Prognostic factors in adult granulosa cell tumor of the ovary

To determine the clinicopathologic prognostic factors in adult granulosa cell tumors [GCTs] of the ovary. This retrospective study was carried out over a period of 10 years [1995-2005] in the Gynecology Department of Shengjing Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, China. Forty-six patients with GCT were enrolled in this study. Demographic data, pathologic findings, treatments, and survival time were reviewed and analyzed for prognostic significance. It was found that International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics [FIGO] stage [p=0.0003], presence of nuclear atypia [p=0.036], and increased mitoses [p=0.002] were the 3 factors that impacted significantly on survival. Age, residual tumor disease, parity, and size of the tumor had no significant effect on survival. The only factor associated with risk of recurrence was rupture of the tumor [p=0.038]. Patients who received chemotherapy had a better median disease-free survival than those who did not [105 versus 78 months], however, this did not reach statistical significance [p=0.080]. The FIGO stage, nuclear atypia, and increased mitoses are the statistically significant prognostic factors, and may be used for selecting patients for adjuvant therapy. A prolonged follow-up is necessary due to risk of recurrences, late, and exceptional for the adult ovarian GCT, especially when the tumor ruptured before, or at operation

Induction of apoptosis in osteogenic sarcoma cells by combination of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis inducing ligand and chemotherapeutic agents / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Osteosarcoma is one of the most common primary malignant tumors of bone with poor prognosis. TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) cytokine family. TRAIL induces apoptosis in various tumor cell lines but is not found to be cytotoxic to many normal cell types in vitro. We investigated the cytotoxic activity of TRAIL and chemotherapeutic agents, including methotrexate (MTX), doxorubicin (DOX) and cisplatin (CDDP), on established osteosarcoma cell line--S-732.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>OS-732 cells were incubated with chemotherapeutic agents MTX, DOX and CDDP at various peak plasma concentrations (PPC), 0.1PPC, 1PPC and 10PPC, alone or with 100 ng/ml of TRAIL for 24 hours or 48 hours. MTT was used to evaluate the cytotoxic activity of different agents on OS-732. The apoptosis proportion was assayed by flow cytometry. Cellular morphologic changes were observed by phase contrast microscope, scan electron microscope, and transmission electron microscope.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The inhibitory rate was (24.438 +/- 3.414)% with TRAIL of 100 ng/ml for 24 hours. The cells were responsive to DOX and CDDP with a dose-effect relationship (P < 0.05). In OS-732 cells, DOX and CDDP cooperated synergistically with TRAIL when incubated the cells with them for 24 hours (the combined inhibitory rate is (58.360 +/- 2.146)% and (54.101 +/- 2.721)%, respectively). TRAIL alone or drugs alone induced the apoptosis rate was less than 25% (P < 0.05). However, the combination of TRAIL and MTX did not present synergistic effects on OS-732 cells (P > 0.05, compared with TRAIL alone).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Osteosarcoma OS-732 cells were not responsive to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. DOX and CDDP sensitize osteosarcoma OS-732 cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. The combination of TRAIL and MTX presented no synergistic effects on killing OS-732 cells.</p>

A study on the expression of CASP9 gene and its polymorphism distribution in non-small cell lung cancer / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the expression of caspase 9(CASP9) gene in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) distribution of CASP9 in NSCLC patients and normal people.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) was used to analyze the expression of CASP9 in 81 NSCLC and normal lung tissues. Two SNPs in CASP9 gene were chosen to be investigated. Genotypes of rs1052576 and rs1052571 in 81 NSCLC patients and 100 normal people were analyzed by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Legally constituted authority statistical analysis was applied to analyze SNP genotype frequency and allele frequency in patients and control group.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In comparision with normal lung tissues, CASP9 gene expression was obviously down-regulated in 44.4% (36/81) NSCLC tissues. rs1052571 located in exon 1 of CASP9 gene had no significant difference between two groups, rs1052576 located in exon 5 of CASP9 gene had significant difference between two groups, the G allele frequency in NSCLC patients was higher than those in healthy controls (P< 0.05); the AG genotype frequency in patients with lymph node metastasis was higher than those without lymph node metastasis (P< 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>This study confirms the association between CASP9 gene and NSCLC oncogenesis, rs1052576 which locates in exon 5 of CASP9 gene is associated with NSCLC. AG genotype has association with lymph node metastasis.</p>