Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to A N Gordon.
This review has discussed and illustrated the numerous applications of TVS for the sonographic detection of the endometrium. Its major applications are in early pregnancy evaluation and in evaluation of patients with endometrial carcinoma. As more clinical experience with this technique is gained, more extensive application of this technique will undoubtedly come about.
This paper considers strategies for preventing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among African-American and Hispanic-American adolescents. We describe culturally sensitive interventions based on social learning theory. The interventions combine elements of cognitive-behavioral skills for problem solving, coping, and interpersonal communication with elements of ethnic pride and HIV facts. The paper discusses the strengths and limitations of skills intervention for AIDS prevention and concludes with directions for research.
Endocervical and vaginal cultures were obtained every week from patients undergoing external pelvic irradiation for gynecologic malignancy. Gram-positive aerobes accounted for 52 to 56% of isolates, gram-negative aerobes accounted for 15 to 16%, and anaerobes accounted for 29 to 32% of all isolates prior to therapy. No significant changes occurred during or after completion of radiation for the group. In individual patients, however, over 50% of organisms found on initial culture were no longer present on completion of external therapy.
The incidence of adenocarcinoma of the cervix appears to be increasing. Recent reports have demonstrated an association between adenocarcinoma of the cervix and human papillomavirus (HPV) by Southern blot hybridizations. In situ deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) hybridization was performed on paraffin-embedded specimens to localize the source of HPV DNA. In pure adenocarcinoma five of six specimens were positive for HPV DNA. Four specimens contained HPV type 18 and one HPV type 16. Only one of three adenosquamous lesions was positive and it contained both HPV types 16 and 31. These findings suggest an association between HPV and adenocarcinoma of the cervix.
Forty-two of sixty-seven patients (62.7%) treated for high-risk metastatic trophoblastic disease achieved and maintained complete remissions. The survival rate was significantly improved in those patients with scores lower than 8 according to a modification of the World Health Organization (WHO) prognostic scoring system. A low score was associated with a higher probability of response to single-agent therapy, although the difference was not statistically significant. The score, however, was significantly associated with response to multiagent chemotherapy with methotrexate, actinomycin D, and cyclophosphamide (P = 0.0004). Therefore, future trials of new combinations of chemotherapy in high-risk patients should be stratified according to the patients' prognostic scores.
The presence and/or depth of myometrial invasion of endometrial adenocarcinoma has important prognostic and therapeutic implications. Fifteen patients with histologically proven endometrial cancer underwent preoperative evaluation with sonography (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess depth of invasion. Using criteria of greater than or equal to 50% of myometrial wall involvement as representing deep invasion, and less than 50% as superficial invasion, US was more accurate than MRI in five cases; in three MRI was more accurate than US; both MRI and US were equally accurate in four; neither was accurate in three. Polypoid lesions caused the greatest number of false positive reports of deep invasion with both MRI and US. Preliminary results indicate that US and MRI have promise as preoperative tests to assess the extent of myometrial invasion.
Four cases of malignant melanoma arising in the vagina are described, and the literature related to this unusual tumor is reviewed. The 2-year survival rate is better following radical surgery than after other treatment modalities; however, the 5-year survival rate is unrelated to type of therapy. Radical surgery appears to control local disease, but fails to address systemic spread of the tumor. Therefore, improvement in survival will require effective systemic therapy.
Determination of the type of pelvic mass by pelvic sonography was improved significantly when a transvaginal study was performed after transabdominal sonography. Of 34 patients who underwent both studies, transvaginal sonography (TVS) was considered to add diagnostic information in 24 (70%); transabdominal sonography (TAS) was better than TVS in 4 (12%); TVS was equivalent to TAS in 5 (15%), and neither were accurate in 1 (3%). It is concluded that the use of transvaginal sonography as an adjunct to TAS is warranted for evaluating most pelvic masses; especially those confined to the true pelvis.
A patient developed recurrence of squamous carcinoma of the cervix in the episiotomy scar after vaginal delivery through the involved cervix. At the time of her radical hysterectomy, all margins and nodes were free of tumor, suggesting implantation at delivery as the etiology of the recurrence. Review of the literature revealed three other cases of episiotomy recurrence. All cases were either clinically unsuspected or had negative Papanicolaou tests during pregnancy. Careful surveillance and early therapy appear to give a more favorable prognosis for this unusual type of recurrence.
A case of small-cell carcinoma of the ovary occurring in a 33-year-old patient is described. At no time did the patient develop hypercalcemia. Despite aggressive cytoreductive surgery and multiagent chemotherapy, the patient expired after 13 months. These lesions must be differentiated from germ cell tumors or lymphoma. Review of the literature fails to reveal effective adjuvant therapy.
An abdominal gunshot wound in pregnancy warrants prompt surgical exploration but does not mandate uterine evacuation. Despite an entry and exit bullet wound to the uterus an apparent desire for pregnancy termination, a conservative approach was adopted with primary repair of the uterus, in conjunction with surgical repair of associated injuries.
Five patients with advanced, previously untreated squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix were treated with combination chemotherapy (cisplatin, mitomycin C, and bleomycin) while undergoing daily fractioned radiation therapy to cover all known disease. All patients exhibited complete clinical responses at the time of the completion of external radiation therapy. Toxicities encountered were mild. This regimen deserves further study in patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix.
Colovaginal fistula from any cause is rare. Diverticular disease is the most common cause. We treated three women for sigmoidovaginal fistulae secondary to diverticular disease. These 3 cases bring the total number reported to 49. Diagnosis of these fistulae may be difficult, and controversy exists over which form of surgical management should be employed. Since more women are living to an age at which diverticular disease is common, colovaginal fistulae probably will be encountered by the gynecologist with increasing frequency. Colovaginal fistula secondary to diverticular disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis when an elderly women complains of flatus vaginalis.
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Tissue specimens from 10 out of 12 patients with advanced epithelial ovarian adenocarcinoma contained DNA of human papillomavirus type 6 (HPV-6). HPV DNA was identified by in situ hybridization at high stringency using biotin-labeled DNA probes. Nonneoplastic tissue specimens from other pelvic sites of the same patients were also examined. None showed evidence of HPV DNA. The meaning of these findings in relation to epithelial ovarian carcinoma is discussed.
Eleven patients were treated with cisplatin, vinblastine, and bleomycin (PVB) combination chemotherapy after failure of conventional triple-agent therapy with methotrexate, dactinomycin, and cyclophosphamide for gestational trophoblastic disease. Of ten evaluable patients, five (50%) achieved negative titers. Sustained remission was achieved in only two patients (20%). Major hematologic toxicities and two deaths due to sepsis occurred in this group of patients. Although this combination does exhibit activity, its clinical use in the treatment of refractory trophoblastic disease is limited.
The clinical course of 61 patients with high-risk metastatic gestational trophoblastic disease was reviewed. Currently, 34 patients (56%) are alive and in complete remission. The survival rate after full-term pregnancy was significantly worse than after any other type of antecedent pregnancy. Analyzing survival by individual high-risk criteria revealed significantly improved survival for those patients with elevated beta-human chorionic gonadotropin titer alone when compared with all other high-risk criteria. Fifty-eight percent of patients (14 of 24) primarily treated with alternating-sequential therapy consisting of methotrexate and actinomycin-D experienced a complete remission. Of those patients primarily treated with methotrexate, actinomycin-D, and cyclophosphamide, 63% (20 of 32) achieved a complete remission. Treatment with second-line chemotherapy was largely unsuccessful. Aggressive early treatment is warranted in this group of patients, using multiagent chemotherapy. A search for newer more effective regimens should continue.
A case of isolated leptomeningeal recurrence of an epithelial ovarian cancer was recently diagnosed and treated successfully with methotrexate placed via an Ommaya reservoir in combination with radiation therapy. A review of the literature revealed no other cases of epithelial ovarian leptomeningeal malignancy similarly treated.