Sarcomatoid Carcinoma of the Urinary Bladder: A Clinicopathological Study of 4 Cases and a Review of the Literature

Sarcomatoid carcinoma (SC) of urinary bladder is a rare tumor exhibiting aggressive behavior. Here we are reviewing the pathologic and clinical characteristics of 4 consecutive cases of this rare tumor. Three out of 4 patients were males and one female. The median age was 72.8 years (range, 60-79 years). Patients underwent transurethral resection of bladder tumor and the diagnosis of bladder SC was established on the pathologic examination of the resected bladder tissue. Despite treatment all patients died within 22 months of the diagnosis of SC. SC of the bladder are true biphasic malignant neoplasm exhibiting morphologic and immunohistochemical evidence of epithelial and mesenchymal differentiation with the presence or absence of heterologous elements. The aggressive of the tumor precludes radical therapy whenever possible, since adjuvant therapy seems to have little effect.

accuracy of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of superficial bladder tumors in patients presenting with hematuria

Ultrasonography has been proposed as the initial test for detection of bladder carcinomas in patients presenting with hematuria, but the accuracy of transabdominal ultrasonography in the diagnosis of superficial bladder carcinoma has not been assessed. We prospectively evaluated 173 patients presenting to the outpatient department with painless hematuria by transabdominal ultrasound and cystoscopy. The tolerability of cystoscopy was also assessed. Of 148 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 39 with bladder carcinoma were identified by cystoscopy as having bladder carcinoma, while 34 were identified by ultrasonography. For ultrasonography, the sensitivity [87.1%], specificity [98.1%], positive predictive value [94.4%] and negative predictive value [95.4%] were good but not as good as cystoscopy. While the tolerability of cystoscopy is relatively low, it is still superior to ultrasonography in the evaluation of the bladder as a possible source of hematuria

Associations among benign prostate hypertrophy, atypical adenomatous hyperplasia and latent carcinoma of the prostate / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>AIM</b>To investigate the frequency of atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH) and its associations with benign prostate hypertrophy (BPH) and latent histological carcinoma of the prostate (LPC) in autopsy material.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Two hundred and twelve prostate specimens obtained from autopsy material were subjected to whole mount analysis in an attempt to investigate the associations among BPH, AAH and LPC.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Most histological carcinomas and AAH lesions were found in enlarged prostates with intense hypertrophy. No statistically significant relation was found between BPH and the main characteristics of LPC, such as tumor volume, histological differentiation and biological behavior. Our data regarding multi-focal tumors showed a tendency for multi-focal carcinomas to develop in larger prostates, and a tendency of AAH lesions to develop in larger prostates. No statistically significant relation was found between AAH and LPC.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>There seems not any causative aetiopathogenetical or topographical relation between AAH lesions and prostate adenocarcinoma. AAH lesion seems to be a well-defined mimicker of prostatic adenocarcinoma, and the reported association of AAH with prostatic carcinoma could probably be an epiphenomenon.</p>

Association between testicular microlithiasis, testicular cancer, cryptorchidism and history of ascending testis

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively determine the prevalence of testicular microlithiasis in symptomatic patients who were referred for scrotal ultrasound examination and to evaluate the possible association of testicular microlithiasis with testicular cancer and other conditions such as cryptorchidism or history of ascending testis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 391 men who were referred to our institutions between July 2002 and May 2005 for any type of symptoms from the testicles, underwent physical and scrotal ultrasound examination. The presence of testicular microlithiasis, the number of lesions and the involvement of both testicles in relation to the symptoms as well as the coexistence of other lesions were studied. RESULTS: Eighteen (4.6 percent) of 391 men enrolled into the study had testicular microlithiasis. Two out of the eighteen patients (11 percent) had concomitant testicular cancer, which was confirmed by pathological evaluation of the orchidectomy specimen. One of the patients with testicular microlithiasis presented a rising in biochemical tumor markers (LDH, and HCG) and underwent orchidectomy one year later. Five of the remaining 373 (1.3 percent) patients without microlithiasis were diagnosed with testicular cancer. Thirty six men reported having a history of ascending testis, but none of them was found with testicular cancer. Two cases of testicular torsion in a cryptorchid position had testicular microlithiasis, but the orchidectomy specimen (after surgery) was negative for testicular cancer. The correlation between testicular cancer and testicular microlithiasis found in our study was statistically significant (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: There seems to be an association between testicular microlithiasis and testicular cancer.