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Recurrent cervical cancer is a clinically complex disease that is difficult to treat. There are numerous treatment options, but the results achieved by each are poor. External-beam radiation therapy of the pelvic lymph drainage area, in combination with intracavitary afterloading or the interstitial implantation of a radiation source (i.e., brachytherapy), are the current standard radiotherapy regimens used in high-risk clinical targets. However, there are few reports concerning the use of iodine-125 (125I) seed implantation brachytherapy in recurrent cervical cancer, and the effects of treatment and adverse reactions have not yet been systematically evaluated. In the present study one such case is reported, in which the patient was successfully treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in combination with 125I seed implantation. The patient, a 47-year-old woman, was initially diagnosed with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IB1 cervical cancer, and received a radical hysterectomy, left lateral adnexectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection. A follow-up examination 23 months later revealed vaginal invasion and a solitary lump in the cervical stump with a maximum diameter of 38 mm. The patient was subsequently diagnosed with recurrent cervical cancer and was treated with six cycles of docetaxel and nedaplatin chemotherapy, alongside IMRT and interstitial 125I seed implantation. At the point of manuscript submission, the patient's progression-free survival time was 33 months and long-term adverse reactions were acceptable. The response of this patient indicates that 125I seed implantation could be used as a complementary treatment for recurrent cervical cancer and may also prove to be a reliable means for the comprehensive treatment of primary cervical cancer, as the patient had characteristics similar to primary cervical cancer, although this hypothesis could not be confirmed in the present study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overexpression of the p16 protein has been reported in breast cancer and may trigger the secretion of antibodies against itself. Circulating anti-p16 antibodies that were detected with a recombinant protein have been reported in breast cancer. The present study was designed to determine whether the levels of circulating IgG antibody to p16 protein-derived linear antigens are altered in breast cancer. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed in-house to determine circulating IgG against peptide antigens derived from the p16 protein in 152 female breast cancer patients and 160 healthy female subjects. The Student's t-test revealed that breast cancer patients exhibited significantly higher levels of anti-p16 IgG antibody compared to control subjects (t=2.02, P=0.045). In addition, ductal cancer appeared to be the main type contributing to the increased levels of circulating anti-p16 antibodies (t=2.08, P=0.038). Of all four stages of breast cancer, stage I was associated with the highest levels of IgG antibody (t=2.02, P=0.045) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis demonstrated that the area under the ROC curve was 0.74 (95% confidence interval: 0.65-083) and that the sensitivity against a specificity of 90% was 30.3%. Therefore, the levels of circulating IgG antibody to the p16 protein may be a potential biomarker for early diagnosis of breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]