IGF-1, IGF-2, and IGFBP-1,2,3 were assayed in blood serum of patients with malignant ovarian tumors (n=44), borderline ovarian tumors (n=11), and benign ovarian tumors (n=12) as well as in healthy women (n=33). In blood serum of patients with malignant ovarian tumors, the level of IGF-1 was lower and IGFBP-1 was higher than in other groups. In patients with malignant and borderline ovarian tumors, the level of IGFBP-2 was higher than in healthy women and in patients with benign ovarian tumors. There was no correlation between most examined parameters and the clinical and morphological peculiarities of ovarian tumors. The study revealed IGF/IGFBP imbalance in patients with malignant ovarian tumor and showed that IGFBP-2 proved to be a potential diagnostic serological marker w with 90% sensitivity and 90% specificity.

Background: The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling system plays a major role in development and progression of various malignancies including ovarian cancer, and its components are considered as potential diagnostic and prognostic markers and the objects of molecular targeted therapy.Aim: Comparative evaluation of IGF-I and IGF-II, and IGF-binding proteins (IGFBP)-1, 2 and 3 content in blood serum and tumors of ovarian tumor patients, analysis of their associations with key clinical pathologic characteristics of ovarian cancer and evaluation of clinical value of these markers for disease diagnostics and prognosis.Materials and methods: IGF-I, II, IGFBP-1, 2 and 3 levels were measured with standard ELISA kits (Mediagnost, Germany) in blood serum and tumor extracts of 74 patients with ovarian cancer, 16 patients with benign and 14 with borderline ovarian tumors. The control group comprised 77 healthy women. Results: Three potential serological markers of ovarian cancer, namely IGF-I, IGFBP-1, and IGFBP-2 were revealed. The best sensitivity to specificity ratio was demonstrated for IGFBP-2: at a 370 ng/ml cut-off level, these indices were 87 and 79%, respectively. The diagnostic markers found in our study were also associated with the prognosis of overall survival in ovarian cancer. In the multivariate analysis, low IGF-I serum levels retained its independent unfavorable prognostic value. The disease prognosis is influenced also by IGF-II and IGFBP-1 content in the tumor tissue.Conclusion: In ovarian cancer patients, there is a disbalance of IGFs/IGFBPs. Some components of this system could be potentially used as diagnostic and prognostic markers of the disease.

IGF-I, II, IGFBP-1, 2 and 3 levels were measured with standard ELISA kits (Mediagnost) in blood serum of 44 ovarian cancer, 12 benign and 11 borderline ovarian tumorpatients. Control group comprised 33 practically healthy women. Serum IGF-1 content in ovarian cancer patients was significantly lower, and IGFBP-1 content higher than in all other groups. IGFBP-2 level was increased both in ovarian cancer and borderline tumor groups as compared to control and benign ovarian tumor patients. No significant associations were found between the majority ofparameters studied and main clinico-pathologic characteristics of ovarian cancer. Thus, disturbances in IGFs/IGBPs balance were revealed in blood serum of ovarian cancer patients, and IGFBP-2 proved to be a potential diagnostic serological marker with 90% specificity and 90% sensitivity.

The report deals with retrospective research in possible induction of relapse by breast reconstruction carried out simultaneously with surgery for breast cancer. The end results were compared between cases of modification of radical mastectomy combined with reconstruction (n=124) and controls who underwent surgery for cancer alone (n=379). Standard radio- and systemic therapy was used. Median follow-up was 64 months. Local and general recurrence as well as relapse-free and overall survival rates were identical. Multivariate analysis failed to establish any correlation between primary breast reconstruction and relapse. Nor did it increase the risk of the development of the latter.

The investigation was concerned with use of 99mTc-methoxyisobutyl isonitrile (99m Tc-MIBI)-assisted prognosis for chemotherapy of locally-advanced breast cancer based on the assessment of 99m Tc retrieval from primary tumor in 26 patients. 99mTc was administered in the course of two-phase scintigraphy of the breast prior to chemotherapy. The dynamics of accumulation and withdrawal from tumor was identified. In view of the absence of any correlation between accumulation and chemotherapy efficacy, one was established between high rates of label withdrawal, on the one hand, and lack of pathomorphosis, on the other, while medium and low rates were associated with marked pathomorphosis in 44 and 50%, respectively (p < 0.05).

Epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) were identified in the membrane fraction of tumor in 21 out of 58 (36%) endometrial cancer patients. EGFR ligands--EGF-like peptides--were found in tumor cytosols in 36% of patients. However, EGFR and EGF-like peptides were observed in 7% of tumors only; there were no receptors or ligands in 39% of patients. Both EGFR and steroid receptors were expressed in 20 tumor patients. The frequency of EGFR expression in endometrial carcinomas was practically identical to that of normal endometrium at the proliferative stage of menstrual cycle and half that of hyperplastic endometrium. Postmenopausal patients tended to show a decrease in hormonal sensitivity of carcinoma and EGFR expression frequency rate and a lower degree of endometrial carcinoma cell differentiation. Also, a significant rise in the EGFR expression frequency and mean concentration was found in conjunction with a deeper invasion of tumor into the myometrium.

High-dose chemotherapy using transplantation of hemopoietic precursor cells offers much advantage for treatment of prognostically unfavorable cancers of the breast. Both experimental and clinical evidence points to a potential of raising antitumor effect by increased dosage of chemical drugs. Clinical studies using high-dose chemotherapy for treating patients with stage II-III tumors or with greater than or equal to 10 positive axillary lymph nodes, and locally-advanced and disseminated tumor established a relative rise in overall and recurrence-free survival, as compared with standard treatment. Hazardous cytopenia and related complications can be significantly reduced when hemopoietic precursor cells are transplanted from peripheral blood.

Different procedures of breast reconstruction were employed in the treatment of 223 breast cancer patients (primary reconstruction-97; delayed reconstruction-136). No major complications were recorded, including total necrosis of transverse abdominal island flap. The advantage offered by the latter is due to its resistance to chemoradiotherapy: complications such as boundary necrosis do not destroy cosmetic effect as in the case of expander application.