Monoclonal antibodies against an ovarian tumor cell line, OC-3-VGH, were generated using modified hybridoma technology. Among the seven that were selected for their high specificity and affinity to ovarian cancer cells and low cross-reactivity to most normal human tissues, RP 215 was shown to react specifically with a tumor-associated antigen, COX-1, from certain ovarian/cervical cancer cell lines. By Western blot assay, COX-1 was shown to have a subunit molecular mass of about 60 kDa and exist as an aggregate in the native state. COX-1 could also be detected in the shed medium of certain cultured tumor cells. A solid-phase sandwich enzyme-immunoassay procedure was designed for quantitative determinations of COX-1 in the shed medium or in patients' sera using RP 215 for both well-coating and the signal detection. Highly purified COX-1 was obtained from the shed medium of cultured OC-3-VGH tumor cells mainly by hydroxyapatite and immunoaffinity chromatography with RP 215 as the affinity ligand. At neutral pH, purified COX-1 also exists as an aggregate and is relatively stable at temperatures below 50 degrees C. Its immunoactivity was found to decrease with time in the presence of trypsin. However, the immunoactivity of COX-1 was not affected upon incubation with carbohydrate-digestive enzymes or concanavalin A and only partially inactivated in the presence of NaIO4 or iodoacetamide. Treatments of COX-1 with dithiothreitol and guanidine thiocyanate resulted in a complete loss of activity. Furthermore, rabbit antisera raised against purified COX-1 exhibited similar immunospecificity to that of RP 215. The results of this study suggest that COX-1 is a glycoprotein consisting of a 60 kDa subunit, which is recognized by RP 215 through its peptide determinant. Preliminary retrospective clinical studies were performed to assess the utility of a COX-1 enzyme immunoassay kit for detection and monitoring of patients with ovarian and cervical cancers.

Thirty surgical samples of squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix obtained from Chinese women were analysed for the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 using Southern blot hybridization procedure. HPV16 was detected in 53% while HPV18 was found in only 6% of the samples analyzed. When compared with other reports, variation in the geographic distribution of these two HPV types in association with cervical carcinoma is noted. Thirty-seven and a half percent of the HPV16-positive samples contained this HPV type in episomal form and an equal number in cellular DNA-integrated form. The simultaneous presence of both episomal and integrated forms was found in the remaining 25% of the positive samples. The two HPV18-positive cases harbored only episomal viral genome and were not superinfected by HPV16. Analysis of the HPV16 integration samples showed that single integration events had probably occurred and some of the viral sequences had been lost on or subsequent to integration.

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The "gold standard" treatment for endometrial cancer is completely staged surgery, followed by radiation or chemotherapy, based on the final pathological surgical stage and requirements. In the primary treatment of endometrial cancers, hormones are rarely taken into consideration after primary surgery. Primary treatment with hormones to preserve fertility in younger women with endometrial cancer is an attractive option, and many successful cases have been reported, although the majority of them finally received definite therapy, including total hysterectomy. The role of hormone therapy is often delayed in recurrent disease; response rates to progestins and tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors in advanced/recurrent endometrial cancers are approximately 15-20% and nearly ≤ 10%, respectively. This review is focused on updated information and recent knowledge on the use of hormones in the management of women with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancers.

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