[Metastatic micropapillary variant of the urinary bladder: progression from low grade non-muscle invasive bladder carcinoma].

We report a case of metastatic micropapillary variant of the bladder that progressed from low grade non-muscle invasive bladder carcinoma. Lung, para-aortic and pelvic lymph nodes metastatic lesions were found in a 62-year-old woman, who had been followed due to non-muscle invasive bladder carcinoma. The bladder wall was found to be thick by computerized tomography (CT). She had had transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) at 60 and 61 years old, followed by intravesical therarubicin and bacille Calmette-Guérin therapy, respectively. Both TURBT specimens showed low grade, non-muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma. The thickened bladder wall was resected transurethrally and the pathological examination revealed that the recurrent tumor was entirely composed of micropapillary variant component. There must have been tiny lesions of a micro papillary variant component after the second TURBT. Several reports suggest that intravesical BCG therapy was ineffective for micropapillary variant. So the UC component was substituted for micropapillary component.

[Renal carcinoid tumor: a case report].

A right renal tumor was incidentally found in a 38-year-old woman by annual medical check up. She visited our hospital for further examination and treatment. She did not show typical symptoms of carcinoid. A computed tomography (CT) revealed a calcified solid tumor in the upper portion of the right kidney. The tumor was 6.0 cm in diameter and was not enhanced in either early or late phase. There was no evidence of extrarenal invasion or distant metastasis. Based on a clinical diagnosis of stage 1 renal cell carcinoma, laparoscopic nephrectomy was performed. The pathological diagnosis was renal carcinoid tumor. The tumor had trabecular and ribbon-like structures with a thin fibrovascular stroma. Immunohistochemicaliy, the tumor cells stained positive for chromogranin A, synaptophisin and CD56. The cell proliferation rate was estimated to be under 1% with Ki67 staining. To find the primary lesion, we performed upper and lower gastric endoscopy and chest computed tomography, but could not find any/other carcinoid tumors. At 1-year follow up, she had no evidence of local recurrence or metastasis.

[Pancreatic metastasis from renal cell carcinoma 25 years after radical nephrectomy].

We report a case of pancreatic metastasis from renal cell carcinoma detected 25 years after radical nephrectomy. A 74-year-old man, who had undergone radical nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma at age 49, was found by computed tomography to have a strongly enhanced mass on the pancreatic head. The patient underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy and the pathological diagnosis was metastatic renal cell carcinoma. This was evidently a slow growing tumor because the metastatic pancreas tumor was well demarcated and the metastasis was found 25 years after the primary operation. Aggressive surgical treatment of isolated metastatic lesions offers a chance of long-term survival. Patients with a history of RCC should undergo a long-term follow-up to detect and evaluate metastasis to pancreas as well as other organs.

[A case of giant retroperitoneal paraganglioma].

Paraganglioma is a rare neuroendocrine tumor which arises from extra adrenal paraganglionic cells of the autonomic nervous system. We report a case of a giant retroperitoneal paraganglioma. A 43-year-old man referred to our hospital for further examination of a retroperitoneal mass. The patient had neither familial nor past medical history. The blood and urine test, laboratory examinations including cathecolamines, were unremarkable. Abdominal computed tomography showed an enhancing solid mass 13 cm in diameter on the left kidney. The invasion to the left kidney was suspected. Angiography showed the left renal, splenic, middle suprarenal and left inferior diaphragmatic artery feeding the tumor. The splenic and left inferior diaphragmatic artery were embolized before surgical treatment. The tumor, left kidney, adrenal gland and spleen were surgically resected. Histological examination revealed extra-adrenal paraganglioma, and there was no invasion of the tumor to the left kidney, adrenal gland and spleen. The patient has now survived more than 10 months following the surgery without tumor recurrence.

[ureterocele prolapse through the urethra: a case report].

We report a case of prolapse of a simple ureterocele presenting as perineural tumor. A 60-year-old woman presented with perineum pain and bleeding. A physical examination revealed a hard mass, 30 mm in diameter protruding from the external meatus. The computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and cystography showed an uncharacterized tumor. Endoscopic examination was performed. However, just before resection the mass collapsed spontaneously and turned out to be a prolapse of ureterocele. No transurethral incision was performed. Eleven months postoperatively, the patient has not developed vesicoureteral reflux or urinary tract infection. Physicians should consider prolapse of a simple ureterocele in the differential diagnosis of the female meatal tumor.

[Verrucous carcinoma of penis: a case report].

We report a case of verrucous carcinoma of the penis. A 62-year-old man, who presented with penile swelling and pain, was referred to our hospital. Although, penile tumor biopsy revealed no evidence of malignancy, the patient presented with penile swelling and discharge. The penis was surgically resected and urinary diversion was performed. The pathological examination of the resected glans revealed verrucous carcinoma of penis. Furthermore, in situ hybridization revealed human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. This clearly showed that the verrucous carcinoma of the penis resulted from the HPV infection. The patient has survived for 14 months after surgery without local recurrence or metastasis.

[Low-dose docetaxel, estramustine and dexamethasone combination chemotherapy for hormone-refractory prostate cancer].

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of low-dose docetaxel, estramustine and dexamethasone combination chemotherapy in patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). Sixty-nine patients with HRPC were enrolled. Docetaxel was given at a dose of 25 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8 every 3 weeks, oral estramustine 280 mg twice daily on days 1 to 3 and 8 to 10, and oral dexamethasone 1 mg daily throughout the course. Cycles were repeated every 21 days. Treatment was continued until disease progression or excessive toxicity. Patients were evaluated for response and toxicity. Patients received a median of eleven cycles (range : 1-25). Prostatic-specific antigen (PSA) was decreased greater than 50% in 53 (77%) out of 69 patients and median duration of PSA response was 10.2 months. Median time to progression and overall survival 10.2 and 24 months, respectively. Grade 1-2 fatigue was the most common toxicity observed in 10 (15%) patients. Grade 3-4 toxicities were observed in five (7%) patients (2 thrombosis, 2 bilirubin elevation, and 1 aspartate transaminase/alanine transaminase elevation). Low-dose docetaxel, estramustine and dexamethasone combination chemotherapy is an effective and well tolerated treatment for Japanese HRPC patients.

[Eosinophilic cystitis caused by Seijo-bohhu-tou: a case report].

A 19-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with a complaint of residual feeling, frequency and pain on urination. Laboratory analysis revealed an elevated eosinophilia count in peripheral blood and white blood cell count in urine. Lymphocyte stimulation test of Chinese herb named "Seijoh-bohhuh-toh" showed a positive reaction. Bladder symptoms were improved after ceasing this Chinese herb. From these points, we considered that the Chinese herb might have caused eosinophilic cystitis. We report this rare case with a review of the literature.

[Infantile testicular tumor (yolk sac tumor): a case report].

A 5-month-old-male was brought to our hospital in April 2004 with left scrotal swelling. His serum alpha-fetoprotein AFP and human chorionic gonadotropin-beta levels were 6,862.9 and < 0.1 ng/ml, respectively. Computed tomography (CT) revealed no metastasis. Left high ligation of testis was performed. Pathological examination demonstrated Yolk sac tumor. He is alive without evidence of recurrence for 53 months postoperatively.

[Metanephric adenoma: report of two cases].

We report 2 cases of metanephric adenoma a rare form of adenoma. One case occurred in a 54-year-old male preoperatively diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma who underwent left partial nephrectomy for a tumor 2 cm in size. Histology revealed a tumor with papillotubular structures consisting of small, uniform tumor cells. In immunohistochemical staining, tumor cells were positive for CD57 and WT-1. Thus, the patient was diagnosed with metanephric adenoma. The other case occurred in a 40-year-old male who underwent left nephroureterectomy for carcinoma of the renal pelvis. Carcinoma of the left renal pelvis was diagnosed as pT3N0M0. Incidental micronodules 2 mm in size and consisting of immature tubular structures were noted in the renal cortex. In immunohistochemical staining, tumor cells were positive for CD57 and WT-1, and the patient was diagnosed with metanephric adenoma. The aforementioned tumors frequently occur in middle-aged women and are often well-defined tumors that project from the renal surface outwards. On angiography, they have a hypovascular pattern and resemble papillary renal carcinoma. Preoperative differentiation of renal cell carcinoma and nephroblastoma is difficult. Mistaking such tumors for malignant tumors and subjecting patients to unnecessary adjuvant therapy must be avoided.

[Splenosis mimicking local recurrence after radical nephrectomy: a report of two cases].

Splenosis is autotransplantation of splenic tissue and usually follow traumatic or surgical rupture of the spleen. We report two cases of splenosis which presented as a local recurrence after radical nephrectomy for left renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The patients were a 65- and a 71-year-old male, who had been operated for RCC including splenectomy because of disrupture of the splenic capsule 8 and 9 years earlier respectively. In both cases, follow up computed tomographic scans showed small nodules under the left diaphragm. Although we initially suspected local recurrence, we considered the possibility of splenosis. Both patients underwent technetium-99m Sn colloid scans and were diagnosed with splenosis successfully. Therefore, we could avoid unnecessary surgical explorations.

Acute pericarditis as a result of unusual metastasis of the visceral pleura in a patient with testicular seminoma.

A 30-year-old man with a left testicular swelling was referred to our hospital. We performed a left high orchiectomy based on a diagnosis of clinical stage II testicular cancer. Pathological specimens of the left testis showed seminoma. The patient underwent three courses of combined chemotherapy. The retroperitoneal lymph nodes were dissected and there were no viable cancer cells. Twelve years later a right testicular tumor was discovered. The patient underwent a right high orchiectomy. Pathological specimens of the testis showed seminoma, and the patient was treated with prophylactic irradiation. One year after discharge a metastasis was found at a left supraclavicular fossa. The patient was treated with combined chemotherapy and irradiation. Six months after the treatment he complained of dyspnea. We diagnosed the condition as pleuritis carcimatosa. Two days after irradiation to the left thorax the patient suffered a sudden and fatal cardiac arrest. Autopsy survey revealed pericarditis as a result of a direct invasion of visceral pleural metastasis.

[Clinical significance of pelvic lymph-node dissection for the patients with locally invasive bladder cancer--correlation between the number of retrieved lymph nodes and prognosis].

The objective of this study was to know the effects of pelvic lymph node dissection on the survival of the patients who received radical cystectomy without neoadjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Between 1984 and 2000, 104 patients underwent operation at our institution for tumors clinically diagnosed as locally invasive bladder cancer (T2-4NxM0). Survival rates and 8 prognostic factors (age, sex, size, multiplicity, type, pT, N, pv) were analyzed by uni- and multivariate analysis. The significant factors were size, type, pT, N, pv by univariate analysis. Of these 5 factors, N factor was the most significant by multivariate analysis. Patients (N-) who had more than 20 lymph nodes retrieved showed better survival than the others.

Hemiresective reconstruction of a redundant ileal conduit with severe bilateral ileal conduit-ureteral re fl ux.

A 58-year-old man was referred to our hospital with high fever and anuria. Since undergoing a total pelvic exenteration due to bladder-invasive sigmoid colon cancer, urinary tract infections had frequently occurred. We treated with the construction of a bilateral percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN), and chemotherapy. Although we replaced the PCN with a single J ureteral catheter after an improvement of infection, urinary infection recurred because of an obstruction of the catheter. Urological examinations showed that an ileal conduit-ureteral reflux caused by kinking of the ileal loop was the reason why frequent pyelonephritis occurred. We decided to resect the proximal segment to improve conduit-ureteral reflux for the resistant pyelonephritis. After the surgery, the excretory urogram showed improvement and the urinary retention at the ileal conduit disappeared. Three years after the operation, renal function has been stable without episodes of pyelonephritis. Here we report a case of open repair surgery of an ileal conduit in a patient with severe urinary infection.

Computed tomography-guided percutaneous acetic acid injection therapy for functioning adrenocortical adenoma.

We reported the outcomes of computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous acetic acid injection therapy for functioning adrenocortical adenomas. With the patient in a prone position, the puncture needle was inserted vertically downward into the adenoma with frequent CT scanning. After confirmation by pilot injection with contrast medium, a small aliquot of 40-50% acetic acid was injected and repeated. Between 1997 and 2002, 18 sessions of CT-guided injection therapy, including one session of ethanol injection, were performed on 10 patients (five patients with primary aldosteronism and five patients with Cushing's or subclinical Cushing's syndrome) without any complications except transient upper abdominal pain during the acetic acid injection. The follow-up period ranged from 5-69 months. The treatment resulted in almost an extirpation of the adrenocortical hyperfunction in seven patients after one or two sessions. CT-guided percutaneous acetic acid injection might be a simple, cost-effective, and far less invasive treatment for small functioning adrenocortical adenomas.

Development of (18)F-fluoroethylcholine for cancer imaging with PET: synthesis, biochemistry, and prostate cancer imaging.

UNLABELLED: The effectiveness of (11)C-choline PET in detecting various cancers, including prostate cancer, is well established. This study was aimed at developing an (18)F-substituted choline analog, (18)F-fluoroethylcholine (FECh), as a tracer of cancer detection. METHODS: No-carrier-added (18)F-FECh was synthesized by 2-step reactions: First, tetrabutylammonium (TBA) (18)F-fluoride was reacted with 1,2-bis(tosyloxy)ethane to yield 2-(18)F-fluoroethyl tosylate; and second, 2-(18)F-fluoroethyl tosylate was reacted with N,N-dimethylethanolamine to yield (18)F-FECh, which was then purified by chromatography. An automated apparatus was constructed for preparation of the (18)F-FECh injection solution. In vitro experiments were performed to examine the uptake of (18)F-FECh in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells, and the metabolites were analyzed by solvent extraction followed by various kinds of chromatography. Clinical studies of (18)F-FECh PET were performed on patients with untreated primary prostate cancer as follows: A dynamic (18)F-FECh PET study was performed on 1 patient and static PET studies were performed on 16 patients, and the data were compared with those of (11)C-choline PET on the same patients. RESULTS: (18)F-FECh was prepared in high yield and purity. The performance of the automated apparatus was excellent. The in vitro experiment revealed that (18)F-FECh was incorporated into tumor cells by active transport, then phosphorylated (yielding phosphoryl-(18)F-FECh) in the cells, and finally integrated into phospholipids. The clinical PET studies showed marked uptake of (18)F-FECh in prostate cancer. A dynamic PET study on 1 patient revealed that the blood level of (18)F-FECh decreased rapidly (in 1 min), the prostate cancer level became almost maximal in a short period (1.5 min) and it remained constant for a long time (60 min), and the urinary radioactivity became prominent after a short time lag (5 min). Static PET studies conducted under bladder irrigation showed no difference between (18)F-FECh uptake and (11)C-choline uptake in prostate cancer. However, (18)F-FECh gave a slightly higher spatial resolution of the image, which was attributed to the shorter positron range of (18)F. CONCLUSION: The synthesis of (18)F-FECh was easy and reliable. (18)F-FECh PET was very effective in detecting prostate cancer in patients. The chemical trap, consisting of active transport of (18)F-FECh and formation of phosphoryl-(18)F-FECh, seemed to be involved in the uptake mechanism of (18)F-FECh in tumors.

Treatment of patients with superficial bladder cancer by intravesical instillation of anticancer drugs plus oral chemotherapy following TUR-Bt: a randomized controlled trial.

We conducted a randomized controlled trial to compare local recurrence rate after transurethral resection of superficial bladder cancer treated by either intravesical instillation of an anticancer drug alone (method A) and the intravesical instillation plus oral chemotherapy (doxifluridine, 5'-DFUR, an intermediate metabolite of capecitabine) (method B). Results between groups showed no difference in recurrence-free survival curves in 196 patients subjected to primary analysis. However, patients subjected to secondary analysis (method B, over 3 months administration of 5'-DFUR) showed a significantly better prognosis than method A (p=0.0244, Wilcoxon). Regarding correlation between thymidine phosphorylase (TP, an enzyme to convert 5'-DFUR to 5-fluorouracil) level and prognosis, method A patients showed poorer prognosis in higher TP level cases than in lower TP levels. However, there was no significant difference in prognosis between those with higher and lower TP levels. In method B patients, there was no difference in prognosis between those with higher and lower TP levels. Method A patients tended to show a slightly better prognosis than those with lower TP levels, while method B patients tended to have a slightly better prognosis with higher TP levels, but no significant difference was observed. These findings suggested 5'-DFUR showed a mild efficacy in patients with higher TP levels and that patients with higher TP levels resulted in poorer prognosis.