Impact of Methadone on Cisplatin Treatment of Bladder Cancer Cells.

Background: Cisplatin-based chemotherapy is the treatment of choice for advanced bladder cancer. Since many tumor cells show inherent or acquired cisplatin resistance, research is needed to improve the therapeutic efficacy. Since the analgesic methadone is discussed as being a sensitizer for chemotherapy, we tested its effects on the cisplatin treatment of bladder cancer cells.

Low-pressure monopolar electroresection of the prostate for glands sized > 70 vs. < 70 cc performed with continuous irrigation and suprapubic suction: perioperative and long-term outcome.

Purpose: To evaluate long-term efficacy and safety of low-pressure transurethral resection of the prostate for prostates < 70 cc (group 1) vs. > 70 cc (group 2).

Patients And Methods: In this study patients operated with monopolar TURP between 2009 and 2012 were evaluated retrospectively.

Methadone as a "Tumor Theralgesic" against Cancer.

Methadone has beneficial characteristics as an analgesic against cancer pain, including high bioavailability, multiple receptor affinities, and lack of active metabolites that might induce adverse side effects. However, methadone has an own pharmacological profile that should be considered in the treatment of cancer patients. There is evidence from preclinical studies that methadone could also elicit antitumor activity by downregulating the threshold of apoptosis and to enhance the effects of different chemotherapeutic agents.

Androgen deprivation of prostate cancer: Leading to a therapeutic dead end.

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is considered as the standard therapy for men with de novo or recurrent metastatic prostate cancer. ADT commonly leads to initial biochemical and clinical responses. However, several months after the beginning of treatment, tumors become castration-resistant and virtually all patients show disease progression.

Retrograde intrarenal surgery in treatment of nephrolithiasis: is a 100% stone-free rate achievable?

Purpose: To achieve an almost 100% stone-free rate by means of further developing and standardizing the procedure.

Patients And Methods: 100 consecutive patients with single or multiple renal calculi were prospectively enrolled in the study. Flexible ureterorenoscopy was performed as a completely standardized operation by the same two experienced surgeons.

Preclinical evaluation of a recombinant anti-prostate specific membrane antigen single-chain immunotoxin against prostate cancer.

The prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is abundantly expressed on prostate cancer epithelial cells and its expression correlates with tumor progression. Therefore, a specific immunotherapy against this antigen may be a novel therapeutic option for the management of prostate cancer. We generated an anti-PSMA single-chain antibody fragment (scFv), called D7, by phage display from the monoclonal antibody 3/F11.

Primary prostate cancer cultures are models for androgen-independent transit amplifying cells.

Numerous efforts exist for developing primary prostate cancer cultures for studying the biology of this tumor entity and for evaluation of the effectiveness of novel therapies. However, there is doubt if cultures that represent the fully differentiated phenotype can be established. The aim of the present study was to characterize primary outgrowing prostate epithelial cells due to their basal or luminal characteristics and their potential for serving as androgen-responsible model.

Anti-PSMA immunotoxin as novel treatment for prostate cancer? High and specific antitumor activity on human prostate xenograft tumors in SCID mice.

Background: Expression of the prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is highly restricted to prostate epithelial cells. Therefore, toxin-based immunotherapy against this antigen may represent an alternative therapeutic option for prostate cancer. For these purposes, the effects of the recombinant anti-PSMA immunotoxin A5-PE40 on prostate tumor growth were investigated in vitro and in vivo.

Different basal expression of type T1 and T2 cytokines in peripheral lymphocytes of patients with adenocarcinomas and benign hyperplasia of the prostate.

Background: It has been proposed that a reduced immunological competence and a dysregulation in the T1/T2 balance may be implicated in the development of cancer. In order to study the immunological situation in vivo, we compared the mRNA expression of the T1 cytokine IFN-gamma and the T2 cytokine IL-10 in freshly isolated, not in vitro stimulated, peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with localized prostate carcinomas (PCa) and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH).

Materials And Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were isolated by gradient centrifugation.