Joseph C. Cerny

Aggressive Versus Conservative Management of Stage IV Renal Cell Carcinoma

Improved modalities to treat metastatic renal cell carcinoma will require an aggressive surgical and chemotherapeutic approach. Nephrectomy with hormonal and non-hormonal chemotherapy does improve median survival and 3-year survival significantly. The use of xenogeneic specific immune ribonucleic acid and Bacillus Calmette-Guerin offers promising immunotherapeutic modalities that may be combined with surgical and chemotherapeutic regimens. Early diagnosis of metastatic disease is important to evaluate properly the results of various modalities of treatment and possibly to improve the efficiency of these modalities. The management of solitary metastatic nodules should involve aggressive resection of the primary and metastatic nodule. Adjuvant hormonal and non-hormonal chemotherapy should be considered in all stages of the disease.

Changes in In Vivo Optical Properties and Light Distributions in Normal Canine Prostate during Photodynamic Therapy

The optical absorption and transport scattering coefficients of normal prostate tissue have been measured in vivo in dogs. The measurements were made at 630 nm before and during treatment by Photofin photodynamic therapy using interstitial optical fiber fluence-rate detectors. Corresponding measurements were made ex vivo, at 1 week after treatment, in the contralateral lobe. The optical properties were derived by applying a diffusion theory model to the fluence rates measured at two different source-detector fiber distances. While the in vivo pretreatment and in vivo contralateral post-treatment absorption and scattering values are self-consistent and in agreement with published data, significant changes were observed in the light fluence rates, and hence in the derived optical properties, during light irradiation. The possible causes of such changes are considered, and the implications for light dosimetry in photodynamic therapy are discussed.

The High Incidence of Benign Testicular Tumors

Of 2,800 testicular procedures performed at our institution between 1965 and 1985, 233 inguinal explorations were done for suspicion of cancer. Malignancy was present in 161 patients but in 72 cases (31 per cent) benign lesions were found. Despite the benign nature of the lesion 51 of these patients (70 per cent) underwent radical orchiectomy. The incidence of benign testicular tumors is much higher than previously suspected and awareness of this condition should lead to increased testicular preservation in selected cases.

Surgical Treatment of Deformity and Coital Difficulty in Healed Traumatic Rupture of the Corpora Cavernosa

AbstractExperience with 2 cases of healed traumatic rupture of the corpora cavernosa has demonstrated success in restoration of function by surgical intervention when previous conservative treatment proved unsuccessful.

An Evaluation of Lymphangiography in Staging Carcinoma of the Prostate

Pedal lymphangiography was done on 38 patients with stages O, A and B carcinoma of the prostate. The lymphangiograms were positive in 19 cases and negative in 19. Of 18 patients who underwent lymphadenectomy (9 with positive and 9 with negative studies) operative findings confirmed the lymphangiogram in 15 (83 per cent). In the 6 patients with osseous metastases and/or enzyme elevation, the lymphangiogram was positive. Furthermore, 13 patients with positive lymphangiograms had negative osseous and enzyme survey, emphasizing that nodal involvement may be the earliest finding in disseminated carcinoma of the prostate. The value of lymphangiography in staging carcinoma of the prostate prior to radical prostatectomy or irradiation seems well established.

Cytogenetic study of four cancers of the prostate.

We cytogenetically studied four cases of adenocarcinoma of the prostate. All tumors were moderately differentiated or well-differentiated, with different degrees of invasion. One tumor with microscopic seminal vesicle invasion and lymph node metastasis (tumor 4) had trisomy 7 as a sole clonal abnormality, suggesting that this is a primary change in some prostatic tumors. Although only normal karyotypes were observed in the other three tumors, several nonclonal changes were evident. Monosomy 9 or deletion of the long arm of 9 was observed in at least one cell in the three tumors without trisomy 7. Furthermore, in one of these tumors (tumor 3, moderately differentiated), several rearrangements (five of 26 cells) were observed, two of which had a common breakpoint at 15q11. Although complex chromosome changes including del(10q) and del(7q) have been described in prostatic tumors, they were not observed in the four tumors studied. This is the first report of a prostate tumor with trisomy 7 as a single clonal chromosome abnormality.

Eosinophilic Cystitis: An Uncommon Form of Cystitis

Since 1959, 39 cases of eosinophilic cystitis have been reported in the literature. Eosinophilic cystitis is a rare form of allergic cystitis in patients who usually have a strong allergic history. It mimics other forms of intractable cystitis, such as interstitial cystitis, tuberculosis and bladder neoplasms. It is caused by various antigens that form immune complexes at the bladder level and stimulate eosinophilic infiltration. Food allergens, medications, topical agents and parasites have been implicated. The diagnosis is made by excluding all other forms of cystitis.

Bilateral orchiectomy for carcinoma of prostate Response of serum testosterone and clinical Response to subsequent estrogen therapy

Forty-five patients with symptomatic Stage D carcinoma of the prostate were treated with bilateral orchiectomy. Serum testosterone levels were obtained before orchiectomy, seven days after and a six-month intervals. With relapse after orchiectomy remission patients were treated with diethylstilbesterol (DES) 1 mg. daily. After bilateral complete orchiectomy 40 patients had serum testosterone levels in the anorchic range (21.5 to 39.7 ng./dl) while 5 had testosterone levels between 117 and 187 ng./dl. The mean remission response after orchiectomy was 9.1 months (three to twenty-four months) in the anorchic group and 9.4 months in the imcomplete anorchic group. Mean relapse response to estrogen therapy in the anorchic group was four months (one to six months). While in the incomplete anorchic group mean relapse response to estrogen therapy was 20.8 months (one to sixty). Serum testosterone levels in the imcomplete group decreased with estrogen therapy while those in the anorchic group were stable with estrogen therapy. Our findings suggest that bilateral complete orchiectomy does not always provide serum testosterone levels in the anorchic range. Subsequently these patients show an improved mean response to oral estrogen therapy.

Response of Micropenis to Topical Testosterone and Gonadotropin

Five patients were treated with gonadotropin and topical testosterone for micropenis associated with hypothalamic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. All patients received 1,000 units of gonadotropin weekly for 3 weeks, with a 6-week interval followed by 10% topical testosterone cream twice daily for 3 weeks. Serum testosterone levels were measured and remained equivalent for both modes of therapy. Average penile growth response with gonadotropin was 14.3% increase in length and 5.0% increase of girth. Topical testosterone produced an average increase of 60% in penile length and 52.9% in girth. The greatest growth response occurred in prepubertal male subjects with a minimal response in postpubertal male subjects. This study suggests that 10% topical testosterone cream twice daily will produce effective penile growth. The response appears to be greater in younger children, which is consistent with previously published studies of age-related 5 reductase activity.

Pre-Transplant Urologic Investigation and Treatment of End Stage Renal Disease

We investigated 112 patients with end stage renal disease. Clinical evaluations included cystoscopy, cystometry, voiding cystography, bilateral retrograde pyelograms, history and physical examination, and appropriate serum and urinary studies. Of the 112 patients 28 (25 per cent) had significant abnormalities of the urinary tracts. Of the 28 patients 17 had lower tract abnormalities, such as detrusor hyporeflexia, obstructing prostatic hyperplasia and urethral stricture, and 11 had upper tract disease, 9 of whom required a pre-transplant surgical procedure. Included in the group of 9 patients were those with polycystic kidneys, staghorn calculi, renin-related renal hypertension, chronic pyelonephritis and persistent vesicoureteral reflux. None of the azotemic patients had significant morbidity with the timing of the surgical procedures. We believe that eradication of such conditions in the pre-transplant period resulted in a more suitable candidate for renal transplantation. Furthermore, we believe that our finding of 25 per cent abnormalities underscores the need for early urologic evaluation of these patients to ensure their functional capabilities as a recipient.