Prospective study on the relationship between clinical efficacy of secondary hormone therapy with flutamide and neuroendocrine differentiation in patients with relapsed prostate cancer after first line hormone therapy.

Objective: The aim of this study was to prospectively verify the relationship between the clinical efficacies of secondary hormone therapy for castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) following first line hormone therapy and neuroendocrine differentiation (NED).

Material And Methods: Forty-six consecutive patients with CRPC following first line hormone therapy who were treated with flutamide as secondary hormone therapy were prospectively assessed with a median follow-up of 21 months. Serum chromogranin A (CgA), as a marker of NED, was measured using an immunoradiometric assay.

Intravesical recurrence after surgical management of urothelial carcinoma of the upper urinary tract.

Objectives: To elucidate clinicopathological risk factors for intravesical recurrence (IVR) in patients undergoing nephroureterectomy for upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UUT-UC).

Methods: We identified a study population of 151 consecutive patients without previous or concurrent bladder cancer who underwent nephroureterectomy for UUT-UC. IVR was assessed in relation to tumor location, size, and multifocality, operation modality and time, stage, grade, lymphovascular invasion, regional lymph node metastasis, preoperative urinary cytology, and perioperative chemotherapy.

Metastasectomy for renal cell carcinoma as a strategy to obtain complete remission.

We report a case of 67-year-old Japanese woman with two types of metastasectomy for metachronous metastases of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The initial nephrectomy for left RCC was performed in April 1977. The pathological diagnosis was clear cell carcinoma grade1-2, pT1b.

How do symptoms have an impact on the prognosis of renal cell carcinoma?

Aim: Symptomatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is well known to have a characteristic behavior. We therefore evaluated the impact of systemic symptoms on the prognosis of RCC.

Methods: Patard's criteria were used to classify symptoms before operation into three groups defined as: S1 (incidental tumor), S2 (localized symptoms) and S3 (systemic symptoms).

Primary malignant melanoma of the female urethra.

A case of primary urethral malignant melanoma of a 69-year-old Japanese woman is presented. A hemorrhagic tumor measuring 1 cm in diameter was diagnosed by the stamp method. Clinically, the primary lesion was a T4 tumor infiltrating to the bladder neck, vagina, and vulva.

Significant relationship of matrix metalloproteinase 9 with nuclear grade and prognostic impact of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 for incidental clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Objective: To examine the immunoreactivity of tumors for matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9 (MMP-2, MMP-9), tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases 1 and 2 (TIMP-1, TIMP-2), and membrane type MMP 1 (MT-MMP-1), to evaluate the optimum assessment of incidental renal cell carcinoma.

Methods: Tumor samples from 120 incidental clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ICRCC) patients without distant metastasis or invasion beyond Gerota's fascia were obtained by surgery. They were immunohistochemically stained for MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1, TIMP-2, and MT-MMP-1.

Strong significant correlation between MMP-9 and systemic symptoms in patients with localized renal cell carcinoma.

Objectives: To identify a relationship between clinical symptoms and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 and TIMP-2, and membrane type MMP-1.

Methods: Tumor samples from 232 patients with renal cell carcinoma with no distant metastasis were immunohistochemically stained for MMP-2 and MMP-9, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2, and membrane type MMP-1. The immunoreactivity of these factors was analyzed by semiquantitative multivariate analysis for correlation with clinical symptoms.

Long-term outcome from a study on the prevention of postoperative recurrence in patients with renal cell carcinoma: could PBL be a predictor of postoperative recurrence in patients postoperatively treated with IFN-gamma?

This study examined the outcome of postoperative recurrence therapy on renal cell carcinoma (RCC) prevention involving treatment with single doses of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). From 1990-2000, 37 patients with no distant metastasis at the time they underwent a nephrectomy were enrolled in this investigation. Subcutaneous IFN-gamma was administered once a week.

Prostate-specific antigen failure within 2 years of radical prostatectomy predicts overall survival.

Objective: This study attempts to determine whether prostate-specific antigen (PSA) failure following radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) affects patients' long-term overall survival.

Methods: This study examined 155 men diagnosed as clinical stages T1b-T3a who received RRP as primary therapy. To evaluate whether PSA failure following RRP affects overall survival, the patients were grouped into those who experienced PSA failure within 2 years and those who did not.

Usefulness of contrast-enhanced ultrasound for the diagnosis of recurrent renal cell carcinoma in contralateral kidney.

We studied contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEU) for recurrence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) at the contralateral kidney during postoperative follow up of localized renal cell carcinoma. CEU successfully detected all recurring cases, despite the fact that 5/6 cases were observed using conventional ultrasound; the remaining one case was not detected using conventional ultrasound. CEU using Levovisto successfully revealed renal tumors as RCC.

Immunosuppressive acidic protein detects high nuclear grade localized renal cell carcinoma.

Objectives: To identify a potentially useful preoperative predictor of high nuclear grade renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Methods: Our investigation consisted of 181 patients with histologically confirmed clear cell RCC. The positive predictive value, sensitivity, and specificity for detecting nuclear grade RCC were calculated individually for the largest tumor diameter.

The impact of angiogenesis on the prognosis of advanced renal cell carcinomas.

We studied the relationship between angiogenic factors and clinical responses in advanced renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) and evaluated the angiogenic factors to clarify the potential impact of these factors on the cancer-specific survival. From January 1990 to December 2000, 148 patients underwent a nephrectomy for RCCs at our institution. Of the 32 patients who had distant metastasis, 17 met the histopathologic analysis requirements for an immuno-histochemical investigation.

[Enucleation of renal cell carcinoma in von Hippel-Lindau disease using a microwave tissue coagulator].

The patient was a 37-year-old man who had undergone left nephrectomy under the diagnosis of left renal cell carcinoma associated with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease 4 years ago. Computed tomography (CT) revealed 3 individual tumors 20 mm, 13 mm and 9 mm in maximum diameter in the right kidney. All three renal tumors were enucleated with a microwave tissue coagulator (MTC) without renal pedicle clamping.