Hard bilateral syphilitic testes with vasculitis: a case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: We report the case of a patient with syphilitic testicular gumma and vasculitis with adrenal failure due to chronic steroid use. CASE PRESENTATION: A 63-year-old male presented with hard right eye swelling and very firm bilateral testes on palpation, which he had for 2 years. Testicular tumor markers were negative; syphilis test was positive. Radiological examination suggested aortitis and bilateral testicular malignancy. The patient received ampicillin for the infection and prednisolone for vasculitis. Left orchidectomy was performed to confirm the presence of testicular tumor; histological examinations revealed granulomatous orchitis. The prednisolone doses were adjusted because of relapses and adverse effects of steroid use. Unfortunately, the patient died in the intensive care unit because of uncontrolled blood pressure and pneumonia. CONCLUSIONS: This is a rare case of syphilis with testicular involvement and vasculitis. This report shows the importance of broadening the differential diagnoses of testicular firmness.

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratios alone or combined with prostate-specific antigen for the diagnosis of prostate cancer and clinically significant prostate cancer.

Objective: We evaluated whether the blood parameters before prostate biopsy can diagnose prostate cancer (PCa) and clinically significant PCa (Gleason score [GS] ≥7) in our hospital. Methods: This study included patients with increased prostate-specific antigen (PSA) up to 20 ng/mL. The associations of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) alone or with PSA with PCa and clinically significant PCa were analyzed. Results: We included 365 patients, of whom 52.9% (193) had PCa including 66.8% (129) with GS of ≥7. PSA density (PSAD) and PSA had better the area under the curve (AUC) of 0.722 and 0.585, respectively with p=0.001 for detecting PCa compared with other blood parameters. PSA combined with PLR (PsPLR) and PSA with NLR (PsNLR) had better AUC of 0.608 and 0.610, respectively with p<0.05, for diagnosing GS≥7 population, compared with PSA, free/total PSA, NLR, PLR, and PsNPLR (PSA combined with NLR and PLR). NLR and PLR did not predict PCa on multivariate analysis. For GS≥7 cancer detection, in the multivariate analysis, separate models with PSA and NLR (Model 1: PsNLR+baseline parameters) or PSA and PLR (Moder 2: PsPLR+baseline parameters) were made. Baseline parameters comprised age, digital rectal exam-positive lesions, PSA density, free/total PSA, and magnetic resonance imaging. Model 2 containing PsPLR was statistically significant (odds ratio: 2.862, 95% confidence interval: 1.174-6.975, p=0.021) in finding aggressive PCa. The predictive accuracy of Model 2 was increased (AUC: 0.734, p<0.001) than that when only baseline parameters were used (AUC: 0.693, p<0.001). Conclusion: NLR or PLR, either alone or combined with PSA, did not detect PCa. However, the combined use of PSA with PLR could find the differences between clinically significant and insignificant PCa in our retrospective study limited by the small number of samples.

A case of complete response following the administration of pembrolizumab and metastasectomy for lung and bone metastases of bladder cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma have poor prognosis and limited treatment options. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient was a 60-year-old male with bladder cancer and multiple lung metastases. He underwent three courses of gemcitabine and cisplatin chemotherapy, despite left femoral bone metastases. Tumor resection and bone replacement surgery was performed. Following the administration of four courses of pembrolizumab, lung metastasis completely resolved. However, after nine courses, right femoral neck bone metastasis was observed; therefore, tumor resection and bone replacement surgery were repeated. Pathologically, PD-L1 expression was low in lung biopsy tissue and bone metastases. Pembrolizumab treatment continued for up to 20 courses; cancer recurrence and adverse events were not observed upon follow-up examination after 1 year. CONCLUSION: Patients responding well to systemic therapy may have resectable metastatic sites, and long-term survival might be achieved with adjunctive metastasectomy. The effect of pembrolizumab was not associated with positive PD-L1 expression.

Lung adenocarcinoma diagnosed incidentally after renal biopsy for suspected right renal cancer.

We present a case of lung adenocarcinoma metastasizing to the right clear cell renal cell carcinoma diagnosed by computed tomography (CT)-guided renal biopsy and immunohistochemistry. A 72-year-old male patient had right lower abdominal pain for 3 days, followed by right loin pain for 10 days. On CT scan, renal cell cancer was suspected with multiple metastases. Renal cell cancer with metastatic lung adenocarcinoma was diagnosed on CT-guided renal biopsy with positive immunohistochemical markers. The patient, unfortunately, expired after few days of diagnosis. Tumor-to-tumor metastasis is an unusual disease, and its tumors are aggressive. A definite diagnosis of tumor-to-tumor metastasis is a clinical challenge. Immunohistochemistry helped us in the diagnosis without the primary lesion biopsy.

MRI-guided conservative management of a left segmental testicular infarction.

Segmental testicular infarction is a rare condition. Patients present with clinical features similar to torsion and testicular tumors, with most undergoing surgery. A 55-year-old male patient presented with left scrotal pain. We did a Doppler ultrasonogram and magnetic resonance imaging to diagnose his condition and rule out testicular torsion and tumor. We decided not to operate and asked the patient for follow-up. There was no pain in the left testis, and magnetic resonance imaging showed a reduction in the left testicular lesion after 4 months.

Prostate cancer detection rate and Gleason score in relation to prostate volume as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging cognitive biopsy and standard biopsy.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the relationship of the prostate cancer and Gleason scores (GSs) or ISUP Grade system with prostate volume (PV) as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) cognitive biopsy and standard biopsy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data were collected from 659 patients who underwent MRI cognitive biopsy and standard biopsy from January 2014 to January 2018. The biopsies were performed because of increased prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels (>4 ng/mL) and/or abnormal digital rectal examination findings. Transrectal ultrasound was used to measure PV. RESULTS: Prostate cancer detection rates in patients with increased PVs of ≤40 cc and >40 cc were 68.8% and 51.6% (p<0.001), respectively. ISUP Grade group ≥2 (Gleason score ≥3+4) detection rates for increased PVs of ≤40 cc and >40 cc were 68% and 73%, and 22.3% and 37.8%, respectively, for those with ISUP Grade group ≥4 (Gleason score ≥8) (p=0.003). Among the patients with PV>40 cc, univariate logistic regression showed a significant relationship between ISUP Grade group ≥2 and PSA, free/total PSA, PSA density, and MRI (p<0.05). On multivariable logistic regression, MRI (p=0.014) and PSA (p=0.039) predicted ISUP Grade group ≥2 in patients with PV>40 cc. CONCLUSION: Although the detection rates of prostate cancer decreased as PV increased, the detection of prostate cancer aggressiveness increased as PV increased. This increase in high ISUP Grade lesions with the rise in PV is due to the use of MRI during prostate biopsy with standard biopsy.

A Novel, Circulating Tumor Cell Enrichment Method Reduces ARv7 False Positivity in Patients with Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer.

BACKGROUND: The AR-V7 splice variant is a cause of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). However, testing for the presence of AR-V7 by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) shows AR-V7 positivity in healthy individuals. We hypothesized that the positivity reflects contamination by hematopoietic cells. We tried a novel circulating tumor cell (CTC) enrichment instrument, using Celsee, to clear hematopoietic cells. METHODS: We tested whole blood or Celsee-enriched samples for AR-V7 by RT-PCR, and included samples from 41 CRPC patients undergoing sequential therapy. We evaluated the associations between AR-V7 status and clinical factors. We evaluated factors affecting AR-V7 positivity. RESULTS: AR-V7 positivity was lower in Celsee-enriched than in whole blood specimens. AR-V7 and clinical factors did not predict the therapy effectiveness. We found no significant differences in the effectiveness of enzalutamide/abiraterone (Enz/Abi) upon AR-V7 evaluation. All AR-V7 positive patients had resistance to Enz/Abi. Docetaxel (DTX), cabazitaxel (CBZ), and Radium223 treatment showed no significant difference in the treatment effectiveness, regardless of AR-V7 presence. AR-V7 was more frequently positive than Extent of disease (EOD) 2 in cases with bone metastases. CONCLUSION: Celsee CTC enrichment suppresses AR-V7 false positivity. All AR-V7 positive patients presented resistance to Enz/Abi. DTX, CBZ, and Radium223 were effective and remain treatment options. AR-V7 positivity should progressively appear in patients with advanced bone metastases.

Development of a Highly Sensitive Technique for Capturing Renal Cell Cancer Circulating Tumor Cells.

PURPOSE: Liquid biopsy is becoming increasingly important as a guide for selecting new drugs and determining their efficacy. In urological cancer, serum markers for renal cell and urothelial cancers has made the development of liquid biopsy for these cancers strongly desirable. Liquid biopsy is less invasive than conventional tissue biopsy is, enabling frequent biopsies and, therefore, is considered effective for monitoring the treatment course. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are a representative liquid biopsy specimen. In the present study, we focused on developing our novel technology for capturing renal cell cancer (RCC)-CTCs using an anti-G250 antibody combined with new devices. Basic experiments of our technology showed that it was possible to detect RCC-CTC with a fairly high accuracy of about 95%. Also, RCC-CTC was identified in the peripheral blood of actual RCC patients. Additionally, during the treatment course of the RCC patient, change in the number of RCC-CTC was confirmed in one case. We believe that the technology we developed will be useful for determining the treatment efficacy and drug selection for the treatment of renal cell cancer (RCC). In order to solve issues such as thresholds setting of this technology, large-scale clinical trials are expected.

Systematic review and two new cases of primary upper urinary tract neuroendocrine carcinomas.

BACKGROUND: Upper urinary tract neuroendocrine carcinoma (UUT-NEC) is extremely rare and has a poor prognosis. Although a few cases of successful treatment have been reported, no treatment has shown established efficacy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed 70 UUT-NEC patients, including 68 with small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SCNEC) and large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) reported between 1985 and 2017 and 2 treated at our hospital. RESULTS: Median patient age was 66 years, 58.6% were men, and 60% were of Asian descent. Most UUT-NECs were SCNEC (68; 95.7%), whereas LCNEC was very rare (2; 2.9%). More than half of the patients had accompanying other histological components, the most common being urothelial carcinoma (51.5%), whereas 41.4% had NEC alone. Of the 70 patients, 27 underwent additional therapy (e.g., chemotherapy and radiotherapy) along with surgery. Median survival was 15 months. In univariate analysis, stages T1-2 disease showed better prognosis than stages T3-4 (P < 0.001). Additional treatment (e.g., chemotherapy and radiotherapy) significantly improved prognosis (P = 0.014). Moreover, platinum-based chemotherapy also was associated with improved prognosis (P = 0.017). For platinum-based chemotherapy, multicollinearity with additional treatments was strong, and, thus, these data were not included in the analysis. Multivariate analysis revealed pathological stage (T1-2 vs. T3-4; P = 0.003) and additional treatment (P = 0.028) to be independent predictors of improved prognosis. CONCLUSION: Although UUT-NEC has a poor prognosis, additional treatment along with surgery and therapeutic intervention and stage T1-2 disease are independent factors to improve prognosis.

Evaluation of Hounsfield Units as a predictive factor for the outcome of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy and stone composition.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of the Hounsfield Unit (HU) values as a predictive factor of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy outcome for ureteral and renal stones. We also assessed the possibility that HU values could be used to predict stone composition. A retrospective study was performed to measure stone HU values in 260 patients who underwent extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) for solitary renal and ureteral stones from July 2007 to January 2012. Stone volume, location, skin-to-stone distance, stone HU values, and stone composition were assessed. Success of ESWL was defined as: (1) being stone-free or (2) residual stone fragments <4 mm after 3 months by radiography. Of the 260 assessed patients, 141 (54.2%) were stone-free, 32 (12.3%) had residual stone fragments <4 mm (clinically insignificant stone fragments), and 87 (33.5%) had residual stone fragments ≥4 mm after one round of ESWL. Multivariate analysis revealed that stone location and mean HU were significant predictors of ESWL success. Receiver operating characteristic curves defined cutoff values for predicting treatment outcome. Treatment success rates were significantly higher for stones <815 HU than with stones >815 HU (P < 0.0265). HU of calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate stones were higher than those of uric acid stones, but we could not differentiate between calcium oxalate monohydrate and calcium oxalate dihydrate stones. Evaluation of stone HU values prior to ESWL can predict treatment outcome and aid in the development of treatment strategies.

Complete response to low-dose sorafenib in a patient with metastatic renal cell carcinoma: A case report.

We present a case of a patient with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) who was treated solely with low-dose sorafenib and achieved a complete response (CR). A 79-year-old man with cytokine-refractory mRCC involving the lung, abdominal wall and lymph nodes was treated with low-dose sorafenib (400 mg/day) as a second-line therapy. Five months into treatment, CR was confirmed by follow-up computed tomography. No severe adverse events were observed and sorafenib treatment was continued without appearance of new lesions. Although sorafenib has been approved for mRCC treatment, complete clinical recovery is uncommon and has rarely been described. In this case, low-dose sorafenib appears to be sufficient for achieving CR while suppressing toxicity. Furthermore, long-term continuous administration induces the patient to obtain disease stabilization. However, considering toxicity and treatment costs, it is debatable whether treatment should be discontinued or sustained after CR.

Impalement injury of the urinary bladder: a case report.

Impalement injury of the urinary bladder, especially secondary to rectal impalement, is extremely rare. In this case, a 31-year-old man sustained a steel pipe impalement injury through his perirectal region. He presented with gross hematuria, abdominal defense, and a penetrating wound. On the basis of the computed tomography findings and abdominal defense, we suspected a through-and-through bladder perforation from the rectal space to the intraperitoneum. Laparotomy revealed a through-and-through bladder perforation as well as damage to the right ureter, 3 distinct ileal injuries, and rectal anterior, anal, and right seminal vesicle injuries. Surgical repair of each damaged site was undertaken. The prompt diagnosis and surgical repair ensured good postoperative recovery.