Sexual life of male patients with advanced renal cancer treated with angiogenesis inhibitors.

Background: The advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) affects patients mainly ∼60 years of age and who may have an active sex life. The objective of the study was to investigate possible sexual disorders in a male population with advanced RCC treated with a molecular targeted therapy (MTT).

Patients And Methods: Thirty-eight male patients with a stabilized advanced RCC on MTT were proposed a personal interview about their sexual life, filled in the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) auto-questionnaire, and were reassessed if the treatment was modified.

Phase II trial of thalidomide in renal-cell carcinoma.

Background: Thalidomide has been reported to yield anti-tumor activity in cancer. We performed a phase II trial of this drug in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma to determine its efficacy.

Patients And Methods: Patients with proven metastatic renal cell cancer, measurable progressive disease and a performance status of 0-2 were enrolled in this study.

Epidemiological studies of spectrin mutations related to hereditary elliptocytosis and spectrin polymorphisms in Benin.

We studied an African population in Benin and discovered an unexpectedly high frequency (1.6%) of hereditary elliptocytosis (HE) among the 1447 subjects studied. In approximately two-thirds of HE individuals we identified molecular defects, primarily those in erythrocyte alpha-spectrin (dupL154, L260P and L207P mutations), as well as a novel mutation of erythrocyte beta-spectrin (beta-W2061R mutation).