Retroperitoneal and metachronous testicular germ cell tumors with different histology and teratoma growing syndrome--a case report.

It is presented a case of a 32-year-old male with the three primary tumors diagnosed within a time period of 3 years; retroperitoneal nonseminoma in 2002, retroperitoneal mature teratoma in 2004, and metachronous testicular seminoma in 2005. We discuss the unusual presentation of these three rare events occurring in the same patient without known risk factors.

Association of cyclooxygenase-2 immunoreactivity with tumor recurrence and disease progression in superficial urothelial bladder cancer.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: The main characteristic of urothelial bladder cancer is a clear predisposition to recurrence and disease progression. The aim of this study was to assess the possible relationship between cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) immunoreactivity in superficial urothelial bladder carcinoma and tumor grade, stage, number of recurrences and clinical disease progression. METHODS: In this prospective study 70 consecutive patients who underwent transurethral resection for superficial urothelial bladder cancer were included. Tumor slides were immunohistochemically stained for COX-2, and COX-2 immunoreactivity in tumor and inflammatory stromal cells was categorized as negative or mildly, moderately or strongly positive. Patients were followed up for 2 years, and during this period the possible association of COX-2 immunoreactivity with tumor stage and grade, number of recurrences and progression of disease was evaluated. RESULTS: COX-2 immunoreactivity in tumor cells was found in 57 (81.4%) patients and did not correlate with tumor grade, stage of disease, number of recurrences, and progression of disease. COX-2 immunoreactivity in inflammatory cells was found in 16 of the 57 patients with COX-2 positive tumors, and was significantly related to the number of recurrences, time to appearance of the first recurrence, and disease progression. CONCLUSIONS: COX-2 immunoreactivity in inflammatory stromal cells adjacent to the COX-2-positive tumor might be useful in clinical practice for selection of patients with a high risk of tumor recurrence and disease progression.

[Laparoscopic treatment of functioning adrenal tumors]. / Laparoskopsko lijecenje funkcionalno aktivnih tumora nadbubrezne zlijezde.

INTRODUCTION: Laparoscopy is now a widely used method for removal of functioning and non-functioning adrenal tumors. This paper reports our experience in laparoscopic transperitoneal removal of functioning adrenal tumors including pheochromocytoma, Cushing's disease and aldosteronoma. METHODS: Between May 2001 and April 2006, 29 patients underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma. In 37 patients (10 patients with bilateral adrenalectomy) adrenalectomy was performed for Cushing's disease, while 28 patients had aldosteronoma. In 2 patients adrenalectomy was performed for virilizing adenoma. RESULTS: All laparoscopic adrenalectomies were finished successfully, and no open surgery was necessary. Major postoperative complications were not observed. Mean hospital stay was 3 days. No patient required blood transfusion. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic adrenalectomy for functioning adrenal tumors proved a safe and minimally invasive procedure. Laparoscopic adrenalectomy, in comparison with open surgery, has numerous advantages, including a shorter length of stay, shorter time to return to preoperative level of activity, better cosmetic effect, and decrease in postoperative pain.

Changes in bone mineral density in patients with prostate cancer treated with androgen deprivation therapy.

Osteoporosis is a complication of permanent androgen deprivation in men with prostate carcinoma, following either bilateral orchiectomy or treatment with GnRH agonists. The present approach to the problem of osteoporosis includes prevention, adequate follow-up and appropriate treatment as an imperative of contemporary urological and endocrinological management of these patients. Bone densitometry was performed in 18 patients who were on GnRH agonists treatment during 1-3 years. The patients under therapy were followed clinically, PSA (prostate-specific antigen) values were determined and bone scintigraphy was performed. The bone mineral density values in 13 patients indicated osteopenia, whereas in one patient the finding was compatible with osteoporosis. Four patients had normal bone mineral density findings. Bone densitometry should be performed before initiation of treatment with GnRH agonists in order to quantify the therapy-related bone loss. Prevention of development of osteoporosis and its complications depends on the assessment of pharmacological treatment in this group of patients, including e.g. bisphosphonates and possible intermittent androgen deprivation.

Virilizing adrenal cancer and bail-out nephrectomy.

We report a rare case of virilizing adrenal cancer with tumorous invasion of the left renal vein in which a retroperitoneal adrenalectomy with bail-out nephrectomy was performed. A tumor thrombus infiltrated the wall of the left adrenal vein and extended into the left renal vein. Initially, a kidney sparing procedure with partial tangential excision of the involved renal vein wall was performed. After positive vein margins were confirmed with intraoperative histology, the indication for nephrectomy was made. To the authors' awareness, this is the first report of a virilizing adrenal cancer with a tumor thrombus infiltration of the renal vein and surgical tendency for kidney preservation.

[Classification, diagnosis and treatment of prostatitis syndrome]. / Klasifikacija, dijagnostika i lijecenje sindroma prostatitisa.

The term prostatitis syndrome refers to a number of conditions affecting the prostate. Prostatitis syndrome is clinically manifested through symptoms of the lower urogenital tract and perineum. Basic factors in the classification of prostatitis syndrome are clinical symptoms and signs, and the presence of leukocytes and bacteria in selectivelly collected urine samples and in expressed prostatic secretion obtained by the Meares and Stamey localization technique. Antimicrobial therapy is indicated in patients with acute bacterial prostatitis, chronic bacterial prostatitis and chronic inflammatory nonbacterial prostatitis, which also includes bacterial prostatitis unproved by classical methods. Empirical antimicrobial treatment should be initiated immediately in patients with acute bacterial prostatitis and in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic bacterial prostatitis. Targeted antimicrobial therapy is administered in patients with chronic bacterial prostatitis after obtained microbiological results, and empirical antimicrobial therapy lasting for 2-6 weeks in patients with chronic inflammatory nonbacterial prostatitis. Because of their broad spectrum of activity and pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic characteristics, fluoroquinolones, ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin are first choice antimicrobial drugs for the treatment of prostatic inflammatory diseases. The efficacy of administered antimicrobial treatment should be followed up 4-6 weeks (early follow-up) and 6 months (late follow up) after the end of antimicrobial therapy. The treatment of a noninflammatory chronic pelvic pain syndrome without proved infection includes phytotherapy, hygienic-dietetic measures, microwave thermotherapy, alpha-adrenergic blocking agents, muscle relaxants, analgesics, non-steroidal antiflogistics, 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, modified living habits, psychotherapy and antispasmodic analgesics. All patients with chronic types of prostatitis syndrome should avoid drinking alcohol, carbonated beverages, spices, cycling, colds, especially sitting on cold surfaces.

Iatrogenic tracheal laceration causing asphyxia.

Endotracheal intubation is a simple, rapid, and safe technique that is being used as a standard procedure for airway management. However, airway injury during endotracheal intubation could be a significant source of morbidity or even mortality for patients and a source of liability for physicians as well. We report an unusual case of fatal tracheal occlusion by intraluminal blood clot complicating endotracheal intubation. The patient, a 62-year-old woman, with renovascular hypertension and incipient renal failure was scheduled for renal autotransplantation. The surgery was uneventful but the postoperative course was complicated with a lethal airway obstruction. At autopsy a linear longitudinal tracheal laceration was identified with an intraluminal blood clot obstructing the tracheal lumen. Tracheal laceration as a cause of death is a rare and potentially fatal complication of endotracheal intubation with intratracheal bleeding, clot formation, tracheal occlusion, and subsequent asphyxia.

Long-term outcome after surgical kidney revascularization for fibromuscular dysplasia and atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis.

PURPOSE: At a time of minimally invasive surgery in urology, the role of surgical kidney revascularization in the management of renal artery disease has changed during the last decade. Our experience with surgical kidney revascularization, and the long-term clinical outcomes of fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) and atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis are reviewed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study group comprised 140 patients with renovascular hypertension, 72 with FMD and 68 with atherosclerotic renal artery disease, who underwent surgical revascularization between 1982 and 1999. The indications for surgical revascularization were the treatment of hypertension and the preservation of renal function in 17 patients with renal artery occlusion, 55 with ostial stenosis, 52 with branch stenosis, 6 with bilateral artery stenosis, 7 with solitary kidney renal artery stenosis and 3 with solitary kidney renal artery occlusion. RESULTS: Postoperative blood pressure and renal function were monitored for 1 to 17 years (mean 11.3). Long-term blood pressure control was observed in 93% of patients with FMD and in 71% of those with atherosclerosis. Improvement or stabilization of renal function was observed in 92% of patients with FMD and in 68% of those with atherosclerosis. The preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate compared to postoperative was significantly increased in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical kidney revascularization is effective in secondary hypertension with a high long-term efficacy in the normalization of blood pressure and in the preservation of renal function, especially in patients with a solitary or 1 functional kidney.

The transcriptional co-activator cAMP response element-binding protein-binding protein is expressed in prostate cancer and enhances androgen- and anti-androgen-induced androgen receptor function.

Progression of human prostate cancer toward therapy resistance occurs in the presence of wild-type or mutated androgen receptors (ARs) that, in some cases, exhibit aberrant activation by various steroid hormones and anti-androgens. The AR associates with a number of co-activators that possess histone acetylase activity and act as bridging molecules to components of the transcription initiation complex. In previous reports, it was shown that the transcriptional co-activator CREB (cAMP response element-binding protein)-binding protein (CBP) enhances AR activity in a ligand-dependent manner. In the present study, we have investigated whether CBP modifies antagonist/agonist balance of the nonsteroidal anti-androgens hydroxyflutamide and bicalutamide. In prostate cancer DU-145 cells, which were transiently transfected with CBP cDNA, hydroxyflutamide enhanced AR activity to a greater extent than bicalutamide in the presence of either wild-type or the mutated AR 730 val-->met. In two sublines of LNCaP cells that contain the mutated AR 877 thr-->ala and overexpressed CBP, increase in AR activity was observed after treatment with hydroxyflutamide but not with bicalutamide. Anti-androgens did not influence AR expression in cells transfected with CBP cDNA, as judged by Western blot analysis. Endogenous CBP protein was detected by Western blot in nuclear extracts from the three prostate cancer cell lines, LNCaP, PC-3, and DU-145, all derived from therapy-resistant prostate cancer. In addition, CBP was expressed in both basal and secretory cells of benign prostate epithelium, high-grade prostate intraepithelial neoplasia, and prostate cancer clinical specimens, as evidenced by immunohistochemical staining. Taken together, our findings demonstrate the selective enhancement of agonistic action of the anti-androgen hydroxyflutamide by the transcriptional co-activator CBP, which is a new, potentially relevant mechanism contributing to the acquisition of therapy resistance in prostate cancer.