Survival rates of familial and sporadic prostate cancer patients

Aim: To compare cancer-specific survival rates for familial and sporadic prostate cancer patients. Materials and Methods: Gleason score and age at diagnosis of familial group and sporadic group were compared by χ² and t-test. Cancer-specific survival rates were analyzed by the Kaplan — Meier method and compared by log-rank test. Statistically significant level was set at p < 0.05. Results: Among 1175 prostate cancer patients, familial group consisted of 215 (18.3%) patients, the sporadic group consisted of 960 (81.7%) patients. The familial group patient’s mean age at diagnosis (58.9 years old, 95% confidence interval (CI) 57.8–60.1) was significantly younger than that of sporadic group patients (67.2 years old, 95% CI 66.7–67.6) (p < 0.0001). Comparing Gleason score between familial group and sporadic group revealed no statistically significant difference. The analysis showed that 92% (95% CI 0.88–0.97) of familial group patients had a 10-year cancer-specific survival rates, which was a significantly better outcome than that of sporadic group with 69% (95% CI 0.60–0.78) 10-year cancer-specific survival rates (p = 0.0237). Conclusion: The study data demonstrate statistically significant difference between familial group and sporadic group concerning age and cancer-specific survival rates, but not Gleason score. Key Words: prostate cancer, hereditary, familial, survival rates

Von Hippel-Lindau Syndrome: Diagnosis and Management of Hemangioblastoma and Pheochromocytoma

Introduction. Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) syndrome is a pathological condition that causes various clinical symptoms and is difficult to diagnose. The most common pathological lesions are hemangioblastomas of the central nervous system, retinal angiomas, renal clear cell carcinomas, and pheochromocytomas. Case Report. A 23-year-old female had a syncope episode in 2008. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a right temporal hemangioblastoma, which was treated surgically. Genetic screening identified a VHL gene mutation, and computed tomography (CT) revealed a left adrenal mass. Since it was unclear whether the mass was a pheochromocytoma, or another benign or malignant tumors, laparoscopic adrenalectomy was performed. A month after surgery, the patient complained of general fatigue, poor concentration, loss of appetite, and insomnia. After careful clinical investigation, the patient was referred to a psychiatrist due to suspected depression, which was confirmed. Conclusions. VHL genetic screening should be performed in cases of hemangioblastoma. In VHL syndrome cases, pheochromocytoma cannot always be diagnosed by biochemical catecholamine analyses; therefore, CT or MRI scanning of the abdomen must be performed. Due to the long treatment period, some patients may develop episodes of depression, which can simulate VHL syndrome