TA T1 low and intermediate transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder: Recurrence rates and the timing of check cystoscopies within the first year

Introduction: The intensity of cystoscopic follow- up in the first year for patients with superficial bladder cancer has not been clearly defined. The cystoscopic follow- up of superficial bladder cancer accounts for a considerable workload for the urologist and is also an invasive procedure with high costs. We retrospectively reviewed our experience to determine any possible criteria which can lead to reduce the frequency of check cystoscopy. Material and Methods: A retrospective study was done on 427 patients with primary stage Ta and T1 bladder cancers treated between 1998 and 2005. The pattern of recurrence in the first year was assessed and recurrence rates calculated. Results: The recurrence rate was 22% at 3 months. The recurrence rates at 6 and 9 months were 8 and 13.6% respectively. The recurrence rate at 12 months was 9.4%. For tumors with no recurrence at 3 months, the recurrence rates at 6, 9 and 12 months were 6.6, 13.4 and 8.9% respectively. With respect to stages, there was a statistically significant difference in recurrence rate stages pTa and pT1 in the first and in the third control ( p = 0.001, p = 0.003) respectively. According to the recurrence rate within the first year, the difference between G1 and G2 tumors was not statistically significant regardless of the stage (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Patients with initial stage Ta or T1 grade 1 and 2 bladder cancers and negative first cystoscopy have a significantly lower recurrence rate than those with recurrence at first cystoscopy. There is a reason to change follow- up routines but in our opinion only in patients with initial low- grade carcinoma. If the third- month cystoscopy is clear, it is appropriate to perform the first check cystoscopy 1 year after initial resection. Copyright (C) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel

Malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis: a case report and review of the literature

Most often, mesotheliomas involve the serosal membranes of the pleura and peritoneum. Sometimes, mesothelial proliferations are identified in other locations. A mesothelioma, within the tunica vaginalis of the paratesticular region is rare but often fatal malignancy of the male genitalia. Despite aggressive surgical and systemic therapy the prognosis remains poor with only rare long-term survivors. We report a case of malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis in 45-years-old and review of the literature is presented

Chemotherapy with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin and cisplatin in recurrent platinum-sensitive epithelial ovarian cancer

Background. Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) is the only nonplatinum agent to significantly improve survival in patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer. The present study was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of PLD plus cisplatin combination therapy in these patients

Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the rectum

Background: Primary rectal lymphoma is a very uncommon disease, therefore, it has received little attention in the literature. Because of their rarity, rectal lymphomas are generally included in the group of large intestine lymphomas

A pilot study evaluating the efficacy and toxicity of biweekly gemcitabine and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in recurrent platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian cancer

Background. Both gemcitabine and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) are antineoplastic drugs with clinical activity in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. The present study was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of biweekly scheduled gemcitabine and PLD combination therapy in such patients

Triplet chemotherapy combination with cisplatin, gemcitabine and docetaxel in patients with chemotherapy-naive advanced non-small cell lung cancer

The synergistic effects of new generation chemotherapeutics when combined with cisplatin have encouraged the development of new triplet combination regimens in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of triplet chemotherapy using weekly cisplatin-gemcitabine-docetaxel (CGD) for patients with chemotherapy-naive NSCLC. Twenty-seven patients with stage IIIB/IV disease and performance status of 0 to 2 were included in this prospective trial. A combination of gemcitabine 750 mg/m(2), cisplatin 25 mg/m(2) and docetaxel 25 mg/m(2) was administered on days 1, 8 and 15, with cycles repeated every 3 weeks. Leucopenia and/or neutropenia and to a lesser extent thrombocytopenia were the main dose-limiting toxicities. Grade III-IV neutropenia and thrombocytopenia occurred in 26 and 7% of the patients, respectively. Only one patient developed febrile neutropenia. Dose reductions were required in 26% of patients, delays in 44% of patients and early treatment discontinuation in 15% of patients. The overall response rate was 52% and all of them experienced a partial response. The median progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) times were 6 and 13 months, respectively. The one-year survival rate was 46%. In conclusion, weekly administration of CGD is an active first-line therapy with acceptable toxicity in advanced NSCLC patients

Ovarian carcinoma with simultaneous breast and rectum metastases

Background: Metastatic involvement of the breast and the rectum from ovarian carcinoma are very rare events. Case Report: We report a case of ovarian carcinoma with metastasis to the breast and rectum simultaneously, 6 years after initial diagnosis. Results: Morphologic and immunohistochemical findings from pathologic samples of all involved sites confirmed the ovarian origin, which spared the patient unnecessary breast and rectal surgery. To our knowledge, this is the first case of ovarian carcinoma with simultaneous metastases to the breast and rectum reported to date. Conclusion: Accurate differential diagnosis from primary breast and rectal carcinoma is very important because the prognosis and treatment differ significantly

Utility of Serum and Urine uPAR Levels for Diagnosis of Breast Cancer

Malignant tumors have a capacity to degrade the extracellular matrix by controlled proteolysis. One system involved in these processes is the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) system. uPAR levels are elevated in tumors from several types of cancer. Our study was planned to investigate serum and urine levels of uPAR in breast cancer patients (n=180) and healthy controls (n=60) by ELISA. Serum (p<0.001) and urine (p<0.001) uPAR values in the patients were both significantly elevated. High serum and urine levels of uPAR can be used as diagnostic tools in lymph node positive patients