Subfertility, use of fertility treatments and BRCA mutation status and the risk of ovarian cancer.

PURPOSE: The objective of the study is to evaluate the possible association between history of subfertility, fertility treatments, BRCA mutations and the risk of ovarian cancer. METHODS: This Israeli National Case-Control study included 1269 consecutive ovarian cancer cases and 2111 individually matched healthy controls. All participants were interviewed and molecular analysis of BRCA mutations were performed to 896 cases. The main outcome measure was reported history of subfertility and exposure to fertility treatments. RESULTS: The rate of reported subfertility was 15.1% and 14.3% in ovarian cancer cases and controls, respectively. However, subfertility was more prevalent in cases with borderline ovarian cancer (but not for invasive ovarian cancer cases) than controls. Multivariate conditional logistic regression revealed that the risk of borderline ovarian cancer was elevated in both women treated for subfertility and those that were not treated for subfertility, (OR = 1.74; 95% CI 0.9-3.36 and OR = 1.79; 95% CI 0.98-3.26, respectively). In non-carriers of BRCA1/2 mutations, fertility treatments were associated with a decreased risk of invasive ovarian cancer while a significant increased risk of borderline ovarian cancer was observed (OR = 2.92, 95%CI 1.67-5.10). CONCLUSIONS: Reported subfertility and exposure to fertility treatments were associated with borderline but not with invasive ovarian tumors. This association was more prominent in women who are non-carriers of a BRCA mutation.

Adjuvant chemotherapy and whole abdominal irradiation for gastric carcinoma.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: To analyze the efficacy and toxicity of adjuvant chemotherapy followed by whole abdominal irradiation in the treatment of resectable gastric cancer with positive lymph nodes. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: Between 1996 and 1999, 10 patients with node-positive gastric cancer underwent complete gross resection and were treated by postoperative chemoradiotherapy. The chemotherapy regimen consisted of 5-fluorouracil, 1000 mg/m2/day as a 96-hr continuous infusion on day 1, and cisplatin, 100 mg/m2 on day 2, every 21 days. Six courses were planned. Radiotherapy was administered 3 weeks after completion of the chemotherapy protocol as a single-fraction dose of 600 cGy in a two-field (anterior and posterior) configuration. RESULTS: Treatment was generally well tolerated, with no treatment-related deaths. However, 9 of the 10 patients died of recurrent disease, with a median survival of 20 months (range, 7-84). CONCLUSIONS: Adjuvant chemotherapy with whole abdominal irradiation for gastric cancer is safe and tolerable but has no apparent effect on patient outcome. Studies in larger series are needed to evaluate the role of the approach in this disease.

Adjuvant radiotherapy for thymic epithelial tumor: treatment results and prognostic factors.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the use of adjuvant radiation in the treatment of invasive thymic tumors affects survival and to identify prognostic factors. METHODS: The files of 47 patients with thymic tumors treated by adjuvant radiation in our institute from 1984 to 2003 were reviewed for data on prognosis and survival. All patients underwent thoracotomy followed by either total macroscopic resection (n = 42) or biopsy (n = 5). The radiation dose ranged from 26 to 60 Gy. RESULTS: Median duration of follow-up was 10.6 years. Overall 5-year survival was 73% (60%-88%): 77% for thymoma (n = 35/45) versus 33% for thymic carcinoma (n = 2/6) (P = 0.14). Better survival was associated with lower disease stage (II vs. III/IVA, P = 0.01), resection (P = 0.0004), myasthenia gravis at presentation (P = 0.04), and higher radiation dose (45 Gy, P = 0.02); sex, smoking, tumor size, pathology, and margin status had no effect. Locoregional relapse occurred in 11 patients and distant metastasis in 4. The 5-year disease-free survival was 67% (52%-86%), with a median time to recurrence of 8.3 years. The better overall survival and disease-free survival associated with higher doses of radiation were also true for stage II patients. On multivariate analyses after adjusting for age, higher disease stage and lower radiation dose were found to adversely affect overall survival and disease-free survival. Thymic carcinoma had an impact only on disease-free survival. CONCLUSION: Postoperative radiation therapy to doses above 45 Gy may improve the disease-free and overall survival of patients with invasive thymoma, especially stage II. Thymic carcinoma has a worse prognosis.

A phase II study of oral UFT and leucovorin concurrently with pelvic irradiation as neoadjuvant chemoradiation for rectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant chemoradiation with continuous infusion (CI) of 5-fluorouracil (5FU) is widely used in rectal cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of oral tegafur-uracil (UFT) and leucovorin (LV) instead of CI 5FU. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients had resectable T3-4 or low T2 rectal adenocarcinoma. Chemoradiation consisted of pelvic irradiation (45 Gy in fractions of 1.8 Gy) and oral UFT (240 mg/m2/day) and LV (30 mg/day) given during the first 28 days of radiotherapy. RESULTS: Thirty-two patients were treated; 81% had T3-4 tumors and 25% had N+ disease. Toxicity, predominantly gastrointestinal, was generally mild. Grade 3 toxicity occurred in only one patient. Pathological down-staging was noted in 13 patients (42%) and pathological complete response in 3 (10%). Sphincter preservation was possible in 71% of patients undergoing surgery. CONCLUSION: Neoadjuvant chemoradiation with oral UFT/LV is well-tolerated and active against rectal cancer. Formal comparison with the current standard treatment is warranted.