Integrated staging systems for conventional renal cell carcinoma: a comparison of two prognostic models.

Objective: The objective of the current study was to compare, in a single center experience, the discriminating accuracy of two prognostic models to predict the outcome of patients surgically treated for conventional renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the clinical and pathological data of 100 patients surgically treated for RCC between 1998-2008 at our institution. For each patient, prognostic scores were calculated according to two models: the University of California Los Angeles integrated staging system (UISS) and the Stage, Size, Grade, and Necrosis (SSIGN) developed at the Mayo Clinic.

PSA supernormalisation: a surrogate of complete adenoma removal in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia.

It is known that serum prostate-specific antigen levels (PSA) decrease gradually following surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), but there is not an established cut-off value for normal PSA after relief of obstruction. We evaluated the impact of prostatic adenoma enucleation on PSA levels in 110 patients who underwent transvesical suprapubic adenomectomy for symptomatic BPH. We examined PSA levels before and after open surgery and weight of the prostatic adenoma as measured by the pathologist.

Between-subject variations of transition zone epithelial volume and serum PSA levels in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Purpose: We verified if the measure of transition zone epithelial volume (TZepiV) could be a valid predictor of serum PSA value in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Materials And Methods: Between January 2005 and July 2008, a total of 90 patients undergoing transvesical suprapubic adenomectomy for sintomatic BPH were enrolled. In case of an elevated PSA level (above 4 ng/ml) or abnormal digital rectal examination, systematic multisite biopsies were performed preoperatively to rule out prostate cancer.

Urodynamic parameters after solifenacin treatment in men with overactive bladder symptoms and detrusor underactivity.

Aims: To describe the changes in urodynamic parameters and to assess patients' perceptions of voiding difficulties and improvements in symptom bother after solifenacin treatment in men with overactive bladder (OAB) and detrusor underactivity (DUA).

Methods: In this prospective study, 49 neurologically intact men were enrolled. DUA was defined as a bladder contractility index (BCI) <100.

Gefitinib and bicalutamide show synergistic effects in primary cultures of prostate cancer derived from androgen-dependent naive patients.

We previously demonstrated that the inhibition of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signalling affects the endocrine therapy responses of prostate cancer (PCa) cells and that bicalutamide (BCLT) is able to reinforce PI3K activity through mechanisms involving PTEN decrement and EGFR and Her2 activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate if the hormonal therapy with BCLT can affect the EGFR-targeted therapy using primary cultures obtained from 22 human PCa tissues harvested after radical prostatectomy (RP) in patients who received (n=10) BCLT and those that did not (n=12) as neoadjuvant hormone therapy (NHT). We demonstrated that cultures derived from PCa tissues harvested after NHT presented significantly higher EGFR and Her2 levels compared to cultures derived from control patients.