Ivan Vukovic

Prognostic significance of non-muscle-invasive bladder tumor history in patients with upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the prognostic factors for survival and disease recurrence in patients treated surgically for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC), focusing especially on the impact of history of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS A single-center series of 221 consecutive patients who were treated surgically for UTUC between January 1999 and December 2010 was evaluated. Patients who had a history of bladder tumor at a higher stage than the upper tract disease, preoperative chemotherapy, or previous contralateral UTUC were excluded. None of the patients included in this study had distant metastasis at diagnosis of UTUC. In total, 183 patients (mean age 66 years, range 36-88) were then available for evaluation. Tumor multifocality was defined as the synchronous presence of 2 or more pathologically confirmed tumors in any upper urinary tract location (renal pelvis or ureter). All patients were treated with either open radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) or open conservative surgery. Recurrence-free probabilities and cancer-specific survival were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analyses. RESULTS Fifty-one patients (28%) had previous carcinoma not invading bladder muscle. Previous history of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer was significantly associated with tumor multifocality (P < 0.001), concomitant bladder cancer (P < 0.001), higher tumor stage (P = 0.020), and lymphovascular invasion (P = 0.026). Using univariate analyses, history of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer was significantly associated with an increased risk of both any recurrence (HR = 2.17; P = 0.003) and bladder-only recurrence (HR = 3.17; P = 0.001). Previous carcinoma not invading bladder muscle (HR = 2.58; P = 0.042) was an independent predictor of bladder-only recurrence. Overall 5-year disease recurrence-free (any recurrence and bladder-only recurrence) survival rates were 66.7% and 77%, respectively. Previous history of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer was not associated with cancer-specific survival. Our results are subject to the inherent biases associated with high-volume tertiary care centers. CONCLUSIONS Patients with previous history of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer had a higher risk of having multifocal and UTUC with higher tumor stages (pT3 or greater). History of bladder tumor was an independent predictor of bladder cancer recurrence but had no effect on non-bladder recurrence, and cancer-specific survival in patients who underwent surgical treatment of UTUC.

Upper urinary tract transitional cell carcinoma: location is not correlated with prognosis.

Study Type – Therapy (case series)

Testis sparing surgery in the treatment of bilateral testicular germ cell tumors and solitary testicle tumors: A single institution experience.

To assess the oncologic and functional outcomes of testicular sparing surgery (TSS) based on a single institution experience.

Testis sparing surgery for treatment of small testicular lesions: Is it feasible even in germ cell tumors?: Testis Sparing Surgery

To evaluate the results of testis‐sparing surgery (TSS) in patients, with small testicular lesions and a normal contralateral testicle.

[Induratio penis plastica--localized or diffusive fibromatosis of tunica albuginea penis?].

BACKGROUND/AIM The part of the tunica albuginea that is not affected by localized pathological fibrosis is excised by the Nesbit contralateral excisional corporalplasty in patients with induratio penis plastica (IPP). The aim of this study was to find out if there were any histological changes of the macroscopically normal tunica albuginea excised during the Nesbit corporalplasty. METHODS A total of 31 patients, mean age 45 +/- 7.65 years, were surgical treated for extensive penile curvature (impossible or difficult penile imission in the vagina), using the Nesbit surgical technique. The tunica albuginea tissue was manipulated by Alliss clamps and excised in the shape of a diamond and placed in the 4% formaldehyde solution for histological analysis. The excised tunica albuginea was not wider than 1 cm, while the histological preparations were 3 to 5 microm thick, and they were stained with hematoxylin-eosin. The excised tunica albuginea tissue appeared macroscopically (anatomically) normal in all of the operated patients. In 28 (90.3%) patients opperated for dorsal curvature of the penis, the tissue of the tunica albuginea was excised from the urethral ridge, while in 3 (9.7%) patients operated for lateral curvature, the tissue was excised from the lateral corpus cavernosum. RESULTS The histological results were normal in 12 (38.7%) patients, while in 19 (61.3%) cases the findings indicated fibrosis of tunica albuginea. No significant difference in the patients age was found between these two groups (p = 0.09). The analysis of a total number of histological results of the patients with tunica albuginea fibrosis in relation to the patients with normal results showed that there was no significant difference (chi2 = 1,2; df = 1; p > 0.05), suggesting that the macroscopically normal tunica albuginea is not always expected to yield normal histological result. CONCLUSION Significantly more reported histological results of tunica albuginea fibrosis in the location that appeared normal macroscopically (chi2 = 27.5; df = 1; p < 0.01) indicated that, in the majority of IPP patients (61.3%), pathological lesion was diffusive with localized phenotypic expression plaque in the tunica albuginea, showing that, in the majority of cases noxa acted diffusely.