Urinary ATP may be a biomarker of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome and its severity.

Urinary tract cells respond to bladder distension by releasing adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) exhibit elevated urinary ATP levels compared to asymptomatic controls. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of urinary ATP as a non-invasive biomarker for IC/BPS and its correlation with symptom severity. We included 56 patients diagnosed with IC/BPS and 50 asymptomatic controls. Urine samples were collected from both groups. Urinary ATP levels were quantified using the luciferin-luciferase bioluminescence method. The severity of IC/BPS symptoms was assessed using the visual analogue score (VAS), Interstitial Cystitis Symptom Index (ICSI), and Interstitial Cystitis Problem Index (ICPI) from the O'Leary-Sant score. We specifically examined the correlation between symptom scores and urinary ATP levels in IC/BPS patients. Urinary ATP levels were significantly higher in IC/BPS patients compared to the control group (P < 0.0001). There was a significant positive correlation between urinary ATP concentrations and VAS, ICPI, and ICSI scores among IC/BPS patients (P < 0.0001). The threshold value for ATP concentration was set at 56.6 nM, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.811 (95% CI 0.730 - 0.892). Our findings indicate that IC/BPS patients excrete elevated amounts of ATP in their urine. This suggests that urinary ATP might serve as a non-invasive biomarker for IC/BPS, with a predictive potential in terms of symptom severity.

Distinguishing between metastatic and benign adrenal masses in patients with extra-adrenal malignancies.

Background and Objectives: The adrenal gland is a common organ involved in metastasis. This study aimed to compare adrenal metastases (AMs) and adrenal benign masses (ABMs) of patients with extra-adrenal malignancies during the staging or follow-up. Methods: We retrospectively collected data from 120 patients with AMs and 87 patients with ABMs. The clinical characteristics, imaging features, pathology, and treatment regimes were analyzed. Results: The most common types of extra-adrenal malignancies in patients with ABMs included thyroid, kidney, and gynecological cancers. On the other hand, lung and kidney cancers and lymphoma were the most frequent primary cancers of AMs. The age and incidence of symptoms were significantly higher in patients with AM. Radiological analysis showed that AMs tended to have larger tumor sizes and higher attenuation values than ABMs on pre-contrast computed tomography (CT). The diagnostic accuracy of positron emission tomography-CT for AM was 94.1%. An adrenal biopsy had a diagnostic accuracy of 92.5%. A multivariate logistic regression model demonstrated that the origins of extra-adrenal malignancies, the enhancement pattern, and attenuation values in pre-contrast CT were independent predictors of AMs. The sensitivity and specificity of this predictive model of combination was 92.5% and 74.1%, respectively. Conclusions: The differential diagnosis between AMs and ABMs is extremely important. The combination of origin of first malignancy, enhancement pattern and CT value in non-enhanced phase is a valuable model for predicting AMs.

A comprehensive analysis of renal cell carcinoma as first and second primary cancers.

OBJECTIVE: Second primary renal cell carcinoma (2nd RCC) refers to renal cell carcinoma (RCC) diagnosed after another unrelated malignancy. This study aims to compare the clinical manifestation, pathology, treatment, and prognostic features of patients with 2nd RCC and first primary renal cell carcinoma (1st RCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data of the patients with localized RCC were retrospectively collected. They were classified as 2nd RCC or 1st RCC according to a previously diagnosed cancer, including 113 cases of 2nd RCC and 749 cases of 1st RCC. RESULTS: The most common types of extrarenal malignancies in patients with 2nd RCC include lung, colorectal, breast, gynecological, and gastric cancers. The age and smoking rate of 2nd RCC patients were significantly higher than in those of 1st RCC patients. For 2nd RCC patients, fewer had clinical symptoms and renal masses tend to be smaller. One hundred and eight (95.6%) patients with 2nd RCC received surgical interventions. All patients with 1st RCC underwent renal surgery. More patients with 2nd RCC underwent a partial nephrectomy. Pathologically, there was no significant difference in postoperative pathological types between the 2nd and 1st RCCs. However, the 2nd RCCs were commonly identified in the early stages. The median overall survival (OS) of 2nd RCC patients was 117 months, which was shorter than that of 1st RCC patients. CONCLUSIONS: Second RCC is not uncommon. More attention should be paid to screening for 2nd RCC in cancer survivors. There are some differences between patients with 2nd and 1st RCCs that should be viewed separately.

Second Primary Renal Cell Carcinoma With Nonrenal Malignancies: An Analysis of 118 Cases and a Review of Literature.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the nature, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of second primary renal cell carcinoma (SPRCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively collected data from 118 patients with SPRCC. Clinical characteristics, imaging features and treatments were analyzed and comparisons between SPRCC and renal metastases (RM) were made. RESULTS: SPRCC accounts for 11.4% of all RCC. The most common types of extrarenal malignancies included lung, colorectal, breast and gynecological cancers. The median age was 58.5 years old, and 61.0% (72/118) of the patients were male. About 5.1% of the patients presented with symptoms. The average tumor diameter was 4.4 cm (1-8.4 cm). The diagnostic specificity of enhanced computed tomography (CT) was 80.1%. When comparing with RM, more patients with stage I-II extrarenal malignancy and less patients with bilateral, multiple, and endogenic renal masses on computed tomography were found in the SPRCC group. A total of 110 SPRCC patients underwent surgery, including 48 radical nephrectomies and 62 partial nephrectomies. The median overall survival time was 117 months. Female, asymptomatic status, no distant metastasis, and surgical treatment predicted a better survival. CONCLUSIONS: SPRCC are not uncommon, and it should be considered during the follow-up of patients with nonrenal malignancy. The differential diagnosis between SPRCC and RM was mainly based on imaging and puncture biopsy.