Novel screening strategies for early ovarian cancer by transabdominal ultrasonography

Article Abstract:

Abdominal ultrasonography uses high frequency sound transmitted through the abdomen to visualize internal structures. Previous studies have found that positive ultrasonographic images of the ovaries identify ovarian tumors and ovarian cancers with a good degree of accuracy. The procedure assesses the volume, shape, and size of the ovary. The distribution of these variables according to age and menopausal state are described for 5,479 women without symptoms of ovarian disease. All the women had at least one transabdominal ultrasound, 90 percent had two screenings, and 70 percent had three screenings. Positive results detecting abnormal shape and size were found in 338 screenings performed on 326 women. Primary ovarian cancer was identified in five women. The maximum ovarian volume (MOV), the volume of the larger ovary, decreased with age. A MOV greater than 95 percent of normal ovaries, combined with the volume change when the scan was repeated, had a false-positive rate of 3.1 percent at the first screening and an overall false-positive rate of 2.0 percent. The false-positive rate was reduced to 1.6 percent when abnormal shape and size at the first scan was considered with volume change at rescan. The odds of detecting an ovarian mass were four to one, and the odds of detecting a noncancerous tumor were two to one. The chance of detecting any ovarian tumor was 1 to 26, and the likelihood of detecting primary ovarian cancer was 1 to 50. It is suggested that women with a positive scan at the first screening be rescanned within 20 days to reassess the characteristics of the morphology and volume change. On the basis of these results it seems that transabdominal ultrasonographic imaging of women without symptoms is a valuable diagnostic tool for detecting early ovarian cancer. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Usage, Ultrasound imaging, Ovarian cancer, Ovaries, Ovarian tumors

---

The effect of smoking in pregnancy on maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein, unconjugated oestriol, human chorionic gonadotrophin, progesterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate levels

Article Abstract:

The adverse effects of smoking during pregnancy are well established. Studies have shown that smoking during pregnancy lowers maternal blood levels of estrogen and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), the hormone produced by the developing embryo. In this study, the effects of smoking on alpha-fetoprotein (AFP, a marker of fetal abnormalities), progesterone (a hormone produced by the placenta) and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEAS, a virilizing hormone) were studied. Blood samples from 462 pregnant women (77 with Down's syndrome fetuses and 385 without) were analyzed for cotinine, a by-product of nicotine metabolism, to determine smoking status. Then the hormone levels were related to the amount of cotinine found in the blood. In both the pregnancies complicated by Down's syndrome and the normal pregnancies, higher AFP and DHEAS were found in smokers than nonsmokers, while the levels of unconjugated estrogen, hCG and progesterone were lower among the smokers than nonsmokers. The differences between smokers and nonsmokers were statistically significant for all measurements except unconjugated estrogen. Since AFP is a routine screening tool used for predicting risk of fetal abnormalities, to avoid false-positive results appropriate adjustments should be made when assessing AFP in smokers. Therefore, there it is advantageous to consider a pregnant woman's smoking habits when evaluating the likelihood of having a Down's syndrome fetus based on her AFP level. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Measurement, Physiological aspects, Down syndrome, Estrogen, Estrogens, Cotinine, Pregnancy, Complications of, Pregnancy complications, Progesterone, Smoking and women, Women smokers, Alpha fetoproteins

---

Maternal abdominal pressure alters fetal cerebral blood flow

Article Abstract:

To determine whether pressure exerted on the abdomen during ultrasound examination could affect fetal circulation, the flow in three fetal blood vessels was examined in relation to three pressure levels exerted by the ultrasound transducer. Forty-five women who were at 26, 32, or 36 weeks' gestation (40 weeks is the normal gestation period) were studied, and the thoracic (chest) section of the aorta, the internal carotid artery (the major neck artery extending from the aorta to the brain), and the middle cerebral artery were studied. Blood flow decreased significantly in the middle cerebral artery. Increasing pressure also suppressed blood flow during the diastolic (resting) phase in the middle cerebral and internal carotid arteries, but not the aorta. The fetal heart rate did not differ significantly during the studies. The greater effects on the cerebral artery may be associated with the distance between the transducer and cerebral artery being less than that between the transducer and carotid artery, so that more force was exerted on the brain than neck. The study suggests that minimal transducer pressure should be exerted during ultrasound examinations in determinations of fetal hypoxia (lack of oxygen). It also suggests that excessive transducer pressure may contribute to blood flow problems in fetuses with hydramnios (excessive amniotic fluid), who can be difficult to image. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Health aspects, Prenatal influences

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Oncology. Screening strategies for cancer: implications and results
• Abstracts: An analysis of abnormalities of the retinoblastoma gene in human ovarian and endometrial carcinoma. Kaposi's sarcoma in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome: a flow cytometric DNA analysis of 26 lesions in 21 patients
• Abstracts: A randomized, double-blind trial of nystatin therapy for the candidiasis hypersensitivity syndrome. Searching for the yeast connection
• Abstracts: Induced abortions, contraceptive practices, and tobacco smoking as risk factors for ectopic pregnancy in Athens, Greece

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