ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Chemotherapy of ovarian cancer has a main role in the post-surgical treatment of ovarian cancer. However, relapsing patients are usually resistant to an additional chemotherapy. The development of immunotherapy is therefore needed to offer other preventive treatment modalities of ovarian cancer. MAGE encoding tumor-rejection antigens recognized by cytotoxic T lymphocytes are expressed at the mRNA level in various malignant tumors. We investigated the possibility of immunotherapy of ovarian cancer of MAGE expression. METHODS: To explore this possibility in ovarian tumors, we investigated the expression of MAGE 1-6 in 44 surgical samples of neoplastic and non-neoplastic tissues from ovaries using a MAGE 1-6 common primer by the nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (nested RT-PCR) and DNA sequencing after subcloning of PCR products. The material consisted of 5 cases of normal ovaries, 6 cases of non- neoplastic diseases (3 follicular cysts, 2 endometrioses, and 1 tuboovarian abscess), and 8 cases of benign serous, 4 cases of mucinous cystic tumor, 9 teratomas, and 4 cases of malignant serous tumor, 1 case of mucinous tumor, 2 cases of undifferentiated carcinoma, 2 borderline serous and 3 mucinous tumor. RESULTS: MAGE were expressed in 23% of benign ovarian tumors (5/21 cases). In contrast, no expression of these genes was observed in any of the 11 samples of normal and non-neoplastic ovarian tissues. All (92%) malignant tumors except one case of borderline malignant mucinous tumor showed MAGE 1-6 m RNA expression (P<0.05). The isotype of MAGE were confirmed in 5 cases for MAGE-3 (31.2%), 4 cases of MAGE-4 (25%), 2 cases of MAGE A1 (12.5%) and A 4b (12.5%), and one case of MAGE A2, 4a, combined A3 and A6, and A4 and 4b. CONCLUSION: We concluded that the expression of MAGE could be used as a target for tumor specific immunotherapy in ovarian cancer expressing MAGE.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Carcinoma , Drug Therapy , Endometriosis , Follicular Cyst , Immunotherapy , Mucins , Ovarian Neoplasms , Ovary , Polymerase Chain Reaction , RNA , RNA, Messenger , Sequence Analysis, DNA , T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic , TeratomaABSTRACT
Malignant melanoma is usually a neoplasm of the skin and mucous membranes which is relatively rare, comprising 1% of all cancers. In women, approximately 3% of malignant melanoma are located in the genitalia with the vast majority occuring in the vulva and very rarely on the ovary, uterus, and uterine cervix. Opinions about its histogenesis, diagnostic criteria and elective treatment are controversial, because of rare manifestation. We report a case of primary malignant melanoma of uterine cervix with a brief review of the literature.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Cervix Uteri , Genitalia , Melanoma , Mucous Membrane , Ovary , Skin , Uterus , VulvaABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This study was performed to investigate the clinical features of neuroendocrine lung cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of the histopathology and clinical information of 21 patients diagnosed as having neuroendocrine lung cancer between 1995 and 1999. RESULTS: Nineteen cases were male and 2 were female. The median age was 64 years (range: 45~80). Pathologic classification were atypical carcinoid (AC) in 2 cases, large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) in 7 cases, and intermediate cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (ICNC) in 12 cases. Nine patients received tumor resection as first line therapy; adjuvant chemotherapy was given to 3 patients. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy was given to 1 patient. Six patients received palliative chemotherapy. The chemotherapy regimen included etoposide cisplatin in 5 cases and vinorelbine+cisplatin in 1 case. The median survival times were 11, 16 and 59 weeks for AC, LCNEC and ICNC, respectively. The estimated 2-year survival rates were AC 0%, LCNEC 22% and ICNC 31%. CONCLUSION: Surgery may have a positive effect on survival in patients with early stage cansers. Further investigation is required to improve survival in cases of advanced stage cancer.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Male , Carcinoid Tumor , Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine , Chemoradiotherapy , Chemotherapy, Adjuvant , Cisplatin , Classification , Drug Therapy , Etoposide , Lung Neoplasms , Lung , Retrospective Studies , Survival RateABSTRACT
Gastric teratomas are extremely rare neoplasms and almost exclusively benign. They occur predominantly in males and generally present as a palpable abdominal mass. To our knowledge, only one adult case has been described in the Korean literature. We report a case in which an immature gastric teratoma in a 3-month-old boy was revealed by CT and US.
Subject(s)
Humans , Infant , Male , Stomach Neoplasms/epidemiology , Teratoma/epidemiology , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedABSTRACT
Familial occurrence of spinal muscular atrophy(SMA) is not infrequent. Various modes of inheritance of the SMA have been reported and autosomal recessive inheritance appears the most frequent mode of transmission. A small number of observations indicate autosomal dominant inheritance with either complete or incomplete penetrance. To date, autosomal dominant SMA with complete penetrance in more than 4 generations has been reported very rarely. It is the Purpose of this report to decribe a family with familial SMA presenting as an autosomal dominant trait with occurrence in 4 subsequent generations. This may be the first report in Korea.