The Prognostic Significance of Serum CA 125 Levels in Patients with Advanced Serous Epithelial Ovarian Cancer / 대한산부인과학회잡지

OBJECTIVE: In this retrospective study, we analyzed the clinicopathologic characteristics of advanced serous epithelial ovarian cancer and evaluated the prognostic factors which have an impact on survival of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer. We also compared several analyzing methods of CA 125 for predicting prognosis of advanced serous epithelial ovarian cancer. METHODS: A total of 57 patients with advanced serous epithelial ovarian cancer who were treated at Samsung Medical Center between Aug. 1995 and Jul. 2000 were included. Medical records including pathologic reports were reviewed to identify clinicopathologic characteristics and serum levels of CA 125. Five different methods of analyzing serum CA 125 were compared for predicting the prognosis of advanced serous epithelial ovarian cancer. Survival curves were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: The median age of all patients was 54.2 years. In univariate analysis, age, FIGO stage, grade, residual tumor and ascites showed no significant correlation with prognosis. Among five different analyzing methods of serum CA 125 levels, normalization after 3rd chemotherapy was correlated with improved 5-year survival rate (p=0.026). CONCLUSION: This study showed that normalization of serum levels of CA 125 after 3rd chemotherapy is useful for predicting prognosis of advanced serous epithelial ovarian cancer patients.

The Association of Histologic Chorioamnionitis and Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in Prematurity / 대한산부인과학회잡지

OBJECTIVE: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is one of the most frequent and clinically significant complications of prematurity and it has been widely accepted that immaturity, barotrauma, and oxygen toxicity are major factors in the etiology of BPD. However, recent studies showed that infection may also play a role in the pathogenesis of BPD and exposure to a prenatal inflammatory process may lead to lung injury and predispose to the subsequent development of BPD. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that neonates with BPD had higher incidence of histologic chorioamnionitis than those in whom BPD does not develop. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted to examine the relationship between histologic chorioamnionitis and the occurrence of BPD in neonate. We reviewed the hospital charts of 363 women and their neonates whose gestational age at birth were between 24 weeks and 35 weeks and recorded their pregnancy outcomes, the results of placental Biopsy, perinatal outcomes including the occurrence of BPD. RESULTS: 1. Neonates who developed BPD showed higher incidence of acute histologic chorioamnionitis. The relationship remained significant even after the adjustment for gestational age (odds ratio, 3.2: 95% confidence interval, 1.6-11.3: P<0.05). 2. Higher maternal serum CRP was also associated with increased incidence of histologic chorioamnionitis and BPD (P<0.05). 3. Neonates who developed BPD also had higher incidence of infectious morbidity such as early neonatal pneumonia and sepsis (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that histologic chorioamnionitis is closely related to the occurrence of BPD. This support the hypothesis that intrauterine infection may cause fetal lung injury and subsequent development of BPD.