Radical nephrectomy and intracaval thrombectomy for advanced renal cancer with extensive inferior vena cava involvement utilising cardiopulmonary bypass and hypothermic circulatory arrest: Is it worthwhile?

Objective: To report our long-term outcomes of surgical treatment of renal tumours with inferior vena cava (IVC) tumour thrombus above the hepatic veins, utilising cardiopulmonary bypass (CBP) and hypothermic circulatory arrest (HCA), as surgical resection remains the only effective treatment for renal cancers with extensive IVC tumour thrombus.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 48 consecutive patients (median age 58 years) who underwent surgical treatment for non-metastatic renal cancer with IVC tumour thrombus extending above the hepatic veins. Perioperative, histological, disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS) data were recorded.

Claudin-11 decreases the invasiveness of bladder cancer cells.

The expression of claudin-11 in benign and malignant bladder tissue and the effect of forced expression of claudin-11 on tight junction function and invasiveness of bladder cancer cells were studied. Claudin-11 expression was tested in bladder cancer cell lines (T24/83, RT 112/84 and EJ138) using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and in benign and malignant bladder tissue by quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. T24/83 cells were transfected with the pcDNA.

Tight junctions and bladder cancer (review).

Tight junctions play a critical role in the maintenance of the urine-blood barrier creating a physiological barrier to the passage of ions and solutes between the urine and blood. Alterations in this urine-blood barrier function have been demonstrated in some diseases and regulation of the tight junction function has been recognised as an important aspect of the cell biology of cancer in terms of disease progression and as a potential therapeutic target. Although tight junctions play an important role in the physiological control of bladder function, there is little published on their molecular composition or regulation in the normal or diseased bladder.

A phase-1 study of sequential mitomycin C and 5-aminolaevulinic acid-mediated photodynamic therapy in recurrent superficial bladder carcinoma.

Objective: To report a phase-1 study of patients with recurrent superficial bladder cancer treated with photodynamic therapy (PDT) using sequential mitomycin C and 5-aminolaevulinic acid (ALA).

Patients And Methods: Twenty-four patients were treated, the primary endpoint being the safety and tolerability of combined therapy at increasing doses of ALA and light.

Results: Mitomycin C instillation was followed by ALA concentrations of 6%, 8% or 10%; there was no effect on toxicity.