Because absolute HR levels are strongly related to response to hormone therapy in primary and advanced breast cancer, reduced ER/PR expression may be one mechanism to explain the relative resistance of HER-2/neu-positive:HR-positive tumors to hormone therapy.
Self-assessment for HPV DNA is an easy, feasible and well-accepted method for HPV testing and for cervical cancer screening in internal medicine outpatient clinics.
Recurrent ovarian cancer is still a significant problem despite intensive primary therapy, consisting of radical surgery and subsequent chemotherapy. The primary reason for consequent follow up investigations and immediate start of second-line therapy in cases of recurrence is based on the fact, that patients with relapse more than 12 months after primary therapy have a mean survival of 105 weeks after diagnosis. The value of surgical treatment is controversially discussed in the literature. Several authors argue, that there is no definitive prolongation of survival. Between January 1984 and July 1990, 285 patients presented themselves at our hospital with recurrence or progression of ovarian cancer. 72 of these patients had surgical treatment and those patients are part of the investigation. The mean survival of the patients (n = 18), which were operated with no remaining tumour, was 166 weeks. The average survival time of the 22 women with up to 2 cm remaining tumour was 108 weeks. The average survival time of the 32 patients with more than 2 cm after surgery was 72 weeks. One important criterion for the achievable tumour-free situation after surgery was the distinction between primary progression and relapse, where relapse was defined as recurrence more than 12 months after primary treatment. 29% of the patients with relapse could be operated tumour-free, a situation which could be achieved only in one of 13 patients (8%) with primary progression of the disease. Surgery in recurrent ovarian cancer is only indicated in patients with relapse more than 12 months after primary surgery. Tumour-free patients have significant benefit from the surgical procedure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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