TY - JOUR A1 - Prinz, Alexander A1 - Orlowski, Katja A1 - Beck, Eberhard A1 - Witte, Kerstin T1 - Serious Games for Seniors With Dementia: A Pilot Study JF - Journal of Applied Gerontology N2 - Dementia, marked by cognitive decline, significantly impacts daily life. With global prevalence rising, traditional treatments manage symptoms but have side effects and offer no cure. Non-pharmacological interventions, like serious games, are gaining importance. This study assesses the feasibility and benefits of serious games for people with mild to moderate dementia over a 10-week intervention. Sixty-one patients were recruited, with 35 completing the study. The intervention included six games focusing on physical and cognitive training. Outcome measures were motor function, cognitive assessments, quality of life, and depression. Results showed significant improvements in dynamic balance (p = .013) but no significant changes in other measures. The findings suggest that serious games are feasible and can improve motor functions like balance. However, short intervention periods may limit their impact on cognitive function and quality of life. Longer interventions and personalized game designs are recommended for greater benefits. Y1 - 2025 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:522-opus4-33440 VL - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - SAGE ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Orlowski, Katja A1 - Gräfe, Gina A1 - Tetzlaff, Laura A1 - Schrader, Thomas A1 - Beck, Eberhard T1 - Individualized Computer-based Training for Elderly in Nursing Homes: A Pilot Study T2 - Proceedings of the 13th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies - Volume 5: HEALTHINF, Valletta, Malta KW - Balance Training KW - Computer-based Training KW - Mobility Y1 - 2020 SN - 978-989-758-398-8 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5220/0009162106640669 SP - 664 EP - 669 PB - SciTePress - Science and Technology Publications, Lda. CY - Setúbal, Portugal ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Dück, Michael A1 - Beck, Eberhard ED - Cabitza, Federico T1 - Prototypical Implementation of a Decision-supporting System for Operative Breast Cancer Therapy T2 - Proceedings of the 13th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies - Volume 5: HEALTHINF, Valletta, Malta KW - Decision Support KW - Breast Cancer KW - e-Health KW - BPMN Y1 - 2020 SN - 978-989-758-398-8 U6 - https://doi.org/0009164506830686 SP - 683 EP - 686 PB - SCITEPRESS - Science and Technology Publications, Lda. CY - Setúbal, Portugal ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Beck, Eberhard A1 - Rödiger, Stefan A1 - Liefold, Marius A1 - Ruhe, Madeleine A1 - Reinwald, Mark A1 - Deckert, P. Markus T1 - Quantification of DNA double-strand breaks in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy donors exposed to bendamustine by an automated γH2AX assay—an exploratory study JF - Journal of Laboratory and Precision Medicine Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.21037/jlpm.2018.04.10 VL - 3 IS - 5 SP - 47-12 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Andrzejewski, Dennis A1 - Breitschwerdt, Rüdiger A1 - Fellmann, Michael A1 - Beck, Eberhard T1 - Supporting breast cancer decisions using formalized guidelines and experts decision patterns: initial prototype and evaluation JF - Health Information Science and Systems KW - Breast cancer treatment KW - Decision support KW - Tumor board Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s13755-017-0035-8 VL - 5 EP - 1 PB - Springer International Publishing ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Andrzejewski, Dennis A1 - Beck, Eberhard A1 - Jentsch, Peter A1 - Breitschwerdt, Rüdiger T1 - Prototypical implementation of an expert system supporting medical documentation and clinical decision T2 - 32. Deutscher Krebskongress Krebsmedizin heute: präventiv, personalisiert, präzise und partizipativ, Berlin, 24.-27. Februar 2016 Y1 - 2016 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Beck, Eberhard A1 - Schrader, T. A1 - Löwe, K. T1 - Patient safety - prospective risk analysis in medical environments T2 - 4th Nordic Conference on Research in Patient Safety and Quality in Healthcare (NSQH2016), 18 May 2016 - 20 Oct 2016, Kuopio, Finland Y1 - 2016 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Andrzejewski, Dennis A1 - Tetzlaff, Laura A1 - DeBoer, Julien A1 - Beck, Eberhard A1 - Haeusler, Nicole T1 - The Transparent Representation of Medical Decision Structures Based on the Example of Breast Cancer Treatment T2 - HEALTHINF 2015 : proceedings of the International Conference on Health Informatics : Lisbon, Portugal, 12 - 15 January 2015 ; [... part of: BIOSTEC 2015, 8th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies] Y1 - 2015 SN - 978-989-758-068-0 SP - 617 EP - 621 PB - SCITEPRESS ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Andrzejewski, Dennis A1 - Tetzlaff, Laura A1 - Beck, Eberhard A1 - Haeusler, Nicole T1 - The transparent representation of medical decision structures based on the example pf breast cancer treatment T2 - HEALTHINF 2015 : proceedings of the International Conference on Health Informatics : Lisbon, Portugal, 12 - 15 January 2015 ; [... part of: BIOSTEC 2015, 8th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies] Y1 - 2015 SN - 978-989-758-068-0 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5220/0005283306170621 SP - 617 EP - 621 PB - SCITEPRESS ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Schrader, Thomas A1 - Löwe, Katharina A1 - Pelchen, Lutz A1 - Beck, Eberhard T1 - Prospective, knowledge based clinical risk analysis: The OPT-model T2 - 2015 IEEE Seventh International Conference on Intelligent Computing and Information Systems (ICICIS) : Faculty of Commuter & Information Sciences, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, 12-14 Dec. 2015 Y1 - 2015 SN - 978-1-5090-1950-2 SN - 978-1-5090-1949-6 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/IntelCIS.2015.7397204 SP - 94 EP - 99 PB - IEEE CY - Piscataway, NJ ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Sigwarth, Timo A1 - Löwe, Katharina A1 - Beck, Eberhard A1 - Pelchen, Lutz A1 - Schrader, Thomas T1 - Conceptual ontology of prospective risk analysis in medical environments - the OPT-Model-Ontology T2 - 2015 IEEE Seventh International Conference on Intelligent Computing and Information Systems (ICICIS'15) : Faculty of Commuter & Information Sciences, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, 12-14 Dec. 2015 Y1 - 2015 SN - 978-1-5090-1950-2 SN - 978-1-5090-1949-6 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/IntelCIS.2015.7397202 SP - 88 EP - 93 PB - IEEE CY - Piscataway, NJ ER - TY - GEN A1 - Andrzejewski, Dennis A1 - Boersch, Ingo A1 - Schrader, Thomas A1 - Haeusler, N. A1 - Ledwon, P. A1 - Beck, Eberhard T1 - Potentials of Computer-aided Decision Support Systems in Medicine Y1 - 2014 N1 - Abstract und Poster, 31. Deutsche Krebskongress, 19. - 22.02.2014, Berlin ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Jäger, W. A1 - Löffler, B. A1 - Beck, Eberhard A1 - Bellmann, O. A1 - Wolf, A. A1 - Mund-Hoym, S. A1 - Sauerbrei, W. A1 - Wildt, L. A1 - Lang, N. T1 - Retrospective analysis of GnRH analogue administration in patients with advanced ovarian cancer T2 - In: GnRH analogues and cancer : plus a review of the treatment of uterine leiomyomata; the proceedings of the 2. International Symposium on GnRH Analogues in Cancer and Human Reproduction, Geneva, November 1990 / ed. by B. Lunenfeld. - Carnforth, Lancs. [u.a.] : Parthenon Publ., 1992. - (Advances in the study of GnRH analogues ; 4). - ISBN: 1-85070-328-0 Y1 - 1992 SP - 69 EP - 76 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Beck, Eberhard A1 - Hofmann, M. A1 - Kiesewetter, F. A1 - Jäger, W. A1 - Wildt, L. A1 - Lang, N. T1 - Analysis of CA 125 release by ovarian cancer cells in vitro T2 - In: Tumor associated antigens, oncogenes, receptors, cytokines in tumor diagnosis and therapy at the beginning of the nineties / 6th Symposium on Tumor Markers, Hamburg, [December 9. - 11. 1991] ; Satellite Symposium Cancer of the Breast - State and Trends in Diagnosis and Therapy. Ed. by R. - München [u.a.] : Zuckschwerdt, 1992. - ISBN 3-88603-444-5 Y1 - 1992 SP - 117 EP - 121 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Beck, Eberhard A1 - Russo, Pietro A1 - Gliozzo, Biancamaria A1 - Jäger, Wolfram A1 - Papa, Vincenzo A1 - Wildt, Ludwig A1 - Pezzino, Vincenzo A1 - Lang, Norbert T1 - Identification of insulin and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF I) receptors in ovarian cancer JF - In: Gynecologic Oncology 53(1994)2, 196–201 N2 - Abstract The objective of this study was to test if specific insulin and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF I) receptors are expressed in ovarian cancer tissue. Thirteen tissue specimens from primary ovarian cancers, 1 specimen from a primary peritoneal carcinoma, 10 specimens from metastatic lesions of ovarian carcinomas, and 4 specimens from recurrent ovarian cancers together with 13 normal ovaries were tested for their content of insulin and IGF-I receptors, by the application of specific insulin and IGF-I receptor radioimmunoassays. The insulin receptor (IR) and IGF-I receptor (IGF R) content in the primary tumors varied between 23.8-321.4 and 16.4-554.2 ng/0.1 mg DNA, respectively. Metastatic lesions contained between 12.3 and 226.7 ng IR/0.1 mg DNA and between 7.5 and 459.4 ng IGF R/0.1 mg DNA. In recurrent tumors the receptor concentrations were in the range of 41.5-79.8 and 48.9-160.9 ng/0.1 mg DNA for insulin and IGF-I receptors, respectively. Normal ovarian tissue contained between 12.2 and 150.1 ng IR and between 21.4 and 420.1 ng IGF R per 0.1 mg DNA, respectively. As both insulin and IGF-I receptors are present in ovarian cancer tissue, the effects of insulin and IGF-I as potential growth factors in ovarian cancer should be further investigated. Copyright © 1994 Academic Press. All rights reserved. Y1 - 1994 SN - 0090-8258 SP - 196 EP - 201 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Beck, Eberhard A1 - Hofmann, M. A1 - Bernhardt, G. A1 - Jäger, W. A1 - Wildt, L. A1 - Lang, N. T1 - In vitro activity of immunoconjugates between cisplatin and an anti CA125 monoclonal antibody on ovarian cancer cell lines JF - In: Cell Biophysics 24/25(1994)1-3, 163-173 N2 - Cis-diammine dichloro platinum (II) (CDDP), is a highly potent antineoplastic agent that is used in the treatment of ovarian cancer. However, the clinical use of CDDP is restricted by its severe side effects. In order to reduce these side effects and to enhance its therapeutic efficacy, we developed specific immunoconjugates consisting of the murine monoclonal antibody OC125 and CDDP, using diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) as a linker. The coupling efficiencies of the different preparations synthesized, varied between 1.10±0.42 and 2.65±1.60 mol of CDDP per mol of antibody protein. Despite the chemical modification of the antibody molecule, specific binding activity of the OC125-CDDP conjugates toward the CA125 antigen was maintained as was demonstrated by means of immunohisto-/cytochemical staining of frozen sections of ovarian cancer tissue, amniotic epithelium, and the CA125 positive ovarian cancer cell line NIH:OVCAR 3. The antiproliferative activity of the immunoconjugates was tested against the human ovarian cancer cell lines NIH:OVCAR3 and SKOV 3, applying a kinetic crystal violet microassay. Despite the promising results obtained with the specific immuno-staining of the target cells, no significant antiproliferative activity of our immunoconjugates against the cell lines tested was observed. One possible explanation for the lack of antitumor activity could be the fact that CA125 is released in large amounts by the NIH:OVCAR 3 cells. This may have prevented an efficient immunotargeting of the cancer cells by the formation of soluble immune complexes. Y1 - 1994 SN - 0163-4992 SP - 163 EP - 173 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Beck, Eberhard A1 - Moldenhauer, A. A1 - Kiesewetter, F. A1 - Jäger, W. A1 - Woldt, L. A1 - Lang, N. T1 - Analysis of CA 125 production and release by ovarian cancer cells in vitro T2 - In: Current tumor diagnosis : applications, clinical relevance, research - trends / 7th Symposium on Tumor Markers, Hamburg 1993 ; Satellite Symposium Cancer of the Lung - State and Trends in Diagnosis and Therapy. Ed. by R. Klapdor. - München [u.a.] : Zuckschwerdt, 1994. - ISBN 3-88603-509-3 Y1 - 1994 SP - 187 EP - 191 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jäger, W. A1 - Sauerbrei, W. A1 - Beck, Eberhard A1 - Maassen, V. A1 - Stumpfe, M. A1 - Meier, W. A1 - Kuhn, W. A1 - Jänicke, F. T1 - Unbound MEDLINE A randomized comparison of triptorelin and tamoxifen as treatment of progressive ovarian cancer JF - In: Anticancer Research 15(1995)6B, 2639-2642 Y1 - 1995 SN - 0250-7005 SP - 2639 EP - 2642 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Beck, Eberhard A1 - Wagner, Maren A1 - Anselmino, Lisa A1 - Xu, Feng-ji A1 - Bast Jr., Robert C. A1 - Jäger, Wolfram T1 - Is OVX1 a suitable marker for endometrial cancer? JF - In: Gynecologic Oncology 65(1997) 2, 291–296 N2 - The single most common cause leading to the diagnosis of endometrial cancer is postmenopausal bleeding. Although most patients with early-stage disease (FIGO stage I and II) can be cured, prognosis worsens considerably with increasing stage. While serum CA 125 levels are elevated only in a significant proportion of patients with advanced disease, recently a new serum marker (OVX1) for the detection of early-stage endometrial cancer was reported. Serum OVX1 levels were measured using an OVX1 radioimmunoassay (RIA) or enzyme immunoassay (EIA) in 192 patients with endometrial cancer. CA 125 levels were measured in 112 patients using the CIS ELSA CA 125 kit. Apparently healthy females had mean serum OVX1 levels measured with the OVX1–EIA of 1.34 ± 0.74 U/ml, while patients with endometriosis had mean OVX1 serum levels of 3.15 ± 2.45 U/ml. The mean OVX1 serum level for endometrial cancer patients was 2.00 ± 1.32 U/ml. These values were 2.76 ± 1.62, 6.10 ± 4.66, and 5.37 ± 3.49, respectively, using the OVX1–RIA assay. Applying a cutoff value of 2.8 U/ml, serum OVX1–EIA levels in endometrial cancer patients were increased in 25 of 127 patients (19.7%) with stage I disease, 5 of 17 patients with stage II (29.4%), 5 of 22 patients (22.7%) with stage III, and 4 of 11 patients (36.4%) with stage IV disease. Using the OVX1–RIA and a cutoff of 7.2 U/ml, serum levels were increased in 22 of 127 (17.3%) stage I, 6 of 17 (35.3%) stage II, 5 of 22 (22.7%) stage III, and 6 of 11 (54.5%) stage IV patients. Serum CA 125 levels, determined in a total of 112 patients, were elevated above 35 U/ml in 12 of 79 patients (15.2%) with stage I, 4 of 12 patients (33.3%) with stage II, 8 of 13 patients (61.5%) with stage III, and all of 8 patients (100%) with stage IV disease. While a good correlation between serum CA 125 levels and the clinical stage of the disease was found, no correlation could be detected for OVX1 and stage. Y1 - 1997 SP - 291 EP - 296 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fehm, T. A1 - Beck, Eberhard A1 - Valerius, T. A1 - Gramatzki, M. A1 - Jäger, W. T1 - CA 125 elevations in patients with malignant lymphomas JF - In: Tumor Biology 19(1998), 283 – 289 Y1 - 1998 SP - 283 EP - 289 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Beck, Eberhard A1 - Moldenhauer, A. A1 - Merkle, E. A1 - Kiesewetter, F. A1 - Jäger, W. A1 - Wildt, L. A1 - Lang, N. T1 - CA 125 production an release by ovarian cancer cell lines in vitro JF - In: The international journal of biological markers 13(1998), 200 – 206 Y1 - 1998 SP - 200 EP - 206 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Beck, Eberhard A1 - Vincenti, D. A1 - Licht, P. A1 - Berkholz, A. A1 - Jäger, W. A1 - Lang, N. A1 - Merkle, E. T1 - In vitro activity of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)--doxorubicin conjugates against ovarian cancer cells JF - In: Anticancer research 20(2000)5A, pg 3001-6 N2 - BACKGROUND Despite radical surgery and the introduction of novel chemotherapeutic agents, the prognosis of ovarian cancer remains poor. Since in the past the potential role of gonadotropins in the induction and progression of ovarian cancer has been discussed, we conjugated doxorubicin to human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in order to specifically target ovarian cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS Doxorubicin was conjugated to hCG via glutaraldehyde. 48 hours post seeding, NIH:OVCAR 3 cells were treated with various concentrations of hCG-conjugated and non-conjugated doxorubicin for 2 hours. Cells were cultured for a total of 168 hours. Cell growth was monitored by a crystal violet assay. RESULTS Conjugating doxorubicin to hCG resulted in an average specific uptake of 22 mol doxorubicin per mol protein (range 3.0-43.3 mol). Incubating NIH:OVCAR 3 cells for 2 hours with the conjugate led to a more than 8 fold increase of the IC50 values compared to non-conjugated doxorubicin (0.55 microM versus 4.43 microM). The antiproliferative activity of both conjugated and free doxorubicin was detectable up to 168 hours post treatment. CONCLUSIONS The present experiments clearly demonstrate a more than 8-fold increase in cytotoxicity of the conjugates compared to free doxorubicin. It was also shown that this effect was not restricted to an acute toxic event but that it resulted in a prolonged antiproliferative activity. KW - Antineoplastic Agents KW - Cell Division KW - Cell Survival KW - Chorionic Gonadotropin KW - Drug Synergism Y1 - 2000 SP - 3001 EP - 3006 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Beck, Eberhard A1 - Sciacca, Laura A1 - Pandini, Giuseppe A1 - Jaeger, Wolfram A1 - Pezzino, Vincenzo T1 - Measurement of IGF-1 Receptor Content in Tissues and Cell Lines by Radioimmunoassay (RIA) and ELISA Techniques T2 - In: Ovarian Cancer : Methods and Protocols / ed. by John M. S. Bartlett. - Totowa, NJ : Humana Press, 2001. - Totowa, NJ : Humana Press, 2001. - (Methods in Molecular Medicine™ ; 39). - ISBN: 978-1-592-59071-1; 978-0-89603-583-6 (ISBN der Printausgabe) N2 - The IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1-R) belongs to the tyrosine kinase growth factor receptor family. It is structurally similar to, but distinct from, the insulin receptor, with which it shares a 70% homology. As expected, it crossreacts with insulin and, vice versa, insulin receptor crossreacts with IGF-1. Numerous studies suggest that IGF-1-R is very important for mitogenesis and is essential for phenotype transformation, at least in rodents (1). In particular, the IGF-1-R has been described in human breast cancer (2-4) and ovarian cancer (5) tissues and in cultured human breast cancer cell lines (6,7). Y1 - 2001 SP - 485 EP - 492 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Merkle, E. A1 - Ackermann, S. A1 - Beck, Eberhard A1 - Jäger, W. A1 - Lang, N. T1 - High-Dose versus Low-Dose Cisplatin Chemotherapy plus Treosulfan in Epithelial Ovarian Carcinoma FIGO II–IV: Results of a Prospective Randomized Trial JF - In: Onkologie 23(2000)3, 232-238 N2 - Summary Background: Combination chemotherapies of platinum compounds with alkylating agents have been the standard treatment for patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma over the last decades. The recent development of taxans has added a group of new promising agents; however, long-term results are not yet available. Platin derivates have proven to be an indispensable part in combination chemotherapies for ovarian carcinoma. The dose intensity of cisplatin is, however, still a matter of debate. We report on the long-term results of a prospective randomized trial comparing two dosages of cisplatin combined with treosulfan in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. Patients and Methods: Between 1988 and 1995, 125 patients with ovarian cancer (FIGO stage II–IV) were randomized to receive 4 cycles (28-day intervals) of either cisplatin 100 mg/m2 (high dose, HD) or 50 mg/m2 (low dose, LD) in combination with 5 g/m2 treosulfan after primary cytoreductive surgery. Postoperative residual tumor was absent in 39 patients (HD: 16; LD: 23), < 2 cm in 61 patients (HD: 36; LD: 25) and > 2 cm in 25 patients (HD: 13; LD: 12). 65 and 60 patients received HD and LD cisplatin, respectively. Second-look surgery was optional. Results:The overall response rate was 70.0% (HD: 70.9%; LD: 68.9%). Pathological complete response (CR) was seen in 45 patients (37.5%), clinical CR in 23 patients (19.2%), partial response (PR) in 16 patients (13.3%), stable disease (SD) in 2 patients, and progression of disease (PD) in 34 patients (28.3%). 5 patients were not assessable for response. Overall median survival was 25.6 (HD: 26.9, LD: 25.2) months. The overall disease-free survival for responders was 19.6 and 24.7 months (HD and LD, respectively). HD chemotherapy did not result in any significant survival benefit in completely resected patients: HD: 39.8 months versus LD: 49.5 months. In suboptimally debulked patients (residual tumor < 2 cm), median survival was 24.1 months (HD) versus 22.6 months (LD). In patients with residual tumors > 2 cm median survival was 14.6 months (HD) versus 15.5 months (LD). Significantly less side effects were seen in the LD group: anemia (p = 0.008); nephrotoxicity (p = 0.014); alopecia (p = 0.017). Conclusions: Our data suggest that LD cisplatin-based chemotherapy is as effective as HD chemotherapy in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer, but is far less toxic. Copyright © 2000 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg Y1 - 2000 SP - 232 EP - 238 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gebauer, Gerhard A1 - Fehm, Tanja A1 - Merkle, Elisabeth A1 - Beck, Eberhard A1 - Lang, Norbert A1 - Jäger, Wolfram T1 - Epithelial Cells in Bone Marrow of Breast Cancer Patients at Time of Primary Surgery: Clinical Outcome During Long-Term Follow-Up JF - In: J. Clin. Oncol. 19(2001)16, 3669 – 3674 N2 - PURPOSE: To evaluate the detection of epithelial cells in bone marrow of breast cancer patients as an indicator of metastatic disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 1989 and 1994, bone marrow biopsies were performed on 393 breast cancer patients during primary surgery. Specimens were stained immunocytochemically for epithelial cells expressing cytokeratins or the epithelial membrane antigen. The long-term outcomes of these patients were analyzed in this study. RESULTS: In 166 of 393 patients, epithelial cells were found in bone marrow (BM) aspirates. These patients were designated BM+. The rate of tumor recurrence or cancer-related death was significantly higher in BM+ patients than in BM− patients. Multivariate analysis using the Cox regression model revealed BM status as a prognostic parameter independent of tumor size and axillary lymph node status. However, tumor size and axillary lymph node status were clearly superior prognostic parameters. CONCLUSION: Disseminated epithelial cells in BM are associated with poor clinical outcome in breast cancer patients. However, the presence of these cells is not a sufficient parameter to predict growing metastases in the majority of patients, suggesting that epithelial cells in the BM of breast cancer patients at the time of surgery have limited metastatic potential. The role of these cells needs to be further evaluated. Y1 - 2001 SP - 3669 EP - 3674 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gebauer, Gerhard A1 - Fehm, Tanja A1 - Beck, Eberhard A1 - Berkholz, Alexander A1 - Licht, Peter A1 - Jäger, Wolfram T1 - Cytotoxic effect of conjugates of doxorubicin and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in breast cancer cells JF - In: Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 77(2003)2, pp. 125-131 N2 - Cytotoxic activity of drug conjugates of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and doxorubicin alone was investigated compared to doxorubicin in breast cancer cells with and without expression of hCG receptors. Expression of hCG receptor was determined in MCF-7 and MB231 breast cancer cell line using a multiplex nested rt-PCR approach. The entire sequence of mRNA encoding for hCG receptor was detected in MCF-7 but not in MB231 breast cancer cell line. Cytostatic effect of doxorubicin–hCG conjugates was investigated in these cell lines in comparison to unconjugated doxorubicin. The number of viable cells was determined after 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h. To exclude non-specific uptake of the carrier hCG from the culture media, a similar experiment was performed with albumin–doxorubicin conjugates. The number of viable cells decreased in a concentration depending manner after doxorubicin and hCG–doxorubicin conjugate treatment. However, the cytotoxic effect of hCG–doxorubicin conjugate was 10-fold increased compared to unconjugated doxorubin in hCG-receptor positive MCF-7 but not in hCG-receptor negative MB231 cells. Albumin–doxorubicin conjugates showed no increased toxicity compared to doxorubicin. We conclude that the cytotoxic effect of hCG–doxorubicin conjugates is mediated specifically via the hCG receptor. By using hCG conjugates, the development of more selective cytostatics can be achieved. Y1 - 2003 UR - http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023%2FA%3A1021301001208 SP - 125 EP - 131 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gebauer, Gerhard A1 - Mueller, Natalia A1 - Fehm, Tanja A1 - Berkholz, Alexander A1 - Beck, Eberhard A1 - Jaeger, Wolfram A1 - Licht, Peter T1 - Expression and regulation of luteinizing hormone/human chorionic gonadotropin receptors in ovarian cancer and its correlation to human chorionic gonadotropin–doxorubicin sensitivity JF - In: American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology 190 (2004), Iss. 6, pp. 1621-1628 N2 - Objective Ovarian cancer cell lines and tissues express gonadotropin receptors. Conjugation of cytostatics to ligands of these receptors may increase the specificity of cytotoxic drugs. Study design Toxicity of doxorubicin–human chorionic gonadotropin conjugates was determined in 4 ovarian cancer cell lines. Expression and regulation of luteinizing hormone/human chorionic gonadotropin receptors were analyzed before and after treatment with human chorionic gonadotropin, epidermal growth factor, and 8-bromo-cyclic adenosine monophosphate with a nested reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction approach. Results Toxicity of human chorionic gonadotropin–doxorubicin conjugates was increased compared with unconjugated doxorubicin in OVCAR-3 cells. However, drug conjugates failed to demonstrate increased toxicity in other cell lines, especially after preincubation with human chorionic gonadotropin. All cell lines expressed luteinizing hormone/human chorionic gonadotropin receptors. Receptor expression in OVCAR-3 cells was not effected by human chorionic gonadotropin, endothelial growth factor, or 8-bromo-cyclic adenosine monophosphate treatment. In other cell lines, receptor expression was down-regulated by these agents. Conclusion Cytotoxic activity of doxorubicin was increased specifically by conjugation to human chorionic gonadotropin. However, the regulation of luteinizing hormone/human chorionic gonadotropin receptor expression and other compounds may reduce the drug-uptake of the conjugates. Y1 - 2004 SP - 1621 EP - 1624 ER -