Favorable Postoperative Outcomes After Transvaginal Mesh Surgery Using a Wide-Arm ORIHIME® Mesh.

Introduction Transvaginal mesh surgery (TVM) is an effective treatment option for pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Although ORIHIME®, the only available mesh product, is thin, soft, and easy to handle, it has the disadvantages of sliding off or mildly adhering to the surrounding tissues. The current study compared the efficacy of using wide-arm ORIHIME (Kono Seisakusho, Japan, Tokyo), non-wide arm ORIHIME, Gynemesh PS (Johnson and Johnson, Japan, Tokyo), and Polyform (Boston Scientific Japan, Japan, Tokyo) meshes for TVM. Methods The study included 116 patients who underwent TVM (Prolift with Gynemesh PS (n = 14); Elevate with Polyform (n = 43); Uphold with non-wide-arm ORIHIME (n = 24); Uphold with wide-arm ORIHIME (n = 35)) at our hospital. Pre- and post-surgical changes in symptoms were measured using questionnaires and 60-minute pad weight testing and compared by mesh type and surgical methods used. Results The residual urine volume, 60-minute pad weight testing, international prostate symptom score (IPSS), overactive bladder symptom score (OABSS), and international consultation on incontinence questionnaire-short form score (ICIQ-SF) significantly improved one year postoperatively in the TVM with the wide-arm ORIHIME group. Comparison of pre and one-year postoperative findings by mesh type and surgical methods used showed no significant differences in the 60-minute pad test, IPSS, Quality of Life (QOL), OABSS, and urinary incontinence in daily life scores, and improvement in residual urine volume, ICIQ-SF, and mesh exposure and POP recurrence rates in the TVM with the wide-arm ORIHIME group. Conclusion TVM with wide-arm ORIHIME had better postoperative outcomes compared to TVM with other mesh products.

Is Primary Realignment Appropriate for the Initial Management of Straddle Injuries to the Bulbar Urethra?

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical courses of patients with straddle injuries to the bulbar urethra based on the initial management strategy for urinary drainage, mainly suprapubic tube placement (SPT) and primary realignment (PR), and to examine whether PR has a beneficial effect on subsequent urethroplasty with regards to surgical and patient-reported outcomes. METHODS: We reviewed the clinical courses of 126 patients with bulbar urethral stricture following straddle injuries who underwent delayed urethroplasty between August 2010 and April 2019. Patients were categorized as being initially treated with SPT (82 patients) or PR (44 patients). Stricture was considered complicated if preoperative urethrography or cystoscopy revealed iatrogenic scarring or a stricture away from the injury site. RESULTS: The percentage of patients who experienced delayed transurethral treatment at least once before referral was significantly higher in patients treated with PR than in those treated with SPT (25/44, 56.8% vs 16/82, 19.8%, P < .0001). Although there was no difference in stricture length in both cohorts, the fraction of patients with complicated stricture was significantly higher in patients treated with PR than in those treated with SPT (15/44, 34.1% vs 14/82, 17.1%, P = .003). There was no significant difference in the selected type of urethroplasty, operative time, blood loss, success rate, postoperative maximum urinary flow rate, voiding symptoms, or erectile function between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: PR does not facilitate delayed urethroplasty and had no beneficial effect on urethroplasty outcome. PR might lead to delayed transurethral procedures, resulting in increased risk of complicated strictures.

Chronic kidney disease and positive surgical margins as prognosticators for upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma patients undergoing radical nephroureterectomy.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common condition among elderly patients and has been reported to be a biomarker for the presence of malignant disease. In addition, unfavorable outcomes for patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) undergoing radical nephroureterectomy can be due to independent clinical factors. Therefore, the present study analyzed the clinicopathological data of patients with UTUC, who underwent radical nephroureterectomy at our institution, to clarify whether preoperative CKD and other factors are independent predictors of the shorter disease-specific and/or recurrence-free survival time of these patients. A retrospective review of 187 patients who underwent radical nephroureterectomy was conducted, and patients were followed for at least 3 months postoperatively. The clinicopathological factors that are thought to have potentially significant roles in the progression and metastasis of malignant tumors and for disease-specific and recurrence-free survival were evaluated. Positive surgical margins and an estimation of the glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of <60 were independent factors for the shorter disease-specific survival time in multivariate analysis with Cox's proportional hazards model [hazard ratio (HR), 2.401: 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.044-5.255; and HR, 2.371: 95% CI, 1.024-5.898, respectively]. Another multivariate analysis also revealed that positive surgical margins (HR, 4.477; 95% CI, 2.042-9.469), and preoperative eGFR <60 (HR, 2.362; 95% CI, 1.067-5.592) were independent factors for the worse recurrence-free survival rate in all patients. Patients with UTUC who had eGFR <60 as well as positive surgical margins had significantly shorter time to disease-specific mortality and extraurothelial recurrence. The present study demonstrated that patients with UTUC undergoing radical nephroureterectomy who have CKD as well as positive surgical margins should be carefully followed up postoperatively.

Single-surgeon series of delayed anastomotic urethroplasty for pelvic fracture urethral injury: an analysis of surgical and patient-reported outcomes of a 10-year experience in a Japanese referral center.

PURPOSE: To report our experience with delayed anastomotic urethroplasty for pelvic fracture urethral injury (PFUI) during the last 10 years and evaluate both surgical and patient-reported outcomes. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 115 patients undergoing delayed anastomotic urethroplasty for PFUI between 2008 and 2017 by a single surgeon (AH) was performed. Success was defined as a urethral lumen large enough for passage of a 17-Fr flexible cystoscope. We asked patients to complete questionnaires before (baseline) and 1 year after urethroplasty and compared by paired t and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests the answers to a question about LUTS-specific QOL and the health-related QOL indicated by EQ-5D index and visual analogue scores (EQVAS). Overall patient satisfaction 1 year after urethroplasty was also evaluated. RESULTS: Urethroplasty was successful in 108 patients (93.9%), and failed urethroplasty was significantly associated with greater intraoperative blood loss (p = 0.009) and smaller surgical experience (p = 0.018). Sixty-six patients (57.4%) completed questionnaires 1 year after urethroplasty, and 65 of those 66 (98.5%) were "satisfied" (36.4%) or "very satisfied" (62.1%) with the outcome of their urethroplasty. The LUTS-specific QOL scores (p < 0.0001), EQ-5D index scores (p < 0.0001), and EQVAS scores (p < 0.0001) all improved significantly after urethroplasty. CONCLUSIONS: Delayed anastomotic urethroplasty has a high success rate and significant beneficial effects on both LUTS-specific and health-related QOL, resulting in high patient satisfaction. Careful manipulation in a bloodless operative field by experienced surgeons could be the key to successful urethroplasty.

Impact of inflammatory marker levels one month after the first-line targeted therapy initiation on progression-free survival prediction in patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: Progression-free survival of first-line targeted therapy greatly influences the survival of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. We evaluated whether post-treatment inflammatory markers and lactate dehydrogenase levels had impacts on progression-free survival prediction in addition to those of conventional predictors. METHODS: Two hundred and fifteen patients whose tumors were clear cell type and in whom first-line targeted therapies could be continued for >1 month were evaluated. Pretreatment clinical factors, pathological factors and laboratory data 1 month after targeted therapy initiation-including inflammatory markers (neutrophil count, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and C-reactive protein) and lactate dehydrogenase-were reviewed. To identify progression-free survival predictors, multivariate analyses were done. RESULTS: The 1-year progression-free survival rate was 47%. Female gender, Karnofsky performance status <80%, time from diagnosis to systemic treatment <12 months, pretreatment C-reactive protein >3.0 mg/dl and post-treatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio >3.0 were independent predictors for progression-free survival. In contrast, neither C-reactive protein increase nor neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio increase after targeted therapy initiation were independent predictors. Pretreatment lactate dehydrogenase, post-treatment lactate dehydrogenase and lactate dehydrogenase decline were not independent predictors. When all patients were stratified by these independent factors into three groups (0 risk vs. 1 or 2 risks vs. 3 or more risks), there were significant differences in progression-free survival rates between the groups (P < 0.0001). Furthermore, there were also significant differences in overall survival rates between the groups (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Integration of post-treatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio value with pretreatment factors may lead to the establishment of effective predictive model for disease progression in patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma who received first-line targeted therapies.

Evaluation of the effect of urethroplasty for anterior urethral strictures by a validated disease-specific patient-reported outcome measure.

PURPOSE: To better understand our urethroplasty outcome, we translated the English version of a urethral stricture surgery patient-reported outcome measure (USS-PROM) into Japanese and used it to evaluate the effect of urethroplasty for anterior urethral strictures. METHODS: The PROM quantifies lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and health-related quality of life (EQ-5D), and it evaluates overall satisfaction by asking patients to choose "very satisfied", "satisfied", "unsatisfied", or "very unsatisfied". 93 Japanese-speaking male patients with anterior urethral stricture who underwent urethroplasty completed it before (baseline) and 6 months after urethroplasty. The psychometric criteria evaluated in the present study were the PROM's internal consistency, test-retest reliability, criterion validity, and responsiveness. RESULTS: Qmax was negatively correlated with the LUTS-total scores (r = - 0.61). Cronbach's alpha was 0.80 and the test-retest intraclass correlation coefficient for the LUTS-total score was 0.82. 83 patients (89.2%) achieved stricture-free, which was defined as no re-stricture on cystoscopy and no need for additional treatment. The mean total LUTS-score improved from 12.4 at baseline to 3.7 postoperatively (p < 0.0001). The mean EQ-5D visual analogue scores and EQ-5D index improved from 61.2 and 0.76, respectively, at baseline to 77.9 and 0.89 postoperatively (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001). 55 patients (59.1%) were "very satisfied" with the outcome of their urethroplasty and 33 (35.5%) were "satisfied". CONCLUSIONS: The Japanese version of the USS-PROM has adequate psychometric properties. Urethroplasty improved not only objective data but also voiding symptoms and health-related QOL, and it resulted in a high rate of patient satisfaction.

Do Transurethral Treatments Increase the Complexity of Urethral Strictures?

PURPOSE: We examined the impact on urethral stricture complexity at urethroplasty of previous transurethral treatments such as dilation, urethrotomy and stenting, which are most commonly performed when treating male urethral stricture. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 45 males who had undergone transurethral treatments before urethroplasty. We compared urethrography findings at initial diagnosis with those at urethroplasty. Males with failed hypospadias repair, lichen sclerosis or a history of prior urethroplasty were excluded from analysis. We considered stricture complexity increased if the number and/or length of strictures on urethrography at urethroplasty was greater than that at initial diagnosis or false passage was newly identified. RESULTS: Of the patients 39 (87%), 32 (71%) and 13 (29%) had undergone urethral dilation, urethrotomy and urethral stenting, respectively, and 39 (87%) had undergone repeat or multiple kinds of transurethral treatments. Stricture complexity was increased in 22 men (49%) while 7 (16%) required urethroplasty more complex than that anticipated from urethrography findings at initial diagnosis. Increased stricture complexity was significantly associated with a history of urethrotomy (p = 0.03), urethral stenting (p = 0.0002) and repeat transurethral treatments (p = 0.01). Multivariate analysis revealed that urethral stenting (p = 0.01) and repeat transurethral treatments (p = 0.01) were independent predictors of increased stricture complexity. CONCLUSIONS: Repeat transurethral treatments increase stricture complexity and are potentially counterproductive. Even a single application of temporary urethral stenting carries a high risk of complicating the stricture and requiring complex urethroplasty.

Pubourethral Stump Angle Measured on Preoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Predicts Urethroplasty Type for Pelvic Fracture Urethral Injury Repair.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the type of delayed urethroplasty required for pelvic fracture urethral injury, which is not easily predicted from conventional urethrography findings, can be predicted from preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Records of 74 male patients with pelvic fracture urethral injury who underwent MRI of the pelvis at least 3 months after injury and, subsequently, delayed anastomotic urethroplasty were retrospectively analyzed. Pubourethral stump length (PUL) was defined as the distance between the distal end of the proximal urethral stump and the lower border of the inferior pubic ramus. Pubourethral stump angle (PUA) was defined as the angle between the long axis of the pubis and the line between the distal end of the proximal urethral stump and the lower border of the inferior pubic ramus. Both PUL and PUA were measured in sagittal T2-weighted MRI. RESULTS: Delayed urethroplasty was performed by a simple perineal approach in the 28 patients requiring only bulbar urethral mobilization with or without corporal splitting and by elaborate approach in the 46 additionally requiring inferior pubectomy or an abdominoperineal approach with urethral rerouting. The overall success rate defined as no recurrent stricture on urethroscopy was 94.6%. Disruption at the prostate apex, greater urethral gap length, longer PUL, and lower PUA were in univariate analysis significantly associated with an elaborate approach. In multivariate analysis, only low PUA was an independent predictor of the need for an elaborate approach. CONCLUSION: PUA measured on MRI is useful for predicting the type of reconstruction needed for urethral repair.

Clinical outcomes of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for small renal cancer.

Partial nephrectomy is the treatment of choice for small renal cell carcinoma (RCC) from the perspective of cancer management and renal function. However, when patients with RCC are of advanced age, exhibit severe comorbidities, including cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, or have hereditary RCC, ablative therapies, including radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and cryoablation are useful treatment options. In the present study, the clinical outcomes of percutaneous RFA for treating small RCC were evaluated. Between December 2005 and March 2015, 40 patients (41 renal tumors in total) underwent RFA and a total of 50 sessions of RFA were performed. The average tumor size was 2.5 cm. A total of 18 tumors were exophytic and 23 were parenchymal. Of the 41 tumors, 85.4% were completely ablated by initial RFA and the rate of complete ablation following reablation for residual viable lesions was 95.1%. Local recurrence-free survival following complete ablation was 84.2% at 3 years. A patient with a 4.7 cm RCC tumor rapidly progressed following four RFA treatments until complete ablation was achieved. The metastasis-free survival rate following initial RFA was 95.7% at 3 years. The RCC-specific survival was 100% (mean follow-up, 38 months). Adverse events occurred in five sessions (10%); however, only 1 patient with arteriovenous fistula required intervention (transarterial embolization). The mean hospital stay following RFA was 3.2 days. The mean decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate following RFA was 2.7%. The results of the present study indicate that percutaneous RFA was an effective treatment for small RCCs with respect to management of cancer, minimal invasiveness and minimal loss of renal function, particularly in patients for whom surgery would be a high risk and those at increased risk of deterioration of renal function.

Primary Realignment for Pelvic Fracture Urethral Injury Is Associated With Prolonged Time to Urethroplasty and Increased Stenosis Complexity.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical courses of patients with pelvic fracture urethral injury (PFUI) according to initial management strategy. METHODS: We reviewed the clinical courses of 63 patients with PFUI who were initially treated elsewhere and underwent delayed anastomotic urethroplasty by a single surgeon between 2008 and 2015. Patients were grouped according to their initial treatment: by suprapubic tube placement alone (49 patients, SPT group) or primary realignment (14 patients, PR group). Time to urethroplasty was defined as the period between injury and delayed urethroplasty. Clinical data regarding the status of urethral stenosis, urethroplasty procedure, and treatment outcome were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean time to urethroplasty in the PR group was about 3 times than that in the SPT group (133 months vs 47 months, P = .035). Fifty percent of the PR group (7 of 14) had a history of repeated urethrotomy or dilation before referral, a percentage significantly higher than that of the SPT group (20.4%, 10 of 49, P = .027). The percentage of patients having a false passage and iatrogenic scar was significantly higher in the PR group (42.9% vs 16.3%, P = .035), but there was no significant between-group difference in urethral stenosis length, operative time, operative blood loss, or the percentage of patients requiring inferior pubectomy or urethral rerouting. CONCLUSION: PR does not facilitate delayed urethroplasty, and patients who undergo PR are at high risk of having a more complicated stenosis and longer time to urethroplasty, presumably because of repeated transurethral procedures.

Prognostic value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with first-line and subsequent second-line targeted therapy: A proposal of the modified-IMDC risk model.

PURPOSE: The International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) risk model has been designed for prognostification in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) treated with targeted therapy. One factor is neutrophil count; however, increasing evidence has suggested the superiority of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) for predicting outcome. In this study, we evaluate the prognostic effect of NLR levels on patients with mRCC treated with targeted therapy, and then we compare the predictive accuracy of the IMDC risk model and its modified one by using NLR, instead of neutrophil count. PATIENTS AND METHOD: A total of 277 patients are included for the analysis. All patients underwent targeted therapies and associated outcome are assessed using multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Pretreatment NLR levels are elevated in 30.3% and 23.1% of patients in the first-line and subsequent second-line setting, respectively. Kaplan-Meier curves reveal that elevated pretreatment NLR is significantly associated with poor overall survival (OS) since first-line (P<0.001) and second-line targeted therapy administration (P<0.001). Also, multivariate analyses show that elevated pretreatment NLR is an independent predictor for poor OS since first-line and second-line targeted therapy administration. The addition of NLR to the IMDC risk model, instead of neutrophil count, significantly improves the predictive accuracy for OS, and estimated gain is 1.7% and 6.2% in first-line and second-line targeted therapy, respectively. CONCLUSION: Changes in NLR levels could be predictive for prognosis in patients with mRCC treated with first-line and second-line targeted therapy. The addition of NLR significantly improves the predictive accuracy of the IMDC risk model in the first-line and subsequent second-line setting.

[Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma in Paranasal Sinus for which Periodic Drug Withdrawal Schedule of Axitinib was Effective : A Case Report].

A 73-year-old male patient underwent a right nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma in 2008, and interferon-alpha was initiated as adjuvant treatment. Computed tomography (CT) scans showed lymphadenopathy above the left diaphragm, and treatment with interferon-2 was subsequently initiated in 2009. Nasal bleeding manifested in February 2010, and CT scans showed a soft-tissue density mass mainly located in the ethmoid sinus. A biopsy of the lesion was performed, and metastatic renal cell carcinoma was diagnosed. Treatment with sorafenib was consequently initiated and the paranasal metastasis showed a temporary partial response (PR). However, the metastatic lesion increased in size and caused repeated nasal bleeding that required blood transfusion. Although treatment with everolims was initiated, adverse events, such as rush, hypertensionnemia, and anemia due to nasal bleeding, developed. Treatment with axitinib was subsequently initiated. However, because adverse events, such as severe diarrhea, renal dysfunction and proteinuria manifested, the dose of axitinib was gradually decreased, and a periodic drug withdrawal schedule (11 days on, 3 days off) was finally initiated, which controlled these adverse events. The metastatic lesions showed a PR for 31months following axitinib administration.

Effect of reclassification of the IMDC model in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with targeted therapy in the first-line and second-line settings.

PURPOSE: To investigate the prognostic effect of the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) model reclassification after targeted therapy administration in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). PATIENTS AND METHOD: A total of 245 mRCC patients treated with targeted therapy are included. The IMDC model reclassification is performed at 1 month after treatment induction of both first-line and second-line targeted therapy. RESULTS: Of the 245 patients, 74 (30.2%) are divided into different risk groups by the IMDC model reclassification after first-line targeted therapy, and patients newly classified with intermediate risk tend to have better overall survival than those remaining in the primary poor-risk group (P = 0.018). Of the 119 patients treated with subsequent second-line targeted therapy, 25 (21.0%) are divided into different risk groups by the IMDC model reclassification after second-line targeted therapy, and patients newly classified with poor risk tend to have increased all-cause mortality compared with those remaining in the primary intermediate-risk group (P = 0.007), whereas patients newly classified with intermediate risk tend to have better overall survival than those remaining in the primary poor-risk group (P = 0.034). CONCLUSION: Approximately a quarter of the mRCC patients are classified into different risk groups of the IMDC model following targeted therapy administration in the first-line and second-line settings. There is a significant difference in overall survival of subgroups after the IMDC model reclassifications.

Impact of Second-Line Targeted Therapy Dose Intensity on Patients With Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Relative dose intensity (RDI) is a simple index for evaluation of the amount of drug administered per unit time. We retrospectively investigated the prognostic impact of RDI for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) treated with second-line targeted therapy. METHODS: We enrolled 168 patients with mRCC. We assessed RDI at 4 weeks after second-line targeted therapy induction. RESULTS: The median follow-up after second-line targeted therapy was 18.1 months. The median time-to-treatment-failure (TTF) and overall survival (OS) were 4.9 and 25.4 months, respectively. In the Kaplan-Meier analysis, the median OS of patients with second-line RDI < 0.7 was significantly shorter than those with RDI ≥ 0.7 (12.1 vs. 31.3 months; P = .030). In the subgroup analysis, second-line RDI was definitely prognostic in the poor-risk group of the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium criteria, showing second-line RDI was an independent predictor for both TTF (hazard ratio [HR], 3.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6-8.0; P = .002) and OS (HR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.1-8.4; P = .026). Also, assessing the type of second-line regimen, the multivariate analysis showed that second-line RDI was an independent prognostic indicator of TTF (HR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.0-2.9; P = .040) and OS (HR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.3-5.7; P = .009) in patients treated with everolimus. In this group, the median TTF and OS of patients with RDI < 0.7 were 2.4 and 11.1 months, and those with RDI ≥ 0.7 were 5.3 and 25.9 months, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that second-line RDI may be a prognostic predictor for patients with mRCC treated with second-line targeted therapy, particularly in both the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium poor-risk group and everolimus-treated group.

External Validation of the MSKCC and IMDC Risk Models in Patients Treated with Targeted Therapy as a First-line and Subsequent Second-line Treatment: A Japanese Multi-institutional Study.

BACKGROUND: Two risk models, the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) model and the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) model, have been studied in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) treated with targeted therapy. OBJECTIVE: To validate externally the predictive accuracies of the MSKCC and IMDC models for prognosis in mRCC patients treated with first-line and subsequent second-line targeted therapy. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A total of 311 patients were assessed retrospectively. INTERVENTION: All patients underwent targeted therapy. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Survival outcomes were assessed using Kaplan-Meier analysis. The predictive ability was evaluated using the c-index. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Regarding to the first-line targeted therapy, the 3-yr overall survival (OS) rates of the MSKCC (p<0.001) and IMDC models (p<0.001) were 76.2% and 77.3%, respectively, in the favorable-risk group; 46.7% and 47.9%, respectively, in the intermediate-risk group; and 13.4% and 15.6%, respectively, in the poor-risk group. The c-indexes were 0.68 for the MSKCC model and 0.69 for the IMDC model in a first-line setting. Regarding the second-line targeted therapy, the 1-yr OS rates of the MSKCC (p<0.001) and IMDC models (p<0.001) were 80.9% and 90.5%, respectively, in the favorable-risk group; 71.4% and 70.6%, respectively, in the intermediate-risk group; and 31.7% and 24.6%, respectively, in the poor-risk group. The c-indexes were 0.66 for the MSKCC model and 0.65 for the IMDC model in the second-line setting. The study is limited by its retrospective nature. CONCLUSIONS: The results may assist physicians in providing more appropriate patient counseling and imply the need for a future prognostic tool in mRCC treated with targeted therapy. PATIENT SUMMARY: Both risk models were useful for the risk stratification in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients treated with first-line and second-line targeted therapy; however, it might be necessary to further update or optimize the models for our Japanese cohort of mRCC patients.

[RENAL CELL CARCINOMA PRESENTING WITH HIGH-OUTPUT HEART FAILURE DUE TO ARTERIOVENOUS FISTULA].

A 64-year-old woman who has a history of congestive heart failure and atrial fibrillation was admitted to our hospital with the exacerbation of exertional dyspnea and urinary retention due to severe gross hematuria. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed a tumor involving the inferior and middle poles of the right kidney with no nodal involvement, or distant metastases, but that was accompanied by markedly proliferated blood vessels around the inferior vena cava and right renal vein, seemingly a result of an arteriovenous fistula. After embolization of the right renal artery, right radical nephrectomy was performed via a thoracoabdominal incision. The histological diagnosis of the tumor was clear cell renal cell carcinoma, G2 > G3, Fuhrman nuclear grade3, pT2a. Although the presence of an arteriovenous fistula was not confirmed histologically, the severely condensed proliferation of the blood vessels in the renal hilum is consistent with the diagnosis of an arteriovenous fistula accompanying renal cell carcinoma. Immediately after the operation, her symptoms of congestive heart failure, including dyspnea, subsided and her serum BNP levels and CTR value returned to normal levels. Two years after the operation, she shows no signs of recurrence or metastasis. To the best of our knowledge, there have been 25 cases of arteriovenous fistulas accompanied by renal cell carcinoma but only a few in which the symptoms were those of severe congestive heart failure. Clinicians should be aware that renal cell carcinoima could be a cause of heart failure.

[Case of primary scrotal sclerosing lipogranuloma : review of 227 cases reported in Japan].

We report a case of primary scrotal sclerosing lipogranuloma. A 39-year-old man who had complained of a painless intrascrotal mass was introduced to our hospital for detailed examinations. He denied having received any injection of exogenous substances or having suffered from any trauma. Physical examination revealed a U-shaped elastic hard mass surrounding the penile shaft in the scrotum. T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated an ill-defined U-shaped lesion which exhibited relatively low signal intensity. Primary scrotal sclerosing lipogranuloma was the most suspected. The mass gradually disappeared after 47 days from tumor open biopsy for definitive diagnosis. We found 227 cases reported in Japan, and we discuss the diagnosis, treatment and clinical features with reference to previous reports.