Unruptured second-trimester ovarian pregnancy.

Ovarian ectopic pregnancies are rare, with the majority diagnosed in the first trimester and often treated due to symptoms related to ovarian rupture. We report our experience with the diagnosis, management, and histologic evaluation of an unruptured second-trimester ovarian ectopic pregnancy. A 37-year-old woman presented with vague abdominal discomfort and irregular menses. Ultrasound detected a 16-week 4-day gestation with cardiac motion in the right adnexa and no evidence of an intrauterine pregnancy. Laparotomy with right salpingo-oophorectomy was performed, with removal of an unruptured pregnancy from the ovary. Although intraoperative examination and postoperative histopathologic evaluation demonstrated the classic Speigelberg criteria, it did not assist in the preoperative diagnosis, nor impact the treatment of the ovarian ectopic pregnancy in this case.

Prognostic significance of peritumoral lymphatic vessel density and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 in invasive squamous cell cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is known to metastasize primarily by the lymphatic system. Dissemination through lymphatic vessels represents an early step in regional tumor progression, and the presence of lymphatic metastasis is associated with a poor prognosis. In patients who have undergone a radical hysterectomy, lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI), assessed on hematoxylin and eosin-stained slides, is a major factor for adjuvant therapy in patients with cervical cancer. With the advent of a lymphatic endothelial cell-specific marker, such as D2-40, it is now possible to distinguish between blood and lymphatic space invasion (LSI). In this study, the utility of D2-40 was assessed for the detection of lymphatic vessel density (LVD) and identification of LSI. The expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 (VEGFR-3), VEGF-C, tyrosine receptor kinase-2, and angiopoietin-1 were assessed by immunohistochemical methods on 50 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. Clinicopathologic characteristics, including pelvic lymph node metastasis, were correlated with the above histochemical findings. We found that lymphangiogenesis, measured by an increase in peritumoral LVD, was significantly associated with positive lymph node status (P < .005). VEGFR-3 expression was significantly associated with LVD (P < .05). D2-40 staining verified LSI (P = .03) and surpassed that of hematoxylin and eosin-identified LVSI (P = .54). In conclusion, lymphangiogenic markers, specifically LVD quantified by D2-40 and VEGFR-3, are independently associated with LSI and lymph node metastasis in patients with early squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix treated with radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy.

A fluorine containing bipyridine cisplatin analog is more effective than cisplatin at inducing apoptosis in cancer cell lines.

Novel cisplatin analogs dichloro[4,4'-bis(4,4,4-trifluorobutyl)-2,2'-bipyridine]platinum (1) and fac-tricarbonylchloro[4,4'-bis(4,4,4-trifluorobutyl)-2,2'-bipyridine]rhenium (3) were synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxicity. While 3 was not cytotoxic, 1 was 14 to 125 times more lethal than cisplatin in breast, prostate, and lung cancer cell lines. Compound 1 was able to induce apoptosis and the presence of the platinum atom was essential to its function as a cytotoxin.