[A case of recurrent renal cell carcinoma which recurred after fourth surgical resection and survived for about 2 years by medroxyporgesterone acetate administration].

A 62-year-old man visited our hospital complaining of asymptomatic gross hematuria. Right radical Computed tomography (CT) demonstrated an 8 cm mass in the right kidney. nephrectomy was done in March 1995, and the pathological examination revealed renal cell carcinoma (RCC), clear cell type, G2>G1. Interferon (IFN)-alpha was administered for 10 months. About 3 years later, in March 1998, CT showed 1 cm mass in the left kidney. Left partial nephrectomy was done and the pathological finding was RCC, G1. IFN-alpha2b was administered for a year. About 2 years later, CT showed 2.7 cm mass in the left lung. Left upper lobectomy was performed in August 2000, and it was a metastasis of RCC, G2. IFN-alpha and IFN-gamma were administered. Nine months later, in June 2001, the recurrence of the left kidney and the left adrenal gland was found and partial nephrectomy and adrenalectomy was performed. Pathological finding was RCC, G3. IFN-alpha and tegafur-uracil (UFT) were administered. Only 3 months later, recurrence of the left kidney and the left adrenal gland and the lymph node of renal hilus was found. We gave up for surgical resection and chemotherapy of MVP (Methotrexate, Vinblastine, Pepleomycin) was performed. Despite the therapy, disease progressed. 10 months after the last recurrence, in July 2002, patient became disoriented and hypercalcemia and the MVP therapy was stopped. After that, medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) and UFT were administered; the patient lived 20 months with relatively good performance status and died in February 2004. MPA might be considered as a drug for advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Cardiac metastasis of renal pelvic cancer.

A 66-year-old man was referred to our hospital with chest discomfort and shortness of breath. Seven months previously he had undergone a laparoscopic left nephroureterectomy for a left renal pelvic tumor and was given two cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy (methotrexate, epirubicin and cisplatin). Echocardiogram showed an 8-mm sized mass extending from the right atrium into the right ventricle. On computed tomography, multiple lung tumors, as well as the right atrial and ventricular mass, were seen. The patient died of acute heart failure caused by right ventricular outflow obstruction. On autopsy, a right atrial and ventricular metastasis of the initial transitional cell carcinoma was found. The patient's cause of death was acute heart failure as a result of cardiac metastasis of his initial renal pelvic carcinoma.

[Propiverine hydrochloride improved correlatively subjective QOL and objective findings in Japanese patients with urinary frequency and/or incontinence].

To investigate how urinary frequency and incontinence affect the patient's subjective quality of life (QOL) and whether an improvement in objective findings by medical treatment affects his/her subjective QOL, a voiding diary using the King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ) and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF) was delivered to patients with urinary frequency and/or incontinence before and after treatment with propiverine hydrochloride for 8 weeks. Sixty-eight patients completed the diary and the questionnaires. Objective symptoms decreased significantly with respect to the mean frequency of urination and to the mean incidence of urinary incontinence. The KHQ and ICIQ-SF scores improved significantly with respect to all domains except personal relationships in the KHQ. In the KHQ, furthermore, a significant correlation was found between decreased incidence of urinary incontinence and improvement in role limitations and between decreased incidence of urinary incontinence and improvement in emotional problems. In the ICIQ-SF, a significant correlation was found between decreased incidence of urinary frequency and subjective improvement in quantity of leakage, between decreased incidence of urinary frequency and improvement in subjective QOL scores, between decreased incidence of urinary frequency and improvement in the total ICIQ-SF score, and between decreased incidence of urinary incontinence and improvement in subjective QOL scores. Thirty-two episodes of adverse reactions were observed. None of them were serious. These results suggest that an improvement in objective symptoms with propiverine hydrochloride favorably improves subjective QOL of the patient, and provide further evidence about the safety and efficacy of propiverine hydrochloride.

[Prostate cancer development after transurethral resection of the prostate--histopathological studies of radical prostatectomy specimens].

PURPOSE: We investigated prostate cancer (ca.) development after transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 1995 to 2003, 430 patients (pts.) received TURP at Toshiba Rinkan Hospital. Of them, 23 pts. (5.3%) had incidental carcinoma (Stage A), which developed into clinically significant ca. after 1 to 5 years in 5 (22% of Stage A, 1.2% of TURP). In 13 (3.2%) of 407 Non-Stage A pts. (who had no ca. initially), prostate ca. developed after 1 to 7 yrs. A total of 21 pts. (including 3 Stage A pts. diagnosed before 1994) underwent radical prostatectomy. Stage A pts. received regular needle biopsy of prostate (Pbx). Non-Stage A pts. were followed by yearly PSA measurement and digital rectal examination (DRE). Detailed histopathological studies were done on 21 radical prostatectomy specimens. RESULTS: Clinically significant ca. developed in 8 Stage A pts. (all A2) after 1 to 14 yrs. Long term (5 or 10 years) MAB therapy changed moderately-differentiated adenocarcinoma (AC) to poorly-differentiated AC in 2 pts. during follow-up. When ca. developed PSA increased in only 3 of them, DRE was positive just in 1 pt. Tumor invasion was observed mainly in transition zone (TZ), especially anterior to urethra. In spite of no capsular penetration, surgical margin was positive in 2 pts. PSA failure occurred in another 2 pts. Thirteen Non-Stage A pts. showed aggressive ca. (6 moderately-differentiated AC, 6 poorly-differentiated AC, and 1 ductal carcinoma which showed metastasis later), most of which invaded widely in peripheral zone (PZ). Pbx before TURP was done to reveal that there was no cancer in 11 pts. Capsular penetration was seen in 4 pts. Surgical margin was positive in 4 pts. PSA (8.6 +/- 4.0 ng/ml) decreased after TURP but was kept in high level (4.8 +/- 2.2 ng/ml) after 1 year and increased (8.7 +/- 4.5) when cancer was diagnosed in all 13 pts. DRE was positive in 38% of them. Interval between TURP and diagnosis was short in pts. who had cancer of high Gleason Score (GS) or large prostate. CONCLUSIONS: As significant cancer developed in 22% of Stage A pts. (1.2% of TURP) in long term follow-up, regular Pbx (to get TZ tissue) is mandatory regardless of PSA value or DRE. Aggressive cancer developed in 3.2% of Non-Stage A pts. (3.0% of TURP). Pts. with high PSA or abnormal DRE after TURP must receive needle biopsy actively. Considering that more than 4% of TURP pts. eventually require radical prostatectomy, relatively younger pts. who received TURP have to be carefully followed for a long period.

[Small cell carcinoma of the bladder: a case report].

A 61-year-old man was referred to our hospital with a complaint of gross hematuria and lower abdominal discomfort. Ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging and cystoscopy revealed a nodular invasive tumor in urinary bladder. The histopathological findings of transurethral-biopsy specimen was the small cell carcinoma and transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder infiltrating into smooth muscle layer. Total cystectomy with ileal conduit was performed following 1 course of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (M-VAC). Computed tomography (CT) before adjuvant chemotherapy revealed tiny lung metastasis in left peripheral lung area. As postoperative adjuvant therapy, 4 courses of chemotherapy (etoposide and calboplatin) were performed with 50 Gy of extra beam radiotherapy to the lung metastasis. Follow up CT revealed disapperance of lung metastasis, and the patient has been free from disease for one year after chemotherapy.

[Giant seminoma in abdominal retention of the testis manifested with unilateral leg pain: a case report].

A 26-year-old man was admitted to the department of surgery of our hospital with a complaint of intermittent left leg pain for the past two weeks. Ultrasonography revealed reduced blood flow to the tibial artery, which suggested a vascular disease like arteriosclerosis obliterans. Enhanced computed tomography (CT) revealed a huge abdominal tumor and a 3-dimensional CT scan showed a feeding artery from the left renal artery to the huge tumor. Findings of routine blood and urine examinations were elevated levels of lactate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, and C-reactive protein. Surgical exploration revealed a giant tumor with clouded ascites in the abdominal cavity containing class V cells revealed by cytological examination. The tumor was easily resected. Its vascular pedicle was thick and hypertrophied. Thus, it could be traced to the origin of left gonadal artery. At this time, the surgeon incidentally noticed the absence of left testis in the patient's scrotum. The resected specimen was 25 x 18 x 12 cm in size, and it weighed 3000 gm. The histological finding was pure seminoma invaded to peritoneum. His leg pain was relieved after the tumor resection.

[Vesicovaginal fistula associated with a vaginal foreign body: a case report].

A 14-year-old girl was referred to our hospital with severe pyuria pointed out in a school health check up. An intravenous pyelography and a cystography revealed a foreign body in the pelvic region outside the bladder and pooling of contrast medium in the vagina. Conputed tomography confirmed the foreign body in the vagina. About 1 year earlier, she inserted a hair spray can into the vagina but could not remove its cap. Under the diagnosis of vesicovaginal fistula due to vaginal foreign body, the cap was removed manually and transvaginal repair of the vesicovaginal fistula was performed under general anesthtesia, but it recurred twice. Finally, she underwent successful abdominovaginal repair of fistula. Although a variety of self-introduced objects in the vagina illegally used as a means of sexual gratification have been described, a vesicovaginal complication is very rare.

[Usefulness of extension of disease as a prognostic factor in relapsed prostate cancer patients of stage D].

OBJECTIVE: The prognosis of prostate cancer has been evaluated by clinical stage or pathological grade. PSA parameters including PSA density and PSA doubling time have not always precisely reflected the prognosis of prostate cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate PSA parameters and extension of disease (EOD) grade as prognostic factors for relapsed prostate cancer. METHODS: The relationship between PSA parameters or EOD grade, and survival of 29 stage D patients with relapsed prostate cancer after initial hormone therapy was examined. RESULTS: Only EOD grade was an independent prognostic factor, even for cause-specific survival period and survival period after relapse. CONCLUSION: EOD grade was a significant prognostic factor, and in particular, very useful as a prognostic factor for patients with bone metastasis. PSA value was not always associated with tumor volume, and therefore it is not an independent prognostic factor.

[Treatment with TAE of subcapsular hematoma as a complication of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL): a case report].

A 58-year-old man with a left renal stone and with poor controlled hypertension was attacked by sudden onset of left renal colic pain, gross hematuria and nausea at 3 hours after ESWL. Ultrasonography and enhanced computed tomography revealed severe subcapsular hematoma, which compressed the left kidney. Since serum hemoglobin level continued to decrease in spite of 7 days of conservative therapy, we performed transfusion of red blood cells and selective transarterial embolization (TAE). Renal angiography showed multiple pseudo-aneurysms of arteriole at the lower pole of the left kidney. Embolization of left renal artery was effective to relieve patient's symptom and to stabilize the serum hemoglobin level.

[The significance of urine cytology three consecutive days after transurethral resection as a predictor of superficial bladder cancer recurrence].

To determine whether there was any correlation between recurrence of superficial bladder cancer and the results of urinary cytology examined for 3 consecutive days after transurethral resection of the bladder cancer (TURBT), we retrospectively studied 64 patients with newly diagnosed Ta/T1 transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder who had previously undergone TURBT. Urine cytology samples were reported as negative (class I, II) or positive (class III, IV, V). We used the Kaplan-Meier method to calculate the non-recurrence rate, and Cox-proportional hazard models to determine the prognostic significance of clinical and pathological findings. If any sample among the three consecutive cytology examinations was positive, we defined the case as positive. After a mean follow up of 19.5 months, 22 cases (34.4%) demonstrated recurrence probabilities of 24.1% and 42.3%, at 12 and 24 months, respectively. Of the positive cytology group (n = 33), 15 patients (45.5%) had recurrent tumor, while in the negative group (n = 31), only 7 cases (22.6%) developed recurrence. Multivarite analysis demonstrated that tumor size (p = 0.0022, Hazard ratio 8.9316), result of urine cytology for three consecutive days after TUR (p = 0.0051, Hazard ratio 4.5728), and age (p = 0.0124, Hazard ratio 3.7652) were associated with tumor recurrence. We suggest that positive results on urinary cytology for three consecutive days after TUR are indicative for tumor recurrence.

[Two cases of retroperitoneal liposarcoma arisen from perirenal fat tissue, which could not be diagnosed preoperatively].

We report two cases of retroperitoneal liposarcoma arisen from the perirenal fat tissue, which could not be diagnosed preoperatively. Case 1 is a 58-year-old male. He complained of left flank tumor. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance image showed a mass over 10 cm that contained fat components in the retroperitoneal space. The tumor was resected with left nephrectomy and histological examination revealed well differentiated liposarcoma. As adjuvant therapy, he received chemotherapy and 30 months has passed uneventfully. Case 2 is a 70-year-old male. Screening ultrasonography revealed incidental retroperitoneal tumor. With clinical diagnosis as non-functioning adrenal tumor, he received left nephrectomy. The pathological diagnosis was well differentiated liposarcoma, sclerosing type. No adjuvant therapy was performed. He has stopped visiting our clinic due to aggravation of heart disease. The characteristics of the images of the two cases were different despite the histological resemblance. This difference was considered to be due to the difference in the distribution of lipomatous tissue in each patient.

[Spontaneous rupture of the ureter caused by metastatic ureteric tumor: a case report].

A 66-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with left flank pain. Drip infusion pyelography (DIP) and abdominal computed tomography (CT) showed urinary extravasation. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and retrograde pyelography (RP) demonstrated stenosis of the ureter. Left nephroureterectomy was performed. Histopathological examination showed poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, located in the ureteral wall with intact mucosa and adventitia. After the operation, sigmiod colon carcinoma was pointed out by colon fiberscope, and sigmoidectomy was performed.

Inhibition of growth of human prostate cancer xenograft by transfection of p53 gene: gene transfer by electroporation.

To date, there is no effective therapy for hormone-independent prostate cancer. Therefore, as a new strategy for refractory cancer, gene therapy is showing increasing promise. In this study, we attempted to use a nonviral gene transfer system, in vivo electroporation, in prostate cancer cell PC-3 xenografts with the wild-type p53 (wt-p53) gene, as gene therapy for hormone-independent prostate cancer. To evaluate this in vivo gene transfer method, the beta-galactosidase gene was transfected into xenografts by electroporation. Then, the efficiency of transfection of exogenous p53 gene by electroporation was confirmed by reverse transcription-PCR, which indicated that p53 mRNA was present in samples from xenografts. Next, to estimate the reduction of prostate cancer xenografts by this method, we measured the size of PC-3 xenografts in nude mice after electroporation with the wt-p53 gene. The growth of tumors was markedly suppressed by wt-p53 gene transfection by electroporation compared with transfection of mutated type p53 gene (P = 0.0027) or vector only (P = 0.0015). Furthermore, histological specimens revealed increased apoptotic cell death in p53-transfected tumors. These results suggest that it is possible to transfer wt-p53 into prostate cancer xenografts using electroporation and to suppress the growth of tumors; they, furthermore, suggest that this system might be used for local advanced hormone-independent prostate cancer.