The Impact of a New Interleukin-2-Based Immunotherapy Candidate on Urothelial Cells to Support Use for Intravesical Drug Delivery.

(1) Background: The intravesical instillation of interleukin-2 (IL-2) has been shown to be very well tolerated and promising in patients with bladder malignancies. This study aims to confirm the use of a new IL-2 containing immunotherapy candidate as safe for intravesical application. IL-2, produced in mammalian cells, is glycosylated, because of its unique solubility and stability optimized for intravesical use.

Inhibition of dendritic cell generation and function by serum from prostate cancer patients: correlation with serum-free PSA.

Tumor produces a number of immunosuppressive factors that block maturation of dendritic cells (DCs). Here, we demonstrated that endogenous factors presented in the serum of patients with prostate cancer (CaP) inhibited the generation of functionally active DCs from CD14+ monocytes in vitro. We have shown a significant inhibitory potential of serum obtained from patients with CaP and benign prostate hyperplasia benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) when compared with serum from healthy volunteers.

Renal cell carcinoma - innovative medical treatments.

Purpose Of Review: This review highlights recent innovations of medical treatments in advanced renal cell carcinoma. Because of significant toxicity many patients do not benefit from standard systemic cytokine therapy using interleukin-2, interferon-alpha, or both. Their median progression-free survival is about 2 months and their overall survival is poor.

Therapeutic approaches in metastatic renal cell carcinoma: local immunotherapy.

Since 1990, aerosol interleukin (IL)-2 has been used to treat pulmonary metastatic renal cell carcinoma (pmRCC). Inhalation therapy deposits a drug into the airways to achieve a high, local, clinical effect while avoiding serious systemic side effects. We report three studies to describe safety and efficacy of aerosol IL-2 in patients with pmRCC.

Total and Gleason grade 4/5 cancer volumes are major contributors of human kallikrein 2, whereas free prostate specific antigen is largely contributed by benign gland volume in serum from patients with prostate cancer or benign prostatic biopsies.

Purpose: We measured concentrations of human glandular kallikrein 2 (hK2), total prostate specific antigen (tPSA), free PSA (fPSA) and percent fPSA to evaluate their relationship to total prostate gland volume, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) volume, total prostate cancer (PCa) volume (CaVol) and the volume of Gleason grades 4/5 cancer (CaVolGl4) in the serum of 256 patients with PCa undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy and 185 with negative systematic sextant biopsies.

Materials And Methods: Free and total PSA was measured using the Delfia Prostatus (Perkin-Elmer, Turku, Finland) total/free PSA assay and hK2 was measured using a research immunofluorometric assay. Transrectal ultrasound was used to determine total prostate and BPH volume.

Renal cell carcinoma: novel treatments for advanced disease.

Purpose Of Review: IL-2 or IFN-alpha induce remissions and prolong life in patients carefully selected for a possibly toxic treatment. However, there is a need for better-tolerated and more effective therapies, especially in patients with co-morbidities and those resistant to systemic immunotherapy. Recent achievements in the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma highlight potentially significant improvements.

Inhibition of dendropoiesis by tumor derived and purified prostate specific antigen.

Purpose: Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is a serine protease produced by the prostate gland at high concentrations. Serum PSA may be significantly elevated in prostate cancer and benign prostatic diseases. It has recently become evident that, in addition to being a tissue and/or serum marker, PSA may also have biological effects.

The role of human glandular kallikrein 2 for prediction of pathologically organ confined prostate cancer.

Background: In recent studies serum levels of human glandular kallikrein 2 (hK2) demonstrated significant differences in pathologically organ-confined versus non-organ-confined prostate cancer (PCa). In this study we investigated whether hK2 adds independent information when considered together with traditionally used parameters to predict organ confined (pT2a/b) PCa.

Methods: Serum levels of hK2, total and free prostate-specific antigens (PSA) were obtained one day before radical prostatectomy in 245 consecutive men.

Clinical use of urinary markers for the detection and prognosis of bladder carcinoma: a comparison of immunocytology with monoclonal antibodies against Lewis X and 486p3/12 with the BTA STAT and NMP22 tests.

Purpose: The noninvasive detection of urothelial carcinoma remains challenging. We prospectively evaluated urine markers for bladder carcinoma. We compared the NMP22 (Matritech, Cambridge, Massachusetts) and BTA Stat (Bard Diagnostics, Redmond, Washington) tests with immunocytology using mAbs 486p3/12 and BG7 against Lewis X antigen.

Prediction of tumor heterogeneity in localized prostate cancer.

Clinical T1 and T2 prostatic carcinoma is a heterogeneous tumor with respect to pathologic stage and outcome. In the authors' experience, 60% of patients have a pT2 prostatic carcinoma, and 2% to 4% have tumors less than 0.5 cm3 in volume.

Assessment of clinical and pathologic characteristics predisposing to disease recurrence following radical prostatectomy in men with pathologically organ-confined prostate cancer.

Objective: To identify risk factors for biochemical failure after radical prostatectomy (RP) in men with pathologically organ-confined (OC) prostate cancer (PCa).

Methods: Clinical and pathological characteristics of 331 consecutive men with pT2N0 PCa treated solely with RP were used in Cox proportional hazard models to identify independent predictors of prostate specific antigen (PSA) failure (PSA > or = 0.1 ng/ml).

Percent free prostate specific antigen is not an independent predictor of organ confinement or prostate specific antigen recurrence in unscreened patients with localized prostate cancer treated with radical prostatectomy.

Purpose: We studied the controversial relationship of percent free prostate specific antigen (PSA) with organ confined prostate cancer and PSA failure after radical prostatectomy.

Materials And Methods: We tested the characteristics of the percent free PSA monoclonal Immulite DPC Immunoassay (Diagnostic Products Corp., Los Angeles, California) for predicting organ confinement in 698 consecutive unscreened men treated only with radical prostatectomy between 1995 and 2000.