Epidermoid cyst of the testis: A report of three cases.

Testicular epidermoid cysts have characteristic findings. Testicular tumor markers are negative in patients with epidermoid cysts. Clear margins and sole and small testicular tumors (20 mm or less) suggest the possibility of epidermoid cyst. Testicular-sparing surgery with intraoperative frozen section examination should be performed when suspecting epidermoid cysts. Testicular epidermoid cysts are rare tumors that account for 1% of all testicular tumors and are often clinically misdiagnosed as malignant lesions. We report three cases of epidermoid cysts. The chief manifestations were scrotal induration in two patients and pruritus scrotum in one. The median age of the patients was 23 years (18-30). All tumors were determined to be sole lesions (<20 mm in diameter). Testing for tumor markers in all patients revealed negative results. We could not rule out malignancy; hence, we performed high inguinal orchiectomy in all cases. Histologically, the inner walls of the cysts were lined with stratified squamous epithelium; their contents were keratinized. All patients were diagnosed with epidermoid cysts.

Effectiveness of adjuvant chemotherapy for patients who undergo radical cystectomy without neoadjuvant chemotherapy: A retrospective cohort study of 115 advanced bladder cancer patients with pathological lymph node classification.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the clinical outcomes of radical cystectomy without cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and identified factors affecting the effectiveness of cisplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy (AC). METHODS: Between September 2002 and February 2020, 288 bladder cancer patients who did not receive NAC underwent radical cystectomy. We retrospectively analyzed the recurrence rates, primary recurrence sites, recurrence-free survival (RFS), and overall survival (OS) of 115 advanced bladder cancer patients (pT3-4 or pN1-3) who were divided into the AC and observation groups. Subgroup analysis was performed, focusing on pathological stage. RESULTS: In total, 51 patients received AC, and 64 patients were observed. The median follow-up duration was 95 months. The recurrence rate was lower in the AC group than in the observation group (35.3% vs. 54.7%, p = 0.041). The rate of recurrences in the lymph node area (dissection site and proximal lymph nodes) was lower in the AC group (9.8% vs. 26.6%; p = 0.031). In the subgroup analysis of patients with pN1, the probability of RFS and OS was higher in the AC group than in the observation group. The hazard ratio for RFS and OS was 0.243 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.077-0.768) and 0.259 (95% CI: 0.082-0.816), respectively. The 5-year RFS and OS were significantly higher in the AC group (80.0% and 79.4%) than in the observation group (35.7% and 42.9%; p < 0.008 and p < 0.012, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: AC improved RFS and OS in patients with pN1 disease who did not receive NAC and should be considered for this population.

Incidence and location of perioperative deep vein thrombosis in patients with bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence and location of lower extremity deep vein thrombosis in patients undergoing radical cystectomy. METHODS: We performed radical cystectomy in 137 patients with bladder cancer between August 2014 and February 2020. Since 2014, we have had a policy to screen for deep vein thrombosis using lower extremity ultrasonography both before and after radical cystectomy. We determined the incidence and location of deep vein thrombosis and classified it as either proximal or distal type. Furthermore, we explored the incidence of pulmonary embolism within 3 months after radical cystectomy. RESULTS: After excluding six patients with a lack of ultrasonographic data, we evaluated 131 patients. Preoperative deep vein thrombosis (one proximal and 17 distal) was diagnosed in 18 patients (14%) with no symptoms. Postoperative deep vein thrombosis was diagnosed in 41 patients (31%; three proximal and 38 distal), of whom 26 (63%) had new-onset deep vein thrombosis after cystectomy. Three patients, two with proximal and one with distal type deep vein thrombosis, developed nonfatal pulmonary embolism postoperatively. Multivariate analysis showed that preoperative D-dimer levels (odds ratio 5.35, 95% confidence interval 1.74-16.50; P < 0.003), type of urinary diversion (ileal neobladder; odds ratio 11.15, 95% confidence interval 2.16-57.55; P = 0.004), and preoperative deep vein thrombosis (odds ratio 15.93, 95% confidence interval 3.82-66.30; P < 0.001) were significant risk factors for postoperative deep vein thrombosis. CONCLUSIONS: Pre- and post-radical cystectomy whole-leg ultrasonography can lead to an early perioperative diagnosis and immediate treatment of proximal deep vein thrombosis, thereby potentially preventing fatal pulmonary embolism.

[ANALYSIS OF THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN IMMUNE-RELATED ADVERSE EVENTS AND THE EFFICACY OF PEMBROLIZUMAB IN PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC UROTHELIAL CARCINOMA].

(Objectives) We evaluated the association between immune-related adverse events (irAEs) and the efficacy of pembrolizumab therapy in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma. (Methods) Data of 42 patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma treated with pembrolizumab between May 2018 and February 2020 were retrospectively analyzed to determine the association between irAEs and objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). (Results) IrAEs were observed in 19 patients (45.2%). Objective response was observed in 15 patients (35.7%). Thirteen (68.4%) of 19 patients who experienced irAEs showed an objective response, whereas two (8.70%) of 23 patients who did not experience irAEs (odds ratio: 15.0, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.70-738, P=0.006). PFS and OS in the irAE group were longer than those in the non-irAE group (PFS: hazard ratio: 0.24, 95% CI: 0.11-0.54, P<0.001; OS: hazard ratio: 0.11, 95% CI: 0.03-0.37, P<0.001). (Conclusions) During pembrolizumab treatment, the occurrence of irAEs was significantly associated with higher response and survival prolongation in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma.

Risk factors for intravesical recurrence after nephroureterectomy in patients with upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To determine major risk factors for bladder cancer (BC) recurrence after nephroureterectomy (Nux) by focusing on the pathologic appearances of tumors in upper urinary tract urothelial carcinomas (UUTUCs). METHODS: We performed 147 Nux procedures between November 2002 and September 2015. Forty-eight patients were excluded because of a history of BC (28 patients), previous or concurrent radical cystectomy (9 patients), neoadjuvant chemotherapy (5 patients), and other reasons (6 patients). We classified UUTUCs into three types: renal pelvic, short-length ureteral, and long-length ureteral cancer; the cutoff for categorizing short- versus long-length ureteral cancer was the median tumor length. Univariate and multivariate analyses with Cox regression methods were performed to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) for BC recurrence using nine clinical covariates, including our new pathologic classification. RESULTS: The median follow-up period for the survivors was 60 months (range 1-157 months). Of 99 patients, 36 (36%) had BC recurrence; of these 36 patients, 30 (85%) experienced recurrence within 2 years and 17 (47%) had invasive BC (≥pT1). Statistical analyses demonstrated that pathologic tumor type was the major significant risk factor for BC recurrence. Long-length (>5 cm) ureteral cancer had the highest risk of BC recurrence compared to other tumor types (multivariate HR 2.1; 95% confidence interval 1.03-4.2). CONCLUSIONS: Our simple classification system based on the tumor's pathologic appearance is useful for predicting BC recurrence. Patients with long-length ureteral cancer have a high risk of BC recurrence.

Colovesical fistula caused by glucocorticoid therapy for IgG4-related intrapelvic mass.

IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is an immune-mediated fibroinflammatory disorder that can occur in almost all systemic organs and generally responds to corticosteroid treatment. We report a rare case of an IgG4-related intrapelvic mass lesion that responded to steroid therapy but caused a fistula between the sigmoid colon and bladder. A 71-year-old man was followed after treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma. Follow-up computed tomography (CT) incidentally depicted left hydronephrosis with an ill-demarcated intrapelvic mass lesion. This lesion was histologically diagnosed as IgG4-RD by open biopsy, and peroral steroid therapy was initiated. One month after starting steroids, a colovesical fistula was detected by follow-up CT. A colostomy and urethral catheterization were emergently performed. The patient recovered and the mass lesion was drastically minimized by the initiation of glucocorticoids; however, he still needs urethral catheterization. IgG4-RD develops in various systemic organs and generally responds well to steroids. Clinicians must be watchful for the complications of responses to corticosteroids, such as fistulization, when the mass lesion of IgG4-RD is adjacent to multiple luminal organs.

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin treatment of urothelial carcinoma arising in the ileal neobladder after radical cystectomy.

In January 2005, a 66-year-old man underwent radical cystectomy and ileal neobladder reconstruction for invasive bladder cancer. A total of 3 years after the cystectomy, left-side ureteral cancer was diagnosed, and a nephroureterectomy was carried out in May 2008. In October 2011, he complained of asymptomatic macroscopic hematuria. We detected multiple papillary pedunculated and broad-based tumors in the left side and the dome of the neobladder. The patient underwent transurethral resection of the bladder tumor, and a pathological diagnosis of high-grade pTa urothelial carcinoma was made. A total of 4 months later, tumors recurred in the right side and anterior wall of the neobladder. We carried out transurethral resection of the bladder tumor again; the pathological diagnosis was high-grade pTa urothelial carcinoma with carcinoma in situ. Bacillus Calmette-Guérin instillation was carried out seven times into the neobladder, without any severe side-effects. Tumor recurrence was not observed up to 8 months after bacillus Calmette-Guérin treatment.

[Tubulocystic carcinoma of the kidney].

A 55-year-old man who presented himself with gross hematuria and right back pain was found to have a right renal mass with evidence of metastasis to the lymph nodes, bone and lung (cT1bN1M1). He underwent a transperitoneal right nephrectomy. Tumor expressed markers of CD10, P504S and CK19 immunohistochemically, so histopathological examination revealed tubulocystic carcinoma of the right kidney (pT3a). After the patient received sunitinib therapy, computed tomography revealed reduction in the size of the metastatic lung nodule and lymph nodes, indicating a partial response. He is alive without disease progression at 12 months after nephrectomy. Tubulocystic carcinoma has been referred to by Amin et al as low-grade collecting duct carcinoma and is not yet included in the World Health Organization (WHO) 2004 classification of renal tumors. The cells lining the tumor range from cuboidal to columnar and have large nuclei with low-grade changes and abundant eosinophilic or amphophilic cytoplasm. Hobnail cells are commonly seen. Immunohistochemically, tubulocystic carcinomas are strongly positive for markers of the proximal nephron (CD10, P504S) and the distal nephron (parvalbumin, CK19). Despite a low nuclear grade, tubulocystic carcinomas occasionally show progressive behavior clinically. Although there is no established salvage therapy, sunitinib was found to be effective for this patient.

[Clinicopathological study of retroperitoneal sarcoma].

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to retrospectively analyze the characteristics of patients with retroperitoneal sarcoma and to examine pathological findings, first site of recurrence and recurrence free-survival after surgery. METHODS: From June 2003 to May 2010, we performed 10 surgeries for retroperitoneal sarcomas. We chose 9 tumors after excluding 1 tumor that had already disseminated in the abdominal cavity. We examined patient characteristics, pathological findings and the first site of recurrence (local or distant metastasis). We also analyzed recurrence-free survival after surgery with the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: The patients' median age was 60 years (31-71 years), and the median tumor diameter was 10.0 cm (2.7-45 cm). Pathological diagnosis revealed 7 cases of dedifferentiated liposarcoma and 2 cases of leiomyosarcoma. En-block resection with adjacent organs was achieved in 8 of 9 patients. During follow-up, 5 of 9 patients experienced tumor local recurrence. There were no cases in which distant metastases appeared before local recurrence. The median duration between surgery and local recurrence was 13 months (3-27 months). The median duration from surgery to death was 30 months (5-78 months). CONCLUSIONS: Although we resected adjacent organs together when we could not achieve a sufficient margin, the rate of local recurrence after surgery for retroperitoneal sarcoma was high. Given this result using treatment with surgery alone, it is necessary to prospectively establish multimodal treatments with chemotherapy and radiotherapy to reduce local tumor recurrence.

[Clinical factors associated with benign renal tumors].

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we sought to define the incidence of benign renal tumors in our institute and to clarify the clinical factors associated with benign renal tumors, in order to assist in forming preoperative differential diagnoses. METHODS: From October 2002 to July 2007, we performed 157 nephrectomies in patients preoperatively diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma. We chose 81 tumors, all of which were less than 5 cm, for further study. We reviewed double-phase helical CT imaging retrospectively, specifically focusing on attenuation patterns and homogeneity. We also compared clinical factors, including age, sex and tumor size, between the benign and malignant renal tumors. RESULTS: The patient's median age was 67 years (mean age, 63 years), and the median tumor diameter was 3.0 cm (mean, 3.2 cm). Benign renal tumors were found in 10 (12%) of the 81 tumors; these included seven cases of oncocytoma and three cases of angiomyolipoma with minimal fat. Several factors were significant clinical determinants of differentiation between benign and malignant renal tumors: homogeneity in CT, female gender, and small tumor size all predominated in cases of benign tumors. Attenuation pattern in CT, however, was not a significant factor (p = 0.344). CONCLUSIONS: When a patient, especially a female, presents with a small and homogeneous renal tumor, careful consideration should be given to the possibility of a benign process, which needs further consideration before performing excessive surgery.

[Clinical characteristics of prostatic adenocarcinoma with ductal features].

PURPOSE: To determine the incidence and prognosis of prostatic ductal adenocarcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From November 2002 to December 2005, we performed 122 radical prostatectomies and pelvic lymph node dissections. We further analyzed 64 cases after excluding 56 cases that had received neoadjuvant hormone therapy and two cases for which we were only able to perform limited follow-up examinations. We reviewed all of the surgical specimens and reclassified them according to the 2004 WHO classification system. We differentiated prostatic cases of ductal adenocarcinoma that were larger than 5 mm in diameter from cases of acinar adenocarcinomas. We then examined these two groups for the pathological stages of the neoplasms and the incidence of postoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) failure. Postoperative PSA failure was defined as a PSA value more than 0.2 ng/ml. RESULTS: We found eight cases (12%) of prostatic ductal adenocarcinoma among the 64 cases treated with radical prostatectomies. The mean age (+/- SD) of these patients was 65.3 (+/- 4.3) years old, and the mean PSA level (+/- SD) was 12.4 (+/- 5.4) ng/ml. Seven of the cases (11%) were mixed-type ductal adenocarcinomas, which contained acinar and ductal components. In addition, one case was identified as pure ductal adenocarcinoma. Seminal vesicle invasion was detected in four cases and lymph nodes metastases were identified in one case. During the follow-up period, four of the eight cases of ductal adenocarcinoma (50%) and twelve of the 56 cases of acinar adenocarcinoma (21%) showed postoperative PSA failure. The median follow-up period was 24 months (range: 12 to 48 months). CONCLUSIONS: We identified eight cases of ducal adenocarcinoma (12% of the examined cases), which suggests this disease is not as rare as previously reported. Compared to the cases of acinar adenocarcinoma, the cases of ductal adenocarcinoma were at a more advanced pathological stage and resulted in a higher rate of postoperative PSA failure. Therefore, we believe that patients that show even a limited degree of ductal adenocarcinoma should receive aggressive therapy.

Conservative management of small renal tumors.

With the widespread use of imaging modalities, incidentally discovered small renal cell carcinomas have increased. Some patients, however, are too old or weak due to various diseases to undergo surgery and other patients occasionally refuse surgery. To investigate the natural history of small renal cell carcinoma, we retrospectively reviewed patients with small renal tumors suggestive of carcinoma. We retrospectively reviewed 15 patients with contrast-enhancing renal masses less than 4.0 cm in diameter who were observed without treatment. The mean follow-up period was 38 months (range, 8-91). The average patient age was 67 years (range, 44-87). The initial average tumor diameter was 2.2 cm (range, 1.0-3.9). The average growth rate was 0.06 cm per year (range, -0.09-0.28). Only 4 tumors grew obviously during the follow-up period. Three tumors were removed surgically by radical nephrectomy, and all tumors were pathologically diagnosed as renal cell carcinoma. None of the patients developed metastases during the follow-up period or after surgery. Two patients died of other causes. Nonsurgical watchful waiting may be an acceptable treatment option for elderly or severely comorbid patients; however, it is not known whether this conservative management can be applied to young or otherwise healthy patients.

[Outcome of treatment with surgical resection of the remaining tumor after modified M-VAC treatment for advanced urothelial carcinoma].

We retrospectively evaluated the effect of the surgical resection of the remaining tumor after modified M-VAC (methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin and cisplatin) (m-M-VAC) treatment for locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma. In m-M-VAC therapy, methotrexate and vinblastine on 15 and 22 days were omitted from the classical M-VAC to avoid the discontinuation and the dose reduction, and duration of 1 course was shortened to 21 days from 28 days of the classical M-VAC. Seven patients with locally invasive or metastatic carcinoma of the renal pelvis, ureter, and bladder, 6 males and 1 female, with a median age 64.1 years, ranging from 49 to 77 years received m-M-VAC chemotherapy without severe side effects. In all patients, the residual viable carcinoma was completely resected and they achieved complete remission. The median survival time was 20 months (range, 7 to 61). Five of these 7 patients were still alive. Two patients had no recurrence and achieved long-term survival (survival duration; 61 and 39 months). Although further studies and long-term follow up are required, these results suggest that patients who present with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma may benefit from surgical resection after m-M-VAC.

[Comparison of radical retropubic prostatectomy under combined lumbar spinal and epidural anesthesia with that under combined general and epidural anesthesia].

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of combined lumbar spinal and epidural (CLSE) anesthesia in retropubic radical prostatectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty consecutive patients who underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy by a single surgeon (H.K.) under CLSE anesthesia from July of 2003 to February of 2004 were selected as subjects. They were compared with 20 consecutive patients who underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy performed by the same surgeon under combined general and epidural (CGE) anesthesia from April to December of 2002. Both periods were carefully selected to exclude radical prostatectomies with intraoperative complications to evaluate genuine effects of anesthesia. For lumbar spinal anesthesia, 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine hydrochloride or 0.5% hyperbaric tetracaine hydrochloride (dissolved in a 10% glucose solution) was used. An epidural tube was inserted for both lumbar spinal anesthesia and general anesthesia mainly for the purpose of controlling a pain after operation. RESULTS: Intraoperative blood loss was significantly less in the CLSE anesthesia group compared with CGE anesthesia group (p = 0.024). Postoperative water drinking was started at 0.4 days (average) for CLSE anesthesia and at 1.1 days (average) for CGE anesthesia (p < 0.0001). Postoperative diet was begun at 0.7 days (average) for CLSE anesthesia and at 1.5 days (average) for CGE anesthesia (p < 0.0001). Compared with the CLSE anesthesia group, the mean of the highest intraoperative mean blood pressure was significantly higher in the CGE anesthesia group (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Intraoperative blood loss was less, intraoperative change in blood pressure was less and recovery of postoperative intestinal peristalsis was earlier in patients who underwent prostatectomy under CLSE anesthesia than in patients who underwent prostatectomy under CGE anesthesia. We believe that prostatectomy under CLSE anesthesia is more advantageous than prostatectomy under CGE anesthesia.

[Aortic replacement during post chemotherapy retroperitoneal residual tumor resection for nonseminomatous germ cell tumor: a case report].

A 59-year-old man visited our hospital complaining of epigastralgia. A large hard mass was palpable in the abdominal cavity. Abdominal computed tomography revealed large retroperitoneal cystic tumors. His left testis was hard and swollen. Under the diagnosis of testicular tumor and retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis, left radical orchiectomy was performed and the histopathological examination showed mature teratoma. He was diagnosed with nonseminomatous germ cell tumor and retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis (TNM classification stage IIC). He received three cycles of chemotherapy with bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin and we performed retroperitoneal residual tumor resection. Because the tumor tightly adhered to the aortic wall, abdominal aorta was resected and replaced by an artificial vessel. The post-operative course was uneventful. Histopathological diagnosis was cystopapillary adenocarcinoma and mature teratoma. The patient is well 1 and a half years after the operation without recurrence.

[Clinical study of modified M-VAC therapy with one 21-day cycle for advanced urothelial cancer].

Although M-VAC therapy is a standard chemotherapy for advanced transitional cell carcinoma, the treatment schedule has to be delayed or cancelled in many patients because of the toxicity. To reduce the toxicity we modified the treatment schedule of M-VAC treatment. The dosages of this simplified M-VAC therapy were 30 mg/m2 methotrexate (on day 1), 3 mg/m2 vinblastine (on day 2), 30 mg/m2 doxorubicin (on day 2) and 70 mg/m2 cisplatin (on day 2), with courses repeated every 21 days for four cycles as a principle. Seventeen patients with histologically proven advanced transitional cell carcinoma were treated with this simplified M-VAC therapy without dose modification or delay. The median number of cycles was 4. Neutropenia, anemia and thrombopenia (grade 4) was observed in 2, 1 and 2 patients respectively, but no drug-related deaths were observed. Complete response and partial response were achieved in 2 (12%) and 10 (59%) patients respectively. Of 2 complete responders one patient was alive without evidence of disease at 12 months and another patient died of the disease at 42 months. Of 10 partial responders 6 patients underwent the additional surgical resection of residual tumors. Of these 6 patients 3 patients are alive without evidence of disease at 6, 30 and 31 months. The remaining 3 developed recurrence and 2 died of the disease at 13 and 29 months. Five non-responders died of the disease at 5 months after the start of the therapy. Response rate of simplified M-VAC therapy was excellent and treatment duration was short. However, relapses were commonly observed as well as the original M-VAC treatment.

[A case of superior mesenteric artery syndrome after left nephrectomy].

Postoperative superior mesenteric artery syndrome is a rare complication of left nephrectomy. We treated a case of superior mesenteric artery syndrome that occurred 7 days after radical left nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma. The patient was a 54-year-old Japanese man who presented with gross hematuria. Abdominal computed tomography showed a 3.8 x 3.8 x 5 cm heterogeneous cystic mass in the left kidney. Transperitoneal left radical nephrectomy was performed because renal cell carcinoma was suspected. The patient resumed oral intake 3 days after surgery, but he began vomiting repeatedly from the 7th day after surgery. Gastroduodenography showed an abrupt vertical linear obstruction of the third portion of the duodenum. Superior mesenteric artery syndrome was diagnosed. Conservative therapy (indwelling nasogastric tube, intravenous hyperalimentation and postural changes) was effective.