ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists publishes practice bulletins and committee opinions to serve as clinical guidelines for physicians. The objective of this study was to quantify the frequency that randomized controlled trials become incorporated into the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists documents (either practice bulletins or committee opinions). METHODS: Original research articles published in The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Journal of the American Medical Association, The New England Journal of Medicine, and Obstetrics and Gynecology between 2009 and 2014 were examined and randomized controlled trials (RCT) in obstetrics and gynecology were identified. Adjusted odds ratio (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to examine the factors associated with a citable RCT being referenced versus not in ACOG documents. RESULTS: Of the 306 randomized controlled trials identified 248 (81.0%) met the inclusion criteria, with 128 (51.6%) of eligible RCT being cited The factors which increased the likelihood of a RCT being referenced, versus not being, were: if device or surgery was the intervention (aOR 3.60; 95% CI 1.85-7.00) and if the sample size of the trial was 500-999 (aOR 3.70 (1.39-9.82). The following factors were not associated with whether the RCT was or was not referenced in the ACOG documents: topic was obstetric or gynecologic, the trial was conducted in the US or abroad, multi- or single center, year of publication and the journal. CONCLUSION: Since about half of the citable randomized controlled trials published in obstetrics and gynecology are incorporated into ACOG practice bulletins and committee opinions a greater transparency is warranted as to why RCTs are or are not referenced.
ABSTRACT
Ovarian cancer, one of the deadliest malignancies in female cancer patients, is characterized by recurrence and poor response to cytotoxic chemotherapies. Fewer than 30% of patients with resistant disease will respond to additional chemotherapy treatments. This study aims to determine whether and how inhibition of the receptor tyrosine kinase AXL can restore sensitivity to first-line platinum and taxane therapy in ovarian cancer. AXL staining was quantified in a patient tissue microarray and correlated with chemoresponse of patients. We used small hairpin RNAs to knock down AXL expression and the small-molecule inhibitor BGB324 to inhibit AXL and assessed sensitivity of cell lines and primary patient-derived cells to chemotherapy. We quantified platinum accumulation by inductivity-coupled plasma phase mass spectrometry. Finally, we treated chemoresistant patient-derived xenografts with chemotherapy, BGB324, or chemotherapy plus BGB324 and monitored tumor burden. AXL expression was higher in chemoresistant patient tumors and cell lines than in chemosensitive tumors and cell lines. AXL staining significantly predicted chemoresponse. Knockdown and inhibition of AXL dose-dependently improved response to paclitaxel and carboplatin in both cell lines and primary cells. AXL inhibition increased platinum accumulation by 2-fold (*, P < 0.05). In vivo studies indicated that AXL inhibition enhanced the ability of chemotherapy to prevent tumor growth (****, P < 0.0001). AXL contributes to platinum and taxane resistance in ovarian cancer, and inhibition of AXL improves chemoresponse and accumulation of chemotherapy drugs. This study supports continued investigation into AXL as a clinical target.
