El papel de la resonancia magnética multiparamétrica en el diagnóstico de la recidiva local tras la prostatectomía radical y antes de la radioterapia de rescate / The role of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of local recurrence after radical prostatectomy and before salvage radiotherapy

Objetivo Evaluar la precisión diagnóstica de la resonancia magnética multiparamétrica (RMmp) en la detección de la recidiva local del cáncer de próstata (CaP) después de la prostatectomía radical (PR) y antes de la radioterapia (RT). Materiales y métodos Un total de 188 pacientes se sometieron a una RMmp de 1,5T después de la PR y antes de la RT. Los pacientes se dividieron en 2 grupos: con recidiva bioquímica (grupo A) y sin recidiva bioquímica, pero con alto riesgo de recidiva local (grupo B). Las variables continuas se compararon entre los 2 grupos mediante la prueba t de Student; las variables categóricas se analizaron mediante chi-cuadrado de Pearson. El análisis ROC se realizó considerando como variables de agrupación el PSA antes de la RT, el grado ISUP, el pT y el pN. Resultados La recidiva del CaP (reducción de los niveles de PSA después de la RT) fue del 89,8% en el grupo A y del 80,3% en el grupo B. Al comparar los pacientes con y sin recidiva del CaP, hubo una diferencia significativa en los valores de PSA antes de la RT para el grupo A, y en los valores de PSA antes y después de la RT para el grupo B. En el grupo A hubo una correlación significativa entre el PSA antes de la RT y el diámetro de la recidiva, y entre el PSA antes de la RT y el tiempo transcurrido hasta la recidiva. La precisión diagnóstica de la RMmp en la detección de la recidiva local del CaP tras la RT es del 62,2% en el grupo A y del 38% en el grupo B. La imagen potenciada en difusión es la secuencia de RM más específica y la perfusión dinámica con contraste la más sensible. Para el PSA=0,5ng/ml, el AUC disminuye, mientras que la sensibilidad y la precisión aumentan para cada secuencia de RM. Para el PSA=0,9ng/ml, el AUC de la perfusión dinámica con contraste aumenta significativamente (AU)

Purpose Assess multiparametric-MRI (mp-MRI) diagnostic accuracy in the detection of local recurrence of prostate cancer (PCa) after radical prostatectomy (PR) and before radiation therapy (RT). Materials and methods A total of 188 patients underwent 1.5-T mp-MRI after RP before RT. Patients were divided into 2 groups: with biochemical recurrence (group A) and without but with high risk of local recurrence (group B). Continuous variables were compared between 2 groups using Student-t test; categoric variables were analyzed using Pearson chi-square. ROC analysis was performed considering PSA before RT, ISUP, pT and pN as grouping variables. Results PCa recurrence (reduction of PSA levels after RT) was 89.8% in group A and 80.3% in group B. Comparing patients with and without PCa recurrence, there was a significant difference in PSA values before RT for group A and for PSA values before RT and after RT for group B. In group A, there was a significant correlation between PSA before RT and diameter of recurrence and between PSA before RT and time spent before recurrence. The mp-MRI diagnostic accuracy in detecting PCa local recurrence after RP is of 62.2% in group A and 38% in group B. Diffusion weighted imaging is the most specific MRI-sequence and dynamic contrast enhanced the most sensitive. For PSA=0.5ng/ml, the AUC decreases while sensitivity and accuracy increase for each MRI-sequence. For PSA=0.9ng/ml, dynamic contrast enhanced-AUC increases significantly. Conclusion mp-MRI should always be performed before RT when a recurrence is suspected. New scenarios can be opened considering the role of diffusion weighted imaging for PSA≤0.5ng/ml (AU)

The role of multiparametric mri in the diagnosis of local recurrence after radical prostatectomy and before salvage radiotherapy.

PURPOSE: Assess multiparametric-MRI (mp-MRI) diagnostic accuracy in the detection of local recurrence of Prostate Cancer (PCa) after Radical Prostatectomy (PR) and before Radiation Therapy (RT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 188 patients underwent 1.5-T mp-MRI after RP before RT. Patients were divided into two groups: with biochemical recurrence (group A) and without but with high risk of local recurrence (group B). Continuous variables were compared between two groups using T-Student; categoric variables were analyzed using Pearson chi-square. ROC analysis was performed considering PSA before RT, ISUP, pT and pN as grouping variables. RESULTS: PCa recurrence (reduction of PSA levels after RT) was 89.8% in the group A and 80.3% in the group B. Comparing patients with and without PCa recurrence, there was a significant difference in PSA values before RT for group A and for PSA values before RT and after RT for group B. In group A, there was a significant correlation between PSA before RT and diameter of recurrence and between PSA before RT and time spent before recurrence. The mp-MRI diagnostic accuracy in detecting PCa local recurrence after RP is of 62.2% in group A and 38% in group B. DWI is the most specific MRI-sequence and DCE the most sensitive. For PSA = 0.5 ng/ml, the AUC decreases while sensitivity and accuracy increase for each MRI-sequence. For PSA = 0.9 ng/ml, DCE-AUC increases significantly. CONCLUSION: mp-MRI should always be performed before RT when a recurrence is suspected. New scenarios can be opened considering the role of DWI for PSA ≤ 0.5 ng/ml.

Simplified Indiana pouch with multiple teniamyotomies.

OBJECTIVES: To describe a retrospective review of a single-institution, single-surgeon (M.G.) experience with 44 simplified Indiana pouch with multiple teniamyotomies without detubularization and reconfiguration. METHODS: From April 1999 to May 2003, 44 patients underwent radical cystectomy and continent urinary diversion with a simplified Indiana pouch technique using teniamyotomies without detubularization and reconfiguration. The tenia was sectioned across the whole width and deepened as far as the submucosal layer, with 2 to 3 cm between each teniamyotomy. The efferent tract of the reservoir was prepared using the appendix. If it was unsuitable, an ileum invagination nipple fixed in the ileocecal valve was constructed. RESULTS: The mean follow-up was 3 years (range 1 to 5). Continence was excellent for 40 patients (91%); in 4 patients (9%), daytime incontinence was reported. The urodynamic studies showed an average pressure at 350 mL of capacity of 19.6 cm H2O (range 15.1 to 25.5). The average pressure at maximal capacity (400 to 600 mL) was 32.3 cm H2O (range 28.5 to 35). Long-term complications occurred in 15 patients (34%), with a mean onset of 13.4 months postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: Our experience showed that a modified Indiana pouch with multiple teniamyotomies has a good capacity with low internal pressure and good continence. Thus, even with the comparable results of other continent pouch models, our modified Indiana pouch is a valid alternative because of its simplicity to perform.

Sensitive detection of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder by microsatellite analysis of cells exfoliated in urine.

Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) is the most common bladder tumor. Urine cytology can identify most high-grade tumors but sensitivity is lower if one includes lesions of all grades. Microsatellite marker alterations have been found in many tumor types including bladder cancer and have been used to detect cancer cells in body fluids including urine. The aim of our study is to further evaluate feasibility and sensitivity of microsatellite analysis to detect bladder cancer cells in urine. We studied 55 individuals: 21 with symptoms suggestive of bladder cancer, 23 patients with previous history of TCC and 11 healthy subjects. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood lymphocytes, urine sediment, bladder washings and tumor or normal bladder mucosa. Twenty highly informative microsatellite markers were analyzed for loss of heterozigosity (LOH) and microsatellite instability (MIN) by polymerase chain reaction. Microsatellite analysis of urine identified 33 of 34 (97%) patients with either primary or tumor recurrence, whereas urine cytology identified 27 of 34 (79%) patients (p = 0.0001). Detection of microsatellite abnormalities improved the sensitivity of detecting low-grade and/or stage bladder tumor: from 75-95% for grades G1-G2 and from 75-100% for pTis-pTa tumors. Bladder washings from 25 patients were also analyzed, and in all cases results were identical to those obtained from voided urine. None of the 16 patients without evidence of TCC showed LOH and/or MIN in urine samples or bladder washings. Interestingly, in a patient with persistent bladder mucosa abnormalities, microsatellite alterations were demonstrated 8 months before the histopathologic diagnosis of tumor recurrence. These results further indicate that microsatellite marker analysis is more sensitive than conventional urine cytology in detecting bladder cancer cells in urine and represents a potential clinical tool for monitoring patients with low-grade/stage TCC.

Tumor specific modulation of KU70/80 DNA binding activity in breast and bladder human tumor biopsies.

The Ku70/80 heterodimer is the regulatory subunit of the DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) and its DNA-binding activity mediates DNA double-strand breaks repair. Although Ku80 was recently proposed as a caretaker gene involved in the control of genome integrity, no data are available on Ku70/80 DNA-binding activity in human tumors. Heterodimer DNA-binding activity and protein expression were assayed by electrophoretic-mobility-shift-assay (EMSA) and Western blot analysis, in nuclear and cytoplasmic extracts from eight breast, seven bladder primary tumors and three metastatic nodes from breast cancers. Corresponding normal tissues of the same patients were used as controls. Ten out of 15 tumors showed nuclear Ku-binding activity 3-10 times higher than in the normal tissues, irrespective of bladder or breast origin. Conversely, in 5/15 primary tumors and in all the metastatic nodes analysed, nuclear Ku-activity was 1.5-4.5-fold lower than in the corresponding normal tissues. Cytoplasmic heterodimer activity significantly differed between tumor and normal tissues, displaying a 2-10-fold increase in neoplastic tissues. Three different patterns combining both Ku expression and activity with tumor characteristics were identified. In low aggressive breast tumors p70/p80 proteins were expressed in tumor but not in normal tissues. The heterodimer binding-activity matched the protein levels. In non-invasive bladder carcinomas no significant differences in protein expression between tumor and the corresponding normal tissues were found, however heterodimer binding-activity was increased in tumor samples. In breast and bladder tumors, at the advanced stage and in node metastases, the binding activity was strongly reduced in tumor biopsies, however no differences were demonstrated between normal and tumor protein levels. Our results suggest a different modulation of Ku70/80 DNA-binding activity in human neoplastic tissues, possibly related to tumor progression. Findings provide further data on tissue-specific protein expression and post-translational regulation of heterodimer activity.

Surgical enucleation for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Prognostic significance of tumour stage, grade and DNA ploidy.

This study reviews a total of 26 renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who underwent enucleation of the tumour with functionally and anatomically normal controlateral kidney and no evidence of systemic renal disease. At follow-up, after a mean of 62 months the disease specific survival rate for this series was 88.5%. Survival rates according to the pathologic stage, grading, tumour diameter and ploidy are reported. Local recurrences were documented in 4 of the 26 RCC. All 4 RCC were more than 5 cm in diameter and recurred in the remaining parenchyma. After local recurrence, three tumours with aneuploid DNA content underwent radical nephrectomy, whereas 1 with diploid DNA content was submitted to a new enucleation of the recurrence. To date the diploid case is still alive 3 years after the original resection of the primary tumour whereas the other 3 patients died for metastatic disease. In our experience the ideal candidate for renal sparing surgery in the presence of a normal opposite kidney is an asymptomatic patient that incidentally is brought to our attention with a small size (less than 5 cm in diameter), low stage (T1-T2) tumour, well surrounded by a pseudocapsule. DNA content is a valuable prognostic factor in patients submitted to conservative surgery. Diploid tumours have been seen to have a better prognosis and in case of local recurrence they may be reconsidered for a new enucleation of the recurrence.

Multiple primary tumors: 17 cases of renal-cell carcinoma associated with primary tumors involving different steroid-hormone target tissues.

The aim of this study was to analyze the characteristics of 17 women with renal-cell carcinoma (RCC) associated with other primary neoplasms occurring in steroid-hormone target tissues. The reproductive history of these patients and the use of exogenous hormones were taken into consideration. In all, 10 RCCs were associated with breast carcinoma; 4, with endometrial carcinoma; and 3, with ovarian carcinoma. The presentation of a second primary tumor was described as synchronous or metachronous by evaluation of the interval between the discovery of the two neoplasms. Hormone and surgical treatment as well as pathologic findings for each primary tumor were also reported. In these 17 RCCs the overall rate of disease-specific survival recorded after a mean follow-up period of 32.7 months (range 9-66 months) was 58.8%; 7 patients died of metastatic disease after surviving for a mean of 14.7 months. In terms of the pathologic stage of RCC, a significant difference in mean survival was found between pN0 (mean survival 22.1 +/- 3.4 months) and pN1 RCCs (mean survival 13.7 +/- 3.5 months). A total of 13 (76.4%) women were postmenopausal at the time of diagnosis of the first primary tumor; the mean age of these women at menopause was 51.7 +/- 1.2 years. No prior use of oral contraceptives was reported by 12 (70.5%) of the 17 patients. Plasma 17-beta-estradiol and estrone levels were determined in only 7 patients at the diagnosis of each of the primary tumors. High plasma estrogen levels were found in 4 women with RCC and breast carcinoma and in 1 patient with RCC and endometrial carcinoma; in the remaining 2 patients low-normal values were found. A relationship appears to exist between certain reproductive and hormone-related factors and the risk of developing these tumor associations. Data emerging from the present study do not provide strong support for the hypothesis of hormone dependency of RCC; however, a role for estrogens in cases in which RCC is associated with other primary tumors involving steroid-hormone target tissues can be hypothesized.

Massive haemobilia after percutaneous liver biopsy in a patient with POEMS syndrome successfully treated by arterial embolization.

A 65-year-old woman with POEMS syndrome (polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy and skin changes) developed severe upper right quadrant colic with jaundice, massive haematemesis and melaena following an apparently uncomplicated percutaneous liver biopsy performed for suspected liver involvement. Symptom onset occurred about 18 hours after the procedure. Haemobilia was diagnosed on endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. An arteriovenous fistula in the third hepatic segment was demonstrated by transfemoral arteriography and successfully embolized using Gelfoam pledgets mixed with Ivalon fragments. A review of percutaneous liver biopsy related haemobilia is presented.

[Comparative effects of transurethral incision (TUIP) and the combination of TUIP and LHRH agonists in the treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy]. / Effets comparés de l'incision cervico-prostatique (ICP) et de l'association ICP et agonistes de la LHRH dans le traitement de l'hypertrophie bénigne de la prostate.

Between December 1991 and December 1993, 74 BPH patients with an increased operative risk and concomitant diseases such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension were submitted to a transurethral incision of the prostate (TUIP). After TUIP, patients were randomized to two different groups: group 1 was followed without additional treatment and group 2 received an LHRH analogue for the first 6 months of follow-up. With respect to transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), TUIP has been shown to demonstrate a lower perioperative morbidity. This advantage has lent further support to this technique as a valid alternative for patients in poor general conditions who are at high risk with more invasive procedures. One of the limits of TUIP is the long-term effectiveness. Aim of this study was to ascertain whether in patients with BPH and an increased operative risk who require immediate and definitive treatment but with a low perioperative morbidity, the long-term effectiveness of TUIP can be stabilized by the administration of an LHRH analogue. At present postoperative follow-up ranges from a minimum of 24 months to a maximum 48 months (mean 38.4 months). Perioperative morbidity rate associated with TUIP was 8.1%. In the group randomized to combination therapy (TUIP + LHRH analogue), the clinical condition of the patients was not modified by LHRH analogue treatment and none of the patients withdrew from treatment. Loss of sexual potency occurred in all patients on LHRH analogue, however, none of these patients discontinued treatment for this reason. At the end of the cycle of hormone treatment, sexual potency returned to pretreatment values in 69.5% of patients after a mean of 3.2 months. In this study the objective efficacy of the treatment was evaluated using flow rate measurements, and the subjective assessment of outcomes, using the International Prostate Symptom Score. Statistically significant differences between the two groups (TUIP alone or TUIP + LHRH analogue) (p < 0.01) were reported at 6 months and were still maintained at 24 months of follow up. Results emerging from this investigation confirm that TUIP may be considered extremely safe procedure with low operative risk. In selected BPH patients who are at high risk, with a more invasive procedure and who must be submitted to immediate and definitive treatment, the association of an LHRH analogue seems to increase the long-term effectiveness of TUIP. Five year follow-up studies are still in progress.

Cost effectiveness in the management of benign prostatic hyperplasia: Italian data.

Several works in literature demonstrate that in some countries the economic considerations are as important as the clinical aspects of a disease; economic evaluation may be of help for decision making. The exact cost of the diagnosis and treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) patients is difficult to estimate. The total number of males in Italy is 27,982,144 (1991 data). In the last year 2,200,000 patients have been treated for BPH in Italy (surgically and pharmacologically); the overall cost for the therapy of BPH exceeded 46 million dollars per year. Currently surgery represents the standard treatment of BPH. In the USA alone over 350,000 surgical procedures are performed annually. In USA the cost per TURP is 12,000 dollars. In Italy the minimum direct cost is 3681 dollars; in most cases, however, the cost per TURP is over 5000 dollars. It is estimated that about 80% of patients with micturion problems prefer an alternative treatment before surgery. In our country 4,338,000 diagnoses of BPH have been performed in 1991. The number of prescriptions for BPH has been 4,867,000 and the number of drugs per prescription 1.16. It may be of interest to compare costs associated with different pharmacological therapies for BPH. Considering the direct costs, it has been estimated that the cost of 1 year's treatment with finasteride is 1833 dollars, while that of 1 year with plant extracts is 1151 dollars. The existing literature is deficient in defining the cost related to the therapeutical options for BPH.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Speaker-independent consonant classification in continuous speech with distinctive features and neural networks.

This paper provides experimental evidence to the assertion that the design of appropriate neural networks (NN) for speech recognition should be inspired by acoustic and phonetic knowledge, and not only by knowledge in pattern recognition. Rather than investigating the NN learning paradigm, the paper is focused on the influence of the input parameters, of the internal structure, and of the desired output representation on the classification performance of recurrent multilayer perceptrons. As an instructive example, the paper analyzes the problem of classifying ten stop and nasal consonants in continuous speech independently of the speaker. Experiments are reported for the TIMIT database, using 343 speakers in the training set and 77 different speakers in the test set. Comparative experiments show that good performance is obtained when many input acoustic parameters are used, including a time/frequency gradient operator related to transitions of the second formant, and when the desired outputs represent context-dependent articulatory features. Classification is performed by principal component analysis of the NN outputs. Refinement of the design parameters yield increasingly better performance on the test set, ranging from 45% errors for a perceptron without hidden nodes to 23.3% errors for the best NN.

Pathology of BPH.

Much research has been conducted to determine which tissue (epithelium or stroma) in the prostate gives rise to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Considering that BPH displays two structural compartments, stromal and epithelial and that the periurethral and transitional regions are particularly involved, the immunohistochemical and regional evaluation of steroid receptors concentration, 5 alpha reductase, DHT and estrogen activity, may show important data on the role of these factors in BPH development. We started a immunohistochemical study on the epidermal growth factor (EGF) concentrations in the periurethral, central and pericapsular zones of BPH samples, considering the stroma-epithelium ratio; investigations are performed on BPH patients submitted to transvesical prostatectomy. Considering that the periurethral zone is particularly involved in BPH, the presence of high concentration of growth factors in this region, may support the concept of their involvement in BPH.

Plant extracts in BPH.

In Italy plant extracts represent 8.6% of all pharmacological prescriptions for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (data from 1991). This review evaluates all the suggested mechanisms of action for plant extracts. Recently we demonstrated an antiestrogenic effect of Serenoa Repens in BPH patients. Clinical trials with plant extracts have yielded conflicting results. In a recent review by Dreikorn and Richter, only five placebo controlled studies were found. Moreover, as opposed to chemically defined drugs, it is possible that for these extracts the active ingredients are not known; consequently pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic data are often missing. The International Consultation of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (Paris, June 1991) concluded that, to date, phytotherapeutic agents must be considered as a symptomatic treatment. Now more adequate pharmacological and clinical studies, placebo controlled, should determine the exact role of these drugs in the treatment of BPH.

Acquired cystic kidney disease: the hormonal hypothesis.

Based on the reported sex difference in the incidence of acquired cystic kidney disease (ACKD) in patients with chronic renal failure, it is hypothesized that the hormonal derangement, well documented in male and female uremic patients on long-term dialysis, could be responsible for the pathogenesis of ACKD. The decreased androgen/estrogen ratio, and the increased estrogen value could be responsible for an estrogen receptor mediated effect on the tubular epithelial cell proliferation, an event further potentiated by the action of regulatory peptides like epidermal growth factor (EGF). The epithelial stimulation is more pronounced in men because male tissues are less adapted than female tissues to high estrogen values. Furthermore the androgen reduction, more remarkable in male than female patients, is responsible for an up-regulation of EGF-R. Therefore hormones and growth factors, by means of their own receptor in renal tissue (homologous to the two oncogenes c-erb A and c-erb B), may be responsible for the development of ACKD, and may play an important role in the pathogenesis of multiple adenomas and renal carcinomas reported with high incidence among uremic patients with ACKD.

[Pharmacological combinations in the treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy]. / Associations pharmacologiques dans le traitement de l'hypertrophie prostatique bénigne.

In the development of the obstructive symptomatology of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), two components may be identified, mechanical and dynamic. In the mechanical component, the interaction of a stromal and a epithelial compartment determines prostatic mass growth. The dynamic component involves smooth muscle tone in the prostate and urethra. The consideration that prostatic disease is not only epithelial in origin, but also stromal, leads to the association of an antiandrogen (which acts on the epithelial component) and an antiestrogen (active on the stromal component) in the medical therapy of BPH. In 1985 we carried out a randomized study on 256 BPH patients treated with Cyproterone acetate (CPA) plus Tamoxifen (TAM). Recently, we performed a multicenter double blind study on BPH patients treated with the association CPA plus Serenoa Repens. A statistically significant difference in prostate volume reduction between the groups treated with the combinations and those with the monotherapies was observed. The development of new compounds, such as 5 alpha reductase and aromatase inhibitors, consents to introduce a combination therapy with less side effects. A second pharmacological association may be obtained with drugs acting on the mechanical and others acting on the dynamic (alpha blockers) component of BPH. This combination may associate the early symptomatic effect of alpha blockers with the long term results of a 5 alpha reductase inhibitor, antiestrogen or aromatase inhibitor.

Global optimization of a neural network-hidden Markov model hybrid.

The integration of multilayered and recurrent artificial neural networks (ANNs) with hidden Markov models (HMMs) is addressed. ANNs are suitable for approximating functions that compute new acoustic parameters, whereas HMMs have been proven successful at modeling the temporal structure of the speech signal. In the approach described, the ANN outputs constitute the sequence of observation vectors for the HMM. An algorithm is proposed for global optimization of all the parameters. Results on speaker-independent recognition experiments using this integrated ANN-HMM system on the TIMIT continuous speech database are reported.

Evidence that Serenoa repens extract displays an antiestrogenic activity in prostatic tissue of benign prostatic hypertrophy patients.

A double-blind placebo-controlled study was performed in 35 benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) patients never treated before. The patients were randomized into two groups, the 1st (18 cases) receiving Serenoa repens extract (160 mg t.d.) for 3 months up to the day before the operation of transvesical adenomectomy and the 2nd (17 cases) receiving placebo. Steroid receptors were evaluated in the nuclear (n) and cytosolic (c) fraction using the saturation analysis technique (Scatchard analysis or single saturating-dose assay) for androgen (AR) and estrogen (ER) receptors and the enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for ER and progesterone receptors (PgR). Scatchard analysis of ERc and ERn revealed the presence of two classes of binding sites, one with high-affinity low-capacity binding and the other with low-affinity high-capacity binding. In the untreated BPH group, ER were higher in the n than in the c fraction: ERn were positive in 14 cases and ERc in 12 of 17 cases. In the BPH group treated with S. repens extract on the contrary, ERn were negative for both binding classes in 17 cases and ERc in 6 of 18 cases. Using EIA, ERn and ERc were detected in all 15 samples examined, but in the treated group, ERn were significantly (p less than 0.01) lower than in the untreated group, whilst ERc remained almost unchanged. Similar results were obtained measuring PgR: the n fraction of the treated group prostatic samples was significantly (p less than 0.01) lower than that of the untreated group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Biological and clinical implication of cellular DNA content in renal cell carcinomas.

DNA flow cytometric analysis (FCM) was performed on surgical bioptic samples taken from 82 renal cell carcinomas. FCM has evidenced that 35% (29/82) of renal carcinomas resulted diploid, 65% (53/82) aneuploid and of the latter 22% (12/53) multiclonal. Our results do not indicate any relationship among cytometric ploidy, Fuhrman grading, Robson and pTNM staging. A possible interesting increase of aneuploidy frequency was observed between the NMV (66%) subgroup and the no zero NMV (90%) subgroup, while in diploid patients these values were 40% and 10%, respectively. Follow-up data evidence a significant difference in survival pattern of patients between diploid and aneuploid groups. In conclusion, our results show that cytometric ploidy is a potential important prognostic parameter in survival term.