Abstract: The invention discloses high levels of receptors for Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) have been found in ovarian cancer and uterine cancer tissue samples. In addition, successful in vivo treatment of a mouse model of ovarian cancer with intraperitoneal injection of CPE is disclosed. High levels of Ep-CAM protein is also disclosed in ovarian cancer tissue samples. Thus, the invention provides a method of treating ovarian cancer and uterine cancer by administering CPE. The invention also provides a method of treating cancer in a mammal involving intraperitoneal administration of CPE, where at least some cancerous cells are located in or adjacent to the peritoneal cavity of the mammal. The invention also provides a method of treating ovarian cancer involving administering an anti-Ep-CAM antibody. The invention also provides a method of treating cancers expressing claudin-3 or claudin-4 by administering an antibody against claudin-3 and/or an antibody against claudin-4.

Abstract: The invention discloses high levels of receptors for Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) have been found in ovarian cancer and uterine cancer tissue samples. In addition, successful in vivo treatment of a mouse model of ovarian cancer with intraperitoneal injection of CPE is disclosed. High levels of Ep-CAM protein is also disclosed in ovarian cancer tissue samples. Thus, the invention provides a method of treating ovarian cancer and uterine cancer by administering CPE. The invention also provides a method of treating cancer in a mammal involving intraperitoneal administration of CPE, where at least some cancerous cells are located in or adjacent to the peritoneal cavity of the mammal. The invention also provides a method of treating ovarian cancer involving administering an anti-Ep-CAM antibody. The invention also provides a method of treating cancers expressing claudin-3 or claudin-4 by administering an antibody against claudin-3 and/or an antibody against claudin-4.

Abstract: The invention discloses high levels of receptors for Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) have been found in ovarian cancer and uterine cancer tissue samples. In addition, successful in vivo treatment of a mouse model of ovarian cancer with intraperitoneal injection of CPE is disclosed. High levels of Ep-CAM protein is also disclosed in ovarian cancer tissue samples. Thus, the invention provides a method of treating ovarian cancer and uterine cancer by administering CPE. The invention also provides a method of treating cancer in a mammal involving intraperitoneal administration of CPE, where at least some cancerous cells are located in or adjacent to the peritoneal cavity of the mammal. The invention also provides a method of treating ovarian cancer involving administering an anti-Ep-CAM antibody. The invention also provides a method of treating cancers expressing claudin-3 or claudin-4 by administering an antibody against claudin-3 and/or an antibody against claudin-4.

Abstract: Provided herein are methods for detecting ovarian serous papillary carcinoma in an individual.

Abstract: Provided herein are methods for treating ovarian serous papillary carcinoma by delivering Clostridium perfringens enterotoxins to ovarian tumor cells overexpressing claudin 3 or claudin 4 protein or by inhibiting the expression and function of tumor-associated calcium signal transducer 1 (TROP-1/Ep-CAM) gene or gene product. Also provided is a method of detecting ovarian serous papillary carcinoma by examining a tumor sample from the individual for gene or gene product expression levels within a group of genes and performing statistical analysis to determine those genes or gene products which are down-regulated compared to those in a normal individual.

Abstract: The invention discloses high levels of receptors for Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) have been found in ovarian cancer and uterine cancer tissue samples. In addition, successful in vivo treatment of a mouse model of ovarian cancer with intraperitoneal injection of CPE is disclosed. High levels of Ep-CAM protein is also disclosed in ovarian cancer tissue samples. Thus, the invention provides a method of treating ovarian cancer and uterine cancer by administering CPE. The invention also provides a method of treating cancer in a mammal involving intraperitoneal administration of CPE, where at least some cancerous cells are located in or adjacent to the peritoneal cavity of the mammal. The invention also provides a method of treating ovarian cancer involving administering an anti-Ep-CAM antibody. The invention also provides a method of treating cancers expressing claudin-3 or claudin-4 by administering an antibody against claudin-3 and/or an antibody against claudin-4.

Abstract: The invention discloses high levels of receptors for Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) have been found in ovarian cancer and uterine cancer tissue samples. In addition, successful in vivo treatment of a mouse model of ovarian cancer with intraperitoneal injection of CPE is disclosed. High levels of Ep-CAM protein is also disclosed in ovarian cancer tissue samples. Thus, the invention provides a method of treating ovarian cancer and uterine cancer by administering CPE. The invention also provides a method of treating cancer in a mammal involving intraperitoneal administration of CPE, where at least some cancerous cells are located in or adjacent to the peritoneal cavity of the mammal. The invention also provides a method of treating ovarian cancer involving administering an anti-Ep-CAM antibody. The invention also provides a method of treating cancers expressing claudin-3 or claudin-4 by administering an antibody against claudin-3 and/or an antibody against claudin-4.

Abstract: TADG-12 and CA125 are two proteins expressed with high specificity in ovarian cancer tumors. They thus would be potential antigens for immunotherapy in ovarian cancer. The invention is based on the discovery of peptides in TADG-12 and CA125 that can be used to induce an autologous T cell response that lyses ovarian cancer cells expressing TADG-12 or CA125. The peptides are contacted with dendritic cells in vitro to generate peptide-loaded dendritic cells. The peptide-loaded dendritic cells are contacted with T cells in vitro to amplify CD8+ T cells that recognize the peptide. At least one CA125 peptide and at least one TADG-12 peptide were found that amplified CD8+ T cells, even from cancer patients, that lysed autologous CA125-expressing or TADG-12-expressing tumor cells. The peptide-loaded dendritic cells can be administered to a cancer patient to amplify CD8+ T cells in vivo that attack the cancer cells.

Abstract: Provided herein are methods for treating ovarian serous papillary carcinoma by delivering Clostridium perfringens enterotoxins to ovarian tumor cells overexpressing claudin 3 or claudin 4 protein or by inhibiting the expression and function of tumor-associated calcium signal transducer 1 (TROP-1/Ep-CAM) gene or gene product. Also provided is a method of detecting ovarian serous papillary carcinoma by examining a tumor sample from the individual for gene or gene product expression levels within a group of genes and performing statistical analysis to determine those genes or gene products which are down-regulated compared to those in a normal individual.

Abstract: Gene expression profiling and hierarchal clustering analysis readily distinguish normal ovarian epithelial cells from primary ovarian serous papillary carcinomas. Laminin, tumor-associated calcium signal transducer 1 and 2 (TROP-1/Ep-CAM; TROP-2), claudin 3, claudin 4, ladinin 1, S100A2, SERPIN2 (PAI-2), CD24, lipocalin 2, osteopontin, kallikrein 6 (protease M), kallikrein 10, matriptase and stratifin were found among the most highly overexpressed genes in ovarian serous papillary carcinomas, whereas transforming growth factor beta receptor III, platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha, SEMACAP3, ras homolog gene family, member I (ARHI), thrombospondin 2 and disabled-2/differentially expressed in ovarian carcinoma 2 (Dab2/DOC2) were significantly down-regulated. Therapeutic strategy targeting TROP-1/Ep-CAM by monoclonal chimeric/humanized antibodies may be beneficial in patients harboring chemotherapy-resistant ovarian serous papillary carcinomas.

Abstract: Oligonucleotide microarrays were used to profile and compare gene expression patterns between uterine serous papillary carcinoma and ovarian serous papillary carcinoma or normal endometrial epithelial cells. mRNA fingerprints readily distinguish the more biologically aggressive and chemotherapy resistant USPC from OSPC or NEC. Plasminogen activator inhibitor is the most highly up-regulated gene in OSPC relative to USPC, whereas the c-erbB2 gene product (HER-2/neu) is strikingly overexpressed in USPC relative to OSPC and may therefore represent a novel diagnostic and therapeutic marker for this highly aggressive subset of endometrial tumors.

Abstract: The invention discloses high levels of receptors for Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) have been found in ovarian cancer and uterine cancer tissue samples. In addition, successful in vivo treatment of a mouse model of ovarian cancer with intraperitoneal injection of CPE is disclosed. High levels of Ep-CAM protein is also disclosed in ovarian cancer tissue samples. Thus, the invention provides a method of treating ovarian cancer and uterine cancer by administering CPE. The invention also provides a method of treating cancer in a mammal involving intraperitoneal administration of CPE, where at least some cancerous cells are located in or adjacent to the peritoneal cavity of the mammal. The invention also provides a method of treating ovarian cancer involving administering an anti-Ep-CAM antibody. The invention also provides a method of treating cancers expressing claudin-3 or claudin-4 by administering an antibody against claudin-3 and/or an antibody against claudin-4.

Abstract: Provided herein are methods of determining immunodominant T cell epitopes within a protein expressed in an individual and immunotherapy directed towards a protein in an individual using these determined epitopes. The method comprises administering autologous dendritic cells pulsed with a recombinant protein to the individual, establishing T-cell lines therefrom and incubating the T cell lines with representative peptides from the protein to measure and identify those peptides from the protein inducing the T cell response. Also provided are synthetic or recombinant peptides or immunogenic compositions thereof comprising the identified peptide(s) or peptides of similar sequence and a method of preventing or treating a pathophysiological condition.

Abstract: The invention involves the discovery that the mammaglobin B gene is the single most overexpressed gene in primary ovarian serous papillary cancer over normal ovarian epithelium among over 14,000 genes tested. It is expressed over 800-fold higher in primary ovarian tumors than normal ovarian epithelium. Mammaglobin B gene expression was detected in endometrioid, mucinous, undifferentiated, serous papillary, clear cell, and mixed histology ovarian tumors. The protein can be found in blood and ascites fluid, and a simple blood test for the presence of mammaglobin B protein can provide early detection of ovarian and other cancers. The invention provides a method of screening for cancer involving detecting mammaglobin B in a fluid sample.

Abstract: The present invention provides method of treating uterine serous papillary carcinoma in an individual in need of such treatment, comprising the step of administering to said individual a therapeutically effective dose of a HER-2/neu antibody. Also provided is a method of differentiating primary uterine serous papillary carcinoma from serous papillary ovarian tumors in an individual, comprising the step of measuring the expression of HER-2/neu in said tissue, wherein the presence of an increased and constitutive expression pattern in said tissue indicates that said tumor is a uterine serous papillary carcinoma. Further provided is a method of treating uterine serous papillary carcinoma in an individual in need of such treatment, comprising the step of administering to said individual a therapeutically effective dose of a HER-2/neu antibody and a therapeutically effective dose of interleukin-2.