Publications by authors named "Semra Olgac"

A 71-year-old woman with history of asthma presented with 2 months history of shortness of breath; on imaging an incidental left renal mass was noted. Subsequent renal protocol CT was obtained that showed a 4.5 cm left upper pole exophytic mass with renal vein thrombus extending into the inferior vena cava to the level of the caudate lobe concerning for renal cell carcinoma.

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Introduction: Small cell carcinoma of the bladder (SCCB) is a rare variant of bladder cancer with poor outcomes. We evaluated long-term outcomes of nonmetastatic (M0) and metastatic (M1) SCCB and correlated pathologic response with genomic alterations of patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).

Patients And Methods: Clinical history and pathology samples from SCCB patients diagnosed at our institution were reviewed.

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Primary renal synovial sarcoma is an aggressive, extremely rare disease. Nearly all reported cases are characterized by SYT-SSX gene translocation (X;18)(p11;q11). We describe the case of a 43-year-old woman who presented with an intraperitoneal rupture of this rare sarcoma followed by a right radical nephrectomy.

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The minor duodenal papilla drains the accessory pancreatic duct of Santorini and lies proximal to the ampulla of Vater. Adenocarcinoma and its precursor lesions arising in the minor papilla are rare. Literature data thus far are limited to a few individual case reports, and the condition is consequently poorly defined.

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Objective: To evaluate, in detail, the histopathologic features of metastatic testicular germ cell tumors to retroperitoneal lymph nodes treated with primary retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) and correlate the findings with patients' outcomes.

Materials And Methods: We studied 183 patients with documented pathologic stage II disease with or without elevated serum tumor markers, selected from 453 patients who underwent primary RPLND at our institution from 1989 to 2002. Tumor type(s), size and extent of disease, and amount of tumor necrosis were assessed and correlated with outcome.

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Background: Prostate cancer (PC) is the most commonly diagnosed noncutaneous malignancy in American men. PC, which exhibits a slow growth rate and multiple potential target epitopes, is an ideal candidate for immunotherapy. GVAX for prostate cancer is a cellular immunotherapy, composed of PC-3 cells (CG1940) and LNCaP cells (CG8711).

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Surgeons are commonly asked to evaluate patients with subepithelial masses of the stomach. Glomus tumors are subepithelial mesenchymal tumors that are rarely included in the differential diagnosis when evaluating these patients. We present the case of 55-year old man with a gastric glomus tumor that was diagnosed preoperatively and removed by laparoscopic wedge resection.

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Stem cell markers, OCT3/4, and more recently SOX2 and growth differentiation factor 3 (GDF3), have been reported to be expressed variably in germ cell tumors. We investigated the immunohistochemical expression of these markers in different testicular germ cell tumors, and their utility in the differential diagnosis of morphologically difficult-to-classify components of these tumors. A total of 50 mixed testicular germ cell tumors, 43 also containing difficult-to-classify areas, were studied.

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Background: Urachal carcinomas occur mostly in the bladder dome, comprising 22% to 35% of vesical adenocarcinomas, and are generally treated by partial cystectomy with en bloc resection of the median umbilical ligament and umbilicus. Detailed pathologic studies with clinical outcome correlation are few.

Design: We reviewed histologic material and clinical data from 24 cases selected from a database of 67 dome-based tumors diagnosed and treated at our institution from 1984 to 2005.

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Prostate-specific membrane antigen is a type II membrane glycoprotein that is expressed in benign and neoplastic prostatic tissue and has been recently shown to be also expressed in the neovasculature of various solid malignant tumors including renal cell carcinoma. Renal cell carcinoma is a heterogeneous group of tumors with distinct morphologic and genetic characteristics and clinical behaviors. We performed immunohistochemical studies on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded archival material from 75 nephrectomies, using antibodies 13D6 against prostate-specific membrane antigen and CD31 against endothelial cells.

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Carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX)-a protein maintaining intracellular and extracellular pH-reportedly also influences regulation of cell proliferation, oncogenesis, and tumor progression. Its expression is von Hippel-Lindau-hypoxia inducible factor pathway dependent. Immunohistochemical (IHC) studies show that CAIX is diffusely overexpressed in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CRCC), making it a potentially important differential diagnostic marker.

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Aggressive screening and prostate needle biopsy protocols have been successful in early detection of low-volume posterior tumors. Consequently, we have observed an increased incidence of anterior-predominant prostate cancers. However, the zones of origin, patterns of spread, and patterns of extraprostatic extension of this group of tumors have not been well studied.

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Nested variant of urothelial carcinoma is a rare neoplasm that is histologically characterized by large numbers of small, closely packed, haphazardly arranged, poorly defined, confluent irregular nests of bland-appearing urothelial cells infiltrating the lamina propria and the muscularis propria. Due to the cells' deceptively bland appearance, the tumors are sometimes misdiagnosed as benign lesions, leading in some cases to a significant delay in establishing the correct diagnosis and thus contributing to this neoplasm's advanced stage. Nested variant of urothelial carcinoma must be differentiated from the benign proliferative lesions of urothelium, such as von Brunn nests, cystitis cystica, cystitis glandularis, nephrogenic adenoma, inverted papilloma, and paraganglioma.

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Purpose: We evaluated risk factors for positive soft tissue surgical margins and the impact of soft tissue surgical margins on metastatic progression and disease specific survival in patients treated with radical cystectomy for bladder cancer.

Materials And Methods: A total of 1,589 patients who underwent radical cystectomy for primary urothelial cancer at our institution were included in the study. Several variables were analyzed including gender, age, use of perioperative chemotherapy, tumor stage, tumor grade, presence of carcinoma in situ, pathological vascular invasion, bladder pathology, status of soft tissue surgical margins, lymph node status, number of lymph nodes removed and number of positive lymph nodes.

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The presence of estrogen and progesterone-receptor-positive stroma is well known in renal mixed epithelial and stromal tumor, cystic nephroma, and angiomyolipoma with epithelial cysts. It has been suggested that the hormone receptor positivity in mixed epithelial and stromal tumor may be etiologically related to exogenous hormone intake-a phenomenon that has become more frequent in recent years. In the past few years, we have observed such stroma in some non-neoplastic kidneys, as well as in tumor-bearing kidneys away from the tumor.

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Objectives: To determine the incidence and location of prostate adenocarcinoma (PCa) and prostatic urothelial carcinoma (PUC) for patients undergoing radical cystoprostatectomy (RCP) for bladder cancer and to ascertain what preoperative information may be useful in predicting PUC or PCa in patients who may be candidates for prostate-sparing cystectomy.

Methods: Between 2001 and 2004, 235 consecutive patients underwent RCP and had whole-mount sections of the prostate. We reviewed our prospective radical cystectomy database for preoperative clinicopathological information associated with each patient.

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The recently recognized Xp11 translocation renal cell carcinomas (RCCs), all of which bear gene fusions involving the TFE3 transcription factor gene, comprise at least one-third of pediatric RCC. Only rare adult cases have been reported, without detailed pathologic analysis. We identified and analyzed 28 Xp11 translocation RCC in patients over the age of 20 years.

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Glomus tumor is a rare mesenchymal neoplasm affecting the subcutaneous tissue of the distal extremities in the majority of cases. It only rarely involves visceral organs. We report 3 cases of the glomus tumor family in the kidney, a solid glomus tumor, a glomangioma, and a glomangiomyoma.

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Purpose: Sarcomatoid renal cell carcinomas, highly aggressive variants of renal cell carcinoma subtypes, often present with or develop metastases soon after the primary diagnosis. Most metastatic cases do not respond to immunotherapy or aggressive chemotherapy. Recently targeted therapies, particularly those targeting hypoxia inducible pathway molecules, have been tested clinically on metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma with promising initial results.

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Purpose: Incision of the anterior layer of Denonvilliers' fascia is commonly cited as a key step in successful dissection of the vasa deferentia and seminal vesicles from the posterior bladder neck during laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. However, anatomical descriptions do not support the presence of Denonvilliers' fascia anterior to the seminal vesicles. To address this inconsistency we performed a detailed anatomical study of tissue planes encountered during laparoscopic dissection of the posterior bladder neck.

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Objective: The role of the lymph node dissection (LND) in conjunction with nephroureterectomy (NU) in upper tract urothelial cell carcinoma (UT-UCC) remains undefined. We evaluated the manner in which the LND was applied at NU, the patterns of lymph node (LN) involvement and the preoperative variables that could identify patients at high risk for lymph node metastasis (LNM).

Methods: We examined clinical, radiological and pathological records of patients who underwent NU for UT-UCC between 1985 and 2004.

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Background: Patients undergoing radical cystectomy (RC) for urothelial cancer are at increased risk for upper tract recurrence and anastomotic recurrence. In an attempt to reduce this recurrence risk, urologists employ intraoperative frozen sections to achieve an uninvolved ureteral margin. The utility of this surgical approach was examined.

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Metanephric adenoma (MA), a well-described renal neoplasm, usually behaves in a benign fashion. It may have areas that are morphologically similar to papillary renal cell carcinoma (RCC) type, or epithelial (tubular predominant) type Wilms' tumor. Prior immunohistochemical studies of MA have reported variable staining patterns.

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Purpose: To prospectively evaluate magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and MR spectroscopy for depiction of local prostate cancer recurrence after external-beam radiation therapy, with step-section pathologic findings as the standard of reference.

Materials And Methods: Study received institutional approval, and written informed consent was obtained. Study was compliant with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

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