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Retinoblastoma is the most common intraocular malignancy in children. Since the 1990s, chemotherapy was indicated for intraocluar disease to reduce the frequency of enucleation and spare the complications associated with external beam radiation. In this study, we analyzed treatment results of retinoblastoma in our institute.
Datas from children diagnosed with retinoblastoma and treated at Seoul National University Children's Hospital between 1986 and 2008 were analyzed retrospectively. We utilized cyclophosphamide, vincristine, adriamycin, and methotrexate (CVAM) for OPD-based adjuvant chemotherapy. From 1990, primary chemotherapy was administered to patients with intraocular disease for eyeball-saving and patients received a combination of etoposide, vincristine, cisplatin (or ifosfamide) as a moderately intensive regimen, or a combination of cisplatin, doxorubicin, etoposide, and cycophosphamide (CDEC) as a highly intensive regimen.
One hundred eighteen children were analyzed. There were 68 unilateral and 50 bilateral diseases. The median age at diagnosis was 1 year and Reese-Ellsworth stage V was the most common stage at the time of diagnosis. All patients were treated by chemotherapy-based multimodality methods, and primary chemotherapy was administered to 80 patients. The 10-year overall and event-free survival rate of all patients were 93.9% and 91.6%, respectively. Two patients who died were in the CDEC regimen group, but there was no significant statistical difference in survival rates by chemotherapy regimens. Fifty-six of 114 eyeballs were saved after primary chemotherapy-based treatment, and the eyeball-saving rate was 49.1%. Six patients relapsed after enucleation and 2 patients were treated successfully after autologous PBSCT. Osteosarcoma occurred in 2 patients as a secondary malignancy, and facial asymmetry after radiotherapy was the most common long-term sequelae.
In this study, the overall and event-free survival rates of retinoblastoma were satisfactory and eye-saving was possible with primary chemotherapy. Development of new chemotherapeutic regimens and a team approach are necessary to improve the eyeball-saving rate.
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Peritumoral brain edema (PTBE) is a serious causative factor that contributes the morbidity or mortality of brain tumors. The development of PTBE is influenced by many factors, including such tight junction proteins as occludin. We evaluated the PTBE volume and survival time with respect to the occludin expression in various pathological types of brain tumors.
Fresh-frozen specimens from sixty patients who had brain tumors were obtained during surgery and the tumors were confirmed pathologically. The occludin expression was investigated by Western blot analysis. The PTBE volume was measured by using preoperative magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and the survival time in each patient was estimated retrospectively.
Occludin was detected in 41 (68.3%) of the cases with brain tumors and it was not expressed in the other 19 (31.7%) cases. Although the lowest expression was revealed in high-grade gliomas, its expression was variable according to the pathology of the brain tumors (p>0.05). The difference of PTBE volume between occludin-positive and negative brain tumors was statistically significant (2072.46±328.73 mm3 vs. 7452.42±1504.19 mm3, respectively, p=0.002). The mean survival time was longer in the occludin-positive tumor group than in the occludin-negative group (38.63±1.57 months vs. 26.16±3.83 months, respectively; p=0.016).
This study suggests that the occludin expression is highly correlated to the development of PTBE in brain tumors and it might be a prognostic indicator for patient survival.
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To determine the relationship between pretreatment serum squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) antigen and Cyfra 21-1 levels, and survival in patients with invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix.
One hundred and one cervical squamous cell carcinoma patients were included. Pre-treatment levels of serum SCC antigen and Cyfra 21-1 were measured, with a 5 year minimum follow up. Thirty two recurrent disease (RD) patients were compared to 99 non-recurrent disease (NRD) patients with respect to tumor markers, FIGO stage, lesion size, lymph node status, and parametrial involvement.
Pre-treatment serum SCC antigen and Cyfra 21-1 levels were significantly higher in the RD group (p<0.001). Combined serum SCC antigen and Cyfra 21-1 levels showed higher sensitivity for prediction of recurrence (90.6%). Pre-treatment SCC antigen and Cyfra 21-1 levels showed correlation with high FIGO stage, large lesion size, lymph node status, and parametrial involvement (p<0.001). Normal pre-treatment levels of SCC antigen and Cyfra 21-1 showed a 5-year survival rate of 93% and 90% respectively, while elevated levels showed significantly decreased survival rate of 63% and 59%, respectively (p<0.001). Odd ratio for cumulative survival rates were 6.87 for SCC antigen, and 5.07 for Cyfra 21-1 (p<0.001).
Initial pre-treatment levels of serum SCC antigen and Cyfra 21-1 are closely related to FIGO stage, lesion size, lymph node and parametrial involvement in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. Also, these markers may be of help to predicting recurrent disease and survival rates.
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