Prognostic factors associated with recurrence in clinical stage I adenocarcinoma of the endometrium

Article Abstract:

The endometrium is the membrane that lines the inner wall of the uterus. Adenocarcinoma, a type of malignant cancer, is found in the endometrium of 33,000 women in the United States each year, making it the most common type of gynecological cancer. If treated early, the prognosis for this cancer is good, but patients with recurrent disease have a very poor prognosis. Factors that could help to identify patients at high risk for recurrence would result in making better decisions about which patients should receive further treatment after the original cancer is removed. This study examined the factors that indicate whether a patient is at high risk for recurrence of endometrial adenocarcinoma, and compared results with the staging system of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO). A total of 264 women with endometrial adenocarcinoma were evaluated before initial treatment and then followed-up for 8 to 112 months to see if they developed recurrent disease. Results showed that 33 patients (12.5 percent) developed recurrence or died from the cancer. The average time from initial diagnosis to recurrence was 21.4 months. The type of tumor was strongly correlated with whether the cancer recurred. Recurrence occurred in 8.8 percent of the patients with adenoacanthoma, 35.7 percent with adenosquamous, 25 percent with papillary, and 57.1 percent with clear-cell carcinomas. Recurrence was also more likely as the grade of the tumor increased, with an incidence of 7.7 percent for grade 1 tumors, 10.5 percent for grade 2 tumors, and 36.1 percent for grade 3 tumors. Older patients and patients with cancer involving the lymph nodes were also at a greater risk for recurrence. The presence of disease outside the uterus at the time of the initial diagnosis was also a high-risk factor for recurrence. When results were compared with the FIGO stages, recurrence developed in 7.4 percent of stage I, none of stage II, and 32.7 percent of stage III patients. These results indicate that the FIGO staging system is useful and incorporates some, but not all, of the factors that may be used to identify which patients are at greatest risk for recurrence of endometrial cancer. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Women, Diseases, Endometrial cancer, Adenocarcinoma

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Serum interleukin-6 levels correlate with disease status in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer

Article Abstract:

Ovarian cancer, the most deadly of all gynecologic cancers, is not usually diagnosed until an advanced stage has been reached. Thus, identifying early markers for this disease is highly desirable. One substance known to be secreted by many ovarian cancer cell lines in tissue culture is the growth factor IL-6 (interleukin-6). It is possible that blood levels of this factor in women with ovarian cancer are correlated with the extent of disease. To test this, blood was sampled from 36 ovarian cancer patients when they visited the hospital for surgery or treatment. The samples were assayed for levels of IL-6 and CA 125, a substance whose levels rise when ovarian cancer spreads. Blood was also sampled from 12 healthy female volunteers (controls) for comparison. Results showed that the levels of IL-6 in patients were correlated with the extent of disease at the time of exploratory surgery, and the cancer patients' levels were elevated compared with those of controls. The levels of IL-6 and CA 125 correlated with each other. IL-6 levels increased over a period of months in 16 cases in which the tumors grew. Levels remained stable or decreased in 7 of 15 cases where the disease remained in remission; IL-6 increased in only two patients in remission. A discussion is presented of the role of IL-6 in tumor cell proliferation. This substance may be a useful marker for ovarian cancer in some patients. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Diagnosis, Measurement, Ovarian cancer, Interleukin-6

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