The number of patients was insufficient to detect relative efficacy of paclitaxel and docetaxel. Adverse effects of paclitaxel included neutropenia (n = 6), anemia (n = 1), thrombocytopenia (n = 1), myelodysplasia (n = 1), and hypersensitivity (n = 1). CONCLUSION: Taxanes seem to be active agents in the treatment of patients with sex cord-stromal tumors of the ovary. The combination of taxanes with platinum in the treatment of this disease deserves additional investigation.     

The activity of taxanes compared with bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin in the treatment of sex cord-stromal ovarian tumors

OBJECTIVE: We compared the efficacy and side effects of taxanes, with or without platinum, to bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (BEP) in treating sex cord-stromal ovarian tumors. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of all patients with sex cord-stromal ovarian tumors seen at our institution from 1985 to 2002. Eligible patients were those who underwent pathologic confirmation, clinical evaluation, and treatment with a taxane or BEP for initial or recurrent disease. RESULTS: Of 222 patients identified, 21 received BEP for new (n = 11) or recurrent disease (n = 10); 44 received a taxane during 48 treatment episodes (four patients on two occasions each) for new (n = 11) or recurrent disease (n = 37). Newly diagnosed patients treated with BEP vs. taxanes had no significant difference in response rate (Fisher's exact test, P = 1), progression-free survival (PFS) (log-rank test, P = 0.213), or overall survival (log-rank test, P = 0.994). Among patients treated for recurrent measurable disease, the response rate was higher for BEP-treated (71%) than for taxane-treated patients (37%), but this was not statistically significant. In all patients treated for recurrent disease, there was no significant difference in failure to progress at chemotherapy completion between BEP- (70%) and taxane-treated patients (62%) or in median PFS (11.2 vs. 7.2 months). The presence of platinum in taxane-containing regimens correlated with response. Taxane-related side effects included neutropenia (n = 6), anemia (n = 1), thrombocytopenia (n = 1), myelodysplasia (n = 1), and hypersensitivity (n = 1). BEP-related side effects included pulmonary fibrosis (n = 3) and neutropenia (n = 2). CONCLUSIONS: Taxanes demonstrated activity against sex cord-stromal tumors of the ovary and may be less toxic than BEP. Taxane and platinum combination chemotherapy warrants further investigation in this disease.     

Calculated RF electric field and temperature distributions in RF thermal ablation: Comparison with gel experiments and liver imaging

The present paper is a study of theoretic modeling and experimental tests of that modeling for the local heating due to radiofrequency thermal ablation. A model is developed for the current and the associated electric field produced by a radiofrequency ablation probe. The temperature distributions resulting from the induced ohmic currents in the surrounding material are considered. A comparison is made between the theoretic temperature profiles and the shapes of thermal ablation ‘lesions’ produced in a controlled gelatin sample experiment. Comparison with the contours of human thermally induced liver lesions found in MRI studies also provides a validation of the success of the modeling. Successful modeling should lead to methods for optimization of the ablation procedure, especially as it is used in interventional MRI.     

The importance of antineuraminidase antibodies in resistance to influenza A and immunologic memory for their synthesis.

Eight hundred and seventy-seven sera from 360 adults aged 18-50 who were under permanent observation from October 1980 to March 1981 have been studied by haemagglutination-inhibition (HI) and erythrocyte elution-inhibition (EI) tests--a simplified method of antineuraminidase antibody titration. It was demonstrated in some subjects infected with influenza A H1N1 and H3N2 viruses that the antibody rise was to one of the surface antigens only--haemagglutinin or neuraminidase. These subjects made up 5.2-25.8% of all examinees. The protective effect of antibodies to neuraminidase was similar to that of antihaemagglutinins. Interaction of both types of antibodies was observed in protection against the disease. Data have been obtained on the influence of antineuraminidase antibodies in decreasing the severity of natural infection with influenza A. A study of heterologous immunologic responses to haemagglutinin and neuraminidase among persons immunized with live influenza A H1N1 and H3N2 vaccines and among children naturally infected with influenza A H3N2 demonstrated the presence of immunologic memory for antineuraminidase antibody synthesis. Thus, the suggestion of a common antigenic structure for neuraminidase N1 and N2 is made.