Acute onset of coagulopathy in a patient with Kasabach-Merritt syndrome following transurethral resection of bladder tumor.

We report an unusual case of Kasabach-Merritt syndrome in a 62 year-old woman with bladder tumor who suffered from acute consumption coagulopathy that increased the fibrinolytic activity due to the presence of a huge hemangioma in the upper and lower extremities. Two days after the transurethral resection of the solitary bladder tumor, serious hematuria and life-threatening disseminated intravascular coagulation developed. Following treatments with heparin and subsequent steroid treatment, hemorrhage and abnormal hemostatic values improved. It is suggested that extensive investigation of the coagulation system should be done in patients with giant hemangioma, particularly before a surgical procedure.

Influence of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogues on serum levels of prostatic acid phosphatase and prostatic specific antigen in patients with metastatic carcinoma of the prostate.

Serum concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone, prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) and prostatic specific antigen (PSA) were measured in 16 patients with advanced prostatic cancer before and after treatment with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) analogue. An initial rise of serum LH and testosterone levels was observed on day 2 of the treatment. Subsequently, serum concentrations of PAP and PSA showed a transient increase on day 5 of the treatment. This indicates that LHRH analogues had better be given in combination with antiandrogens in patients with metastatic carcinoma of the prostate.

[Investigation of retention time of intravesical instillation therapy with pirarubicin (THP)].

The effective and less side effect retention time of intravesical instillation therapy with Pirarubicin (THP) was investigated for the treatment of urinary bladder tumor. Fifty-seven cases of urinary bladder tumor were treated by intravesical instillation therapy with THP (20 mg/40 ml) a total of 6 times, with the first instillation at the time of surgery and the other 5 at a rate of three times a week thereafter. The retention time was 30 minutes, and it was allowed to last 10 or 60 minutes for comparison in some cases. Tumor and normal tissue were examined in the first instillation, and normal tissue in the sixth instillation. Infiltration to the bladder wall of THP was observed under fluorescence microscopy. Although the amount of tumor uptake was larger than normal tissue in the first instillation, no satisfactory infiltration was obtained. Repeated administration of THP with the retention time of 30 minutes enhanced the uptake and increased the infiltration in many cases, and side effects were scarcely noted. Retention time of 10 minutes was unsatisfactory, while the retention time of 60 minutes was discontinued in the early stage of treatment due to severe irritative bladder symptoms. Therefore, a retention time of 30 minutes is adequate in the case of repeated administration of THP in a short period.

Prostate-specific antigen in patients with relapsed prostate cancer following endocrine treatment.

We assessed the relationship between changes in PSA and prognosis, as a possible reflection of tumour growth in patients who relapse following primary endocrine therapy. In 8 patients in whom no therapeutic change was attempted after PSA relapse, the PSA level increased exponentially. Their PSA-DT had a close positive relationship to the duration of survival after relapse (r = 0.79, p = 0.02). In 6 patients who received chemotherapy after relapse, PSA-DT between PSA relapse and initiation of chemotherapy also had a relationship to the duration of survival after relapse (r = 0.87, p = 0.05). It appears to be reasonable to conclude from these findings that the PSA-DT value is regarded to be a factor associated with prognosis in cases with an exponential increase in PSA after replase.

[A clinical study of associated bladder tumor in patients with renal pelvic and ureteral tumor].

We investigated the incidence of associated bladder tumor and prognosis in 101 cases with a pathological diagnosis of transitional cell carcinoma, selected from those with renal pelvic and ureteral tumor whom we had encountered over the 18 years between April 1976 and March 1993. Among these 101 cases, the incidence of associated bladder tumor was noted in 42 (41.6%), 23 (22.8%) with coexistence and 19 (18.8%) with subsequence. As for the primary site of renal pelvis and ureter, the coexistence was 15.4% and subsequence 20.5% in renal pelvis, and the coexistence was 24.6% and subsequence 19.3% in ureter, and the coexistence was 60.0% and subsequence 0.0% in both renal pelvis and ureter. The incidence of coexistent bladder tumor was high in both renal pelvis and ureter, but no significant difference was noted. As for the stage, the incidence of coexistence was high in T1, while subsequence was high in T2, but no significant difference was noted. As for the grade, the incidence of coexistence was high in G2, but no significant difference was noted. The 5 year survival rate was 58.2% in those without, 54.2% with coexistence, and 82.5% with subsequent bladder tumor, with a significant difference (p < 0.05) between the last two groups. The interval of subsequent bladder tumor ranged from 4 to 164 months (mean 27.7 months), with the incidence within 2 years being approximately 70.0%. It was found that the renal pelvic and ureteral tumors are frequently associated bladder tumor while associated bladder tumor dose not appear to have an ill effect on the prognosis. Therefore it is necessary that patients with renal pelvic and ureteral tumor be observed closely for 5 years, especially for the initial 2 years.

Chemo-endocrine therapy in patients with stage D2 prostate cancer.

There have only been a few studies of chemo-endocrine therapy compared with endocrine therapy alone in newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients. We assessed the effects of these two therapies by comparing long-term survival rates. One hundred and twenty-nine patients were entered in this study between November 1977 and March 1992. Seventy-seven patients were treated with endocrine therapy alone. Other 52 patients received chemo-endocrine therapy, which included orchiectomy and/or diethylstilbestrol diphosphate (DES-DP) plus Cisplatin, with or without other cytotoxic agents. All patients had bone metastasis at the beginning of the study. There was a significant difference in survival between patients who received endocrine therapy and chemo-endocrine therapy (P = 0.0078). That is, survival rate was superior for the chemoendocrine therapy patients throughout the entire follow-up period. These data suggest that early chemo-endocrine therapy containing Cisplatin, with or without maintenance chemotherapy, is a potentially effective treatment for newly diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer and is worth further investigation via a randomized trial.

Malignant lymphoma in the female urethra.

Primary malignant lymphomas in the female urethra are extremely rare. We report a 63-year-old woman who presented with a localized tumor of the urethral meatus. The tumor was classified as a non-Hodgkin's malignant lymphoma, a diffuse, small cleaved cell type according to the Working Formulation classification. Immunohistochemistry confirmed that the tumor was derived from B cells. The patient underwent chemotherapy and remains free from evidence of the disease 3 yr after excision. To our knowledge she is the seventh case of malignant lymphoma in the female urethra reported in the English literature.

[A hundred cases of multiple primary neoplasms in association with genitourinary cancer].

There were 970 patients who were diagnosed as having genitourinary cancer at Yamagata Prefectural Central Hospital between 1975 and 1990, and of whom 100 cases (10.3%) had multiple primary malignant neoplasms in addition to their genitourinary cancer. They were compared with 220 patients having single genitourinary cancer and 274 having benign prostatic hypertrophy without past histories of cancer. The genitourinary organs involved with cancers included the prostate (50 patients), urinary bladder (43 patients), ureter or renal pelvis (15 patients) and kidney (7 patients). In the prostate cancer, the incidental carcinomas occupied 30%. The other organs accompanying the genitourinary cancers included the stomach, lung and colon. In patients of multiple primary cancers, single genitourinary cancer and benign prostatic hypertrophy, positive family histories for cancer were observed in 40.0%, 37.7% and 33.2%, respectively, with no significant difference between these groups. Histories of smoking were observed in 54.0%, 38.2% and 34.3% respectively, with significant difference between the multiple primary neoplasm patients and the other 2 groups (p < 0.01). There were two cases in whom the second cancer could be possibly caused by the exposure to radiation for the first cancer. No oncotherapeutic drugs or occupational exposure could be seriously suspected of the cause of the second cancers in the present cases.

[Prostatic cancer with cystic degeneration: a case report].

A 73-year-old man with prostatic cancer with cystic degeneration is reported. He visited our clinic for postoperative examination of left metastatic lung cancer and treatment of prostatic hypertrophy. When the prostatic biopsy was performed, bloody fluid was aspirated and prostate size on digital examination was reduced. The obtained specimen consisted of scar tissue. Urethrography showed an elongation of prostatic urethra in addition to the compression of urinary bladder from the rear. CT scan demonstrated a prostatic cyst approximately 8 cm in diameter with an irregular margin. Following the transurethral resection of the prostate, the prostatic cyst was opened and papillary tumor observed. Histological examination revealed a well differentiated medullary cancer which coincided with the pathological finding of left metastatic lung cancer. He died from dyspnea caused by pleuritis carcinomatosa 6 years later. Nine cases of prostatic cancer with cystic degeneration in the Japanese literature are reviewed.

[Ureteral endometriosis: a case report].

A 32-year-old female visited our clinic with the chief complaints of macroscopic hematuria and pollakisuria in February 18, 1987. Cystoscopic examination revealed findings of cystitis but bleeding from the ureteral orifice was not observed. IVP showed right non visualized kidney and retrograde pyelography demonstrated right ureteral stenosis on the lower ureter and right hydronephrosis. Total hysterectomy, right oophorectomy and right ureterolysis were carried out in March 5. Right lower ureter was buried in the fibrous tissue approximately over 2 cm above the crossing with iliac vessels. Dark reddish colored small tumor was noticed in the stenosed ureter and resected. The histological diagnosis confirmed endometriosis. A total of 37 cases of ureteral endometriosis in the Japanese literature was reviewed.

[Silicate urolithiasis: a case report].

A 62-year-old male visited our department complaining of left flank pain and urinary retention on November 6, 1989. Intravenous pyelography showed small stone shadows in bilateral ureters and lower calyx of kidney and the left kidney was not visualized. Endoscopically, calculi were seen in bilateral ureteral orifice. An ureteral catheter could not be passed up from there bilaterally. On November 13, 1989, January 24 and 26, 1990, calculi were passed out spontaneously. Analysis of the stones revealed silica calculus. The patient had a past history of duodenal ulcers. He was administered magnesium silicate and magnesium alminometasilicate as an anti-acid drug for ten years. Sixteen cases of silica calculus in Japan are reviewed.

[Localized amyloidosis of the ureter: a case report].

A 58-year-old woman was introduced to our department complaining of lower abdominal pain and macrohematuria in March, 1978. Intravenous pyelography revealed stenosis and a ureteral stone on the right distal ureter. In May, 1983, she visited our department again. Endoscopically, bleeding from the right ureteral orifice was observed. Retrograde pyelography demonstrated the right hydronephrosis and irregular margin of the right lower ureter. However, the urine cytology was negative, and CT scan and ureteroscopy showed no tumorous lesion on the portion. On 7 August, 1989, partial ureterectomy and end to end anastomosis was performed. Histopathological examination by H-E and Congo red stain proved amyloid deposition. Postoperative course was uneventful. A total of 40 cases of amyloidosis of the ureter in the world are reviewed.

[A case report of Cushing's syndrome due to adrenocortical nodular dysplasia, with remission period of 6 years after unilateral adrenalectomy].

A 29 y.o. female had been associated with Cushing's syndrome, gradually, from 1977. She was advised to get further examination at our hospital on September 1980. A pre-operative diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome due to bilateral adrenocortical tumors was made and right adrenalectomy was performed on December 22, 1980, as the 1st of two stage operation. The right adrenal, 1.8 cm in diameter, had a pigmented nodule and multiple pigmented micronodules, which were diagnosed pathologically as primary adrenocortical nodular dysplasia. It was not necessary for this patient to maintain steroid therapy, but after 3 months she complained of the withdrawal syndrome and was administered dexamethasone. Since July, 1981, she had no symptom without adrenocortical steroid administration. In November 1986, she became cushingoid and on June 1, 1987, we performed left adrenalectomy on her. The appearance of the left adrenal was similar to the right. We have found no reports of the cases of adrenocortical nodular dysplasia such as delayed appearance of withdrawal syndrome after unilateral adrenalectomy. In this case, plasma ACTH had relatively poor correlation with cortisol. Her plasma ACTH was not always suppressed and sometimes within normal range. Her adrenals had not only autonomy but also pituitary dependency. It is concluded that in this case there may have been a pituitary-adrenal dual control.