Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C1140680 (ovarian cancer)
 28,141 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A sizeable literature corroborates the multiple health benefits of oral contraceptive use. The first estrogen/progestin combination pills were marketed to treat a variety of menstrual disorders. Although currently used oral contraceptives no longer carry FDA-approved labeling for these indications, they remain important therapeutic options for a variety of gynecologic conditions. Well-established gynecologic benefits include a reduction in dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia, iron-deficiency anemia, ectopic pregnancy, and PID. Although older, higher-dose pills reduced the incidence of ovarian cysts, low-dose pills suppress follicular activity less consistently. Nevertheless, cycle-related symptoms, including functional cysts, dysmenorrhea, chronic pelvic pain, and ovulation pain (mittelschmerz), generally improve. Women with polycystic ovary syndrome note improvement in bleeding patterns and a reduction in acne and hirsutism. Symptoms from endometriosis also improve with oral contraceptive therapy. Current data suggest that oral contraceptive therapy increases bone density and that past use decreases fracture risk. Oral contraceptives also improve acne, a major health concern of young women. Oral contraceptives provide lasting reduction in the risk of two serious gynecologic malignancies--ovarian and endometrial cancer. The data with respect to ovarian cancer are compelling enough to recommend the use of oral contraceptives to women at high risk by virtue of family history, positive carrier status of the BRCA mutations, or nulliparity, even if contraception is not required. Health care providers must counsel women regarding these benefits to counteract deeply held public attitudes and misconceptions regarding oral contraceptive use. Messages should focus on topics of interest to particular groups of women. The fact that oral contraceptives increase bone mineral density and reduce ovarian cancer is of great interest to women in their forties and helps influence use and compliance in this group. In contrast, the beneficial effects of oral contraceptives on acne resonates with younger women. Getting the good news out about the benefits of oral contraceptives will enable more women to take advantage of their positive health effects.
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PMID:Health benefits of oral contraceptives. 1109 85

Progestins in oral contraceptives (OCs) produce potential complications, as well as noncontraceptive benefits, according to Robert A. Hatcher, MD, MPH, professor of gynecology and obstetrics, Emory University Medical School. Hatcher told CTU that lowering the progestin content in an OC may decrease complications, but could also decrease the benefits experienced by women. "The extent to which that will happen remains to be seen," he said. Hatcher cited the following potential complications of progestins in OC: hypertension; decreased levels of high density lipoproteins; acne; oily skin; headaches between pill cycles; dilated leg veins; pelvic congestion syndrome; thrombosis of superficial leg veins; gallstones; Monilia vaginitis; cholestatic jaundice; and depression, fatigue, and decreased libido. Progestins, according to Hatcher, also produce these noncontraceptive benefits: protection against PID; decreased dysmenorrhea; decreased menstrual blood loss, decreased iron deficiency anemia; protection against endometrial cancer; protection against fibrocystic breast disease, and fibroadenomas of the breast; decreased bleeding from fibroids; decreased growth of fibroids. When ovulation is suppressed, Hatcher emphasized, additional benefits that may occur include the following: decreased risk of functional ovarian cysts; elimination of mittleschmerz pain; decreased rick of ovarian cancer; protection against endometriosis.
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PMID:Potential risks, benefits of progestins in birth control pills outlined. 1231 83

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most common cause of gynecological cancer-related deaths. Aberrant expression of human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) and Annexin A8 (ANXA8) plays crucial roles in some malignancies; however, their functions in EOC remain unclear. In this study, we utilized immunohistochemistry, real-time PCR, western blotting, immunofluorescence labeling, and gene interaction and enrichment pathway analyses to explore the roles of HE4 and ANXA8 in EOC. They were highly expressed in EOC tissues, which significantly correlated with higher tumor burden, advanced FIGO stages, poor differentiation, presence of > 1 cm residual tumor, and tumor recurrence. The expression patterns of HE4 and ANXA8 were similar, and Spearman's correlation analysis showed that they were positively correlated (r=0.671, P < 0.001). Large sample database analyses also showed significant positive correlation between their mRNA expression (R=0.304, 0.321, and 0.304 in TCGA, CCLE and GTEx, respectively, all P < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that advanced FIGO stages, lymph node metastasis, residual tumor size > 1 cm, and high HE4 and ANXA8 expression were significantly associated with poor overall survival (all P < 0.05). Moreover, multivariate Cox analysis showed that advanced FIGO stages and HE4 expression were independent factors for poor survival (P < 0.001, 0.012, respectively). Interaction network analysis of genes associated with ANXA8, expressed in response to HE4, revealed that these genes participated in TP53 expression, autophagy regulation, and the PID FOXO pathway. In conclusion, the potential synergy between HE4 and ANXA8 may exacerbate the disease condition. Thus, targeting HE4 and ANXA8 could be a novel therapeutic strategy for ovarian cancer.
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PMID:High expression and potential synergy of human epididymis protein 4 and Annexin A8 promote progression and predict poor prognosis in epithelial ovarian cancer. 3277 55