Preoperative low plasma creatine kinase levels predict worse survival outcomes in bladder cancer after radical cystectomy.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To evaluate the prognostic significance of preoperative creatine kinase (CK) levels in bladder cancer (BCa) patients who underwent radical cystectomy (RC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: 570 BCa patients with RC were identified between 2010 and 2020. 108.5 U/L of CK levels were defined as the cutoff value. Logistic regression analysis and Cox regression models were performed to evaluate the association between CK levels and oncologic outcomes. Subgroup analyses were performed to address cofounding factors. RESULTS: Preoperative low CK levels were associated with worse recurrence-free survival (RFS, log-rank P = 0.001) and overall survival (OS, log-rank P = 0.002). Multivariate analysis revealed that preoperative low CK levels were an independent predictor for worse RFS (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.683; P < 0.001) and OS (HR: 1.567; P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The preoperative low CK level independently predicts worse survival outcomes in BCa after RC. Incorporating it into prediction models might be valuable to assist risk stratification.

The Role of cGAS-STING in Age-Related Diseases from Mechanisms to Therapies.

With aging, the incidence of age-related diseases increases. Hence, age-related diseases are inevitable. However, the mechanisms by which aging leads to the onset and progression of age-related diseases remain unclear. It has been reported that inflammation is closely associated with age-related diseases and that the cGAS-STING signaling pathway, which can sense the aberrant presence of cytosolic DNA during aging and induce an inflammatory response, is an important mediator of inflammation in age-related diseases. With a better understanding of the structure and molecular biology of the cGAS-STING signaling axis, numerous selective inhibitors and agonists targeting the cGAS-STING pathway in human age-related diseases have been developed to modulate inflammatory responses. Here, we provide a narrative review of the activity of the cGAS-STING pathway in age-related diseases and discuss its general mechanisms in the onset and progression of age-related diseases. In addition, we outline treatments targeting the cGAS-STING pathway, which may constitute a potential therapeutic alternative for age-related diseases.

The prognostic value of the systemic immune-inflammation index for patients with bladder cancer after radical cystectomy.

Background: Biomarkers acquired from blood samples are easy to obtain and cost-effective, have attracted considerable interest, and have been widely investigated. Inflammation plays a crucial role in cancer cell initiation, proliferation, and metastasis. We aimed to evaluate the association of the preoperative systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) with the clinical outcomes of patients diagnosed with bladder cancer and who underwent radical cystectomy (RC). Materials and methods: Data from patients diagnosed with bladder cancer and who underwent RC from December 2010 to May 2020 in West China Hospital were retrospectively collected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Patients were divided into a low-SII group and a high-SII group according to the SII level. Survival outcomes were obtained during follow-up. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). Cox proportional hazard models were performed to estimate the effect of SII on OS and RFS and control for potential confoundings. Subgroup analyses were conducted, and the log likelihood ratio test was used to inspect the interaction. Results: A total of 725 patients who underwent RC were ultimately involved in this study. Of these patients, 621 (85.66%) were men and 104 (14.34%) were women. The median age was 65 years. The median follow-up was 36 months for OS and 33.6 months for RFS. The optimal cutoff value was identified as 554.23 × 109/l. A total of 467 (64.41%) patients were divided into the low-SII group (SII <554 × 109/l), and 258 (35.59%) patients were divided into the high-SII group (SII ≥554 × 109/l) accordingly. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression demonstrated that a high SII was an independent prognostic factor for worse OS (HR: 1.69 95% CI: 1.02-2.81, P = 0.0436) and RFS (HR: 1.88, 95% CI: 1.09-3.24, P = 0.0229) in NMIBC patients. A high SII was found to be an independent prognostic factor for worse RFS in patients with HBP (HR: 2.11, 95% CI: 1.34-3.30, P = 0.0012), with DM (HR: 3.76, 95% CI: 1.73-8.15, P = 0.0008), and without PNI (HR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.04-1.69, P = 0.0238). Conclusions: The SII was a potential prognostic predictor for bladder cancer patients who underwent RC. Further prospective multicenter investigations are warranted.

Giant bilateral primary scrotal lipoma along with lipomas in multiple sites of the body: a case report and literature review.

Mesenchymal neoplasms of the scrotum are extremely rare in the clinical practices, in which lipoma is the most common benign neoplasm of them. Primary scrotal lipoma refers to the lipoma originated from scrotal wall. We reported a rare case of a 47-year-old man who suffered from bilateral giant primary scrotal lipoma along with lipomas in multiple sites of the body. Scrotal ultrasound indicated that huge hypoechogenic masses were observed in the bilateral scrotums. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) indicated increased fat density in the scrotal areas. Surgical resection was performed on both scrotal neoplasms. Diagnosis of lipoma was confirmed by the pathological examination through the morphological observation as well as the absence of murine double minute2 (MDM2) gene amplification in the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) test. After five months of follow-up, the wound of the patient recovered well and no sign of local recurrence was observed. Based on the literature review, very few cases of primary scrotal lipoma were reported in the scientific literature up to date, and this is the first report of bilateral primary scrotal lipoma along with multiple lipomas of the body. We presented this case as a rare phenomenon. Although primary scrotal lipoma is rare, clinicians should take it into account when encountering similar scrotal lesions and know the methods for diagnosis and how to make differential diagnosis with other diseases, which is associated with the patient's treatment strategy and prognosis.