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Biomedical subjects

J Menczer

Publications and source records attributed to J Menczer.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Ovarian carcinoma associated thrombocytosis. Correlation with prognostic factors and with survival.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of thrombocytosis (platelets > or = 400,000 microliters) in ovarian cancer of epithelial origin as compared to benign controls consisting of benign ovarian cysts of epithelial origin and to correlate it with prognostic factors of ovarian cancer and survival. METHOD: Hospital records of 82 consecutive patients with ovarian carcinoma, 12 with low malignant potential tumors and 70 with invasive carcinoma, and of 32 patients with benign cysts of epithelial origin were reviewed. The clinical data and preoperative platelet counts were recorded. RESULTS: The prevalence of thrombocytosis in invasive ovarian carcinoma of epithelial origin was significantly higher than in benign controls (24.3% vs 2.9%; p = 0.006). No statistically significant correlation was found between thrombocytosis with age, grade and residual disease. A statistically non-significant excess of thrombocytosis was found among patients with advanced disease, but the survival of patients with thrombocytosis was significantly less favorable (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Thrombocytosis is significantly more prevalent in ovarian cancer patients than in benign controls and has a statistically significant correlation with poorer survival. The prevalence of thrombocytosis in ovarian carcinoma and its significance in various studies is inconsistent and should be elucidated in large prospective studies.

Adolescent↗

Pregnancy and delivery in a group of Israeli teenagers. A case-controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess characteristics of an Israeli group of nulliparous teenagers and to compare selected variables of their course and outcome of pregnancy with controls. METHODS: Hospital records of 46 consecutive nulliparous teenagers younger than 17.5 years who delivered during a ten-year period and 84 matched adult controls were reviewed. RESULTS: The majority of the teenagers were older than 15 years, married and most were born in Israel or in the former Soviet Union with no obvious socio-economical deprivation. The rate of prenatal follow-up, hypertensive disorders, type of analgesia during labor and mode of delivery were similar in teenagers and controls. A statistically non-significant higher rate of anemia (hemoglobin, 10 gr%), preterm delivery and low birth weight were observed in teenagers. Only the rate of induction of labor and the rate of a hemoglobin level higher than 12 gr% were significantly lower in teenagers. CONCLUSIONS: The course and outcome of pregnancy were in most respects similar in this group of nulliparous teenagers and matched adult controls.

Adolescent↗

[Gynecologic problems of the lower genital tract in children and young adolescents].

Hospital records of 46 girls under the age of 17 years, hospitalized for lower genital tract problems in 1986-95 were reviewed. The most common conditions were results of unintentional injuries (43.5%), imperforate hymen (28.2%) and infections (19.6%). The median age for unintentional injuries was significantly lower than for other conditions (7.0 vs 11.4; p < 0.001). Most injuries were external and occurred during outdoor activities. Mean volume of estimated bloody fluid drained in those with imperforate hymen was greater when the diagnosis was made after the age of 12 (783 vs 433; not significant). It has been suggested that hematocolpos and hematometra should be prevented, but the possible unfavorable sequelae have not been documented. The relative order of frequency of the various diagnostic groupings and the diagnoses of labial adhesions and imperforate hymen are specific for the age of the study group.

Accidents↗

Cervical koilocytosis in hysterectomy specimens of Israeli residents and new immigrants.

There is an impression that the prevalence of cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) among new immigrants from the former Soviet Union, is higher than among Israeli residents. Etiologically, SCC is associated with human papilloma virus infection (HPV). The purpose of the present study was to assess the prevalence of cervical HPV infection in new immigrants from the Soviet Union and in Israeli residents as indicated by the presence of koilocytosis in hysterectomy specimens. The study group consisted of 304 women (60 new immigrants and 244 Israeli residents who underwent hysterectomy for benign reasons). The original histological slides of the cervix were reviewed with special attention to the presence of koilocytosis. The two study subgroups differed, as expected, with regard to some characteristics, but koilocytosis was not present in any of the cervical specimens of new immigrants nor of residents. Although the study subgroups may be too small or selective, our findings do not support a possible higher HPV infection rate among new immigrants, yet may indicate a low reservoir of HPV in new immigrants and residents, in line with the low SCC incidence in Israeli women.

Adult↗

High frequency of BRCA1 185delAG mutation in ovarian cancer in Israel. National Israel Study of Ovarian Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of BRCA1 185delAG mutation in ovarian carcinogenesis. DESIGN: Genetic testing of a subset of cases from an ongoing study of ovarian cancer and of controls. SETTING: A community-based case-control incidence study. SUBJECTS: Seventy-nine patients with ovarian cancer, 62 hospitalized women without cancer (controls), and 120 healthy women participating in a fragile X screening program (also controls), examined for the presence of germline BRCA1 185delAG mutation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Polymerase chain reaction-amplified BRCA1 exon 2 fragments generated from patients' and controls' blood samples, analyzed by heteroduplex gel shift assay and direct sequence analyses. RESULTS: The 185delAG mutation was detected in 38.9% (7/18) of ovarian cancer patients with familial history, and 13.1% (8/61) of family history-negative ovarian cancer cases. Only 1 carrier was detected among the 120 healthy controls, and none in the hospital controls. A significant difference in mutation carrier rates between family history-negative cases and control groups of 120 and 62 subjects was identified (Fisher exact test, P=.001 and P=.003, respectively). The median age (+/-SE) at disease diagnosis was lower among both familial and family history-negative mutation carriers, as compared with mutation-negative, family history-negative cases--50 (+/-1.4) vs 60.5 (+/-3.5) years old, respectively (hazard ratio, 1.68; 95% confidence interval, 0.94-3.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our data are preliminary but suggest that BRCA1 185delAG germline mutation is frequent in Israeli ovarian cancer patients, irrespective of family history, and may confer an early-onset phenotype of ovarian cancer

BRCA1 Protein↗

Primary peritoneal serous papillary carcinoma: a study of 25 cases and comparison with stage III-IV ovarian papillary serous carcinoma.

The clinical characteristics and treatment outcome of patients with primary peritoneal serous papillary carcinoma (PPSC) (n = 22) was compared with stage III-IV papillary serous ovarian carcinoma (PSOC) patients (n = 63). There were no statistically significant differences between the PPSC and PSOC patients with regard to the mean age, menopausal status, parity, ascites fluid volume, proportion of stage IV disease, and the rate of optimal debulking achieved. The median disease-free interval was 15 and 18 months; the median survival was 21 and 26 months; and the 5-year survival was 18 and 24% for the PPSC and PSOC groups, respectively. The median survival time for patients with a residual tumor > or = 2 cm was 20.5 and 24 months, and for residual tumor > or = 2 cm was 46 and 41 months, in PPSC and PSOC patients, respectively. Survival was thus better, in both groups, when residual disease at the end of the operation was < 2 cm, though this was statistically significant only for PSOC (P < 0.02). We conclude that patients with PPSC should be treated as other stage II-IV PSOC patients. Combining optimal debulking with a platinum-based chemotherapy may offer the patient the most effective treatment.

Aged↗

Second primary cancers in a cohort of Israeli women with primary gynecologic malignancies.

Second cancer in a women with a primary gynecological malignancy could reflect a common etiology or sequealae of a potentially carcinogenic treatment. The aim of the present study was to determine the incidence rate of second primary cancer in a cohort of women with primary gynecological cancer and patient characteristics, namely age, diagnosis, type of treatment, and duration of follow-up. The study cohort comprised 925 Israeli Jewish women with histologically confirmed gynecologic malignancies. The file was linked by computer matching to the Israel Cancer Registry for identification of second primary cancers. Standardized incidence rates (SIRs) for site-specific as well as for all cancer were computed. A significant excess for subsequent leukemia among ovarian (SIR 10; 95% CI 1.1-36.1) and uterine corporal cancer patients (SIR 10.0; 95% CI 2.7-25.6) was found. The significant increase in leukemia was treatment-related and limited to patients treated with radiotherapy. Age older than 60 years constituted a significantly unfavorable factor. The estimated probability of developing a subsequent cancer at 175 months is 6.1%. Physicians should be aware of the possibility of a second primary malignancy when prescribing treatment and during follow-up.

Cohort Studies↗

Increased insulin-like growth factor binding protein-2 (IGFBP-2) gene expression and protein production lead to high IGFBP-2 content in malignant ovarian cyst fluid.

Expression of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), its receptor and IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) by ovarian cancer cells and its mitogenic effect on these cells in vitro, suggest that IGF-I may have a role in regulation of human ovarian cancer. We have recently shown IGFBP-2 to be markedly elevated in malignant ovarian cyst fluid in vivo. To identify the origin of increased IGFBP-2 in these cyst fluids, the gene expression and protein content of IGFBP-2 were investigated in 14 malignant and four benign epithelial ovarian neoplasms. IGFBP-2 mRNA was detected in all ovarian specimens and was 2- to 30-fold higher in malignant than in benign neoplasms. Within the malignant tissues IGFBP-2 mRNA levels correlated with the aggressiveness of the tumour and were higher in invasive tumours than in those with borderline pathology. Southern blot analysis revealed no amplification of IGFBP-2 gene in the DNA samples from ovarian tumours regardless of their nature. IGFBP-2 was the major binding protein in tissue extracts, as measured by both Western ligand blotting and immunoblotting, and was significantly higher in malignant than in benign neoplasms. These findings were further supported by immunohistochemical detection of IGFBP-2 in tumour sections. Our data suggest that increased local production by the tumour in vivo is responsible for the increased IGFBP-2 levels in the cyst fluid bathing the ovarian malignancy. This may represent an autocrine regulatory mechanism for IGF-I proliferative effect of ovarian cancer.

Blotting, Northern↗

A trend toward more conservative surgery in gynecologic oncology.

A trend toward more conservative surgical intervention is evident in the current management of many gynecologic malignancies. The trend to manage vulvar carcinoma has moved away from the standard en bloc radical vulvectomy and bilateral lymphadenectomy and now consists of more limited excision of the primary tumor as well as of the regional lymph nodes. In preinvasive cervical carcinoma, conization is preferred instead of hysterectomy. The possibility for a more conservative surgical approach is also being explored for the treatment of selected early stage and advanced or recurrent cervical carcinomas. Although the primary surgical treatment of endometrial carcinoma remains unchanged, the necessity to perform (in all cases) the more extensive procedure required for staging purposes is being challenged. In early stage borderline ovarian tumors, not only adnexectomy but cystectomy alone is considered acceptable and reexploration for staging purposes may be unwarranted. In stage IA invasive carcinoma, adnexectomy of the involved side only is probably also sufficient. In advanced ovarian carcinoma, the more aggressive cytoreduction involving multiple organ resection is being restrained. Secondary debulking is performed only on a selective basis and the routine performance of second-look laparotomy has been given up.

Carcinoma↗

Presenting symptoms of patients with endometrial carcinoma. Effect on prognosis.

The aim of the study was to determine the presenting symptoms of endometrial carcinoma (EC) patients and to assess their possible correlation with some of the standard prognostic factors and with survival. A review of the presenting symptoms of 181 EC patients indicated that 69.6% presented with postmenopausal bleeding while the remaining women presented with irregular bleeding (21.0%), abdominal pain (3.9%) and other (5.5%) symptoms. A significantly (p < 0.001) higher percentage of patients presenting with abdominal pain and other symptoms were diagnosed with advanced stage disease and they had a lower survival than those presenting with post-menopausal or irregular bleeding. Patients presenting with irregular bleeding had a significantly (p = 0.002) better survival than those presenting with postmenopausal bleeding. However, this effect disappeared once age was accounted for in a multivariate analysis. Our findings indicate that the type of presenting symptoms may occasionally serve as a preliminary prognostic indicator.

Adult↗

Use of the Veress needle for instillation of intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

The Veress needle was used for instillation of short-term cisplatin-based intraperitoneal chemotherapy in ovarian carcinoma patients who, after completion of systemic postoperative chemotherapy, were clinically in complete remission. A total of 87 instillations were done in 32 patients. Only two not severe complications were encountered. The Veress needle is a safe, convenient, and inexpensive access device especially for short-term intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

The effect of diagnosis and treatment delay on prognostic factors and survival in endometrial carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the association of diagnosis and treatment delay with established prognostic factors and survival. STUDY DESIGN: The study group comprised 181 consecutive patients with endometrial carcinoma diagnosed between 1970 and 1986, whose records contained details with regard to diagnosis delay; 174 of them also contained details with regard to treatment delay. RESULTS: The significant prognostic factors that we found, namely, age, clinical stage, grade, depth of myometrial invasion, and histologic type, are in line with those of other studies. However, no significant correlation was found between the duration of delay and these prognostic factors or with survival. CONCLUSION: We conclude that delay of diagnosis (< 1 year) and of treatment of < 4 months do not compromise survival of patients with endometrial cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Treatment of pelvic peritoneal cysts by drainage and ethanol instillation.

We performed this study to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of ultrasound-guided drainage and ethanol instillation for the treatment of pelvic peritoneal cysts. Six women had pelvic peritoneal cysts after previous pelvic surgery; when the cysts recurred after simple drainage, the patients underwent transvaginal ultrasound-guided drainage and instillation of 20-30 mL of ethanol into the cyst cavity. All patients except one presented with abdominal pain. All cysts had clinical and ultrasonic benign characteristics. Drainage and ethanol instillation were performed successfully in all patients without severe side effects or complications. After a mean follow-up time of 13.6 months, a recurrence was found in only one patient, who was successfully retreated. These preliminary results indicate that transvaginal ultrasound-guided fluid drainage and ethanol instillation is an effective treatment for pelvic peritoneal cysts.

Adult↗

A comparison between referral and hospital cervical cytology laboratory reports.

The accuracy of reports from various cytology laboratories has hitherto not been evaluated in Israel. The purpose of our study was to assess the degree of concordance between cervical cytology reports from laboratories outside our hospital with hospital cytology reports, and of both, with biopsy reports. The study group comprised 95 women referred because of an abnormal cytology smear, and who had a repeat cytology smear in the hospital within 3 months without intervening treatment. Fifty-one of these women had a colposcopically directed biopsy. We found a poor concordance between referral and hospital cervical cytology reports, and a better concordance of hospital cytology reports with biopsy findings than of referral cytology reports. There was a tendency for overdiagnosis in both the referral and the hospital cytology reports. A mechanism for continuous quality control of cervical cytology smear reports is needed.

Adult↗

Intraperitoneal chemotherapy with cisplatin and etoposide in ovarian carcinoma patients who are clinically in complete remission.

We assessed the efficacy of short term intraperitoneal treatment with cisplatin (200 mg/m2) and etoposide (300 mg/m2) in 21 ovarian carcinoma patients who were in complete clinical remission after completion of postoperative cisplatin based chemotherapy. Second-look laparotomy was done in 17 patients prior to intraperitoneal chemotherapy and in 10, minimal residual disease was found. The mean follow-up was 24 (range 9-54) months. The projected overall survival 54 months after diagnosis was 60% and the median PFI 26 months. The median survival and PFI of patients with minimal residual disease at second-look laparotomy was only 27 and 18 months respectively. In all patients with relapse the recurrence was intraperitoneal. The combination intraperitoneal chemotherapy schedule used does not seem to be more effective for ovarian carcinoma patients who are clinically in complete remission than the intraperitoneal treatment with cisplatin alone reported in other series.

Adult↗