Complete genital prosthetization in patients treated with bilateral orchiectomy for metachronous testicular cancer.

UNLABELLED: Testicular malignant tumours represent 1% of neoplasms. The probability of developing a contralateral tumour is between 3% and 7%. We report two cases of complete genital prosthetization in two patients treated with bilateral orchiectomy for metachronous testicular cancer. In our knowledge no previous case is reported in literature. CASE REPORTS: A 46-year-old patient and a 49-year-old patient underwent bilateral radical orchiectomy for metachronous cancers of the testis. The first patient complained the complete loss of libido and complete impotence. For this reason he began a substitutive hormonal therapy with testosterone esters obtaining re-establishment of the masculine phenotype. With the reappearance of the libido and physical efficiency, the patient showed the intention to recover sexual activity and he was treated first by phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitors and then he began a cycle of prostaglandin El1(PGE1) but unfortunately without a satisfactory sexual performance. The second man maintained libido, lost sexual efficiency and showed hypogonadism. Substitutive therapy with testosterone enanthate obtained normalization of testosterone values. A psychosexual assessment highlighted a depressive state related to the absence of sexual performance due to an erectile deficit, that was treated first by PDE-5 inhibitors and then by intracavernous injections of PGEI without benefits. After individual and couple counselling both of the patients submitted both semirigid mono component penile prosthesis and bilateral testicular prostheses implantation by means of a single penile-scrotal incision. Both the patients regained sexual activity and were satisfied with the cosmetic appearance. CONCLUSION: We underline the importance of the collaboration between the andrologist and the psycho-sexologist and the on-going collaboration with the patient. This allows the clinician to appraise the situation completely and to work out a common solution built around the patient to obtain a full recovery of his identity.

Giant renal cyst complicated with acquired crossed renal ectopia, hypertension and renal cell carcinoma: case report and review of the literature.

Simple renal cysts are acquired kidney lesion that are described as spherical, smoothed surfaced, with a serous, sub-yellow content. They are generally considered as a harmless anomaly, however cases of complicated renal cysts have been reported. We present a case of an enormous renal cyst (the biggest ever described) containing more than 25 L of fluid mimicking ascites, complicated with controlateral displacement of ipsilateral functional kidney and intra-abdominal organs, renal cell carcinoma and hypertension. Particular attention is carried in the analysis of the literature about different aspects of giant renal cysts like the ability to grow to a very giant size, the association with hypertension and renal cell carcinoma, the sensibility of the most important examinations to reveals malignancy and management.

Numb chin syndrome: the presenting symptom of a metastatic prostate carcinoma.

Numb chin syndrome is a sensory neuropathy characterized by numbness involving the distribution of the mental nerve that could be an uncommon manifestation of metastatic malignancy. Bony metastases are common in patients with advanced prostate carcinoma and involving preferentially vertebrae, sternum, pelvic bones, ribs and femurs. We report a case in an 82-year-old man presenting a history of mental neuropathy as the isolated presenting symptom of a widespread metastatic prostate cancer Numb chin syndrome was describe in some reviews as a late component of a previously diagnosed disease but this report underline the importance of this neuropathy as the isolated presenting symptom of a widespread metastatic prostate cancer. This event is very rare and enumerates four cases in the world literature.

A 7-year history of an intratesticular mass: patient description and review of the literature about dermoid cysts of the testis.

A dermoid cyst is a particular form of a cystic teratoma. In the testis, it is very rare, with only a few cases reported in world literature. A 19-year-old patient come to our attention with a 7-year history of an intratesticular cystic mass. Sonography showed a large hypoechoic solid mass. The tumour markers alpha-fetoprotein, beta-human chorionic gondatotrophin, and lactate dehydrogenase were negative. Chest X-ray was negative. He underwent surgical exploration of the right testis and enucleation of the mass with testis preservation. At 14 month of follow-up, the patient had no complications and no recurrence of the lesion. Surgical enucleation is the treatment of choice in consideration of hormonal, psychological, and reproductive aspects. Orchiectomy should have been the treatment of choice, if the mass had substituted all testicular parenchyma and if there had been some malignant transformations.

Testosterone supplementation in hypogonadal men: our personal experience.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Around thirty years of age, we assist to a physiological, progressive and slow involution of the testicular function accompanied by a fall of the plasmatic levels of testosterone. Rarely hypogonadism is manifest in so young age with signs and symptoms, unless it is subsequent to severe events. After 50 years of age, it can present with a series of aspects that negatively influence the physical and sexual efficiency. The aim of this study is to prove if the replacement therapy with testosterone is able to restore a physiological gonadal function, without incurring in unpleasant side effects to prostate, liver and cardiac muscle. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We report our experience on 123 patients over 60 years of age (mean age 71) and 12 patients over 30 (mean age 37). These last ones were submitted to andrologic assessment after genital trauma. Both groups of patients have reached our observation from December 2000 to June 2003 for important asthenia and decrease of libido associated with impairment of secondary sexual characters and erectile deficit of various degrees. Respectively 76 and 12 patients did not show contraindications for testosterone therapy and they began injections with testosterone for at least 6 months. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Although compliance to testosterone treatment has not been equal in the time in all the subjects, undesirable effects are not highlighted. All the patients have reported complete or partial recovery of physical efficiency and improvement of sexual life, evaluated by means of IIEF scale and ADAM-AMS questionnaires. The replacement pharmacological treatment with testosterone improves the physical and sexual performance of the adult patient affected by symptomatic hypogonadism.

Psychooncology and cancer progression-related alterations of pleasure-associated neurochemical system: Abnormal neuroendocrine response to apomorphine in advanced cancer patients.

OBJECTIVES: The clinical approach of the Psychooncology is generally limited to the investigation of the only psychological status of cancer patients, without taking into consideration the well demonstrated cancer progression-related psychoneuroendocrine alterations, namely consisting of a progressive decline in the pineal endocrine function and an anomalous activity of brain opioid system. The endocrine response to apomorphine, a dopaminergic agent, has been proven to reflect the dopaminergic sensitivity, which would be involved at least in part in pleasure-related neurochemical mechanisms. The present study was performed to analyze the endocrine response to apomorphine in metastatic cancer patients, as a preliminary approach to the investigation of pleasure-related neuroendocrine mechanisms in human neoplasms. MATERIALS & METHODS: The study included 10 metastatic cancer male patients and 6 male volunteers as a control group. Apomorphine was given orally at 0.01 mg/kg body weight in the morning, and venous blood samples were collected before, and at 20, 60 and 120 minutes after apomorphine administration. The endocrine analysis consisted of the measurement of serum levels of GH, PRL and cortisol. RESULTS: All cancer patients presented alterations involving one or more endocrine responses to apomorphine. GH and cortisol mean levels after apomorphine were significantly higher in controls than in cancer patients, whereas no substantial difference occurred in those of PRL. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary study, by showing an altered endocrine response to apomorphine in metastatic cancer patients, would suggest that cancer progression may be associated with an altered dopaminergic sensitivity. Because of the involvement of the dopaminergic system in pleasure-related neurochemical mechanisms, this finding would demonstrated that the decline in the perception of pleasure with cancer progression may depend not only on psychological factors, but also, at least in part, on psychochemical alterations occurring during the clinical course of the neoplastic disease.