Ras antagonist inhibits growth and chemosensitizes human epithelial ovarian cancer cells

The objective of this article was to determine whether human ovarian carcinoma cells (OVCAR-3) express significant amounts of Ras oncogene and active Ras-guanosine triphosphate (GTP) and, if so, whether the Ras inhibitor farnesyl thiosalicylic acid (FTS) inhibits their growth and chemosensitizes them to cisplatin. We assayed Ras and Ras-GTP in OVCAR-3 cells before and after FTS treatment. The effect of FTS on OVCAR-3 cell growth was assessed in terms of cell number. Because the OVCAR-3 cell line was derived from a patient who was refractory to cisplatin, we examined whether FTS enables cisplatin to induce death of these cells. Significant amounts of Ras and active Ras-GTP were expressed by OVCAR-3 cells and were reduced by 40% by FTS. FTS inhibited OVCAR-3 cell growth in a dose-dependent manner. When combined with cisplatin, FTS reduced the number of OVCAR-3 cells by 80%, demonstrating synergism between FTS and cisplatin. FTS, at a concentration range that allows downregulation of Ras and Ras-GTP in OVCAR-3 cells, also chemosensitizes these cells and inhibits their growth. These results suggest that ovarian carcinomas might respond well to Ras inhibition, both alone and when combined with cisplatin. The combined treatment would allow the use of smaller doses of chemotherapy, resulting in decreased cytotoxicity.

Ras antagonist inhibits growth and chemosensitizes human epithelial ovarian cancer cells

The objective of this article was to determine whether human ovarian carcinoma cells (OVCAR-3) express significant amounts of Ras oncogene and active Ras–guanosine triphosphate (GTP) and, if so, whether the Ras inhibitor farnesyl thiosalicylic acid (FTS) inhibits their growth and chemosensitizes them to cisplatin. We assayed Ras and Ras-GTP in OVCAR-3 cells before and after FTS treatment. The effect of FTS on OVCAR-3 cell growth was assessed in terms of cell number. Because the OVCAR-3 cell line was derived from a patient who was refractory to cisplatin, we examined whether FTS enables cisplatin to induce death of these cells. Significant amounts of Ras and active Ras-GTP were expressed by OVCAR-3 cells and were reduced by 40% by FTS. FTS inhibited OVCAR-3 cell growth in a dose-dependent manner. When combined with cisplatin, FTS reduced the number of OVCAR-3 cells by 80%, demonstrating synergism between FTS and cisplatin. FTS, at a concentration range that allows downregulation of Ras and Ras-GTP in OVCAR-3 cells, also chemosensitizes these cells and inhibits their growth. These results suggest that ovarian carcinomas might respond well to Ras inhibition, both alone and when combined with cisplatin. The combined treatment would allow the use of smaller doses of chemotherapy, resulting in decreased cytotoxicity.

[Aromatase inhibitors--new applications in gynecology]

P-450 aromatase inhibitors, designed for suppressing estradiol production, were first approved for the treatment of advanced breast cancer. Recent studies have provided evidence that aromatase inhibitors may be effective in the short term for induction of ovulation and in the long-term for treatment of endometriosis. Based on current data, the role of aromatase inhibitors in the management of various gynecological conditions may soon be widely determined.

Infertility treatment after conservative management of borderline ovarian tumors

BACKGROUND

Young patients with ovarian tumors of low malignant potential usually undergo conservative surgery because of the excellent prognosis of these tumors. Patients wishing to conceive after diagnosis occasionally require ovulation induction, but data regarding the safety of assisted reproductive technologies in this situation remains anecdotal. The current study analyzes the outcome of a group of patients who received infertility treatment after the conservative management of borderline ovarian tumors.

METHODS

The clinical and pathologic records of 104 patients with a borderline tumor of the ovary who were treated and followed over a 20-year period (1979--1999) were reviewed. Forty-three patients who underwent conservative management were the subjects of the current study.

RESULTS

Follow-up was available for 95% of the patients, giving a total of 270 women-years of follow-up. Nine of the 43 patients developed a local recurrence, 8 of which occurred in patients with serous tumors. Five of these 9 patients underwent cystectomy only at the time of recurrence, and all were without evidence of disease at a mean follow-up of 75 months (range, 25--93 months). Nineteen patients delivered a total of 25 healthy children after diagnosis of a borderline ovarian tumor; 7 of these patients were treated with in vitro fertilization (IVF) after diagnosis. Four of these patients developed a recurrence, two patients before the IVF treatment and two patients after the IVF treatment. The latter two patients were without evidence of disease at the time of last follow-up (15 months and 26 months, respectively, after the recurrence).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the current study suggest that ovulation induction may be considered after the diagnosis of a borderline ovarian tumor. Recurrences were observed in two of seven patients, all of which remained histologically borderline.

Neonatal outcome in growth-restricted versus appropriately grown preterm infants

The objective of this paper is to examine whether growth-restricted preterm infants have a different neonatal outcome than appropriately grown preterm infants. All consecutive, singleton preterm deliveries between 27-35 weeks' gestation were included over a 4-year period. Infants with congenital anomalies and infants of diabetic mothers were excluded. Infants were categorized as small-for-gestational-age (SGA) when birth weight was at or below the 10th percentile, and appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) when between the 11th and 90th percentiles. Outcome variables included: neonatal death, respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), sepsis, intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Neonatal morbidity and mortality were examined by univariate and stepwise multivariate logistic regression analyses. Factors controlled for during the analysis included: maternal age; gestational age; mode of delivery; presence of preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome, prolonged premature rupture of membranes (PROM), placental abruption, placenta previa, prenatal steroid exposure, infant gender, and low Apgar score. Seventy-six infants were included in the SGA group and 209 in the AGA group. SGA infants had a higher mortality rate (p = 0.003). They also had more culture-proven sepsis episodes (p = 0.001). No differences were found with respect to the other outcomes. The results were similar when analyzed separately for the group of infants born at or below 32 weeks' gestation. Growth-restricted preterm infants were found to have both higher mortality and infection rates compared with AGA preterm infants. Growth restriction in the preterm neonate was not found to protect against other neonatal outcomes associated with prematurity. When considering elective preterm delivery for this high-risk group of pregnancies, the increased risks in the neonatal period should be taken into account.