Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0021843 (bowel obstruction)
 9,927 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A palliative combination chemotherapy regimen (FaFEC) was developed for patients with relapsed epithelial ovarian cancer in particular patients relapsing after, or ineligible to enter, phase II trials, usually due to lack of evaluable disease. Forty-six patients were enrolled. Patients had received a mean of 2.3 previous drug regimens and nine (19%) had intestinal obstruction at the start of FaFEC. The majority of patients were inevaluable by WHO criteria so objective response data was obtained from serial serum CA125 evaluations. A serological response was demonstrated in 8/44 (18%). The responders included 6/27 women who had a prior relapse-free interval of less than 3 months, four who were resistant to platinum chemotherapy and three patients who had previously received paclitaxel. The major (WHO grade 3/4) toxicities included leucopenia (six patients), anemia (three patients), thrombocytopenia (two patients), nausea and vomiting (four patients) and severe infections (five patients). Following FaFEC the median time to failure was 0.48 years and the median survival was 0.66 years. FaFEC was effective in this group of very poor prognosis patients. The serological response rate of 18% is noteworthy considering the multiple prior treatments that patients had received and the short treatment free intervals. FaFEC may be useful second line therapy in epithelial ovarian cancer patients ineligible for phase II studies and should be considered for a randomized comparison with paclitaxel.
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PMID:FaFEC: a novel regimen for advanced ovarian cancer. 1279 99

Surgery for ovarian cancer carries a risk of bowel resection to either achieve optimal debulking or relieve obstruction. This prospective study assessed the likelihood of bowel resection in 842 women undergoing surgery for ovarian cancer and identified factors associated with increased risk. Bowel resection was performed in 8.6% of women. The likelihood of bowel resection increased significantly (p < 0.0001, chi2 test) with: Secondary surgery (22% vs 5.8% at primary surgery). Symptoms of bowel disturbance (21.9% vs 6.3% if no symptoms). FIGO stage III/IV disease (12.8% vs 2% in stage I/II). CA125 levels >or=2500 (12.9% vs 4.8% if CA125<2500). These women should be selectively offered pre-operative computerised tomography, stoma marking and counselling by stoma nurses. The 5-year survival was 14% in patients following bowel resection compared with 44% in patients not having bowel resection. Bowel resection should be performed only if it will result in optimal debulking or it relieves imminent bowel obstruction.
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PMID:Can we identify the patients who are likely to undergo bowel resection at the time of surgery for ovarian cancer? 1675 91

CASE 1: A 64-year-old, otherwise healthy woman was referred to the surgery clinic for a presumed umbilical hernia. On physical examination, a cutaneous nodule was noted on the umbilical region and the patient was referred to the dermatology clinic. The patient was reexamined and an erythematous nodule was observed in the umbilicus measuring 2.5 cm in diameter. The patient denied pain, change in bowel habits, or weight loss. There were no other abdominal masses, no sign of ascites, and no regional lymphadenopathy. A skin biopsy from the nodule showed mucinous adenocarcinoma. Immunohistochemical staining was positive for carcinoembryonic antigen, and negative for cytokeratin (CK)7 and CK20. These results were consistent with a Sister Mary Joseph's nodule and led to the diagnosis of an occult colon carcinoma. The patient had no risk factors for colorectal carcinoma. The patient underwent surgery in another hospital, and died 3 months after the initial diagnosis of Sister Mary Joseph's nodule. CASE 2: A 73-year-old woman was referred to the dermatology clinic for evaluation of a painful, ulcerated, 3-cm lesion in the umbilicus (Figure 1). She was otherwise asymptomatic. A skin biopsy showed neoplastic glandular cells infiltrating among collagen bundles (Figure 2). Stainings for mucin and for CK7 were positive, while staining for CK20 was negative. An abdominopelvic CT scan demonstrated a 3.5-cm space-occupying lesion in the liver. Results of gastroscopy, colonoscopy, chest computed tomographic (CT) scan, and mammography were normal. Serum levels of the tumor-associated protein CA125 were elevated to 164 units, while those of CA 19-9 and carcinoembryonic antigen were within normal range. A gynecologic examination and a transvaginal ultrasound were normal. The patient had no personal or family history of any malignancy or any risk factors for developing a carcinoma. The patient was scheduled for a palliative resection of the umbilical nodule, combined with a laparoscopic inspection in search of the undetected primary tumor. She refused surgery and was lost to follow-up. She died 4 months after the initial diagnosis of umbilical metastasis. CASE 3: A 51-year-old man was aware of a silent mass in his umbilicus for 2 years without seeking medical advice. Following 2 weeks of increasing pain in this area, he was referred to the emergency room for a suspected incarcerated umbilical hernia. Surgery revealed a mass attached to the fascia and peritoneal fat. The mass was removed and diagnosed as a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, staining positively for carcinoembryonic antigen, and negatively for CK20, CK7, prostate-specific antigen, and prostatic acid phosphatase. Both gastroscopy and colonoscopy failed to detect the primary tumor. An abdominopelvic CT scan was normal, but a CT scan of the chest disclosed a nodule measuring 2.5 x 1.5 cm in the lower lobe of the right lung. On bronchoscopy, it was found to be an invasive adenocarcinoma, consistent with a primary tumor of the lung. The patient was a heavy smoker (45 pack-years). The patient received 4 cycles of combined chemotherapy with carboplatine and gemcitabine, with no improvement. A month later, the patient complained of abdominal pain. Following demonstration of intra-abdominal spread of disease by CT scan, a second line chemotherapy was instituted with paclitaxel. A month later the patient's condition deteriorated and he complained of cough, sweating, and pain along the right leg. A bone scan revealed bone metastases in the right femur and left tibia. Two weeks later he was admitted to the hospital with intestinal obstruction and underwent laparotomy. He had massive intra-abdominal spread of cancer and ascites. Only a palliative colostomy was performed. The patient died 3 weeks later, 9 months after the diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the lung. The clinical data on the three patients are summarized in Table I.
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PMID:Sister Mary Joseph's nodule as a presenting sign of internal malignancy. 1695 43