A review of californium-252 neutron brachytherapy for cervical cancer

Article Abstract:

Brachytherapy is a well established tool for the treatment of cervical cancer. In brachytherapy, a small radioactive implant is placed into the diseased area, providing direct radiotherapy where it is needed most. Generally, brachytherapy is used in conjunction with external beam radiation and other forms of treatment, including surgical removal of the cancerous tissue. Brachytherapy has been in use for about nine decades. However, most experience has accumulated in the use of radioactive substances such as radium 226, cesium 137, iridium 192, and cobalt 60. These radioisotopes emit gamma rays. Neutron particles are more devastating to cancerous tissues than gamma rays, however. Modern nuclear technology has now made californium available for therapeutic use. This element, which is beyond uranium in the periodic chart, is essentially nonexistent in nature and must be made in the hearts of nuclear reactors. The authors report their experience in the use of californium-252 in the treatment of 218 women with cervical cancer. The use of californium was initially limited to patients with advanced cancer, but the initial results were favorable enough that the treatment was extended to include patients with earlier stage cervical cancer as well. For Stage IB cervical cancer, the 10-year survival rate was 72 percent. The 10-year survival rate for Stage II cancer was 61 percent. As would be expected, survival for the more advanced cancers was poor; the 10-year survival for Stage III cervical cancer was 25 percent. Some concern has been expressed that the use of neutron-emitting isotopes for brachytherapy might cause leukemia, lymphoma, or aplastic anemias in some patients. During follow-up periods ranging up to 15 years, no instances of these conditions have been observed among the patients treated with californium-252. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Usage, Cervical cancer, Radiotherapy, Radioisotope brachytherapy, Brachytherapy, Californium

---

Transvaginal sonography as a screening method for ovarian cancer: a report of the first 1,000 cases screened

Article Abstract:

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from cancers of the female reproductive organs. Unfortunately, early stages of the disease are usually asymptomatic, so most patients are not diagnosed until the cancer is advanced. A routine method of screening may be extremely valuable in providing an opportunity for early intervention in ovarian cancer. To evaluate the effectiveness of transvaginal sonography as a screening device, 1,000 women over age 40 with no symptoms and no pelvic abnormalities were screened. The examination was well accepted by the patients. Thirty-one patients (3.1 percent) had abnormal sonograms and of those, 24 underwent exploratory surgery. The dimensions of the ovarian and fallopian tube tumors discovered in surgery were identical to the measurements first obtained by sonography. In the group of 24 women, the tumors found included one adenocarcinoma, eight serous cystadenomas, six endometriomas, and two cystic teratomas. None of the patients with normal sonograms developed signs or symptoms of ovarian cancer in the year following the test. The transvaginal sonogram appears to be safe and highly accurate as a screening device for ovarian cancer. It should be emphasized, however, that the normal variation in size of the ovaries is smaller among postmenopausal women, making it easier to diagnose enlargements of the ovaries in this group. The fact that most of the subjects studied were postmenopausal may have made it easier to detect cancerous changes than if a younger population of women had been studied. Among the 39 premenopausal women whose scans were initially abnormal, 23 were later determined to be normal based on repeated sonograms, presumably because the size of the ovaries fluctuates normally during the menstrual cycle. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Research, Medical screening, Health screening, Women's health services, Gynecology, Ovarian tumors, Diagnosis, Ultrasonic, Diagnostic ultrasonography, Endoscopic ultrasonography

---

Evidence for a unifocal origin in familial ovarian cancer

Article Abstract:

Genetic analysis of ovarian cancers in women who have a family history of ovarian cancer may prove that the cancer arises from one ovary rather than from several sites within the abdomen. Researchers analyzed tumor samples from 12 women with familial ovarian cancer for the loss of genetic elements from chromosomes 1, 6, 11, 13, 16, and 17. The highest loss of specific genetic elements was found in chromosome 17, with a 100% loss rate. Identical genetic elements were deleted in all tumor samples from the same patient. Four patients experienced identical loss patterns. Only two patients lost different genetic elements in various tumor samples. Women with a history of ovarian cancer arising from one site may prevent cancer occurrence by having their ovaries removed, or by periodic ultrasound examinations of ovaries.

Causes of, Genetic aspects, Ovarian cancer, Familial diseases

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Prevention of coronary artery disease: a medical imperative. Treating hypercholesterolemia: how should practicing physicians interpret the published data for patients?
• Abstracts: Review of evidence on the early detection and treatment of breast cancer. Breast cancer detection and community practice: executive summary report of a workshop cosponsored by the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation and the American Cancer Society
• Abstracts: The existence of publication bias and risk factors for its occurrence. The communities of scientists and journal peer review
• Abstracts: Expression of blood-group antigen A - a favorable prognostic factor in non-small-cell lung cancer. Flow cytometric analysis of the DNA content of non-small cell lung cancer: ploidy as a significant prognostic indicator in squamous cell carcinoma of the lung

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.