Purpose: To evaluate serum C-reactive protein (CRP) as prognostic variable in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Experimental Design: In a multicenter study, preoperative serum CRP was evaluated in 623 patients with EOC. Results were correlated with clinical data. Results: Mean (SD) preoperative serum CRP was 3.6 (4.8) mg/dL. Serum CRP was significantly associated with International Federation of Gynecologists and Obstetricians stage (P < 0.001) and postoperative residual tumor mass (P < 0.001) but not with histologic grade (P = 0.1) and type (P = 0.7), patients'age (Pearson's correlation coefficient = 0.05; P = 0.2), and serum CA125 (Pearson's correlation coefficient = 0.02; P = 0.6). Patients with platinum-resistant EOC had significantly higher CRP serum levels compared with patients with platinum-sensitive EOC [6.0 (6.6) mg/dL versus 2.8 (3.8) mg/dL; P < 0.001]. Higher International Federation of Gynecologists and Obstetricians stage (P < 0.001), presence of postoperative residual tumor mass (P < 0.001), tumor grade (P = 0.001), serum CA 125 (P = 0.03), and serum CRP (P = 0.001) were independently associated with overall survival. Patients with serum CRP V1 mg/dL versus >1mg/dL had an overall 5-year survival of 82% versus 58.5% (P < 0.001).Conclusion: Serum CRP can be seen as a novel, widely available independent prognostic variable of ovarian cancer.

After completing this course, the reader will be able to:1. Describe the role of fibrinogen in coagulation and the inflammatory response and explain its importance in tumor proliferation, migration, and escape from immune regulation.2. Evaluate fibrinogen as a prognostic blood marker for survival and disease-free survival in patients with ovarian cancer.3. Incorporate fibrinogen testing as a relatively inexpensive, reliable, and available technique in the prognostic evaluation of ovarian cancer patients.This article is available for continuing medical education credit at CME.TheOncologist.com. CME CME ABSTRACTIntroduction. To evaluate pretherapeutic plasma fibrinogen levels as a prognostic parameter in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Materials and Methods. In the present multicenter study, pretherapeutic plasma fibrinogen levels were

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We suggest that there is no significant difference in sexual function 12-18 months after childbirth between women who delivered vaginally without episiotomy, heavy perineal laceration, or secondary operative interventions and women who underwent elective cesarean section.

BACKGROUND: To analyse the correlation between pre-treatment plasma fibrinogen levels and clinical -pathological parameters in patients with endometrial cancer and to assess the value of plasma fibrinogen as a prognostic parameter. METHODS: Within a retrospective multi-centre study, the records of 436 patients with endometrial cancer were reviewed and pre-treatment plasma fibrinogen levels were correlated with clinical -pathological parameters and patients' survival. RESULTS: The mean (s.d.) pre-treatment plasma fibrinogen level was 388.9 (102.4) mg per 100 ml. Higher plasma fibrinogen levels were associated with advanced tumour stage (FIGO I vs II vs III and IV, P ¼ 0.002), unfavourable histological subtype (endometrioid vs non-endometrioid histology, P ¼ 0.03), and higher patients' age (p67 years vs 467 years, P ¼ 0.04), but not with higher histological grade (G1 vs G2 vs G3, P ¼ 0.2). In a multivariate analysis, tumour stage (Po0.001 and Po0.001), histological grade (P ¼ 0.009 and P ¼ 0.002), patients' age (P ¼ 0.001 and Po0.001), and pre-treatment plasma fibrinogen levels (P ¼ 0.04 and P ¼ 0.02) were associated with disease-free and overall survival, respectively. CONCLUSION: Plasma fibrinogen levels can be used as an independent prognostic parameter for the disease-free and overall survival of patients with endometrial cancer.

Background:Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GTT), a known marker for apoptotic balance, seems to promote tumour progression, invasion and drug resistance. Recently, high GGT serum levels were shown to be associated with impaired prognosis in patients with cervical cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the value of pre-therapeutic serum GGT levels as prognostic parameter in patients with endometrial cancer.Methods:Within the present multi-centre trial, clinical–pathological parameters and pre-therapeutic serum GGT levels were evaluated in 874 consecutive patients with endometrial cancer. Patients were stratified in GGT risk groups, and univariate and multivariable survival analyses were performed.Results:Mean pre-therapeutic serum GGT level was 30.8 (41.5) U l–1. Elevated and highly elevated serum GGT levels (P=0.03 and P=0.005), tumour stage (P<0.001 and P<0.001), grade (P<0.001 and P=0.02) and age (P<0.001 and P<0.001) were independently associated with progression-free survival in univariate and multivariable survival analyses. Pre-therapeutic GGT was not associated with advanced tumour stage (P=0.6), higher histological grade (P=0.6) or unfavourable histological subtype (P=0.3).Conclusion:Pre-therapeutic serum GGT is a novel and independent prognostic parameter for progression-free survival of patients with endometrial cancer. Stratifying patients into prognostic subgroups could be used for patient counselling and individualised treatment planning.

The infection rate in women without clinical symptoms of HPV infection is high, but there was no HPV found in the amniotic fluid and in cord blood in women with subclinical infection in the third trimester.

Background: To date, there is no consensus on the utility of screening procedures for the early detection of endometrial cancer. The value of transvaginal ultrasound for screening of asymptomatic endometrial cancer has been discussed controversially. This study was conducted to evaluate whether asymptomatic patients with endometrial cancer have a better prognosis than symptomatic patients with endometrial cancer diagnosed after postmenopausal bleeding.