Giant retroperitoneal schwannoma in a 52-year-old man.

Schwannoma in the retroperitoneal space is rare, and it is extremely rare in patients with no history of neurofibromatosis. We present a case of giant retroperitoneal schwannoma in a 52-year-old man who did not have neurofibromatosis. Because malignant transformation would be extremely rare in this circumstance, close imaging follow-up could avert the necessity for complete resection. The possibility of schwannoma should be considered when evaluating retroperitoneal tumors with the characteristic findings, even if there is no connection between the tumor and the intervertebral foramina.

Molecular targeted therapies of renal cell carcinoma considering life stage of the patient: Two case reports.

Molecular targeted therapies have markedly improved the prognosis of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and patients are able to receive specific treatments depending on their condition. The cases of two patients who presented with large RCC with very different statuses were examined in the current study. One of the patients was elderly with numerous comorbidities, and the other was young and had Case 1 was an elderly female with various comorbidities including a history of cerebral infarction and impaired eyesight. A 7 cm solid mass in the left kidney, pulmonary metastases and a shrunken right kidney were identified. Conservative treatment was selected and the patient underwent treatment with oral sorafenib for 5 years without experiencing disease progression. Case 2 was a middle-aged male in a good general condition who had a 19 cm left renal mass and multiple metastases. Due to the tumor size, the patient was initially treated with oral pazopanib to reduce the renal tumor volume and was able to undergo left radical nephrectomy after 6 months. Molecular targeted therapies were thus used to treat these patients taking into account each patient's life stage; case 1 was treated without surgery for six years and case 2 received treatment as a neoadjuvant.

Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (Wegener's Granulomatosis) Accompanied by Dysuria.

A 65-year-old male visited us with complaints of retarded urination, dysuria, gross hematuria, and fever. Urinalysis showed pyuria. Prostatic tumor with lung metastasis was suspected from computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Transurethral prostatic biopsy and bronchoscopic biopsy only revealed fibrinoid necrosis and inflammatory infiltration. Right lateral maxillary sinusitis was also found by MRI. ANCA testing was positive with specificity for anti-PR3 (PR3-ANCA). On the basis of these results, Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) was diagnosed. GPA involving the prostate gland is unusual, and only a few cases have previously been reported.

Incidental Presacral Myelolipoma Resembling the Liposarcoma: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Presacral myelolipomas are rare, benign, asymptomatic tumors composed of mature adipose tissue and hematopoietic elements, but fewer than 50 cases have been reported in the literature. They are usually discovered incidentally during imaging studies and are often misdiagnosed as liposarcoma, which have a malignant nature, because the imaging findings of myelolipoma can be similar to those of liposarcoma. It is challenging to distinguish presacral myelolipomas from other presacral fat-containing tumors without performing a histological examination. We should consider the possibility of a malignant tumor, and imaging-guided biopsy carries a risk of tumor spread along the biopsy tract. Therefore, surgical management might sometimes be required; however, it is not necessary in all cases. We present an incidentally detected case of presacral myelolipoma that was difficult to differentiate from other malignant tumors in a 71-year-old male.

Annular rectal constriction caused by infiltrating bladder cancer: A case report.

A 69-year-old man was referred to our hospital with chief complaints of urinary incontinence, pollakiuria, thin stools and edema of the left lower extremity. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed bilateral hydronephrosis, thickening of the rectal and posterolateral bladder walls, and enlargement of the left obturator lymph nodes, suggesting metastasis. The carcinoembryonic antigen and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels were 5.6 ng/ml and 460.1 U/ml, respectively. A transurethral bladder biopsy revealed grade 2 urothelial carcinoma with glandular differentiation. A transrectal needle biopsy suggested cancer infiltration of the rectal wall and an annular rectal constriction caused by an infiltrating bladder cancer was diagnosed. Three courses of gemcitabine and cisplatin chemotherapy were administered and demonstrated good efficacy.

Case of giant basal cell carcinoma around the base of the penis in an elderly patient.

We report a case of an 85-year-old man with a doughnut-shaped basal cell carcinoma around the base of the penis invading the cavernosum urethra. In cases in which curative resection is planned, the penis is resected, cystostomy is performed, and postoperative self-management is required. In line with the patient's wishes and the fact that he was an elderly person living alone without family support, we decided to perform penis-conserving surgery. Relapse occurred once, for which additional resection was conducted. Two years after the resection, there was no evidence of tumor recurrence. The therapeutic plan for elderly patients should be modified after considering the patient's social background, wishes, activity and life expectancy.

Strontium-89 for prostate cancer with bone metastases: the potential of cancer control and improvement of overall survival.

OBJECTIVE: Strontium-89 (Sr-89) has been considered to have a tumoricidal effect with minimal adverse events. However, few reports have investigated these effects in detail. In this study, we examined the tumoricidal and pain-relief effects of Sr-89 on prostate cancer with bone metastasis as well as survival. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed involving 31 prostate cancer patients with bone metastasis treated with Sr-89. Using PSA as an evaluation criterion of cancer control, patients were divided into PSA responder and non-responder groups, and the survival rates of these groups were compared. In addition, using the total amount of painkillers administered as an evaluation criterion of pain relief, patients were divided into pain responder and non-responder groups, and the survival rates of these groups were also compared. As secondary investigation items, age, PSA (ng/ml), pain site, extent of the disease, the presence or absence of castration-resistant prostatic cancer (CRPC), the presence or absence of a past medical history of treatment with docetaxel in CRPC cases, Gleason Score, hemoglobin (g/dl), platelet (Plt) (/µl), serum carboxyterminal telopeptide of type I collagen (ng/ml), and bone-alkaline phosphatase (BAP) (U/l) were investigated. RESULTS: Longer survival was expected for the PSA responder group than for the PSA non-responder group, and whether the spine was the pain site and the presence or absence of CRPC were useful as predictors of this. Plt was suggested to be a useful indicator. Furthermore, the survival time was significantly longer in the pain responder group than in the pain non-responder group, and whether the pain site was present in the spine was considered to be a predictor; however, no significant difference was noted in any of the items assumed to be biomarkers. CONCLUSIONS: Sr-89 has the potential to control PSA and prolong survival. A large-scale prospective study of the therapeutic effect of Sr-89 is expected.

Source strength assay of iodine-125 seeds sealed within sterile packaging.

Early-stage prostate cancer is widely treated by iodine-125 (I-125) seed implantation. While quality assurance methods are in place to assure consistency in I-125 seed source strength, current methods involve the breaking of the sterilization package, raising issues concerning sterility and time limitations. The purpose of this study was to develop a method of characterizing the total source strength of I-125 seeds within a cartridge that has been sealed within a sterilization package and to evaluate the probability of detecting an out-of-calibration seed (aberrant seed). We defined a protocol to determine the ability of a well-type ionization chamber to detect aberrant I-125 seeds within a cartridge sealed in the sterilization package. A novel jig for a well-type ionization chamber was designed to accommodate the sterilization package. One seed was chosen randomly from two cartridges containing five or 15 seeds (0.544 U source strength) and was exchanged with aberrant seeds of six different source strengths. The source strength was measured at each position within the cartridge. The results indicated that the response of the well chamber was sensitive to changes in the aberrant seed position within the cartridge and the source strength of the aberrant seed. The correlation coefficient between single seed and batch assay results was high (0.998). A novel jig and a measurement method using a well ionization chamber were developed, which allowed for a batch assay characterization of the total source strength of I-125 seeds within a cartridge sealed within sterilization package. This method is simple, time-saving, and offers greater practical application.

Effective use of strontium-89 in osseous metastases.

Bone is one of the organs to which cancer metastasizes most frequently. However, it is not a vital organ, therefore, survival after the occurrence of osseous metastasis is relatively favorable. Improvements of medical treatment bring prolonged survival to patients with osseous metastases. But this makes us to recognize the importance of quality of life (QOL) due to several factors, including pain. It is important for oncologists to know how to deal with such painful osseous metastases, as pain relief may enable patients to live their remaining lives to the fullest. Strontium-89 (89Sr) has been used worldwide as in Japan, while being reported to have positive effects on pain relief and QOL improvement in patients with osseous metastases. This review paper is aimed to present not only the history, roles, and medical characters of 89Sr, but also new aspects, such as how to use bone turnover markers, which location of osseous metastases is suitable for effective use of 89Sr.

[Biochemical markers of bone turnover. New aspect. Bone metabolic markers in prostatic carcinoma].

Hormonal therapy against prostatic carcinoma brings to osteoporotic change and alendronate is effective to suppress the change. Urinary NTX and serum ICTP are shown to be useful markers to react with hormonal therapy. But most of bone metabolic markers are not within normal range at the time of starting hormonal therapy. The program, which evaluate the effect of hormonal therapy against non-metastatic prostatic carcinoma, is strongly expected. And it is still a serious problem to be solved when we start, how to use, how long we use biphosphonates.

[Clinical importance of guideline for decontamination of endoscopes in urological field: verification of 3 processes].

UNLABELLED: Clinical guideline for decontamination of endoscopes in urological field has not been provided, although endoscopic examination should be done in aseptic circumstance. MATERIAL AND METHOD: From decontamination processes, following 3 points were selected for verification: 1) Volume of residual water in flexible scope after rinsing, estimated by weight change. 2) Concentration of eluted disinfectant from flexible scope after standard rinsing procedure for gastrointestinal endoscope. 3) Observation of possible damage of telescope, caused by repeat autoclaving. RESULTS: Wet condition of flexible scope could be suspected in 60 hours in room temperature. Eluted disinfectants were detected, but in harmless level. Repeated autoclaving merely caused minor damage, which does not interfere clinical use. CONCLUSION: We obtained a couple of evidences with cautions in decontamination processes for endoscopes. Urgent requirement of standardization in this field should be discussed widely.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis on the penis: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Langerhans cell histiocytosis affects mainly young children and features an accumulation of CD1a+ dendritic Langerhans cells in the bone, skin, and other organs. A few cases of Langerhans cell histiocytosis on the penis have been reported in the literature. We present a case of Langerhans cell histiocytosis on the penis and review the similar cases in the literature. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient was a 13-year-old boy who had a history of lymph node, femur bone, and pituitary-thalmic axis lesions from Langerhans cell histiocytosis who noticed a painful nodule on the prepuce of his penis. The histological and immunohistochemical examination fulfilled the criteria of Langerhans cell histiocytosis. CONCLUSION: We herein describe the case reported of Langerhans cell histiocytosis on the penis.

Ectopic thyroid in an adrenal mass: a case report.

BACKGROUND: It is difficult to explain ectopic thyroid beneath the diaphragm because during the development the thyroid descends from the tongue to the anterior of the trachea. A few cases of ectopic lesions have been reported in the literature for abdominal organs including the adrenal glands, but the mechanism by which the thyroid components migrate into the abdomen has been poorly understood. CASE PRESENTATION: A 54-year-old woman was diagnosed as having an adrenal mass. Laparoscopic adrenalectomy was carried out. Microscopically, the mass was composed of normal adrenal and ectopic thyroid tissues. CONCLUSION: We herein describe the fourth case reported of ectopic thyroid in the adrenal gland.

Chronic expanding hematoma in the retroperitoneal space: a case report.

A case of retroperitoneal chronic expanding hematoma complicated with hydronephrosis, which was difficult to diagnose preoperatively, is reported. The patient was a 70-year-old man. An 18 cm mass was detected in the right retroperitoneal space on abdominal CT screening. There were small calcifications in the periphery of the mass that were strongly enhanced in the delayed phase of dynamic CT. The mass involved the right ureter and iliopsoas muscle, resulting in severe hydronephrosis. The histological diagnosis was chronic expanding hematoma.

Testicular seminoma after the complete remission of extragonadal yolk sac tumor : a case report.

BACKGROUND: Between 2% and 5% of malignant germ-cell tumors in men arise at extragonadal sites. Of extragonadal germ cell tumors, testicular carcinoma in situ (CIS) are present in 31-42% of cases, and CIS are reported to have low sensitivity to chemotherapy in spite of the various morphology and to have a high likelihood of developing into testicular tumors. A testicular biopsy may thus be highly advisable when evaluating an extragonadal germ cell tumor. CASE PRESENTATION: A 36-year-old man was diagnosed as having an extragonadal non-seminomatous germ cell tumor, that was treated by cisplatin-based chemotherapy, leading to a complete remission. In the meantime, testicular tumors were not detected by means of ultrasonography. About 4 years later, a right testicular tumor was found, and orchiectomy was carried out. Microscopically, the tumor was composed of seminoma. CONCLUSIONS: We herein report a case of metachronous occurrence of an extragonadal and gonadal germ cell tumor. In the evaluation of an extragonadal germ cell tumor, a histological examination should be included since ultrasonography is not sufficient to detect CIS or minute lesions of the testis.

Nephrotic syndrome as a result of membranous nephropathy caused by renal cell carcinoma.

A 77-year-old woman was admitted for a renal biopsy to evaluate a case of nephrotic syndrome. In the course of the examination, a right renal tumor was incidentally found. We performed a right radical nephrectomy in advance of the renal biopsy. Histologically, the tumor was diagnosed as a renal cell carcinoma (clear cell carcinoma) and the non-neoplastic renal cell tissue showed membranous nephropathy (MN). After surgery, the nephrotic syndrome remitted without any further medical treatment and the MN was considered to be a malignancy associated syndrome. There have been few case reports in the literature regarding this association and we wish to describe another case.

Hypercalcemia upon recurrence of renal cell carcinoma producing parathyroid hormone-related protein.

We established a new renal carcinoma cell line that produces parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) and interleukin-6 in culture. The cellular production of PTHrP was confirmed by Northern blot analysis and immunofluorescence examination. Bone and lung metastases occurred simultaneously 3.5 years after surgery. The patient did not show hypercalcemia at this time, despite the presence of multiple osteolytic metastases. About 7 months after bone metastasis was first shown, serum PTHrP was detected by means of an immunoradiometric assay and the calcium level was found to be elevated to 3.29 mmol/l. The hypercalcemia was successfully controlled by i.v. administration of bisphosphonates.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for Wegener's granulomatosis with cyclophosphamide-induced hemorrhagic cystitis.

A 49-year-old man with Wegener's granulomatosis, who had been treated with cyclophosphamide, was admitted to our hospital experiencing gross hematuria. The hemorrhage was refractory to multiple conventional treatments. It progressed but later was resolved after a course of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.