Trophoblastic tumor of the placental bed is a highly malignant form of trophoblastic disease that occurs extremely rarely: 0.4-2% of all the trophoblastic tumors. In the world literature, there are reports on about 200 cases of this disease. The tumor occurs at a repro- ductive age (median age 30 years), occasionally even long after pregnancy, which makes the problem of diagnosis and treatment of the pathology particularly pressing. In 30% of cases, there are metastases more frequently to the lung and vagina. The diagnostic features of a placental bed tumor include the low serum levels of chorionic gonadotropin β-subunits and the higher level of human placental lactogen. Due to low tumor susceptibility to chemotherapy, the patients should undergo surgical intervention as uterine extirpation at the first treatment stage, which is followed by chemotherapy.

The investigation included 39 female patients with different forms of trophoblastic disease whose immunity was studied by the cur- rently available procedures. The patients were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 comprised 29 patients with a history of hydatidiform mole, who received no chemotherapy (CT) since an analysis of the data did not show the presence of a trophoblastic tumor. Group 2 consisted of 10 patients with a verified trophoblastic tumor who received CT with various drugs. The patients with trophoblastic disease were found to have some abnormal immunological parameters; however, they differ little in patients with the malignant and benign course of the disease and cannot serve as a prognostic factor. Activated lymphocytes were substantially increased in both groups, suggesting an active immune response to antigen-foreign cells expressing along with parenteral antigens. The patients with hydatidiform mole have the sign to be further studied, that is a reduction in the count of СD25-positive Т lymphocytes, pos- sibly, suppressor cells.

The N.N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, has developed and used new polychemotherapy regimens including platinum preparations for the treatment of patients with trophoblastic tumors. A cysplatin + ethoposide or carboplatin + ethoposide (CyE/CaE) combination was used as second-line chemotherapy in methotrexate-resistant locally advanced form (Stages I-II) of the disease. A cysplatin or carboplatin + methotrexate + dactinomycin + vincristine) (CyMDV/CaMDV) regimen was used as first-line therapy in patients with disseminated (Stage III-IV) disease and as second-line therapy in patients with its resistant form (Stages III-IV). The CyE/CaE regimen could cure 21 patients with Stages I-II without surgical intervention. When the CyMDV/CaMDV regimen was used as first-line therapy in 24 patients with Stages III-IV disease, of them 21 (87.5%) patients achieved a complete therapeutic effect, they all have been survivors to the present time. The CyMDV/CaMDV regimen used as second-line chemotherapy in patients with the resistant form turned out to be effective in 5 (83.3%) of 6 cases. The follow-up lasted > 3 years.The benefit of the developed regimens including platinum preparations is that they are effective, less toxic, require long hospitalization and are technically simpler, which allows them to be used in the outpatient setting of the wide oncological network.

Epithelioid trophoblastic tumor (ETT) is a rare form of trophoblastic disease, which is characterized by high malignancy and a number of diagnostic features: a long interval between the last pregnancy and labor and the onset of the disease; a visual pattern at gynecological examination, relatively low β-chorionic gonadotropin (CG) levels, as well as the diffuse expression of cytokeratins-7 (+++) and -18 (+++), р63 (nuclear ++), E-cadherin (+++), EGFR (+), and CD-117(++) by tumor cells, as determined by immunohistochemical assay, and focal expression of CG (++) and PLAP (+) by these cells.

The results of ultrasound study and surgical treatment in 248 patients aged 20 to 78 years who had ovarian epithelial malignancies were the subject of this investigation that has provided evidence that ultrasonic tomography is currently the leading imaging technique that allows specification of the ovarian cancer spread pattern and, depending on this, elaboration of adequate treatment policy.

immunohistochemistry in 64 to 95% of glioblastomas (GBMs). Tumour cells are the main source of VEGF in GBMs while VEGF receptors (VEGFR1, VEGFR2 and neuropilin) are predominantly expressed on endothelial cells. Infiltrating tumour cells and newly formed capillaries progress through the extracellular matrix by local proteolysis involving members of the matrix metalloproteinases family (MMPs). Among them Membrane-type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP), MMP-9 and MMP-2 are thought to be directly involved. Recent studies have shown that VEGF expression and bioavailability can be modulated by MMPs. We previously provided evidence that the expression of MT1-MMP was associated with an enhanced VEGF expression (Sounni et al., FASEB J., 16, 555—564, 2002). Here, we used quantitative RT-PCR to study the expression of VEGF, VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, Neuropilin 1, MT1-MMP, MMP2, MMP9 and TIMP2 in 20 glioblastomas and 2 normal brains. MMP-9 and MMP-2 activities were assessed by gelatinzymogramms. Additional immunohistochemistry was performed for VEGF and MT1-MMP. Our results showed that there is a strong correlation between the mRNA expression level of VEGF, VEGFR-2, Neuropilin-1, MT1-MMP, MMP2, MMP9 and TIMP-2 but not with VEGFR-1. Double immunostaining revealed that VEGF and MT1-MMP colocalized in tumor and endothelial cells. By zymography activated forms of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were found in GBMs overexpressing MT1-MMP (61% and 39% respectively, p1⁄4 0,001 and p1⁄4 0,0023). These results further support the existence of a link between VEGF and MMPs in the progression of human glioblastomas.

Lipid-bound sialic acid (LSA) content and ganglioside composition in resected tumours and body fluids of patients with benign ovarian tumours, borderline ovarian tumours, ovarian cancer and also in unaltered ovaries of patients with uterine cancer were examined. LSA levels in tissues and relation of the main gangliosides GD3/GM3 progressively decreased from unaltered ovaries to ovarian cancer. Distribution of gangliosides GD3 and GM3 in the borderline tumours was not uniform. Absolute content of GD3 increased more than twice in profuse growth from the inner surface and decreased almost three times in the cyst capsule as compared to the intact tumour. Ganglioside GD3 content decreased in malignant ovarian tumours but increased in ascitic fluid of cancer patients as compared to GM3. These results suggest that ganglioside GD3 is shed more intensively in the borderline ovarian tumours.