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Background/Purpose: This study evaluated the long-term outcomes of nephrectomy and inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombectomy in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Methods: From January 1996 to December 2013, we retrospectively collected the clinical data of 31 patients with pathologically confirmed RCC and IVC tumor thrombus. All patients received nephrectomy and IVC thrombectomy. We examined the clinical outcomes, including cancer-specific survival, progression-free survival, and postoperative complications, during a 90-day period. The associated prognostic factors were also analyzed. This study is registered with the National Taiwan University Hospital Research Ethics Committee (number 201305059RINC). Results: The median follow-up period was 24 months. Of 20 patients with nonmetastatic disease, 15 developed metastases during the study period. The overall 5-year cancer-specific survival rate was 30.8% in the nonmetastatic group versus 12.5% in the metastatic group. The level of IVC thrombus (Levels I–II vs. Levels III–IV) was not significantly associated with the 5-year cancer-specific survival (P = 0.43). The Fuhrman grade and sarcomatoid type were statistically significant predictors of cancer-specific survival (Fuhrman Grades III–IV vs. Grades I–II: Hazard ratio [HR] = 0.11, P = 0.04; sarcomatoid type: HR = 0.136, P = 0.001). Fuhrman grade, capsular invasion, and positive surgical margins were associated with 1-year progression-free survival (Fuhrman Grades III–IV vs. Grades I–II: HR = 0.08, P = 0.04; capsular invasion: HR = 0.15, P = 0.04; positive surgical margins: HR = 0.16, P = 0.05). The most common perioperative complication was massive blood loss. The most common recurrence sites were bones, liver, and lungs. Conclusion: The pathologic Fuhrman grade, sarcomatoid type, positive surgical margins, and capsular invasion were significant predictors of oncological outcomes in patients with advanced RCC and IVC thrombus.

Radium-223 is a first-in-class α-emitting radiopharmaceutical that targets bone metastases associated with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). In the pivotal phase III trial ALSYMPCA, radium-223 significantly increased overall survival (OS), compared with placebo (median 14.9 vs 11.3 months; hazard ratio 0.70; 95% CI 0.58–0.83; p

To retrospectively evaluate the failure patterns of multimodality bladder-preserving therapy in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Methods: Patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer underwent maximal transurethral resection of bladder tumor and induction chemotherapy, followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Radiotherapy was given with 45 Gy to the pelvis, 50.4 Gy to the bladder, and 64.8 Gy to the tumor bed. Three protocols of trimodality treatment were used: Protocol A, three cycles of cisplatin and fluorouracil (CF), followed by CCRT with 6 weekly cisplatin; Protocol B, three cycles of weekly paclitaxel plus CF, followed by CCRT with 6 weekly paclitaxel and cisplatin; Protocol C, three cycles of gemcitabine and cisplatin, followed by CCRT with 6 weekly cisplatin. Interval cystoscopy confirmed complete response (CR) after induction chemotherapy and 40–50 Gy of radiotherapy. Patients without CR were referred for salvage cystectomy. Results: A total of 60 patients were enrolled, including 11 patients with unfavorable factors defined as hydronephrosis and/or pelvic nodal involvement. After a median follow-up of 86.7 months, the 5-year overall, progression-free, and bladder preservation-specific survival rates were 76.3%, 62.9%, and 71.5%, respectively. Three patients underwent salvage cystectomy for invasive bladder recurrence. Of 45 surviving patients, 42 patients (93.3%) retained functioning bladders. Patients with unfavorable factors had significantly lower metastasis-free survival (p=0.002), but not bladder preservation-specific survival (p=0.25). Conclusion: With trimodality treatment involving visually complete transurethral resection of bladder tumor, cisplatin-based induction chemotherapy, and CCRT, patients with unfavorable factors maintained satisfactory bladder preservation but not systemic control.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the correlation between suprapubic ultrasonography (SPUS) and transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) in the measurements of prostate dimensions and volume. Materials and methods: A total of 90 patients presenting with prostate enlargement and lower urinary tract symptoms were enrolled. All SPUS and TRUS were performed by a single experienced urologist at the same clinic visit. We analyzed the correlations of prostate volume measured by SPUS and TRUS using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Data were further analyzed in the subgroups to determine the correlation between uroflowmetry, prostate volume, postvoid residue, and prostate specific antigen level and the presence of intravesical growth. Results: The mean prostate volume of the 90 patients measured by SPUS and TRUS were 65.8 ± 46.5 mL and 65.4 ± 43.9 mL, respectively (r = 0.944; p

It is believed that androgens and their receptors regulate normal prostate growth and mediate prostate cancer development. Androgen deprivation therapy is the most commonly used treatment for advanced prostate cancer. Although the therapy is initially effective, progression of the disease to castration-resistant prostate cancer is almost inevitable, leading to treatment failure. Despite the existence of current clinical parameters, new biomarkers are urgently needed to improve the prognosis. Some molecules and DNA-based genetic biomarkers are under investigation as potential prognostic factors. The advancement in molecular cytogenetic research, such as genome-wide association for single-nucleotide polymorphisms, has made possible the detection of genetic mutations. In this study, a literature search from August 1985 to April 2013 was performed through the PubMed database using the keywords “genetic polymorphisms”, “prostate cancer” and “androgen deprivation therapy”. The results revealed that several genome-wide association studies (such as rs16901979, rs7931342, HSD17B4, rs6162 in the CYP17A1, rs4243229 and rs7201637 in the HSD17B2, rs1062577 in the ESR1, SLCO1B3, SLCO2B1, rs2939244 in the ARRDC3, rs9508016 in the FLT1, rs6504145 in the SKAP1, rs7830611 in the FBXO32, rs9508016 in the FLT1, rs12529 in the AKR1C3, rs16934641 in the BNC2, rs3763763 in the TACC2, rs2051778 in the ALPK1, and rs3763763 in the TACC2, AR, ESR1, and ESR2) and single-nucleotide polymorphisms in important pathways (such as androgen signal, biosynthesis, metabolism, androgen receptor binding site, response element, androgen receptor CAG repeat polymorphism length, and estrogen receptor-binding sites) involved in prostate cancer occurrence and mechanism could serve as candidate biomarkers for the early detection of castration-resistant prostate cancer after androgen deprivation therapy. Additional investigations are required to decipher precisely the gene combinations and personalize the management of prostate cancer.

Objective: Extra-adrenal pheochromocytomas are known as paragangliomas. The majority of extra-adrenal tumors occur intra-abdominally along the sympathetic chain. However, they may also occur in the urinary tract, including the urinary bladder. Materials and methods: In this study, we report a clinical series of six patients diagnosed with bladder paragangliomas in our hospital over the past two decades, and review the literature regarding this unusual disease. Results: Among the six cases, two were male and four were female. The most common presentation was painless gross hematuria, with five of the six patients (83.3%) having this chief complaint. Two patients presented with hypertension and one with palpitations. Two had malignant bladder paragangliomas, and one died within one year after the diagnosis. Four patients received transurethral resection of the bladder tumors, and one patient developed tumor recurrence within one year of follow-up. Conclusion: Bladder paraganglioma is an extremely rare tumor with a high recurrence rate, and the most common presenting symptom in our series was painless gross hematuria. Large, polypoid, and multiple tumors indicate malignancy.

Objective: The results of urinalysis, radiographic studies, urinary cytology examinations, and ureterorenoscopy (URS) biopsies, as well as the results of histopathology can be used to establish a diagnosis of upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). Materials and Methods: We enrolled 99 patients who underwent radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) during the period 2003–2007. A total of 65 random urine and 83 URS washing cytology examinations, 48 intravenous urography (IVU), 59 retrograde pyelography (RP), and 81 URS biopsy results were available prior to RNU and were compared with the pathological grades and stages of these surgical specimens. Results: Ninety-three UTUCs were found among the 99 RNU specimens. Initial presentations and urinalysis results could not predict tumor stages. The patient with preoperative pyuria was significantly associated with high-grade UTUC (75.0% vs 52.6%, p = 0.031). Random urine and URS washing cytology results could not predict tumor grades or stages. The sensitivity of 3-day random urine cytology was significantly better than 2-day and 1-day examinations (p = 0.002 and p = 0.019, respectively). The abnormal findings in IVU and RP accounted for 89.4% and 100%, respectively. Non-enhancement of images was significantly associated with high tumor grading (p = 0.01). URS biopsy (n = 72) was positive for malignancy in 52 patients (69.3%). Biopsy grade had a significant correlation with surgical tumor grade (κ = 0.649) and high-grade biopsy results were significantly associated with invasive tumor stage (pT2–T4) (p = 0.004). Conclusion: Combining random urine cytology for 3 nonconsecutive days, upper urinary tract images, and URS biopsies provided an accurate diagnosis of UTUC. This study found that preoperative pyuria in urinalysis, non-enhancement in IVP or RP, and high-grade tumor in URS biopsy could predict high-grade tumor in RNU specimens.

Far infrared radiation, a subdivision of the electromagnetic spectrum, is beneficial for long-term tissue healing, anti-inflammatory effects, growth promotion, sleep modulation, acceleration of microcirculation, and pain relief. We investigated if far infrared radiation is beneficial for renal proximal tubule cell cultivation and renal tissue engineering. We observed the effects of far infrared radiation on renal proximal tubules cells, including its effects on cell proliferation, gene and protein expression, and viability. We also examined the protective effects of far infrared radiation against cisplatin, a nephrotoxic agent, using the human proximal tubule cell line HK-2. We found that daily exposure to far infrared radiation for 30 min significantly increased rabbit renal proximal tubule cell proliferation in vitro, as assessed by MTT assay. Far infrared radiation was not only beneficial to renal proximal tubule cell proliferation, it also increased the expression of ATPase Na+/K+ subunit alpha 1 and glucose transporter 1, as determined by western blotting. Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction, we found that far infrared radiation enhanced CDK5R1, GNAS, NPPB, and TEK expression. In the proximal tubule cell line HK-2, far infrared radiation protected against cisplatin-mediated nephrotoxicity by reducing apoptosis. Renal proximal tubule cell cultivation with far infrared radiation exposure resulted in better cell proliferation, significantly higher ATPase Na+/K+ subunit alpha 1 and glucose transporter 1 expression, and significantly enhanced expression of CDK5R1, GNAS, NPPB, and TEK. These results suggest that far infrared radiation improves cell proliferation and differentiation. In HK-2 cells, far infrared radiation mediated protective effects against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity by reducing apoptosis, as indicated by flow cytometry and caspase-3 assay.

We developed a novel ex vivo training model for advanced laparoscopic suturing techniques necessary in laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP). Methods: An inanimate model was developed to approximate real-life conditions in laparoscopic urethrovesical anastomosis. A segment of porcine ovarian tube inserted through a hard piece of cardboard (urethral stump) in a small open box and a part of pig stomach with a 2-cm hole (bladder neck) were placed in a specially designed setup in a traditional pelvic trainer, while the trocars were arranged in the usual five-port style during an LRP. The trainees practised suturing the “bladder neck” to the “urethral stump” with intermittent or continuous sutures according to their preferences. Results: The setup successfully mimicked the spatial relationships of the organs to be anastomosed during live surgery. The directions of the trocars and the angles of the instrumentations in the training model also imitated those during LRP. After practising on our models, the surgeons spent significantly less time (65 ± 24 min vs. 36 ± 12 min, p = 0.035) performing actual urethrovesical anastomosis. Conclusion: This inanimate laparoscopic suturing training model for urethrovesical anastomosis is a novel, effective, convenient and economic training tool, especially for beginners of LRP.

To better understand the result of radical cystectomy in the treatment of bladder cancer, we analyzed our data and reported the oncological outcomes and survival predictors. Methods: Patients underwent radical cystectomy for bladder transitional cell carcinoma between March 1995 and July 2007 were evaluated. The clinical course, pathological characteristics, and clinical outcomes were described and analyzed. Results: A total of 148 patients (98 men and 50 women) with a median age of 66.7 years (range: 23.8–83.3) were included in the study. Median follow-up was 64 months. The perioperative mortality was 2.7%. The 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) for all 148 patients was 61% and 53%, respectively. The 5-year RFS and OS were 68% and 62% for pT2, 65% and 59% for pT3, 11% and 9% for pT4, and 37% and 31% for nodal-positive disease, respectively. The number of positive lymph nodes was significantly associated with survival: 5-year RFS and OS were 54% and 33%, for patients with only 1–3 positive lymph nodes, whereas, all patients with ≥4 positive lymph nodes had recurrence. On multivariate analysis, age > 60 years, pT4 tumors, and lymph node involvement had a negative impact on survival. Conclusion: Radical cystectomy can be curative in a significant portion of patients with organ-confined (T2 or less) and extravesical (pT3) bladder cancer. Age > 60 years, pT4 tumors, and nodal metastases were associated with poor prognosis. Patients with limited lymph node involvement (1–3 nodes) can be cured by surgery alone, whereas a more extensive lymph node metastasis (≥ 4 nodes) eventually results in recurrence. Concomitant prostate cancer is of low grade and early stage, and is clinically insignificant.

Complications from transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) guided prostate needle biopsy are occasionally encountered in the daily practice of urologists. We tried to determine the associated risk factors of patients who suffered from major complications that required hospitalization after TRUS guided prostate needle biopsies. Methods: We did a retrospective review of 1875 TRUS guided prostate biopsies performed between January 2002 and December 2005. We defined major complications as patients with complications that needed hospitalization. We analyzed the association between biopsy complications and suspected factors, including age, prostate volume, patient's underlying disease, selection of prophylactic antibiotics, biopsy core numbers (6, 12, and 15 cores), and antiplatelet/anticoagulant usage. Results: There were 124 patients (6.6%) with major complication. These major complications were categorized as acute prostatitis (3.8%), acute urinary retention (2.1%), hematuria (1.9%), rectal bleeding (0.2%), epididymitis (0.2%), sepsis (0.05%), and vasovagal syncope (0.05%). Patients with larger prostate size were noted to have higher risk of developing transient acute prostatitis and acute urinary retention after prostate biopsy. In contrast, age, prophylactic antibiotics (levofloxacin and pipemidic acid), underlying diseases (diabetic mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, cerebrovascular accident, coronary artery disease), increased biopsy core numbers, and antiplatelet/anticoagulant usage were not associated with major complications after prostate biopsy. Conclusion: TRUS guided prostate needle biopsy is a safe diagnostic tool in most elderly males with or without systemic underlying disease.

Ureteral obstruction caused by extrinsic compression is often associated with intra-abdominal cancers. Internal drainage with ureteral stents is typically the first-line therapy to relieve such obstructions. Novel designs of ureteral stents made of different materials have been invented to achieve better drainage. In this study, we described the functional outcomes of a Resonance metallic ureteral stent (Cook Medical, Bloomington, Indiana, USA) in patients with malignant ureteral obstruction and compare the functional duration of Resonance stents with regular polymeric stents in the same cohort.Cancer patients who received polymeric stents and subsequent Resonance stents for ureteral obstruction between July 2009 and November 2012 were included in a chart review. Stent failure was detected by clinical symptoms, imaging studies, and renal function tests. The functional durations of each stent were calculated, and possible factors affecting stent patency were investigated.A total of 50 stents were successfully inserted into 50 ureteral units in 42 patients with malignant ureteral obstruction. There were 7 antegrade stents and 43 retrograde stents. There were no major complications. Stent-related symptoms were similar in both kinds of stents. After polymeric stents were replaced with Resonance metallic stents, hydronephrosis subsided or remained stable in 90% (45/50) of the ureteral units. Serum creatinine decreased or remained stable in 90% (38/42) of these patients. The Resonance stent exhibited a mean increase in functional duration of 4 months compared with the polymeric stents (p

Amyloidosis is a systemic disease that usually occurs in the gastrointestinal tract or in muscular or adipose tissue. Primary amyloidosis of the urinary bladder is a rare disease that can mimic bladder cancer on cystoscopic examination as well as in its clinical presentation of painless gross hematuria. This report describes a 49-year-old male with repeated painless gross hematuria, who underwent transurethral resection of a suspected bladder tumor. Pathologic examination revealed papillary urothelial hyperplasia with vascular ectasia and no signs of malignancy. Massive gross hematuria occurred 2.5 years later. Cystoscopy showed multiple papillary lesions with yellowish-brown submucosal plaques on the posterior bladder wall. A second transurethral tumor resection was performed and histologic examination revealed plasma cell infiltration and eosinophilic amorphous deposits in the subepithelial stroma and vascular wall. The deposits were positive for Congo red and apple-green birefringence under polarized light examination but negative for Masson's trichrome stain, indicating that they were not fibrotic in nature. Hence, the diagnosis of amyloidosis of the urinary bladder was confirmed. Screening for amyloidosis was negative in other organ systems and the patient has remained disease-free up to the last follow-up 4 years after the second transurethral resection. Amyloidosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with recurrent hematuria who have symptoms characteristic of bladder cancer but negative pathologic study for malignancy. Correct diagnosis relies on clinical alertness and the use of a special staining technique during pathologic examination.

Urinary stones (US) are associated with systemic metabolic and endocrine disorders that share risk factors typically associated with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).For this investigation, 30,142 patients with US were set as the research group, and 121,768 randomly selected patients were set as the comparison group through frequency matching by age, sex, and index year. Each patient was individually tracked to identify those who developed ACS during the follow-up period. Cox proportional hazards regression and the Kaplan-Meier method were adopted to calculate the hazard ratios of ACS risk and plot the survival curve.Overall, 275 (13.4 per 10,000 person-y) and 736 events (9.1 per 10,000 person-y) were observed among patients in the research and comparison cohorts, respectively. The patients with US had a substantially lower ACS-free survival rate compared with that of the patients in the comparison cohort (P

Folate metabolism has been associated with cancers via alterations in nucleotide synthesis, DNA methylation, and DNA repair. We hypothesized that genetic variants in methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), a key enzyme of folate metabolism, would affect the prognosis of prostate cancer. Three haplotype-tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the MTHFR gene region were genotyped in a cohort of 458 patients with clinically localized prostate cancer treated with radical prostatectomy. One SNP, rs9651118, was associated with disease recurrence, and the association persisted after multivariate analyses adjusting for known risk factors. Public dataset analyses suggested that rs9651118 affects MTHFR expression. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that MTHFR expression is significantly upregulated in prostate tumor tissues when compared with adjacent normal tissues. Furthermore, overexpression of MTHFR correlates with cancer recurrence and death in two independent publicly available prostate cancer datasets. In conclusion, our data provide rationale to further validate the clinical utility of MTHFR rs9651118 as a biomarker for prognosis in prostate cancer.

A recent study demonstrated that an increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) was associated with high urinary total arsenic levels. However, whether genomic instability is related to CKD remains unclear. An association between CKD and genetic polymorphisms of regulation enzymes of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), angiotensinogen (AGT), angiotensin II type I receptor (AT1R), and aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) has not been shown. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between arsenic, genetic polymorphisms of RAAS enzymes and CKD. A total of 233 patients and 449 age- and gender-matched controls were recruited from the Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei Municipal Wan Fang Hospital and the Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital. Concentrations of urinary arsenic were determined by a high-performance liquid chromatography-linked hydride generator, and atomic absorption spectrometry. Polymorphisms of ACE(I/D), AGT(A[- 20]C), (T174M), (M235T), AT1R(A1166C) and CYP11B2(C[- 344]T) were examined by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism. Subjects carrying the CYP11B2 TT genotype had a higher odds ratio (OR), 1.39 (0.96-2.01), of CKD; while those with the AGT(A[- 20]C) CC genotype had an inverse OR of CKD (0.20 (0.05-0.81)), and a high-risk genotype was defined as A/A + A/C for AGT(A[- 20C]) and T/T for CYP11B2(C[- 344]T). The trend test showed a higher OR for CKD in patients who had either high urinary total arsenic levels or carried the high-risk genotype, or both, compared to patients with low urinary total arsenic levels, who carried the low-risk genotype, and could also be affected by the hypertension or diabetes status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation demonstrates the magnetic properties and nanostructures of CoPt3 wire arrays that were fabricated by electrodeposition using a porous alumina template. The X-ray absorption analysis clearly verified the occurrence of a phase transition in CoPt3 nanowires. This phase transition significantly influences the magnetic properties and enhances coercivity and squareness. The phase transition of CoPt3 nanowires was from a random alloy distribution to anisotropically ordered CoPt3 (L12). The thermally induced phase transition of CoPt3 nanowires to ordered L12 CoPt3 through a "cluster-in-cluster" intermediate state via interdiffusion processes is revealed. The mechanism exhibited by these CoPt3 nanowires is proposed to explain the strong correlation between their magnetic character and their atomic distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]