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Introduction: Penile cancer is rare, and data on prognostic factors of the disease are scarce. The aim of the study was to assess prognostic factors in patients undergoing lymphadenectomy for penile cancer., Material and Methods: Ninety-eight men who underwent lymphadenectomy for penile cancer were enrolled in the study. Progression-free survival and overall survival were assessed., Results: Five-year progression-free survival and overall survival were 0.6651 (95% CI: 0.5151-0.7783) and 0.5516 (95% CI: 0.4412-0.6488), respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that the factors that reduce progression-free survival include delay of lymphadenectomy by more than 3 months after diagnosis (p = 0.045) and involvement of non-inguinal lymph nodes (N0 vs. affected lymph nodes other than superficial inguinal, p = 0.0004; superficial inguinal vs. others, p = 0.001). Factors deteriorating overall survival include high grade (G1 vs. G2, p = 0.0072, and G1 vs. G3, p = 0.0347), more than one lymph node affected (p = 0.001) and crossing the lymph node capsule (p = 0.034)., Conclusions: The factors worsening the prognosis in patients with penile cancer after lymphadenectomy include delayed lymphadenectomy, involvement of lymph nodes other than the superficial inguinal, involvement of more than one lymph node, crossing the lymph node capsule, and high grade., (Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Introduction: The management of transitional bladder cancer, which invades the lamina propria (pT1) and has a marked propensity for recurrence and progression, is controversial. Without adjuvant treatment the recurrence rate can be up to 80% and progression up to 50%. We retrospectively analyzed the incidence of recurrence and progression of pT1 transitional bladder cancer (grade 1-3) after complete transurethral resection of a bladder tumor (TURBT) and adjuvant immunotherapy with bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)., Materials and Methods: 77 patients with stage pT1 transitional cell carcinoma underwent TURBT of all visible tumors and adjuvant BCG intravesical instillations. Before BCG therapy, 12 patients presented with stage pT1 G1 tumors, 50 presented with pT1, and 15 with pT1 G3 tumors., Results: 51 patients (66.2%) were disease-free throughout the BCG instillation and follow-up period (median of 45 months); 8 patients (10.4%) experienced recurrence during the BCG instillations, but were disease-free following the last instillation; 16 patients (20.8%) experienced recurrence at a median of 17 months, and 2 patients (2.6%) with pT1 G3 died because of progression., Conclusions: Adjuvant intravesical BCG therapy following TURBT appears to be an effective primary treatment for patients with pT1 transitional cell carcinoma., ((c) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Objectives: To assess the degree of hormonal abnormalities in testicular cancer survivors and the effect of these changes on patients' quality of life., Methods: Men with complete remission of testicular cancer for over 2 yr were eligible. Patients completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), and the Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (SFQ), and rated their physical and psychological well-being, quality of life, and relationship with their partner. Levels of the hormones testosterone, estradiol, thyreotropin, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and prolactin were determined. Relationships between hormone levels and questionnaire results were assessed., Results: A total of 326 men were tested, of whom 269 were treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. The most common endocrine abnormalities were above-normal gonadotropin levels (LH, 55%, and FSH, 49% of cases) and lowered testosterone (15%). Twenty-seven percent (STAI) and 28% (HADS) of the patients had abnormal anxiety levels, while the depression rate was 15% (BDI) and 18% (HADS); 40% of patients had erectile dysfunction. Linear regression analysis excluding the influence of age showed higher depression levels in the BDI among patients with elevated LH (p=0.010) or FSH (p=0.017). Patients with above-normal LH showed increased sexual problems in the SFQ (p=0.030). Elevated gonadotropins correlated with deteriorated physical well-being (p=0.028). Men with abnormal estradiol were more prone to erectile dysfunction (p=0.009)., Conclusions: Hormonal abnormalities have a negative impact on the quality of life of testicular cancer survivors.

Dendritic cell (DC) counts and function were assayed in peripheral blood of lymphoma and solid tumor patients before and after chemotherapy. The DC counts declined significantly within the first week from the start of chemotherapy, recovered in the second week, and exceeded the baseline values in the third week. DC recovery was usually similar after the first and after the last cycle of chemotherapy. DC1 and DC2 subsets followed the pattern of reconstitution found for the DC population as a whole. Monocytes and granulocytes recovered 1-2 weeks later than DC. The primary proliferative response to keyhole lympet hemocyanin (KLH), totally DC-dependent, declined within the first week from the start of chemotherapy, and in the majority of patients (including those initially unresponsive) recovered along with DC counts. The recovered responsiveness to KLH, but not to anti-CD3 antibody, disappeared at the end of chemotherapy in lymphoma and some solid tumor patients. Prolonged depletion of CD4+ T cells could contribute to the loss of responsiveness in lymphoma patients receiving multiple cycles of chemotherapy. However, in some solid tumor patients, the reactivity to KLH was absent, despite the reconstitution of both DC and CD4+ T-cell counts. Our data show that numerical reconstitution of DC is not necessarily accompanied by functional recovery. The early recovery of DC should be considered while designing protocols for DC collection for immunotherapy.