VCAN Hypomethylation and Expression as Predictive Biomarkers of Drug Sensitivity in Upper Urinary Tract Urothelial Carcinoma.

Versican (VCAN), also known as extracellular matrix proteoglycan 2, has been suggested as a potential biomarker in cancers. Previous research has found that VCAN is highly expressed in bladder cancer. However, its role in predicting outcomes for patients with upper urinary tract urothelial cancer (UTUC) is not well understood.

Hypomethylated RRBP1 Potentiates Tumor Malignancy and Chemoresistance in Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma.

Ribosome-binding protein 1 (RRBP1) is a potential oncogene in several cancer types. However, the correlation between RRBP1 expression and the prognosis of patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) remains unclear. In this study, we identified that RRBP1 is associated with carcinogenesis and metastasis in UTUC using a methylation profiling microarray.

Comparison of the Prognostic Value of Ki-67 and Programmed Cell Death Ligand-1 in Patients with Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma.

We retrospectively enrolled 102 patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) who underwent radical nephroureterectomy to examine the prognostic value of Ki-67 and programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1). Then, we performed PD-L1 and Ki-67 immunohistochemical staining on whole tissue sections. The cut-off value of PD-L1 positivity was a combined positive score (CPS) ≥10 and the Ki-67 overexpression was 20%.

Acute spontaneous thoracic epidural hematoma associated with intraspinal lymphangioma: A case report.

Background: Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma is a rare neurosurgical emergency.

Case Summary: A 53-year-old healthy woman suffered from complete paraplegia in both legs and loss of all sensation below the xiphoid process. She was diagnosed as acute spontaneous thoracic epidural hematoma caused by an intraspinal lymphangioma.

Prognostic value of PD-L1 combined positive score in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma.

Purpose: Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is relatively rare in Western countries. The impact of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression on UTUC remains unclear because previous studies have focused on bladder UC. We investigated the association of PD-L1 expression with clinicopathological features and prognosis in patients with UTUC.

Galectin-1 Overexpression Activates the FAK/PI3K/AKT/mTOR Pathway and Is Correlated with Upper Urinary Urothelial Carcinoma Progression and Survival.

Galectin-1 (GAL1) is a β-galactoside-binding protein involved in multiple aspects of tumorigenesis. However, the biological role of GAL1 in upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) has not been entirely understood. Herein, we investigated the oncological effects of GAL1 expression in tumor specimens and identified related gene alterations through molecular analysis of GAL1.

Comparative Study of the Safety and Efficacy of First-Line Cisplatin and Carboplatin Chemotherapy in Elderly Patients with Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma.

Objectives: Platinum-based chemotherapy is the standard treatment for metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC). However, considering elderly patients often experience comorbidities and frailty, the utility of cisplatin-based chemotherapy for elderly patients is still debatable. We conducted this study to compare the safety and efficacy of carboplatin and cisplatin in elderly patients with mUC.

Aristolochic Acid Affects Upper Tract Urothelial Cancer Behavior through the MAPK Pathway.

The prevalence of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) in Taiwan is relatively higher than thatin Western countries. Aristolochic acid (AA), which is widely used in traditional Chinese herbology, is now recognized to be one of the carcinogens for UTUC. Numerous UTUC patients have chronic kidney diseases or end-stage renal diseases; however, little literature hasreported on theoncogenic pathway of AA-related UTUC.

Proteomics Analysis of Tangeretin-Induced Apoptosis through Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Bladder Cancer Cells.

Tangeretin is one of the most abundant compounds in citrus peel, and studies have shown that it possesses anti-oxidant and anti-cancer properties. However, no study has been conducted on bladder cancer cells. Bladder cancer has the second highest mortality rate among urological cancers and is the fifth most common malignancy in the world.

Progressive large pediatric corneal limbal dermoid management with tissue glue-assisted monolayer amniotic membrane transplantation: A case report.

Rationale: Limbal dermoids are choristomas known as congenital benign tumors found in abnormal locations. Despite the benign nature, enlarging limbal dermoids may cause visual abnormalities by cornea infiltration with fat component, visual axis invasion, gradually induced corneal astigmatism, and finally result in anisometropic amblyopia. Here we report a rare case of progressive, large pediatric corneal limbal dermoid in a newborn, managed with tissue glue-assisted monolayer amniotic membrane transplantation.

Increased S100A15 expression and decreased DNA methylation of its gene promoter are involved in high metastasis potential and poor outcome of lung adenocarcinoma.

Purpose: This study aims to determine the functional role of S100A15 and its promoter DNA methylation patterns in lung cancer progression.

Experimental Design: We analyzed 178 formalin-fixed paraffin embedded specimens from lung cancer patients, including 24 early stage and 91 advanced stage adenocarcinoma. S100A15 protein expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry stain, and its DNA methylation levels were measured by pyrosequencing.

Novel Inflammation-Based Prognostic Score for Predicting Survival in Patients with Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma.

Purpose: We developed a novel inflammation-based model (NPS), which consisted of a neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet count (PC), for assessing the prognostic role in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC).

Materials And Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients with metastatic UC who underwent systemic chemotherapy between January 1997 and December 2014 in Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. The defined cutoff values for the NLR and PC were 3.

Expression of Estrogen Receptor Beta Predicts Oncologic Outcome of pT3 Upper Urinary Tract Urothelial Carcinoma Better Than Aggressive Pathological Features.

Upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UT-UC) is rare and treatment options or prognostic markers are limited. There is increasing evidence indicating that urothelial carcinoma may be an endocrine-related cancer. The aim of this study was to analyze the prognostic effect of estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) on the outcome of UT-UC.

The Prognostic Impact of Histopathological Variants in Patients with Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma.

Purpose: This study investigated the prognostic role of histopathological variants in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma (UC) who were treated with systemic chemotherapy.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with unresectable and/or metastatic UC who underwent systemic chemotherapy between January 1997 and December 2013 in Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Histopathological types were categorized as pure UC (PUC) and variants of UC (VUC).

The preliminary experiences of translocation renal cell carcinoma and literature review.

Xp11.2 translocation renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is rare and predominantly found in children and young adults. Because of the property of overexpressed transcription factor E3 (TFE3) fusion protein, immunohistochemical (IHC) staining with TFE3 antibody makes an excellent diagnostic tool.

Peripheral immune cell gene expression changes in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with first line combination chemotherapy.

Introduction: Increasing evidence has shown that immune surveillance is compromised in a tumor-promoting microenvironment for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and can be restored by appropriate chemotherapy.

Methods: To test this hypothesis, we analyzed microarray gene expression profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 30 patients with newly-diagnosed advanced stage NSCLC, and 20 age-, sex-, and co-morbidity-matched healthy controls. All the patients received a median of four courses of chemotherapy with cisplatin and gemcitabine for a 28-day cycle as first line treatment.

Lymphadenectomy in urologic oncology: pathologic considerations.

Lymphadenectomy (LAD) is an important staging and treatment modality of oncologic surgery. LAD in genitourinary malignancies presents inherent difficulties to the urologist and pathologist because of the differences in anatomic sites and primary histologic type. This review focuses on pathologic evaluation and how communication between urologist and pathologist is necessary to provide optimal care.

Postprandial abdominal pain owing to isolated enteric duplication cyst in the superior mesenteric artery root: sonographic and magnetic resonance imaging features.

A 7-year-old girl presented to the emergency department with postprandial abdominal pain. An abdominal sonogram revealed a retroperitoneal septated cystic lesion. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a septated cystic lesion in the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) root with a vessel originating from the proximal SMA supplying the cyst wall and a deformed adjacent aortic contour.

Micropapillary variant of urothelial carcinoma: a report of 4 cases and literature review.

Micropapillary variant of urothelial carcinoma (MPUC) is an uncommon variant of urothelial carcinoma with high metastatic potential. The cases reported in the literature were associated with high grade and advanced stages of the disease at presentation and had a poor prognosis. Four patients were diagnosed with MPUC at our center.

Adverse effect of low-dose amiodarone mimicking pulmonary malignancy.

A 74-year-old woman presented with a one-week history of persistent cough. A chest x-ray and computed tomography images revealed features mimicking lung cancer, which included a large solitary consolidation and hilar lymphadenopathy. She had received low-dose amiodarone (200 mg/day) for treatment of atrial fibrillation for more than 2.

Contemporary approaches for processing and handling of radical prostactomy specimens.

Standardized protocols for processing radical prostatectomy specimens are critical for superior patient management. It provides accurate information to the clinician in a reliable and consistent format to enhance patient care and prognosis. In recent years, processing protocols have been proposed by various authoritative groups, with similar suggestions for most parts of the practice guidelines; however, discrepancy in processing approaches still exists.