ABSTRACT
Background: The capabilities of minimally invasive surgery, either as conventional laparoscopy, or as robotic surgery, have increased to an extent that it enables complex operations in the field of gynaecological oncology. Objective: To document the role of minimally invasive gynaecological surgery in cancer. Materials and methods: A review of the literature that shaped international guidelines and clinical practice. Main outcome measures: Current guidelines of major international scientific associations and trends in accepted clinical practice. Results: In recent years, evidence on oncologic outcome has limited the role of minimally invasive techniques in cervical cancer, while the treatment of early endometrial cancer with laparoscopy and robotic surgery has become the international standard. In ovarian cancer, the role of minimally invasive surgery is still limited. Current evidence on perioperative morbidity underlines the necessity to implicate minimally invasive techniques whenever possible. Conclusion: The optimal surgical route for the treatment of gynaecological cancer remains in many cases controversial. The role of minimally invasive surgery remains increasing in the course of time. What is new?: This comprehensive review offers an entire perspective on the current role of minimally invasive surgery in gynaecological cancer therapy.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Since the development of the atherosclerotic plaque requires the growth of new microvessels in the plaque itself (vasa vasorum), we postulated that green tea may exert an anti-atherogenic effect. METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirteen male New Zealand white rabbits were studied for 17 weeks. All rabbits were fed an hypecholesterolemic diet. After 2 weeks of adaptation rabbits were randomly assigned into two groups. Animals in Group A were fed the hypercholesterolemic diet and received plain tap water ad libitum. Animals in Group B were fed with the same diet and furthermore received 2.5% (g/g) green tea for 17 weeks. CONCLUSION: According to our results the atherosclerotic lesions were more severe in Group B than in Group A specimens. Also, the number of VEGF positively stained foam cells and smooth muscle cells of Group B were significantly greater than in Group A. About 30% less plaque was found in Group A than in the control group (Group B). So, our study showed that the consumption of green tea leads to a reduction of atherosclerosis as well as a significant decrease of VEGF expression in the atherosclerotic plaque of rabbit aorta. The hypothesis that probably green tea may produce its anti-atherogenetic effect through an anti-angiogenetic mechanism needs more investigation.
Subject(s)
Angiogenesis Inhibitors/pharmacology , Aorta, Abdominal/drug effects , Aorta, Thoracic/drug effects , Camellia sinensis , Cholesterol, Dietary/toxicity , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Angiogenesis Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Animals , Aorta, Abdominal/metabolism , Aorta, Abdominal/pathology , Aorta, Thoracic/metabolism , Aorta, Thoracic/pathology , Atherosclerosis/etiology , Atherosclerosis/metabolism , Atherosclerosis/pathology , Atherosclerosis/prevention & control , Hypercholesterolemia/etiology , Hypercholesterolemia/metabolism , Hypercholesterolemia/pathology , Hypercholesterolemia/prevention & control , Male , Plant Extracts/therapeutic use , Plant Leaves , Rabbits , Severity of Illness Index , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/metabolismABSTRACT
Tenascin-C (Tn-C) is a matricellular protein involved in the initial and intermediate stages of cell adhesion. The present study is the first undertaken to comparatively investigate Tn-C in neoplastic, non-neoplastic thyroid lesions and normal thyroid tissues. Forty-eight thyroid specimens were studied immunohistochemically using a monoclonal antibody against Tn-C. Immunohistochemistry was supplemented by RT-PCR analysis of the two Tn-C mRNA splice variants in 13 thyroid cancer cell lines. Normal and non-neoplastic tissues were devoid of Tn-C, as well as follicular neoplasms, Huerthle-cell and anaplastic carcinomas. Most papillary carcinomas showed a focally intensive extracellular staining, localized in the connective tissue stroma, whereas most medullary carcinomas showed a staining in the connective tissue but also in intracellular location mainly. RT-PCR analysis detected Tn-C mRNA in all thyroid cancer cell lines with prevalence of the large splice variant in all but the medullary line, characterized by a higher Tn-Csmall:Tn-Clarge ratio. In conclusion, Tn-C re-expression has been observed in papillary and medullary thyroid carcinomas with different staining patterns accompanied by the prevalence of different mRNA splice variants in cell cultures. It seems possible that Tn-C is rather synthesized by tumor cells than by activated stromal cells.
