Search

To evaluate the condition of incontinence in patients with senile dementia, we performed computed tomography X-rays to the brain and analyzed the relationship among the circulatory defect of the brain, the brain atrophy and the degree of incontinence. There were 92 patients subjected to this study who were hospitalised due to senile dementia; 74 patients had vascular dementia, 10 patients had senile dementia of Alzheimer type, and 8 patients had the mixed type. (age ranged: 54-95 years; mean: 80.3 years). The degree of incontinence in these patients varied as follows: 18 patients with continence, 16 patients with moderate incontinence, 58 patients with total incontinence. The diagnosis of circulatory defect of the brain was based on computed tomography observation of periventricular lucency (P.V.L.), and the degree of brain atrophy was evaluated based on 4 criteria: the Lateral body ratio, the Huckman number, the Evans ratio, and the enlargement of the subarachnoid space. Among the 92 patients, P.V.L. was present in 31 patients, among them 27 patients suffered from incontinence. There was a significant correlation between P.V.L. and incontinence (p < 0.001). As the incontinence progressively worsened (Continence, Moderate incontinence Total incontinence), the lateral body ratio increased to 24.8, 27.8, 28.6, (p < 0.05). The Huckman number also increased to 18.3, 19.3, 21.3, (p < 0.01), and the evans ratio likewise 29.9, 32.3, 33.7 (p < 0.01). The enlargement of the subarachnoid space was also correlated with the severity of incontinence. We conclude that urinary incontinence originating from senile dementia is connected to brain atrophy and is strongly influenced by the circulatory disorders of the brain.

We recently had three patients with pelvic dead space infection caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) after total cystectomy for urothelial cancer. All were male and aged from 67 to 74 years old. As for underlying diseases, two of them had bladder cancer and one of them had bladder cancer and right ureteral cancer. Total cystectomy and ileal conduit were performed for two patients with bladder cancer, and total cystectomy, nephroureterectomy and ureterocutaneoustomy were performed for a patient with bladder cancer and ureteral cancer. Pelvic dead space infections caused by MRSA appeared after 15-30 days postoperatively. All patients were cured after we locally administered 0.5 g of vancomycin twice a day for 10-11 days from the drains to the pelvic dead spaces. All patients had preoperative antitumor chemotherapy and the postoperative administrations of beta-lactams in common. From these results, we suggest that local administration of vancomycin is effective for the pelvic dead space infection caused by MRSA after total cystectomy.

This study was designed to determine changes in one metabolic function, gluconeogenesis (GLG), after ischemic renal injury. Tubule suspensions were prepared by collagenase treatment of SD rat kidneys on 1, 3, and 7 days after left renal artery and vein occlusion for 0-90 min and incubated in Krebs-Henseleit buffer with or without 2 mM pyruvate or malate aerobically. Glucose contents were assayed photometrically. On days 1 and 3 after ischemia for longer than 60 min, serum creatinine levels rose significantly. The tendency of increase of GLG was observed on days 1 and 3 after 10-60 min of ischemia. GLG increased significantly on day 1 after 30-min ischemia. On the other hand, GLG decreased significantly on day 1 after 90-min treatment. Morphologic damage was limited to the corticomedullary region on days 1 and 3 after ischemic times of 30 and 60 min. These results suggest that renal GLG is stimulated to supply energy for ATP decrease by ischemia and for further regeneration in extraproximal segments along the nephron.

A 57-year-old male patient was admitted because of a severe lumbar pain and gross hematuria. The rectal examination revealed a fist-sized soft tissue mass in the small pelvic space. A huge non-papillary tumor, which occupied the intravesical space, was found on cystoscopic examination. CEA IAP, TPA, CA19-9 and NSE were abnormally elevated in the serum. The pelvic CT scan shown an enormous polypoid tumor arising from the anterior vesical wall, while no abnormal lesion was found in the head, neck, chest and abdominal CT scans. The bone scintigraphy revealed multiple abnormal accumulations. The transurethral biopsy of the tumor was carried out. The pathological examination revealed homogeneous and small tumor cells arranged in sheet and solid patterns, which were positive for the anti-NSE stain and anti-NF stain, but negative for Grimelius stain. The final diagnosis was small cell undifferentiated carcinoma of the urinary bladder. The patient died of cancer five months after diagnosis.

Long-term results were analyzed in terms of tumor progression and survival in patients with superficial bladder cancer who were enrolled in the second intravesical chemoprophylactic study of the Japanese Urological Cancer Research Group for Adriamycin, which was started in July 1982. This study was a prospective, randomized, controlled trial conducted on primary tumors treated with a long-term instillation regimen that involved control versus intravesical instillations of Adriamycin or mitomycin C given once a week for the first 2 weeks, once every other week for 14 weeks, once a month for 8 months, and once every 3 months for 1 year, for a total of 21 instillations in 2 years. An analysis of the prophylactic effects of such treatment on bladder tumors after TUR has previously been performed, and the results have been published elsewhere. The present study represents a follow-up of the above trial. Of the 671 cases previously analyzed with regard to tumor prophylaxis, 158 cases (23.5%) were eligible to be followed for tumor progression and survival. A detailed comparison of the background factors between these 158 patients and the other 513 cases revealed no statistically significant difference. Thus, the 158 evaluable cases might reasonably be considered to represent all patients enrolled in the second study, and the results were thought to be reasonable enough to reflect the long-term efficacy of the long-term instillation regimen adopted in this study. The median follow-up for these 158 cases was 6.6 years. Tumor progression in terms of the disease stage and/or grade occurred in 43 of 127 patients who received prophylactic instillations and in 12 of 31 control cases. No significant difference in the incidence of tumor progression was found between the treatment and the control groups. In addition, no difference in survival was observed between the treatment group and the control group. Survival was also compared between patients who showed tumor progression and those who did not. All patients whose tumors did not progress survived, whereas the 7-year survival of those exhibiting tumor progression was less than 90%.

In a cooperative study of the Japanese Urological Cancer Research Group for Adriamycin, the usefulness of chemotherapy with methotrexate, vinblastine, Adriamycin, and cisplatin (M-VAC therapy) in treating advanced or recurrent bladder cancer was examined. Evaluation of the clinical responses obtained in 86 evaluable patients revealed 13 complete responses, 29 partial responses, 4 minor responses, 19 cases of no change, and 21 cases of progressive disease. The overall response rate was 48.8% (42/86). The rate of response to M-VAC therapy at each disease site was as low as 21.4% (3/14) in bone lesions but exceeded 40% in the primary lesion, the lymph nodes, the lung, the liver, and other lesions. The clinical response to M-VAC therapy was not significantly influenced by the performance status of the patients, the dose intensity, or previous therapy. The median duration of response for the 42 responders was 22.7 weeks (range, 8.1–134.1 weeks), and the median duration of survival for the 86 evaluable patients was 9.8 months. Side effects were frequently encountered; the patients experienced anorexia, nausea, vomiting, malaise, alopecia, and leukopenia, but all of these symptoms were tolerable.

The immunological distribution of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), regional lymph node lymphocytes (RLNL) and peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) was evaluated by means of immunohistochemical staining using monoclonal antibodies of each subset of lymphocytes (stored in frozen sections) in a series of 22 patients with renal carcinoma. The immunological effect of IFN (interferon)-gamma on these immunocompetent cells was also investigated. The effect of IFN-gamma on TIL was an increase in CD3 (pan-T cells), especially an increase in CD8 (cytotoxic/suppressor-T cells). When examining these cells according to stage and grade, a marked increase in CD3 was found in low stage and low grade patients. With regard to RLNL, there was a tendency towards a decrease in CD3 and an increase in CD20 (B-cells) following the administration of IFN-gamma. No specific effect on stage and grade was observed apart from a reduction in T cell subset ratios in high grade patients. With regard to PBL, no specific trend was noted except for an increase in CD16 (NK cells) when IFN-gamma was administered.

Retrospective study on the frequency of associated bladder cancer and the influence on the prognosis was carried out in 170 cases of renal pelvic and ureteral cancer. The number of cases of associated bladder cancer coexistent with renal pelvic and ureteral cancer was 31 (18.2%), and the number of subsequent cases 3 (19.4%). The frequency of occurrence of the primary tumor site was 27.2% in the renal pelvis, 45.6% in the ureter and 58.3% in both renal pelvis and ureter. Multiple tumors occurring in the renal pelvis and ureter occupy a high percentage. As for the degree of differentiation, many cases were subsequent to G1. As for the stage, a few cases with bladder cancer were subsequent to T4, but there was no definite tendency in the occurrence of bladder cancer. The prognosis of renal pelvic and ureteral cancer: the 10-year survival rate was 93.3% for G1, 66.6% for G2 and 12.4% for G3. As can be seen, there was good correlation with the pathological gradings. It must be remembered, however, that 5-year survival rates in cases of associated bladder cancer of coexistent type, in cases of subsequent type and in cases without associated bladder cancer were 56.2%, 72.7% and 64.8%, respectively: there was no significant difference. Bladder cancer associated with renal pelvic and ureteral cancer makes the therapy troublesome, but no influence on the prognosis was observed. Therapy in conformity with the pathological grading and stage is regarded as particularly important in cases of associated bladder cancer.

Cystic mesothelioma of perinephric retroperitoneum origin are very uncommon tumors and considered potentially malignant. We report one such case and discuss the clinical and pathological findings. A 70-year-old man was seen with complaint of discomfort in the right flank and hospitalized in May 1989. Computerized tomography revealed multiple cystic masses in the right retroperitoneal space which appeared to be infiltrating the kidney and the iliopsoas muscles. Magnetic resonance imaging showed deformation of the right kidney with many impressions in the parenchyma. The cystic lesions and the right kidney were extirpated on June 2, 1989. Grossly the specimen was 16 x 10 x 8 cm in size and 630 g in weight. The multiple cysts surrounding the kidney were each approximately 10 mm in diameter and had thin outer walls. The cyst fluid was clear and serous. The kidney had not been infiltrated but had only external impressions caused by the cystic lesions. Microscopically, the cysts were lined by a single layer of cuboidal cells accompanied by some hobnail-shaped cells, and no evidence of malignancy was found. The epithelium was focally positive for periodate acid Schiff and slightly positive for Alcian blue. It was strongly positive for cytokeratin and vimentin, and slightly positive for EMA but negative for lectins. The diagnosis was diffused benign multicystic mesothelioma. However, CT taken four months after the operation revealed local recurrence and radiotherapy (40 Gy) was instituted. Since the cystic mass tended to grow in size thereafter, the lesion appeared to be malignant clinically. We consider this is the first case of cystic mesothelioma of perinephric retroperitoneum origin reported in Japan.

A single oral dose of di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) to male rats caused histologically a sloughing of the germ cells at 6 h. On Days 1 and 2 more severe sloughing was seen, followed by atrophy and the dissociation of the germ cells from the Sertoli cells and the spermatogonia. Biochemically, there was elevation of gamma-glutamyl transferase, a decrease in sorbitol levels at 3 h and a decrease in the activity of aldose reductase at 6 h, in the testes of treated rats. This was followed by decreases in fructose levels and increases in the activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and in lactate levels at 12 h, and decreases in the activities of sorbitol dehydrogenase and succinate dehydrogenase on Day 2. LDH isoenzymes 4 and 5 increased at 6 h prior to the increase in lactate levels. Increases in the levels of inositol and the activities of alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase were also observed. Thus, these data suggest that DBP-induced testicular toxicity is caused by a shortage of energy fuels from glucose metabolism or by an anoxia.

Clinical trials using Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripter (Tripter X-1) were performed on 30 cases for upper urinary tract calculi (16 cases: renal stone, 14 cases: ureter stone) with one trial per individual case from December, 1988 till February 1989. The fragmentation rate of 100% resulted. One month after treatment, evaluation on the X-ray film showed that 10 cases (33%) were found to be excellent where stone silhouette was no more observed. Effective cases where residual stone having dimension of below 5mm counted 10 (33%), and clinically effective rate, sum of both excellent and effective rates was 67 percent. Effective rate was 75 percent in case of kidney stone, and 57 percent in case of ureter stone respectively. Side effects of visual hematuria, skin ecchymosis and fever were observed, yet none of them was of serious grade, and post operative changes in blood chemistry were mild and transient. No remarkable side effects due to radiation exposure were observed. We concluded therefore that Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy by this system is an effective therapy for upper urinary tract stones.

During the 13 years from 1976 to 1988, 160 patients with renal pelvic and ureteral cancer were reviewed based on a new general rule for clinical and pathological studies on renal pelvic and ureteral cancer of Japanese Urological Association. There were 71 renal pelvic cancers, 80 ureteral cancers, and 9 cancers in both regions. Patients ranged in age from 35 to 91 years old (average: 63). The involved side was right in 63 and left in 97. The most frequent symptom was hematuria, which was seen in 81.1%. IVP revealed the findings of filling defects, hydronephrosis, and non-visualized kidney in 99.7% of the patients. Total nephroureterectomy with bladder cuff resection was performed in 123 cases, nephroureterectomy in 16 cases, nephrectomy in 5 cases, partial ureterectomy in 10 case, and biopsy in 6 cases. As adjuvant therapies, irradiation was performed in 32 and chemotherapy in 123. Histologically, 156 were with transitional cell carcinoma, one squamous cell carcinoma, one adenocarcinoma and 2 unclear, the over-all survival rate of this study at 1, 3, 5 and 10 years were 86.8%, 73.0%, 65.3% and 45.6%, respectively. No patient with lymph-node metastasis (N+) survived longer than 5 years. All patients with M(1) died within one year. There were no difference of prognosis between renal pelvic cancer and ureteral cancer. Regarding various prognostic factors, our series gave the same results as previous reports. However, it should be stressed that pathological grading was the most important prognostic factor.

Four hundred and thirty-one patients with renal cell carcinoma treated at Jikei University and its related institutions from 1957 to 1988 were studied as to tumour size in relation to clinical characteristics (age, sex ratio, affected side, symptoms), prognostic factor (fever, weight loss, anaemia, elevation of erythrocyte sedimentation rate), pathological staging, pathological grading, and survival. The treated patients were divided into 4 groups on the basis of tumour size (group A; under 3.0 cm, group B; 3.1 to 5.9 cm, group C; 6.0 to 9.9 cm, group D; over 10 cm in diameter). At the time of operation, there were 22 cases (5.1%) in group A, 121 cases (28.1%) in group B, 209 cases (48.5%) in group C, and 79 cases (18.3%) in group D. In studying the clinical factors of age, sex ratio, and affected side, no relationship with size was detected. As for the symptoms, the larger the tumour, the more frequent the symptoms of urinary tract (haematuria, pain, and palpable mass). This tendency was especially marked in the cases of group D (over 10.0 cm in diameter). In addition, no relationships were observed between the rate of haematuria and the symptoms of extraurinary tract in each group. As for the prognostic factors (fever, weight loss, anaemia and the elevation of erythrocyte sedimentation rate), there was an obvious tendency for a positive reaction of these factors in the cases of groups C and D (over 6.0 cm in diameter). As for the distribution of stage and grade in each group, a higher stage and grade were observed with large sized tumours.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Utilizing two types of human renal cell carcinoma heterotransplanted in nude mice (JRC 1; papillary, avascular pattern, grade III, JRC 11; anaplastic and alveolar, hypervascular pattern, grade IV), we investigated the influence of tumor blood flow upon the effects of local hyperthermia (42.5 degrees C), induced by 915 MHz microwave. Blood flow was determined from the rate of thermal clearance by use of the bio-heat transfer equation. The rate of thermal clearance was measured at intervals of approximately 10 minutes throughout the treatment session after turning off the microwave for 50 seconds. With both strains it was necessary to increase the microwave power until the constant steady-state temperature of 42.5 degrees C was reached. The JRC 11 strain needed more power for the constant temperature than JRC 1, but it needed a greater decrease in power level during the heating session to maintain a constant steady-state temperature. This was an indication that the tumour blood flow decreased more markedly in the JRC 11 strain. In both tumours, a decrease of blood flow was observed during the heating session. In the case of the JRC 1 strain, it was observed that the mean value of blood flow was 1.87 times higher than that of JRC 11. This indicated a sharp reduction in blood flow in JRC 11 strain. This reduction was confirmed by the thermal clearance measurement at the end of the treatment session. A sharp reduction in blood flow in hypervascular tumour (JRC 11 strain) is caused by a stasis of intra-tumoural blood circulation during the heating.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

During the past thirty-five years, we treated 221 patients with stage 1 renal cell carcinoma. We classified these patients into two groups: 175 patients who did not show recurrence and 45 patients who showed recurrence (excluding one patient who died of other disease). We investigated factors which affect the recurrence after nephrectomy and the survival after recurrence in these two groups. We found two major factors such as tumor diameter and tumor grade which affected the recurrence of renal cell carcinoma. Of these two factors, the grade of malignancy affected the prognosis of the patients with stage 1. Furthermore, as a result of long-term observation, we found that patients with grade I showed good prognosis compared with these with grade II, III and IV. The patients who showed weight loss constituted the majority of recurrent patients. Anaemia, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and positive reaction of C-reactive protein in addition to weight loss were major factors affecting the prognosis of stage 1 patients. In an effort to analysing the features of recurrent patients, there observed that no significant difference of the non-recurrent rate was detected between the patients who showed cancer death after nephrectomy and the patients who were living after nephrectomy. In analysing metastatic lesions and numbers of metastatic foci, we detected relatively long-term survival especially in patients with less than 3 foci of metastases in the lung, compared to those with multiple foci. Furthermore, we found dimension of the metastasis depended on the grade of the primary lesion.

Of 207 patients with renal carcinoma we studied 50 who survived for more than 10 years after nephrectomy. These 50 patients were younger than the others at the time of operation and included more females. They had lower stage and lower grade tumours. Recurrence was detected in 18/50 patients and 6 died from cancer. Recurrence developed approximately 10 years after nephrectomy. Eleven patients with recurrences had metastases to a single organ and 9 received multidisciplinary treatment, mainly surgery and radiotherapy. The survival rate 10 years after nephrectomy was lower in patients with recurrences than in those without recurrent tumours and there was a significant decrease in the survival rate 17 years after nephrectomy. Although the patients had low grade and low stage tumours 10 years after nephrectomy, careful follow-up is recommended in such cases as it is possible that they may have dormant tumours.

The effectiveness of a single 300-mg dose of tosufloxacin and of 3-day treatment with tosufloxacin (300 mg daily) were compared in a prospective trial in order to clarify the cost-effectiveness of tosufloxacin for acute uncomplicated cystitis. Fifty female patients (25 patients of each group) with acute uncomplicated cystitis received one of these treatment regimens, and the clinical data and follow-up culture results were analyzed. The effectiveness rates of single-dose treatment and 3-day treatment after 3 days were 100% and 96%, respectively. The recurrence rates of single-dose treatment and 3-day treatment after 14 or 28 days were 0% (0/13 patients) and 15% (2/13 patients), respectively. There was no significant difference in the effectiveness rate and the recurrence rate between these two groups, statistically. All isolated strains were eliminated in both regimens. From these results, it is suggested that single-dose treatment of tosufloxacin is effective enough for acute uncomplicated cystitis.

A multicentric randomised trial was conducted for the purpose of investigating the efficacy of intravesical chemoprophylaxis of superficial bladder cancers. A total of 443 patients (number of evaluable patients, 284) were registered from July 1987 to December 1989 and randomised into 3 groups. Group A received 21 intravesical instillations of Adriamycin (ADM) at 20 mg/40 ml physiological saline for 2 years after undergoing transurethral resection (TUR); group B was given the same dose as group A but received 6 intravesical instillations for 2 weeks before undergoing TUR; and group C served as a control and underwent TUR only. Better prophylactic effects were obtained in group A. The overall non-recurrence rates calculated for groups A and B differed significantly (P less than 0.05) on day 240, and those determined for groups A and C were also significantly different (P less than 0.01) on day 480. No benefit was obtained using intravesical instillation prior to TUR (group B). The major side effects encountered were pollakisuria and miction pain, which occurred in 32% of the patients in group A and in 52% of those in group B.

The immunological study of the major histocompatibility complex (class I, class II and DR antigens), tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), regional lymph node lymphocytes (RLNL) and peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) was evaluated on the basis of immunohistochemical staining using monoclonal antibodies of each subset of lymphocytes in a series of 16 patients with renal cell carcinoma. Two renal cell carcinomas in dialysis patients with acquired cystic disease of the kidneys (ACDK) were also included in this study. With regard to the immunological environment, a comparative study between renal cell carcinoma accompanied with ACDK and 14 other renal cell carcinoma was carried out. The results are described below: 1) With regard to the expression of MHC antigens in tumour cells, the degrees of expression of MHC class I, class II and DR-antigen in case 1 were higher than that of the other 14 renal cell carcinomas. On the other hand, no expression of MHC was detected in case 2. 2) As to the subsets of TIL, the CD25 (IL-2 receptor) was not expressed in all the renal cell carcinoma. As to the T cell receptor (TCR-alpha/beta chain), the degree of expression was the same in case 1 and the other 14 cases. On the other hand, no TCR was detected in the case 2. As to the other subsets of TIL (CD3, CD4, CD8, CD16 and CD20), the rates of the infiltration were the same in case 1 and the other 14 cases, but those in case 2 were lesser than in all other 14 cases.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Ureaplasma urealyticum was investigated in urine from 765 outpatients who visited Jikei University Affiliated Hospital and Tokyo Metropolitan Taito Hospital from June, 1988 to December, 1989 in order to clarify the pathogenicity of U. urealyticum in human genitourinary tract. U. urealyticum in urine was detected by means of Taylor-Robinson's method. The positive rates of U. urealyticum were 31.5% in 146 patients with gonococcal urethritis, 33.8% in 334 patients with non-gonococcal urethritis, 17.5% in non-bacterial chronic prostatitis and 27.5% in the other patients without infectious diseases, respectively; no significant difference was seen among these groups. U. urealyticum was detected in the urine from 32.1% of the 28% patients who were younger than 12. However, U. urealyticum was detected in the urine from 5.6% of the 18 patients who were older than 70. Therefore, there was no relationship between the age and U. urealyticum-positive rate in urine. Furthermore, there was no relationship between the detection of U. urealyticum and the subjective and objective findings in the patients with urethritis before and after the treatment. From these results, it is presumed that U. urealyticum has no pathogenicity in human genitourinary tract.

Clinical backgrounds of 35 patients with urogenital infection, from whom methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was isolated, were analyzed. Susceptibilities of these MRSA strains to various antimicrobial agents were also measured. Out of 35 MRSA strains, 29, 4 and 2 were isolated from urine, pus and sputum specimens, respectively, showing a definitely high isolation rate from urine. As for underlying diseases, 22 patients (62.8%), 11 (31.4%) and one each had a malignant tumor of the urinary tract or genital organ, prostatic hypertrophy, urolithiasis and vesicoureteral reflux, respectively. Patients aged at over 60 years numbered 20 (57%), and 32 patients (91.4%) were treated with some antimicrobial agent at the time of MRSA isolation. Out of 35 strains, 17 were isolated after total cystectomy with urinary diversion or transurethral surgery. As for the state of MRSA infection, 9 and 26 patients had single and polymicrobial infections, respectively, but none of patients had serious symptoms definitely thought to be caused by MRSA. On evaluation of susceptibilities of MRSA to various antimicrobial agents, the MRSA strains were found to be sensitive to minocycline, netilmicin and ofloxacin. From these results, MRSA strains isolated from patients treated in the field of urology were thought to rarely cause serious infectious symptoms, especially true for those isolated from the urine.

The serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) are known to undergo acute changes (paradoxical elevation) after effective chemotherapies for testicular germ cell tumors. In order to understand the clinical significance, the changes of the serum AFP levels after PVB therapy for testicular germ cell tumors were analyzed, and their relationship to the treatment effects was investigated in this retrospective study. Thirty-one patients with testicular germ cell tumors (11 with stage I, 7 with stage II, and 13 with stage III) which had been treated by PVB therapy were evaluated. The measurement of the serum AFP levels was performed by radioimmunoassay on Day 1 (the initiation day of the PVB therapy), thereafter on Day 8 and Day 22. The half-life (t1/2) or doubling time (t2) of the serum AFP were calculated. In patients with stage I disease, the serum AFP levels declined nearly according to its biological half-life between Day 1 and Day 22 after termination of chemotherapy (t1/2 = 6.2 days). In patients with stage II or III disease, the changes of the serum AFP levels were not consistent with the treatment results between Day 1 and Day 8. Namely, complete responders revealed a prolonged decline of the serum AFP levels (t1/2 = 63.0 days), partial responders a transient rise of the serum AFP levels (t2 = 49.5 days) and non-responders a sudden rise of the serum AFP levels (t2 = 9.9 days). On the contrary, the serum AFP levels changed in accordance with the treatment effects between Day 8 and Day 22. Early changes of the serum AFP levels were seen in patients with stage II or III disease between Day 1 and Day 8 after chemotherapy. It was indicated that the measurements of the serum AFP levels during this period were not useful for the evaluation of the treatment effects in these patients. Furthermore, it was suggested that the early changes of the serum AFP levels possibly correlate with the poor response. The mechanism of the early changes of the serum AFP was also discussed.

Utilizing two types of human renal carcinoma heterotransplanted in nude mice, we investigated the variations in hyperthermic effects (42.5 degrees C for 30 min) caused by differences in tumor type with special reference to variations in tumor vascularity. In the hypovascular JRC1 strain, sporadic vascular dilation was observed throughout the tumors after heating. Destruction of tumor cells was observed mainly in the region of dilation. In the hypervascular JRC11 strain, homogenous vascular dilation was observed immediately after heating, mainly at the periphery of tumors. There was a decrease in the viability of cells in the center of the tumor. Therefore, the hypervascular tumors showed greater destruction mainly at the center where blood circulation was reduced. The range of necrosis was also greatly affected by the extent of vascular dilation caused by heating in hypovascular tumors.

A human prostate specific antigen (PA) has been purified from an extract of prostatic tissue obtained during operation for benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). The antigen, which can be demonstrated a single component by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), has an apparent molecular weight of about 34,000 and has lower mobility for the positive pole than prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP). Double antibody radioimmunoassay (RIA) for PA in serum was developed with the antiserum raised in rabbit against partially purified PA. In normal serum of 30 controls the concentration were studied by the RIA. The normal upper limit of the serum PA levels in assay was set at 2.5 ng/ml. Elevated levels were observed in serum from 19 out of 21 untreated patients with prostatic carcinoma and 9 out of 23 patients with BPH, but latter less than 10 ng/ml. The results indicate that the PA is a potentially useful marker as well as PAP for prostatic cancer.

The sonographic appearance of 37 renal cell carcinomas was reviewed with particular emphasis on the relationship between the echo pattern of tumor and tumor size. Small carcinomas tended to be solid and hypoechoic; seven lesions less than 5 cm in the largest dimension were either hypo- or isoechoic . The echogenicity level of the solid parts within the lesion, whether it was solid or mixed, tended to increase as the tumor grew. It is important to recognize that the sonographic appearance of renal cell carcinomas varies with the size of the tumor.

Summary— Using human renal carcinoma heterotransplanted in nude mice, the effects of the combined use of hyperthermia and interferon (natural human interferon-alpha; IFN-alpha, and recombinant interferon-gamma; IFN-gamma) were examined. The hyperthermic device used was the Clini-Therm, Mark VII, 915 MHz, microwave. The administration of interferon was started immediately before hyperthermia and carried out on consecutive days. The combined use of hyperthermia and IFN was compared with hyperthermia and with IFN alone. The combined use of hyperthermia and IFN-alpha was shown to have significant anti-tumour effects compared with the former or latter alone. Of 10 nude mice (10 implanted tumours) used for the experiment, 5 showed complete disappearance of the implanted tumours and the others showed prolongation of survival. Combined treatment with IFN-gamma and hyperthermia showed no significant effect when compared with other treatment groups. Combined treatment with local hyperthermia and IFN-alpha may have some application to the clinical management of renal carcinoma.

To evaluate the efficacy of computed tomography (CT) in the diagnostic workup of renal cell carcinoma, CT findings were correlated with surgical and pathological findings in 40 cases. Fifteen cases without obliteration of perinephric fat or thickening of Gerota's fascia were confined within the renal capsule. Eighteen lesions showing anatomic contact with adjacent organs were either within the renal capsule or Gerota's fascia but never beyond Gerota's fascia. Two cases (Stage II) showed thickening of Gerota's fascia and two cases (Stage IV) showed tumor infiltration into the spleen. Computed tomography was found to be a useful method for the investigation of tumor thrombosis and lymph node metastasis.

A total of 96 cases of renal carcinoma with distant metastasis at the time of diagnosis was studied. The patients were classified into 4 groups: Group O (16) in whom nephrectomy was not performed, Group A (51) who died due to carcinoma within 1 year of nephrectomy, Group B (25) who died due to carcinoma 1 to 3 years after nephrectomy, and Group C (4) who survived for 3 years or more after nephrectomy. Six clinical measurements were evaluated: haemoglobin, ESR, alpha 2 globulin, temperature, weight and C reactive protein. In addition, performance status, the number of organs with metastases, number of metastatic lesions and tumour growth rate were measured. The results showed that in patients surviving for 1 year or more after nephrectomy, there was an abnormality in the results of 3 or less of the 6 clinical measurements, performance was 0 or 1, and the carcinoma had metastasised to only one organ. In addition, it was found that the growth of metastatic lesions in patients who survived for 3 years or more was much slower than in the other patients. Nephrectomy was found to be effective in only 27% of our cases and we consider that careful deliberation should be made pre-operatively as to whether nephrectomy is really necessary in patients with metastasis. The decision should be made on the basis of the results obtained in the 6 clinical measurements given above.