Prognostic model using postoperative normalization of C-reactive protein levels in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma treated with radical nephroureterectomy.

INTRODUCTION: To improve the prediction of outcomes in patients who will undergo radical nephroureterectomy (RN U) for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC), we investigated the preoperative prognostic factors and developed a risk classification model. METHODS: A total of 144 patients who underwent RNU with history of neither neoadjuvant nor adjuvant chemotherapy between 2008 and 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. Associations between perioperative/clinicopathologic factors and outcomes, including cancer-specific survival (CSS), were assessed. We specifically focused on preoperative serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and its postoperative normalization. RESULTS: Non-normalization of postoperative serum CRP level and pathologic T3 stage were identified as independent predictive factors of shorter CSS in univariate and multivariate analysis (p=0.0150 and 0.0037, hazard ratio: 3.628 and 4.470, respectively). We classified the patients into three groups using these factors and found that five-year CSS was 88%, 42.5%, and 0% in the low-risk group (zero factors), intermediate-risk group (one factor), and high-risk group (two factors), respectively (p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Non-normalization of postoperative serum CRP level and pathologic T stage were identified as independent postoperative prognostic factors in patients with UTUC who underwent RNU. These factors can stratify three prognostic groups and may help urologists in clinical decision-making for adjuvant therapy.

Multidisciplinary treatment for small cell carcinoma of the bladder: a case report.

Small cell carcinoma (SCC) of the urinary bladder is a rare and highly aggressive subtype of bladder cancer. Most cases are diagnosed at advanced stages, and its therapeutic strategy remains unestablished. Here, we report a case of bladder SCC in which multidisciplinary treatment has resulted in relatively long-term survival. A 68-year-old man presented with gross hematuria. A cystoscopy revealed an invasive bladder tumor. A transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) was performed, and the pathological diagnosis was SCC. After systemic chemotherapy using etoposide and carboplatin and subsequent TURBT, a radical cystectomy and ileal conduit were performed. Three months postoperatively, the patient had a recurrence in the para-aortic lymph node. Systemic combination chemotherapy with carboplatin plus irinotecan (CBDCA + CPT-11) was administered, followed by amrubicin and an immune checkpoint inhibitor. In addition to this treatment, radiation therapy for the metastatic region led to the reduction of pain and shrinkage of the metastatic lesion. The patient survived for 2 years after the initial diagnosis. Our report indicates that multidisciplinary treatment can be effective for SCC of the bladder, and a therapeutic strategy including the identification of novel biomarkers should be established.

Impact of adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with locally advanced upper tract urothelial carcinoma in real-world clinical practice.

INTRODUCTION: The impact of adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) using regimens including gemcitabine and platinum on the improvement of the prognosis of patients with locally advanced upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) has been recently demonstrated. This study aimed to determine the utility of ACT for patients with locally advanced UTUC in real-world clinical practice and the differences in efficacy among regimens. METHODS: Of 206 UTUC patients who underwent radical nephroureterectomy, 78 were pathologically diagnosed as T3 or higher and/or had pathologically identified lymph node metastasis; 36 in the ACT group and 42 in the non-ACT group were evaluated for patient background, recurrence, and prognosis. In the ACT group, either cisplatin (GC group, 12 cases) or carboplatin (GCa group, 24 cases) was administered as the platinum agent to be combined with gemcitabine. RESULT: The median patient age in the ACT group and that in the non-ACT group was 71 and 79 years, respectively (p<0.0001). There was no significant difference between these two groups in terms of other patient parameters. The two- and five-year cancer-specific survival (CSS ) and the two- and five-year disease-free survival (DFS) for the ACT group were 81.7%, 66.0%, 60.6%, and 56.6%, respectively, and for the non-ACT group were 68.4%, 40.5%, 42.8%, and 29.3%, respectively (p=0.0399 for CSS and p=0.0814 for DFS). There was no significant difference in CSS and DFS between the GC group and GCa group (p=0.9846 and p=0.9389, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In real-world clinical practice in Japan, UTUC patients who receive ACT after radical nephroureterectomy may be expected to have better cancer control than those who do not receive ACT.

Peritoneal and pulmonary tuberculosis following intravesical administration of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin for bladder cancer.

We report a rare case of peritoneal and pulmonary tuberculosis after intravesical instillation of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG). A 76-year-old man diagnosed as high-grade urothelial carcinoma (UC) with carcinoma in situ (CIS) was treated with intravesical BCG instillation and transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TUR-BT). Three months later, TUR-BT for recurrent tumors and multiple site biopsy of bladder mucosa were performed. During TUR-BT, near perforation in the posterior wall was observed, and was disappeared after observation with urethral catheterization for 1 week. Two weeks later, he was admitted with a complaint of abdominal distention, and a computed tomography (CT) showed ascites. One week later, CT showed pleural effusion and worsening of ascites. Drainage of pleural effusion and ascites puncture was performed, and elevated adenosine deaminase (ADA) and lymphocytes count were subsequently found. In laparoscopic examination, numerous white nodules were observed in the peritoneum and omentum, and Langhans giant cells were pathologically identified in biopsy specimens. Mycobacterium culture confirmed Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. The patient was then diagnosed with pulmonary and peritoneal tuberculosis. Anti-tuberculous agents consisting of isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (RFP), and ethambutol (EB) were administered. Six months later, a CT scan showed no evidence of pleural effusion or ascites. There has been no recurrence of either urothelial cancer or tuberculosis during follow-up for 2 years.

Laparoscopic enucleation of macronodules in a patient with ACTH-independent macronodular adrenal hyperplasia 7 years after unilateral adrenalectomy: consideration of operative procedure.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the technical feasibility and efficacy of laparoscopic enucleation of adrenal macronodules in a patient with ACTH-independent macronodular adrenal hyperplasia (AIMAH). PATIENT AND METHODS: A 41-year-old female manifested Cushing's syndrome due to AIMAH in 1999 and underwent a right unilateral adrenalectomy in 2002. Although the patient's symptoms improved postoperatively, in 2005 they began to get worse as her urinary cortisol excretion increased. Computed tomography in 2008 showed four macronodules in the left adrenal gland, and we performed a laparoscopic enucleation of four adrenal nodules in hopes of avoiding the need for lifelong steroid replacement. In the operation we paid special attention to avoiding injuring major adrenal vessels. Nontumorous adrenal tissue was dissected just near the surfaces of the nodules by using a sealing system. The residual adrenal gland was at most left undissected from the surrounding tissues in order to preserve blood supply and preserve small drainage veins. RESULTS: The operation could be performed with minimal blood loss. Plasma cortisol became measurable 22 months after the enucleation and returned to normal level 29 months after the enucleation. CONCLUSIONS: The laparoscopic enucleation of hyperplastic nodules is technically feasible and a treatment of choice for AIMAH patients who already underwent unilateral adrenalectomy.

[Primary bilateral testicular plasmacytoma: a case report].

A 66-year-old man presented with swelling of the right testis where ultrasonography revealed a heterogeneous mass. The pathological diagnosis after right high inguinal orchiectomy was peripheral T cell lymphoma. Eighteen months later, the patient became aware of left testicular swelling and magnetic resonance imaging indicated recurrence of lymphoma. The pathology diagnosis after left high inguinal orchiectomy was plasmacytoma. Reevaluating the pathology of the previously resected right testicular tumor, we decided on the basis of positive immunostaining for CD38 and CD138 that the tumor in the right testis was also a plasmacytoma. Radiation therapy was applied to the left scrotum and the left inguinal area because plasmacytoma cells had invaded the spermatic cord. Multiple bone metastases and upper pharyngeal metastasis developed 5 months after the left orchiectomy, and in spite of multiple courses of combination chemotherapy the patient died of disseminated disease.

[Spontaneous rupture of the ureter as the primary symptom of malignant lymphoma].

We report a rare case in which upper ureteral rupture was the primary symptom of malignant lymphoma. A 74-year-old female visited our hospital with left flank pain. Computed tomography showed urinoma around the left kidney and retrograde pyelography showed a diffuse filling defect in the left ureter and a rupture of the upper portion of that ureter. A urine cytology specimen from the left ureter was class V, suggesting undifferentiated carcinoma or malignant lymphoma. An open laparotomy revealed a nodule on the omentum and diffuse fibrosis around both ureters, and the histopathological diagnosis was diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The patient' s ureteral stenosis disappeared after she received six cycles of R-CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisolone and rituximab) chemotherapy. We should be aware that malignant lymphoma can be the cause of a spontaneous ureteral rupture.

[Case of primary amelanotic malignant melanoma of the female urethra].

We report a rare case of primary amelanotic malignant melanoma of the female urethra. A 58-year-old female with complaint of nodule on the external urethral meatus was referred to our hospital. Pathological diagnosis of the biopsy specimen from the nodule was malignant melanoma. Computed tomography of the chest and abdomen as well as bone scan showed no evidence of metastasis. Sentinel biopsy from the inguinal lymph nodes revealed no metastasis. Thereafter, the patient underwent radical urethrectomy, whose limits of resection were the bulbocavernosal muscles bilaterally, the arch of the pubic symphysis anteriorly, the anterior vaginal wall posteriorly, and the urethra up to the level of the bladder neck superiorly. The histopathological diagnosis was amelanotic malignant melanoma of the urethra. The patient had received six cycles of DAV-Feron (dacarbazine, nimustine, vincristine, and interferon-beta) in an adjuvant setting, and there is no sign of recurrence 25 months after operation.

[A case of labial adhesion in a reproductive woman].

A 21-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with a complaint of voiding-difficulty and urinary retention. On examination, the labia was found to be extensively fused with a pinhole opening in the center of adhesion from which urine discharged. The fusion was separated surginally under the diagnosis of labial adhesion. Labial adhesions generally occur in children or post-menopausal women, but are extremely rare in reproductive women. This is the sixth case of labial adhesion in a reproductive woman reported in Japan.

[A case of malignant lymphoma mimicking a seminal vesicle tumor].

A 76-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with severe diarrhea and syncope. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) showed a mass 7 cm in diameter mimicking a seminal vesicle tumor and magnetic resonance imaging showed a heterogeneously enhanced mass with an unclear borderline to the rectum. The differential diagnosis of the lesion included a tumor arising from a seminal vesicle, a local recurrence of rectal cancer, a rectal GIST, and a mesenchymal tumor. Transrectal needle biopsy revealed non-Hodgkin's malignant lymphoma (diffuse large B cell lymphoma). Chest and abdominal CT showed no specific findings except the lesion for the seminal vesicle lesion, but positron emission tomography showed accumulations in the gastrointestinal tract, pleura, and lymph nodes. The patient was thus determined to have stage IV malignant lymphoma and was given two courses of combination chemotherapy including RCHOP. The tumor responded to one course, but the patient died of neutropenic sepsis during the second course.

[Oral mucosa graft urethroplasty for complicated urethral strictures].

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the efficacy and outcome of one-stage oral mucosa graft urethroplasty, which is currently the procedure of choice for treating lengthy and complicated urethral strictures not amenable to excision and primary end-to-end anastomosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seven patients 33 to 74 years old (mean age = 53.7) underwent one-stage oral mucosa graft urethroplasty for a stricture in either the bulbar urethra (four patients), penile urethra (two patients), or pan-anterior urethra (one patient). Three of the strictures were due to trauma, one was due to inflammation, and one was due to a failed hypospadia repair. The other two were iatrogenic. All patients had previously undergone either internal urethrotomy or repeated urethral dilation. Three patients received a tube graft, three received a ventral onlay, and one received a dorsal onlay. A free graft of oral mucosa was harvested from the inside of each patient's left cheek, and if necessary to obtain a sufficient length, the harvest was extended to include mucosa from the lower lip and the right cheek. The graft lengths ranged from 2.5 to 12 cm (mean = 4.6 cm). A urethral catheter was left in place for 3 weeks postoperatively. RESULTS: While no severe complications at the donor site were observed during follow-up periods ranging from 3 to 55 months (mean = 14 months), two patients who had received a tube graft developed distal anastomotic ring strictures that were managed by internal urethrotomy. The other five required no postoperative urological procedure even though one who had received a ventral onlay developed a penoscrotal fistula. CONCLUSION: Oral mucosa is an ideal urethral graft, and oral mucosa graft urethroplasty is an effective procedure for repairing complicated urethral strictures involving long portions of the urethra.