Although the ovary has a large store of germ cells, most of them do not reach mature stages. If a culture system could be developed from early growing follicles to mature oocytes, it would be useful for biological research as well as for reproductive medicine. This study was conducted to establish a multistep culture system from isolated early growing follicles to mature oocytes using a mouse model. Early growing follicles with diameters of 60-95 mm corresponding to primary and early secondary follicles were isolated from 6-day-old mice and classified into three groups by diameter. These follicles contained oocytes with diameters of w45 mm and one or a few layered granulosa cells on the basal lamina. Embedding in collagen gel was followed by first-step culture. After 9-day culture, the growing follicles were transferred onto collagen-coated membrane in the second step. At day 17 of the culture series, the oocyte-granulosa cell complexes were subjected to in vitro maturation. Around 90% of the oocytes in follicles surviving at day 17 resumed second meiosis (metaphase II oocytes: 49.0-58.7%), regardless of the size when the follicle culture started. To assess developmental competence to live birth, the eggs were used for IVF and implantation in pseudopregnant mice. We successfully obtained two live offspring that produced next generations after puberty. We thus conclude that the culture system reported here was able to induce the growth of small follicles and the resultant mature oocytes were able to develop into normal mice.

Chemotherapy after 1st Ref can be offered and hospice enrollment during the terminal stages is encouraged for recurrent ovarian cancer patients.

Ovarian and endometrial cancers diagnosed at advanced stages are often associated with malignant ascites. This study aimed to determine the safety, feasibility and efficacy of intraperitoneal (IP) docetaxel (TXT) for the treatment of ascites. A phase I study, including nine patients, was undertaken to determine the maximum tolerable dose. Efficacy was retrospectively assessed in 18 patients treated with 40-70 mg/m(2) IP TXT between 2005 and 2012. In a phase I study, the dose was safely escalated to a maximum of 70 mg/m(2), at which level no patients had grade -3 haematological adverse events. In a retrospective study of 18 patients, seven had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 3; 16 had prior paclitaxel administration and two, with doses of 40 and 70 mg/m(2), experienced a serological response and a decrease in paracentesis. Thus, palliative treatment of recurrent OC should be further studied with 40 mg/m(2) among more patients, and 70 mg/m(2) could be evaluated for first-line IP chemotherapy.

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