Dramatic Response to Catumaxomab Treatment for Malign Ascites Related to Renal Cell Carcinoma With Sarcomotoid Differentiation.

Refractory malignant ascites (MA) is a common complication in cancer patients. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is rarely present with peritoneal ascites, which is commonly associated with carcinomas of the gastrointestinal and female reproductive tracts; including especially ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma. Currently, chemotherapy and paracentesis represent the most widely used methods to relieve the symptoms. Recently, intraperitoneal therapy with catumaxomab-a trifunctional hybrid antibody-has been introduced for the treatment of MA. The benefit of this treatment has been demonstrated in patients with distinct abdominal malignancies. In this case report, we present the first case of successful catumaxomab treatment against MA in a patient with advanced RCC with sarcomatoid differentiation. After the second administration of catumaxomab, paracentesis became no longer necessary. Catumaxomab might represent a safe treatment option for MA in the course of metastatic RCC with sarcomatoid differentiation.

Co-existence of BRAF V600E Gene Mutation in Tumor and Non-tumoral Surrounding Tissues in Colorectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The murine sarcoma viral (V-Raf) oncogene homolog B (BRAF) V600E mutation, which increases protein kinase activity in BRAF-mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) - extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) (mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)) signaling, is found in 5-40% of all colorectal carcinoma cases. Proteins with this mutation are reported to be 130-fold more active, which results in induced proliferation, differentiation, cellular survival, and angiogenesis. The aim of the present study was to investigate tumor tissues, together with the surrounding non-tumoral tissues, for BRAF mutation presence, which may be an indicator for possible recurrence or prognosis as in the 'field carcinogenesis' model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The BRAF V600E genotype of 152 colorectal adenocarcinoma paraffin-embedded specimens were determined by mutant-allele-specific amplification-polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: According to our results, the presence of BRAF mutation increases risk of lymph node invasion by 1.55-fold [χ(2)=3.83, p=0.05, odds ratio (OR)=1.55, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.00-2.42], histologically medium or high-grade tumor by 1.60-fold (χ(2)=4.34, p=0.030, OR=1.60, 95% CI=1.03-2.48), vascular invasion by 1.55-fold (χ(2)=3.55, p=0.05, OR=1.55, 95% CI=0.99-2.42), perineural invasion by 1.50-fold (χ(2)=3.16, p=0.07, OR=1.5, 95% CI=0.96-2.33) and the combination of these poor prognostic features by 1.54-fold (χ(2)=2.47, p=0.11, OR=1.54, 95% CI=0.93-2.53). We also found that females are more prone to having the mutation and that being female increases the risk of having this mutation by 1.54-fold (χ(2)=3.58, p=0.05, OR=1.54, 95% CI=0.97-2.44). CONCLUSION: BRAF V600E mutation in non-tumoral surrounding tissue in patients with colorectal cancer may be used as a valuable marker to foresee clinical outcome or a possible recurrence. To our knowledge, this was the first study to take into consideration the non-tumoral surrounding tissues in addition to the tumor tissue.