[The efficacy of ethinylestradiol for castration-resistant prostate cancer].

OBJECTIVE: We analyzed the efficacy of ethinylestradiol as estrogen therapy on Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study was conducted on 14 patients who were diagnosed as having CRPC and who were being prescribed ethinylestradiol (1.5-2.0 mg/day) with aspirin (100 mg/day) and an LH-RH agonist in our hospital from August 2011. RESULTS: All patients had already been treated with a combined androgen blockade (CAB), 8 patients had been treated with docetaxel, 9 patients with tegafur-uracil, 4 patients with estramustine phosphate sodium. Age and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) at prescription of ethinylestradiol was 55-85 (median 75.5) and 0.784-508.7 ng/ml (median 4.842 ng/ml). Thirteen patients (92.9%) achieved a decline in PSA, 8 patients (57.1%) achieved a decline in PSA > 50%. Time to progression was 0-18 months (median 7 months), and there were no severe adverse events including venous thromboembolic diseases. CONCLUSION: Oral ethinylestradiol administration may have efficacy for CRPC without severe adverse events. Ethinylestradiol may be one of the selective drugs for CRPC patients who do not wish to undergo intravenous chemotherapy or become resistant to docetaxel.

[Bladder preservation using chemoradiation therapy for locally invasive bladder cancer].

PURPOSE: We investigated the long-term results and molecular markers of outcome with selective organ preservation in invasive bladder cancer using chemoradiation therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We examined locally invasive bladder cancer in 32 patients (30 men, 2 women; mean age at treatment 68.1 years) who underwent bladder-sparing protocols in the Department of Urology at Sumitomo Hospital between 2000 and 2005. The clinical stage was T2, T3, and T4 in 13, 16, and 3 patients, respectively. Our protocol includes aggressive transurethral resection of the bladder tumor (TURBT) and 46 Gy radiotherapy (2 Gy/fraction, 5 fractions/week) to the pelvis with concurrent cisplatin chemotherapy (20 mg/body/day, 5 days/week, the first and fourth week, intravenously). The initial evaluation included magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), urine cytology, and cystoscopy with a biopsy. During follow-up, if the patients developed superficial recurrence, they was treated with TURBT and intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), while patients with invasive recurrence were advised to undergo a salvage cystectomy. We examined the association between the expression of the Bcl-2 family in pretreatment TUR specimens and patient outcome. The mean follow-up was 54.6 months. RESULTS: The first assessment after the induction chemoradiotherapy showed that bladder preservation was achieved in 27 patients (84.4%). The actuarial local control rate with an intact bladder was 56.3% (18 patients) at 3 years. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year cancer-specific survival rate was 90.6, 84.0, and 66.9%, respectively. The 5-year cancer-specific survival rate was 75.0, 67.2, and 33.3% in T2, T3, and T4, respectively. Bcl-x positivity was significantly associated with a poor cancer-specific survival rate (log-rank test, p = 0.038). CONCLUSIONS: Chemoradiation therapy for invasive bladder cancer can achieve survival rates similar to those in patients treated with radical cystectomy, with successful bladder preservation. Our results suggest that the expression of Bcl-x is a potential prognostic marker for chemoradiation therapy in invasive bladder cancer.

Painless acute pancreatitis associated with sorafenib treatment: a case report.

Sorafenib is a multikinase inhibitor that is used for the treatment of metastatic renal-cell carcinoma. We report the case of a patient with painless acute pancreatitis associated with sorafenib treatment. The patient was a 71-year-old man who had undergone surgery for left renal carcinoma and tumor thrombus in the inferior vena cava and right atrium (IVC-RA). After a follow-up period of 3 years, he developed right adrenal metastasis and received interferon (IFN)-alpha treatment. One year later, progression of the adrenal metastasis was observed, and he was admitted to a hospital for treatment with sorafenib, which was administered at a dose of 800 mg/day. Two weeks later, he developed painless acute pancreatitis associated with sorafenib treatment. Thereafter, sorafenib treatment was discontinued, and he was treated with conservative therapy. Three weeks later, he was discharged. Even though painless acute pancreatitis associated with sorafenib treatment is rare, the possible development of painless acute pancreatitis in patients undergoing sorafenib treatment must be kept in mind.

Excision repair cross-complementing group 1 may predict the efficacy of chemoradiation therapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

PURPOSE: Chemoradiation therapy (CRT) is now widely recognized as bladder-preserving therapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). However, some patients who fail CRT may miss the chance to be cured by cystectomy. Therefore, it is important to select patients with MIBC who are expected to have a good response to CRT. Several reports indicate that the excision repair cross-complementing group 1 (ERCC1) gene is associated with resistance to cisplatin and radiation therapy. In this study, we examined the correlation between ERCC1 and CRT in vitro and in vivo in bladder cancer. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Bladder cancer cell lines T24, 5637, Cl8-2 (multidrug-resistant subline of T24), and CDDP10-3 (cisplatin-resistant subline of T24) were used for in vitro assays to measure ERCC1 expression level and growth inhibition with cisplatin or ionizing radiation (IR). We then examined by immunohistochemistry that whether ERCC1 nuclear staining correlates with the efficacy of CRT using cisplatin in 22 patients with MIBC. RESULTS: Cl8-2 cells expressed ERCC1 mRNA 5.96-fold higher than did T24. Cl8-2 and CDDP10-3 were more resistant to cisplatin or IR than was T24. Resistance to IR, but not to cisplatin, was removed by suppressing ERCC1 using siRNA in both Cl8-2 and CDDP10-3 cells. In immunohistochemistry with ERCC1, 6 of 8 positive cases did not have complete response to CRT, whereas 12 of 14 negative cases had complete response. Sensitivity and specificity were 75% and 85.7%, respectively (P = 0.008). CONCLUSION: Although further study is needed, ERCC1 expression level may predict the efficacy of CRT for MIBC.

[Clinical study of upper urinary tract carcinoma].

PURPOSE: We retrospectively reviewed 107 patients of upper urinary tract carcinoma to determine the overall outcome, prognostic factors, frequency of subsequent bladder cancer and role of adjuvant therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 107 patients of upper urinary tract carcinoma, who underwent surgical treatment at Sumitomo Hospital between January 1992 and June 2007 were reviewed. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox's proportional hazard model were used. RESULTS: Five-year disease specific survival, progression free survival and bladder recurrence free rates in all patients were 88.1%, 51.2% and 64.9% respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed squamous differentiation to be the most important prognostic factor. Five-year disease specific survival in locally advanced upper urinary tract carcinoma treated with adjuvant chemoradiation was 74.0%, which was not statistically different from it without chemoradiation. CONCLUSION: Our series suggests that the adjuvant chemoradiation does not improve the outcome in patients with locally advanced upper urinary tract carcinoma.

[A case report of superior mesenteric artery syndrome after hand-assisted laparoscopic left nephrectomy].

A 65-year-old man with left renal cell carcinoma RCC underwent hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy. He was discharged on the 8th hospital day, but 2 days later he was admitted to the hospital again because of vomiting and abdominal pain. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) showed a narrow space between the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and aorta as well as distension of the proximal duodenum. Upper gastrointestinal radiographic studies with gastrografin showed abrupt vertical cut-off sign of the third part of the duodenum. Therefore, we diagnosed SMA syndrome. We started conservative management by nasogastric tube and total parenteral nutrition through a central venous line. The patient was able to eat on day 24 and was discharged on day 34 after the treatment. SMA syndrome is considered as a postoperative complication after abdominal surgery, but it is extremely rare. To our knowledge, only 4 cases of SMA syndrome following nephrectomy have been reported and this is the first case of SMA syndrome following laparoscopic nephrectomy.

[Case of drug-induced colitis like ulcerative colitis during IL-2 therapy for multiple bone metastasis after operation of kidney cancer].

A 60-year-old man underwent retroperitoneal laparoscopic nephrectomy for left renal tumor (cT1bN0M0).The histopathological examination revealed Kidney cancer grade 3 pT1b. The following evaluations revealed multiple bone metastasis. The IFN-gamma with radiation therapy were performed. However the disease was progressive. So IL-2 70 million units per day 5 times a week started. The patient started to complain lower abdominal pain and watery diarrhea from administration day 28th. Blood test showed eosinophilia. At this point side effect of IL-2 therapy was suspected, then IL-2 was discontinued. But abdominal symptoms had continued. Consulting with a digestive physician, he diagnose as drug-induced colitis like ulcerative colitis by colon endoscopy. The symptoms were gradually improved by an antiallergic agent on our assumption that eosinophilia was concerned in this colitis. Many articles have reported that IL-2 was associated with the clinical mechanism of ulcerative colitis, but there seems no reports about such complications before. This case could suggest IL-2 relates to ulcerative colitis.

Four cases of advanced renal cell carcinoma with pancreatic metastasis successfully treated with radiation therapy.

We report four patients with pancreatic metastasis of renal cell carcinoma who were successfully treated with radiation therapy. The patients were one woman and three men with a median age of 55 years (range, 49 to 62 years) who underwent radical nephrectomy for primary renal cell carcinoma. The median interval from nephrectomy to the diagnosis of pancreatic metastasis was 129 months (range, 54 to 176 months). Two patients experienced melanorrhea and the other two were asymptomatic and diagnosed during standard follow up. In each patient, a total of 50 Gy in 2-Gy fractions over 5 weeks was prescribed, without any adverse events. All patients remain alive with a median follow up of 31 months (range, 11 to 81 months).

[A case of retroperitoneal malignant fibrous histiocytoma with marked response to concurrent cisplatin and radiation therapy: a case report].

A 42-year-old male was referred to our hospital with a complaint of right lumbar pain in September 1999. Abdominal computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a large retroperitoneal tumor adjacent to the aorta and the renal vessels. We judged that it was inoperable. Then we performed percutaneous needle biopsy of the tumor. Histopathological examination showed a malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH). Two cycles of systemic chemotherapy with pirarubicin, vincritine and cyclophosphamide were ineffective, then we tried concurrent cisplatin and radiation therapy. Chemoradiation therapy showed a marked decrease in the size of the tumor, and the patient also recovered from right lumbar pain without serious side effects. After chemoradiation therapy, we performed tumorectomy. However, we could not curatively resect the residual tumor. He suffered from repeated recurrence and metastases of MFH afterwards. We performed repeatedly concurrent cisplatin and radiation therapy for the recurrent and metastatic tumor sites, and chemoradiation therapy led to regression of the tumors every time. However he died from liver dysfunction due to multiple liver metastases in May 2005. Concurrent cisplatin and radiation therapy might be an effective treatment for unresectable MFH.

[Castleman's disease in the pelvic cavity].

Although Castleman's disease may occur in any lymph node of the body, it is the most commonly found in the thoracic cavity. Castleman's disease rarely occurs in the pelvic cavity and only 18 such cases have been reported. We report a case of pelvic Castleman's disease. A 57-year-old man was referred for evaluation of a pelvic tumor. The tumor was surgically resected and the histopathological diagnosis of the resected tissue was hyaline vascular type of Castleman's disease. No evidence of disease was detected five months post-operatively.

[Synchronous ipsilateral renal cell carcinoma and transitional cell carcinoma: report of 2 cases].

Two cases of synchronous ipsilateral renal cell carcinoma and renal pelvic transitional cell carcinoma are presented, one in a 70-year-old man and another in a 54-year-old man. These two cases were diagnosed preoperatively as synchronous ipsilateral renal tumor and pelvic tumor from urine cytology, retrograde pyelography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, and in both two cases, nephroureterectomy was performed. Pathological diagnosis was renal cell carcinoma and renal pelvic transitional cell carcinoma, which existed incidentally in the same kidney. To our knowledge, these cases are the 34th and 35th reported cases of synchronous ipsilateral renal cell carcinoma and renal pelvic transitional cell carcinoma in Japan.

[A case of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the bladder].

Here we report a rare case of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the bladder. The patient was a 72-year-old man. We diagnosed this case preoperatively as urachal tumor from urine cytology, cystoscopy, and magnetic resonance imaging. We performed partial cystectomy. Histopathological examination revealed that the tumor was an inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor. To our knowledge, this is the 51st reported case of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the bladder in Japan. He has been followed up for 13 months without any evidence of local recurrence.

[A case of synchronous double primary cancers of prostate, and bladder in a hemodialysis patient: a case report].

A 60-year-old male, who had been maintained on hemodialysis for 4 years, visited our hospital to receive living renal transplantation. He complained of macrohematuria, and preoperative examination showed elevation of psostate specific antigen (PSA). Cystoscopy revealed papillary tumors on the right lateral bladder wall. Transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TUR-Bt) was performed and histopathological examination showed transitional cell carcinoma, G2, pTa. The histologic diagnosis of the transrectal needle prostate biopsy specimen was moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. Combined androgen blockade as a neoadjuvant therapy and radical prostatectomy were performed. A case of synchronous double primary cancers, comprised of adenocarcinoma of the prostate and transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary blader in a hemodialysis patient has never been previously reported in the Japanese literature.

[Renal cell carcinoma with hydronephrosis due to pelviureteric junction obstruction: a case report].

A 57-year-old male was referred to our hospital with a complaint of dizziness. Abdominal computed tomography and retrograde pyelography revealed a left renal tumor associated with hydronephrosis due to pelviureteric junction (PUJ) obstruction. A radical nephrectomy was performed and histological diagnosis was renal cell carcinoma. Only five cases of renal cell carcinoma with hydronephrosis due to PUJ obstruction have been previously reported in the Japanese literature.

Cushing's syndrome with a large pituitary adenoma producing both corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH).

A 57-year-old man showed high serum cortisol, plasma adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) levels with a large pituitary tumor and a prostatic cancer. High dose dexamethasone did not suppress cortisol secretion and CRH administration did not stimulate cortisol secretion. After surgical removal of the pituitary tumor, plasma CRH, ACTH and serum cortisol levels were normalized. Histological examinations showed pituitary adenoma and prostatic adenocarcinoma, and pituitary adenoma was stained with both anti-CRH and anti-ACTH antibodies, but prostatic cancer was not stained. A CRH-producing pituitary adenoma is a new type of Cushing's syndrome.