Small tumors in transplanted kidneys are rarely detected during follow-up. With surgical treatment, it is sometimes challenging to preserve the graft and its function. Image-guided ablation ...techniques have been recently reported as effective in treating these tumors. Herein three cases of radiofrequency (RF) thermal ablation in transplanted kidneys are reviewed and compared with cases in the literature. There were no major complications seen, the mean change in serum creatinine level was no greater than 0.1 mg/dL, and complete ablation was sustained on imaging studies at 3, 18, and 62 months follow-up. RF ablation can be considered a safe, function-preserving, and effective evolving therapeutic option for small tumors in transplanted kidneys.
Study Type – Outcomes (cohort)
Level of Evidence 2b
What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?
About 80% of RCCs have clear cell histology, and consistent data are available about the ...clinical and histological characteristics of this histological subtype. Conversely, less attention has been dedicated to the study of non‐clear cell renal tumours Specifically, published data show that chromophobe RCC (ChRCC) have often favourable pathological stages and better nuclear grades as well as a lower risk of metastasizing compared with clear cell RCC (ccRCC). Patients with ChRCC were shown to have significantly higher cancer‐specific survival (CSS) probabilities compared with ccRCC. However, an independent prognostic role of RCC histotype was not confirmed in some large multicenter series and only a few studies have focused on the oncological outcomes of ChRCC.
The present study is one of the few to evaluate cancer‐related outcomes of ChRCC and represents to our knowledge the largest series of ChRCCs. Consequently, the present findings may assist in elucidating the natural history of surgically treated ChRCC. The present study confirms that ChRCCs have good prognosis and a low tendency to progress and metastasize. Only 1.3% of patients presented with distant metastases at diagnosis, and the 5‐ and 10‐year CSS were 93% and 88.9%, respectively. However, although ChRCCs are generally characterised by an excellent prognosis, we observed that patients with locally advanced or metastatic cancers as well as those with sarcomatoid differentiation have a poor outcome. The study also investigated prognostic factors for recurrence‐free survival (RFS) and CSS for this RCC histotype. The definition of outcome predictors can be useful for patient counselling, planning of follow‐up strategies, and patient selection for clinical trials. In the present study, gender, clinical T stage, pathological T stage, and presence of sarcomatoid differentiation were significantly associated with RFS and CSS at multivariable analysis. We also identified N/M stage as an independent predictor of CSS. Notably, as Fuhrman grade was not an independent predictor of cancer‐related outcomes, the present study confirms that this histological variable is not a reliable prognostic factor for ChRCC.
OBJECTIVES
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To investigate cancer‐related outcomes of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (ChRCC) in a large multicentre dataset.
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To determine prognostic factors for recurrence‐free survival (RFS) and cancer‐specific survival (CSS) for this RCC histological type.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
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In all, 291 patients with ChRCC were identified from a multi‐institutional retrospective database including 5463 patients who were surgically treated for RCC at 16 Italian academic centres between 1995 and 2007.
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Univariable and multivariable Cox regression models were used to identify prognostic factors predictive of RFS and CSS after surgery for ChRCC.
RESULTS
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At a median follow‐up of 44 months, 25 patients (8.6%) had disease recurrence and 18 patients (6.2%) died from disease.
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The 5‐year RFS and CSS rates were 89.3% and 93%, respectively.
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Gender (P= 0.014), clinical T stage (P= 0.017), pathological T stage (P= 0.003), and sarcomatoid differentiation (P= 0.032) were independent predictors of RFS at multivariable analysis.
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For CSS, there was an independent prognostic role for gender (P= 0.032) and T stage (P= 0.019) among the clinical variables and for T stage (P= 0.016), N/M stage (P= 0.023), and sarcomatoid differentiation (P= 0.015) among the pathological variables.
CONCLUSIONS
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Patients with ChRCC have a low risk of tumour progression, metastasis, and cancer‐specific death.
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Patient gender, clinical and pathological tumour stage, and sarcomatoid differentiation are significant predictors of RFS and CSS for ChRCC.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Purpose
The recent rise in migration from Africa through the Mediterranean basin into Europe has resulted in an increased incidence of uncommon diseases such as schistosomiasis and genito-urinary ...tuberculosis, which were previously largely unknown in this region. This study aimed to evaluate the insight of European urologists into diagnosing and managing these disease conditions and to determine whether they were adequately prepared to deal with the changing disease spectrum in their countries.
Methods
A survey including specific questions about the diagnosis and management of ‘tropical’ urological diseases was distributed among urologists working in Europe and Africa. Multivariate logistic regression models were performed to detect the continent (African or European) effect on knowledge of and insight into tropical urological diseases.
Results
A total of 312 surveys were administered. African and European respondents accounted for 109 (36.09%) and 193 (63.91%) respondents, respectively. The multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated a significant deficiency in the knowledge of tropical urological diseases in the European cohort compared with the African cohort (
p
< 0.05). Moreover, in the European cohort, markedly superior knowledge of tropical urological diseases was observed for respondents who had previously worked in a developing country.
Conclusions
Though European urologists are not required to have the same insight as African urologists, they showed a very unsatisfactory knowledge of tropical urological diseases. The experience of working in a developing country could improve the knowledge of European urologists regarding tropical urological diseases.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
To assess the clinical role of corticosteroids in the medical expulsive therapy of symptomatic distal ureteral stones.
Between January 2004 and September 2005, 114 patients with symptomatic distal ...ureteral stones with a ≥5mm diameter were enrolled in this prospective study and divided into four groups based on the urologist (of four) who treated them in the emergency unit. Group A (33 patients) received tamsulosin (0.4mg daily), group B (24 patients) received deflazacort (30mg daily), group C (33 patients) received both (0.4mg tamsulosin+30mg deflazacort daily), and control group D (24 patients) received only analgesics. The treatment duration was 10 d to prevent the side-effects of prolonged corticosteroid therapy. The end points were the expulsion rate, analgesic consumption, number of ureteroscopies, and safety.
The groups were comparable in terms of age, sex, and stone location. The stone diameter was 5.96±0.33mm for group A, 5.83±0.4mm for group B, 5.88±0.23mm for group C, and 5.71±0.5mm (p>0.05) for group D. The rates of expulsion for the four groups were 60%, 37.5%, 84.8%, and 33.3%, respectively. There was a significant difference between group C and the other groups (p<0.001). The mean analgesic consumption was 42.5±0.4mg for group A, 50±0.3mg for group B, 27.3±0.5mg for group C, and 81±0.33mg for group D, with a significant difference between group C and the other groups (p<0.001). During the treatment period, only two cases of drug side-effects related to tamsulosin (without any drop-outs) were recorded.
When the medical expulsive therapy for symptomatic distal ureteral stones is considered, the use of steroids (deflazacort) proves efficient only when administered together with α1-blockers (tamsulosin). In addition, tamsulosin used on its own as a medical expulsive therapy can be considered as an alternative treatment for those patients who are not suitable for steroid therapy, as it is generally efficient.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
We characterize the consequences of androgen deprivation therapy on body composition in elderly men.
Using a dual energy x-ray absorptiometry instrument, we determined the changes in bone mineral ...density, bone mineral content, fat body mass and lean body mass in 35 patients with prostate cancer without bone metastases who received luteinizing hormone releasing hormone analogue for 12 months.
At baseline conditions 46% of cases were classified as osteopenic and 14% as osteoporotic at the lumbar spine and 40% were osteopenic and 4% osteoporotic at the hip. Androgen deprivation significantly decreased bone mineral density either at the lumbar spine (mean gm./cm.
2 SD 1.00 0.194, 0.986 0.172 and 0.977 0.182 at baseline, and 6 and 12 months, respectively, p <0.002) or the hip (0.929 0.136, 0.926 0.144 and 0.923 0.138, p <0.03). A more than 2% decrease in bone mineral density was found at the lumbar spine in 19 men (54.3%) and at the hip in 15 (42.9%). Bone mineral content paralleled the bone mineral density pattern. Lean body mass decreased (mean gm. SD 50,287 6,656, 49,296 6,554 and 49,327 6,345, p <0.003), whereas fat body mass consistently increased (18,115 6,209, 20,724 6,029 and 21,604 5,923 p <0.001).
Serial bone densitometry evaluation during androgen deprivation therapy may allow the detection of patients with prostate cancer at risk for osteoporotic fractures, that is those with osteopenia or osteoporosis at baseline and fast bone loss. The change in body composition may predispose patients to accidental falls, thus increasing the risk of bone fracture.
We compared the status of the peritumoral parenchyma after open and laparoscopic nephron sparing surgery for renal cell carcinoma.
The records of 64 consecutive patients who underwent nephron sparing ...surgery for renal cell carcinoma of 4 cm or less were reviewed retrospectively. Patients in group 1 underwent open retroperitoneal surgery (1998 to 2000) and patients in group 2 underwent laparoscopic (transperitoneal or retro peritoneal) surgery (2001 to March 2004). A single pathologist was employed to analyze the specimens, and comparative analysis included examination of tumor size, weight, histological cell type, intraoperative histological biopsies and margin status.
The 2 groups were comparable in terms of clinical data, and mean lesion size was 31.4 mm in group 1 and 32 mm in group 2. Positive margins were found in 1 of 30 patients in group 1 and in 1 of 34 in group 2 (p = 0.9). An analysis of margins was performed by taking measurements at the minimum and maximum points of the section. The minimum mean measurement was 2 mm in group 1 and 2.08 mm in group 2 (p = 0.75). The maximum mean measurement was 4.56 mm in group 1 and 5.2 mm in group 2 (p = 0.09). The difference between minimum and maximum margin thickness was 2.56 mm in group 1 and 3.16 mm in group 2 (p = 0.04). Mean followup for group 1 was 50 months (range 30 to 72) and 16 months (range 2 to 35) for group 2. One local recurrence was recorded in group 1 and treated with radical nephrectomy, while no recurrence was recorded in group 2.
In this study we further confirmed the efficiency of resectioning lesions using laparoscopy. In our experience there is no difference between the 2 procedures in terms of efficient surgical margins. However, despite these encouraging results it is necessary to obtain more extensive followup data, which will allow us to be more specific in reporting on laparoscopic margin quality.
Neuroendocrine (NE) cells are uncommon in primary adenocarcinoma (AC) and other glandular lesions of the bladder, with no recent study series concerning its significance in differential diagnosis, ...prognosis or biologic significance.
Sixteen primary bladder AC (enteric-type n = 71, mucinous n = 6 and not otherwise specified NOS n = 31), 4 cases of urothelial carcinoma with glandular differentiation, 20 cases of glandular cystitis and 3 urachal remnants with intestinal metaplasia constituted the study series. In addition, 20 specimens of normal-looking urothelium, 15 conventional urothelial carcinomas and 5 small cell carcinoma (SCC) cases were included for comparison. NE differentiation included detection of chromogranin A, neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and synaptophysin by immunohistochemistry. The statistical analysis included the chi2 or Fisher exact test.
Chromogranin A-positive cells were present in 60% (11 of 16) of primary AC, all of enteric or mucinous type, but not in any of the 3 NOS-type AC investigated. NE differentiation in bladder AC subtypes resulted in highly significant differences between enteric or mucinous vs. NOS type (p = 0.0023). NE differentiation was also different in urachal vs. nonurachal AC (p = 0.020) and primary bladder AC vs. conventional invasive urothelial carcinoma (p < 0.001). Synaptophysin-positive cells were seen in 2 (12.5%) of the 16 primary AC cases, and NSE was negative in the 16 primary bladder AC. All urachal remnants and 70% of glandular cystitis examples had chromogranin A-immunoreactive cells. One of 4 urothelial carcinomas with glandular differentiation had chromogranin A-immunoreactive cells, but this was not significant when compared with primary AC (p = 0.1). Normal-looking bladder urothelium and conventional urothelial carcinoma specimens had no chromogranin A-immunoreactive cells. The 5 SCC cases investigated were positive for chromogranin A. No correlation was found between NE differentiation and outcome of primary bladder AC or urothelial carcinoma with glandular differentiation.
Primary bladder AC, cystitis glandularis and urachal remnants with intestinal metaplasia showed variable degrees of NE differentiation, with no apparent clinical correlation or prognostic significance. However, the absence of NE differentiation in NOS-type primary bladder AC may help in better defining this uncommon subtype of primary bladder AC.