Yoshio Kai

Prognostic significance of tumor grade for renal cell carcinoma

Background : The natural history and prognosis of renal cell carcinoma cannot be predicted. Based on the Japanese classification system, the value of nuclear grade were assessed as a possible prognostic factor for renal cell carcinomas.

Using Ga-67 scintigraphy in prostatic abscess

The use of Ga-67 scintigraphy (Ga) in prostate inflammatory diseases may be restricted by the difficulty in distinguishing between the accumulation of Ga-67-citrate (Ga-citrate) in the lesion and feces. The diagnosis of prostatic abscess has been mainly made by other radiologic methods without scintigraphic studies and no finding of Ga has been reported. This patient demonstrated that coordinating the findings of Ga-citrate accumulation can be helpful in making a prompt diagnosis of a possibly fatal prostatic abscess, especially in those patients with poorly defined clinical symptoms and high risk factors.

Immunohistochemical study of the proliferating ability and malignant potential of transitional cell carcinoma in the human urinary bladder.

Actively dividing cells produce a number of proteins that may serve as useful antigenic markers in immunological studies of cellular proliferation and malignant potential. We investigated the expression of PCNA, p53 and c‐a erbB–2 proteins in transitional cell carcinoma of human urinary bladder using an immunohistochemical method, and compared the results with the histologic grades and stages. Immunohistochemical studies on these proteins using monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies were performed with formalin‐fixed paraffin sections of tumor tissue from 40 patients with bladder cancer.

Clinical Evaluation of the Results of Open or Transurethral Surgery for Prostate Hypertrophy

We evaluated the outcome of surgery for prostate hypertrophy through measurement of the urine flow rate and the Boyarsky symptom score. The study covered 108 patients admitted to Showa University School of Medicine, Fujigaoka Hospital. Thirty–eight had been admitted for retropubic prostatectomy and the remaining 70 patients for transurethral resection of the prostate. Their ages ranged from 48 to 84 years, with an average age of 64.4 years. The urine flow rate was measured before and after prostatic operation using Dantec Urodyn 1000. The symptom scores were calculated according to the Boyarsky symptom score. The Students t test was used for statistical analysis. Frequency (daytime, nighttime) was the most common preoperative symptom (97.2%, 96.3%), followed by impairment of stream (88.0%), and intermittency (78.7%). Frequently observed symptoms tended to raise the symptom scores. The period of admission, age and prostatic size did not correlate with the preoperative urine flow rate and symptom score. Significant improvements in the urine flow rate occurred after the operation. Frequency (daytime, nighttime) was the most common postoperative symptom (82.7%, 81.1%), followed by urgency (37.0%), then terminal dribbling (32.2%). Of 39 patients who were evaluated by symptom score and urine flow simultaneously, 6 patients (15.1%) failed to show improvement in 1 of the 2 evaluations, while 9 (23.1%) patients failed to show improvement in either. The irritative symptoms (frequency, urgency) tended not to show significant postoperative improvement.