St Bartholomew's Hospital

About: St Bartholomew's Hospital is a healthcare organization based out in London, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Cancer. The organization has 11054 authors who have published 13229 publications receiving 501102 citations. The organization is also known as: St. Bartholomew's Hospital & The Royal Hospital of St Bartholomew.

Safety and efficacy of bortezomib in high-risk and elderly patients with relapsed multiple myeloma.

Abstract: Adverse prognostic factors in multiple myeloma include advanced age, number of prior therapies, and higher International Staging System (ISS) disease stage. In the international, randomised, phase-3 Assessment of Proteasome Inhibition for Extending Remissions (APEX) study, bortezomib demonstrated significantly longer time to progression (TTP), higher response rates and improved survival compared with high-dose dexamethasone in patients with relapsed multiple myeloma following one to three prior therapies. In this APEX subgroup analysis, efficacy of bortezomib and dexamethasone was compared in elderly (age > or =65 years) and high-risk (>1 prior line of therapy; ISS stage II/III; refractory to prior therapy) patients. Bortezomib demonstrated substantial clinical activity in these patients. Response rate (34-40% vs. 13-19%), including complete response rate (5-8% vs. 0-1%), was significantly higher with bortezomib versus dexamethasone in all four subgroups. Similarly, median TTP was significantly longer with bortezomib versus dexamethasone, and 1-year survival probability was significantly higher in all subgroups. As in the total APEX population, rates of grade 3/4 adverse events were higher in bortezomib- versus dexamethasone-treated patients aged > or =65 years and with >1 prior line, while rates of serious adverse events were similar; toxicities generally proved manageable. Bortezomib should be considered an appropriate treatment for elderly and high-risk patients with relapsed multiple myeloma.

CT and MR imaging of unusual locations of extra-adrenal paragangliomas (pheochromocytomas)

Abstract: Our review was undertaken to describe CT and MRI features of unusual extra-adrenal paragangliomas (pheochromocytomas). We retrospectively reviewed CT and MRI findings in 29 patients with 39 extra-adrenal paragangliomas. For each tumour, site, size, MRI characteristics, CT appearances and enhancement after gadolinium and iohexol were recorded. There were 17 carotid body tumours, 1 mediastinal, 1 intra-cardiac, 15 retroperitoneal extra-adrenal paragangliomas, 2 bladder, 1 pelvic sidewall and 2 intra-spinal paragangliomas within the lumbo-sacral spine. All 39 paragangliomas were shown on MRI. Of the 32 lesions studied by MRI and CT, CT detected 30. Of the two lesions missed on CT, one was an intra-cardiac paraganglioma and the second a bladder wall paraganglioma. At detection, 25 tumours were larger than 4 cm, of which 20 were heterogeneous lesions on CT and MRI with variable contrast enhancement. The 14 smaller paragangliomas were smooth in contour and demonstrated avid, homogeneous contrast enhancement. Our review of extra-adrenal paragangliomas highlights their unusual sites and appearances. MRI demonstrated the greatest variability in the appearances of larger tumours, provided additional information compared to CT for surgical planning and is a useful screening tool for patients at high risk of extra-adrenal paragangliomas.

DOK, a cell line established from human dysplastic oral mucosa, shows a partially transformed non-malignant phenotype.

Abstract: There are many reports of cell lines being established from human oral squamous-cell carcinomas but apparently none of cell lines from dysplastic or "pre-malignant" oral mucosa. We describe here the isolation and characterization of a cell line, DOK (dysplastic oral keratinocyte), from a piece of dorsal tongue showing epithelial dysplasia. The tissue was obtained from a 57-year-old man who was a heavy smoker prior to the appearance of a white patch on his tongue. Eleven years later a squamous-cell carcinoma developed at the site and was excised. Subsequently the remaining dysplasia was removed, and it was from a piece of this that the primary cell cultures which eventually gave rise to DOK were initiated. The DOK line has been single-cell cloned and is apparently immortal. It grows in the absence of 3T3 feeder cells, is anchorage-dependent for growth and is non-tumorigenic in nude mice. The keratin profile of the cells shows a striking similarity to that of the original tongue dysplasia. The karyotype of DOK is aneuploid and complex. By PCR and oligonucleotide hybridization on dot blots, codons 12, 13 and 61 of Ha-ras, Ki-ras and N-ras in DNA extracted from DOK cells were shown to be normal. Immunohistochemistry showed no abnormal, i.e., elevated expression of the onco-suppressor protein p53. Because of its origin and partially transformed phenotype, DOK presents an opportunity to study whether specific carcinogens associated with tobacco and areca nut can cause malignant transformation of oral keratinocytes in vitro.

Imaging Strategy for Early Ovarian Cancer: Characterization of Adnexal Masses with Conventional and Advanced Imaging Techniques

Abstract: Imaging strategies used to diagnose early ovarian cancer are discussed, with a focus on characterizing adnexal masses with emerging dynamic contrast material-enhanced and diffusion-weighted MR imaging techniques.