A Case of Renal Angiomyolipoma with Minimal Fat Mimicking Renal Cell Carcinoma

We present a case of renal angiomyolipoma (AML) with minimal fat mimicking renal cell carcinoma(RCC). AML is composed of variable amount of fat, smooth muscle and abnormal blood vessels. In general,AML can be differentiated from RCC with great accuracy using modern radiological techniques due to thefat component of the renal mass. In the present case, the renal tumor did not demonstrate intratumoral faton radiological studies. Surgery was performed and the renal tumor was removed. Histologically, the renaltumor showed abundant muscle that occupied almost the entire lesion, which demonstrated HMB-45 antigen.The tumor was diagnosed as renal AML

Increased interferon alpha receptor 2 mRNA levels is associated with renal cell carcinoma metastasis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Interferon-α (IFN-α) is one of the central agents in immunotherapy for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and binds to the IFN-α receptor (IFNAR). We investigated the role of IFNAR in RCC.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We quantified IFNAR mRNA expression in paired tumor and non-tumor samples from the surgical specimens of 103 consecutive patients with RCC using a real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and IFNAR2 protein using Western blotting.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The absolute level of IFNAR1 and IFNAR2 mRNAs in tumor and non-tumor tissues did not correlate with the malignant and metastatic profiles. The relative yields of the PCR product from the tumor tissue to that from the corresponding non-tumor tissue (T/N) for the expression of IFNAR mRNAs were calculated. While the T/N ratio of IFNAR1 did not correlate with any factor, a high T/N ratio of IFNAR2 correlated with poor differentiation (<it>P </it>< 0.05), local invasion (<it>P </it>< 0.001), and metastasis (<it>P </it>< 0.0001). By multivariate analysis, a high T/N ratio of IFNAR2 predicted a shortened overall survival in all cases (<it>P </it>< 0.05) and a shorter disease-free survival in those without metastasis (M0; 68 cases, <it>P </it>< 0.05). Impressively, patients with a poorer response to IFN-α treatment had a higher IFNAR2 T/N ratio than those who had a good response (P < 0.05). IFNAR2c protein expression was higher in the primary tumors in patients with metastases (M1; 35 cases) compared to those without ( P < 0.0001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>IFNAR2 is associated with the progression of RCC.</p

A Case of Cystic Renal Cell Carcinoma Mimicking a Benign Complicated Renal Cyst on Computed Tomography;Usefulness of Magnetic Resonance Imaging

We present a case of cystic renal cell carcinoma( RCC) mimicking a benign complicated renal cyst. In thepresent case, the cystic renal mass was classified as Bosniak classification category II on computed tomography(CT), but magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated additional septa and enhancement, whichled to an upgraded Bosniak classification( category III). The patient underwent radical nephrectomy. Histologicalexamination showed the cystic necrosis type of RCC

High-dose Chemotherapy with Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation for Patients with Poor PrognosisAdvanced Germ Cell Tumor

SUMMARYAbout one half of all advanced germ cell tumor( GCT) patients with poor prognosis defined by the InternationalGerm Cell Cancer Collaborative Group (IGCCCG) die of cancer. We evaluated salvage high-dosechemotherapy (HDCT) with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) for patients with poorprognosis advanced GCT in Dokkyo Medical University. Three patients with poor prognosis advanced GCTwere treated with HDCT as salvage chemotherapy. Two patients had primary testicular GCT and one patienthad primary mediastinal GCT. Treatment responses were pathological complete remission( CR) in one,surgical CR in one and partial remission (PR) in one. Effectiveness and side effects of HDCT with PBSCTfor poor prognosis cases with advanced GCT were shown in this study. However, further accumulation ofthese studies is needed

Feasibility of Exploiting Celution^<TM> System in Autologous Cell Therapy in Dokkyo Medical University Hospital:Safety and Reproducibility

In 2012, we established the Center for Regenerative Medicine in Dokkyo Medical University Hospital, and are now preparing the necessary equipment and preclinical evidence for cell therapy. Liposuction is a commonly used procedure in plastic surgery and the lipoaspirate is discarded as a medical waste. However, the lipoaspirate is known to contain abundant mesenchymal stem cells, and thus, it is currently one of the most feasible options of regenerative medicine. Several ongoing clinical trials of cell therapy (in Japan and overseas as well) are based on the Celution^ system, an automated cell-processing machine utilizing lipoaspirate. The merit of using such a machine is that collected cells are so abundant that it is not necessary to expand the cell number in a Cell Processing Center. Moreover, there are fewer risks of bacterial infection because the system is isolated from the ambient dust and operated automatically. Our group is now planning respective cell therapies for breast reconstruction after mastectomy, urinary incontinence and ischemic cardiovascular diseases, and all these protocols will be based on the Celution^ system. Here, we report the initial test run of Celution^ to confirm its safety and reproducibility

Amantadine can Ameliorate Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction and Nocturnal Polyuria in Patients with Parkinson Disease and Vascular Parkinsonism

Background:Amantadine is a drug used for patients with Parkinson\u27s disease (PD) and vascular parkinsonism (VP). These patients often have lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and nocturnal polyuria (NP). Thus, we investigated the effect of amantadine on these in parkinsonian patients.Methods:Twenty-two patients with LUTS, including 13 with PD and nine with VP, were recruited. We performed a urinary questionnaire, frequency-volume chart, and residual urine (RU) measurement before and after daily administration of 150 mg and 300 mg amantadine.Results:Before amantadine administration, mean daytime urinary frequency was 9.07(standard error [SE], 0.64), nighttime urinary frequency 2.89 (0.24), urinary urgency per week 24.2 (6.69), urge incontinence per month 15.1( 9.94), urine volume per void 145.6( 12.6) mL, and residual urine volume 12.5( 6.30) mL. After daily 150 mg amantadine administration, mean daytime and nighttime urinary frequency, urinary urgency, and urge incontinence decreased to 6.9( 0.42), 1.97( 0.21), 13.0( 3.58), and 14.2( 10.2), respectively, and urine volume per void increased to 174.1( 11.3) mL. NP( N=8) was ameliorated in six patients. No patient had side effects. After daily 300 mg amantadine administration( N=8), mean daytime and nighttimeurinary frequency, urinary urgency, and urge incontinence decreased to 6.90 (0.33), 1.69 (0.10), 5.88 (1.61), and 2.31 (0.61), respectively, and urine volume per void increased to180.2 (15.0) mL. NP (N=4) was ameliorated in two patients. One patient developed hallucination, and two patients developed flashing sensation.Conclusion:Amantadine has beneficial effects on LUTS and NP in patients with VP and PD