Biomedical subjects

Isao Hara

Publications and source records attributed to Isao Hara.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

A comparison of clinical features between chlamydial and non-chlamydial urethritis in men negative for gonococcal infection who attended a urological outpatient clinic in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical features of non-gonococcal urethritis in men who attended a urological outpatient clinic in Japan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included a total of 194 patients diagnosed as having non-gonococcal urethritis and subsequently judged as cured following antibiotic therapy between January 2001 and June 2005. Clinical data were analyzed after dividing these patients into two groups as follows: 96 patients with chlamydial urethritis (CU) and 98 with non-chlamydial urethritis (NCU). RESULTS: The incubation period in the CU group was significantly longer than that in the NCU group (P = 0.0020). The incidence of severity of symptoms in the NCU group was significantly greater than that in the CU group (P = 0.022), and the interval between the appearance of the initial symptom and consulting the clinic was significantly shorter in the NCU group than in the CU group (P = 0.0015). The proportion of commercial sex workers (CSWs) as the causative partner in the NCU group was significantly greater that in the CU group (P < 0.001), and the incidence of oral sex as the causative mode of sexual interaction was significantly more frequent in the NCU group than that in the CU group (P = 0.021). The duration of antibiotic therapy until cured was significantly longer in the CU group than in the NCU group (P = 0.0051). Furthermore, multivariate analysis showed that whether the infection involved CU or NCU was independently associated with the treatment interval irrespective of other factors examined (P = 0.041). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the clinical characteristics of CU and NCU clearly differ and that CU tends to require a longer time to cure than NCU; therefore, among patients with non-gonococcal urethritis, it would be particularly important to effectively control the spread of CU.

Adult↗

PubMed2007

Relationship between the size of the bottleneck 15 A from iron in the main channel and the reactivity of catalase corresponding to the molecular size of substrates.

A catalase that exhibits a high level of activity and a rapid reaction with organic peroxides has been purified from Exiguobacterium oxidotolerans T-2-2T (EKTA catalase). The amino acid sequence of EKTA catalase revealed that it is a novel clade 1 catalase. Amino acid residues in the active site around the protoheme are conserved in the primary structure of EKTA catalase. Although the general interactions of molecules larger than hydrogen peroxide with catalases are strongly inhibited because of the selection role of long and narrow channels in the substrate reaching the active site, the formation rate of reactive intermediates (compound I) in the reaction of EKTA catalase with peracetic acid is 77 times higher than that of bovine liver catalase (BLC) and 1200 times higher than that of Micrococcus luteus catalase (MLC). The crystal structure of EKTA catalase has been determined and refined to 2.4 A resolution. The main channel structure of EKTA catalase is different from those of BLC and MLC. The rate constant of compound I formation in catalases decreased with an increase in the molecular size of the substrate. For EKTA catalase with a larger bottleneck 15 A from the iron (entrance of narrow channel) in the main channel, a lower rate of reduction in compound I formation rate with an increase in the molecular size of substrates was found. The increase in the rate constant of compound I formation in these catalases was directly proportional to the increase in the size of the bottleneck in the main channel when molecules of substrates larger than H2O2, such as organic peroxides, are used in the reaction. The results indicate that the size of the bottleneck in the main channel in catalase is an important factor in defining the rate of compound I formation corresponding to the molecular size of the substrates, and this was demonstrated. The Leu149-Ile180 and Asp109-Met167 combinations at the entrance of the narrow channel in EKTA catalase determine the size of the bottleneck, and each atom-to-atom distance for the combination of residues was larger than those of corresponding combinations of amino acid residues in BLC and MLC. The combination of these four amino acids is quite specific in EKTA catalase as compared with the combinations in other catalases in the gene database (compared with more than 432 catalase genes in the database).

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2007

Expression of major heat shock proteins in prostate cancer: correlation with clinicopathological outcomes in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy.

PURPOSE: We evaluated expression levels of major heat shock proteins in radical prostatectomy specimens to clarify the significance of heat shock protein expression in prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Expression levels of heat shock proteins 27, 70 and 90 in radical prostatectomy specimens from 172 patients with clinically organ confined prostate cancer who had not received neoadjuvant hormonal therapy were measured by immunohistochemical staining. Cell proliferative activities and apoptotic features in these specimens were investigated using Ki-67 immunostaining and TUNEL assay, respectively. These findings were analyzed with respect to several clinicopathological factors. RESULTS: Various levels of heat shock protein 27 expression were noted in all prostate cancer specimens. Expression levels of heat shock protein 27 in prostate cancer tissues was significantly associated with pathological stage, Gleason score, surgical margin status, lymph node metastasis and tumor volume but not with other parameters, including patient age, serum prostate specific antigen and perineural invasion. Similarly most prostate cancer tissues showed heat shock protein 70 and 90 expression. However, there was no significant correlation between expression levels of these 2 heat shock proteins and several clinicopathological factors examined. Cell proliferative activity in prostate cancer specimens was significantly associated with heat shock protein 27 expression but not with that of heat shock proteins 70 and 90, while there was no significant correlation between the apoptotic index and the expression of these 3 heat shock proteins. Furthermore, despite the lack of prognostic significance in heat shock proteins 70 and 90 expression, biochemical recurrence-free survival in patients with strong heat shock protein 27 expression in radical prostatectomy specimens was significantly lower than that in those with weak heat shock protein 27 expression. However, multivariate analysis showed that strong heat shock protein 27 expression could not be an independent predictor of biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that, despite the limited significance of heat shock proteins 70 and 90 expression, heat shock protein 27 may be involved in the progression of prostate cancer. The expression level of heat shock protein 27 in prostate cancer tissue could be used as a useful predictor of biochemical recurrence in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy.

Aged↗

PubMed2007

Long-term results of first-line sequential high-dose carboplatin, etoposide and ifosfamide chemotherapy with peripheral blood stem cell support for patients with advanced testicular germ cell tumor.

OBJECTIVE: Standard chemotherapy shows relatively low long-term survival in patients with poor-risk testicular germ cell tumor (GCT). First-line high-dose chemotherapy (HD-CT) may improve the result. High-dose carboplatin, etoposide, ifosfamide chemotherapy followed by autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) was investigated as first-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced testicular GCT. METHODS: Fifty-five previously untreated testicular GCT patients with Indiana 'advanced disease' criteria received three cycles of bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin (BEP) followed by one cycle of HD-CT plus PBSCT, if elevated serum tumor markers were observed after three cycles of the BEP regimen. RESULTS: Thirty patients were treated with BEP alone, because the tumor marker(s) declined to normal range. Twenty-five patients received BEP and HD-CT. One patient died of rhabdomyolysis due to HD-CT. Three and six (13% and 25%) out of 24 patients treated with BEP and HD-CT achieved marker-negative and marker-positive partial responses, respectively. The other patients achieved no change. Fifteen (63%) are alive and 14 (58%) are free of disease at a median follow-up time of 54 months. Severe toxicity included treatment-related death (4%). CONCLUSIONS: HD-CT with peripheral stem cell support can be successfully applied in a multicenter setting. HD-CT demonstrated modest anticancer activity for Japanese patients with advanced testicular GCT and was well tolerated. This regimen might be examined for further investigation in randomized trials in first-line chemotherapy for patients with poor-risk testicular GCT.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Significance of micrometastases in pelvic lymph nodes detected by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in patients with clinically localized prostate cancer undergoing radical prostatectomy after neoadjuvant hormonal therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the significance of micrometastases in pelvic lymph nodes in patients treated by radical prostatectomy (RP) for prostate cancer after neoadjuvant hormonal therapy (NHT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 52 patients with clinically localized prostate cancer who received NHT followed by RP. The expression of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) in 989 lymph nodes isolated from the 52 patients were assessed by a fully quantitative real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We regarded specimens in which either PSA or PSMA mRNA were positive as showing the 'presence of micrometastasis'. Lymph node specimens were also stained immunohistochemically with an antibody against PSA. RESULTS: Pathological examinations detected tumour cells in 11 lymph nodes from four patients, and real-time RT-PCR further identified micrometastasis in 40 lymph nodes from 19 patients with no pathological evidence of nodal involvement. The presence of micrometastatic cancer cells was confirmed by immunohistochemical staining in 19 lymph nodes from 11 patients with pathologically negative nodes. The presence of micrometastases was significantly associated with other conventional prognostic variables, including the pretreatment serum PSA level, biopsy Gleason score and surgical margin status. The biochemical recurrence-free survival rate in patients with no micrometastasis was significantly higher than that in those with micrometastasis. Furthermore, multivariate analysis identified the presence of micrometastasis as an independent factor predicting biochemical recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Although residual foci of atrophic prostate cancer cells in resected lymph nodes after NHT can be difficult to diagnose by routine pathological examination, the present results show the usefulness of quantitative real-time RT-PCR targeting PSA and PSMA genes for detecting micrometastatic tumour foci in pelvic lymph nodes from patients with localized prostate cancer treated by NHT followed by RP. Furthermore, the present findings suggest that micrometastases in pelvic lymph nodes might be, at least partly, important in the development of biochemical recurrence in some patients undergoing RP after NHT.

Androgen Antagonists↗

PubMed2006

Significance of radical cystectomy for bladder cancer in patients over 80 years old.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of radical cystectomy for bladder cancer in elderly patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 72 patients aged > or =80 years (group A) who underwent radical cystectomy and urinary diversion between January 1995 and December 2003, and the clinical outcome of these patients were compared with those of 557 patients aged <80 years (group B) undergoing radical cystectomy during the same period as group A. RESULTS: As the procedure for urinary diversion, ureterocutaneostomy was most frequently performed in group A (87.5%), while neobladder creation was most common in group B (43.8%). Despite the absence of significant differences in tumor grade and incidence of lymph node metastasis between these two groups, pathological stage in group A was significantly greater than that in group B. The perioperative mortality rate in group A was significantly higher than that in group B, whereas the incidences of both early and late postoperative complications in group A were similar to those in group B. Cancer-specific survival in group A was significantly lower than that in group B; however, among patients with disease < or =pT2, there was no significant difference in cancer-specific survival between these two groups. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that an aggressive surgical approach may be an optimal therapeutic strategy for properly selected elderly patients who require definitive therapy for locally invasive bladder cancer, particularly in those with disease < or =pT2.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Expression of clusterin in prostate cancer correlates with Gleason score but not with prognosis in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy without neoadjuvant hormonal therapy.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the expression level of clusterin in prostate cancer could be used as a prognostic predictor in patients who have undergone radical prostatectomy (RP). METHODS: This study included 172 consecutive patients undergoing RP for clinically organ-confined prostate cancer without neoadjuvant hormonal therapy. Immunohistochemical staining was performed in RP specimens obtained from these patients to evaluate the expression level of clusterin protein. The cell proliferative activities and apoptotic features in these specimens were investigated using Ki-67 immunostaining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling assay, respectively. RESULTS: Varying levels of clusterin expression were noted in 169 of 172 prostate cancer specimens; 32 of the 172 normal prostatic tissue specimens did not exhibit any clusterin staining. Clusterin expression in prostate cancer tissue was significantly related to the Gleason score, but not to the other parameters, including age, serum prostate-specific antigen level, pathologic stage, perineural invasion, tumor volume, and lymph node metastasis. In addition, cell proliferative activity in the prostate cancer specimens was significantly associated with clusterin expression; however, no correlation was found between the apoptotic index and clusterin expression. In this series, 34 (19.8%) of 172 patients developed biochemical recurrence. No significant difference was found in biochemical/recurrence-free survival between patients with strong clusterin expression and those with weak expression. CONCLUSIONS: Despite its detection in most prostate cancer tissue, clusterin expression failed to show a significant association with prognosis in patients undergoing RP without neoadjuvant hormonal therapy. This suggests a limited role for clusterin in the progression of clinically organ-confined prostate cancer in the absence of proapoptotic stimuli.

Aged↗

PubMed2006

Interleukin-23 and interleukin-27 exert quite different antitumor and vaccine effects on poorly immunogenic melanoma.

Recent studies revealed that two novel interleukin (IL)-12-related cytokines, IL-23 and IL-27, have potent antitumor activities. However, the antitumor effects were mainly evaluated in relatively highly immunogenic tumors and have not been fully evaluated against nonimmunogenic or poorly immunogenic tumors. In this study, we investigated the antitumor efficacies of IL-23 and IL-27 on poorly immunogenic B16F10 melanoma and found that the antitumor responses mediated by IL-23 and IL-27 were clearly different. In syngeneic mice, mouse single-chain (sc) IL-23-transfected B16F10 (B16/IL-23) tumors exhibited almost the same growth curve as B16F10 parental tumor about until day 20 after tumor injection and then showed growth inhibition or even regression. In contrast, scIL-27-transfected B16F10 (B16/IL-27) tumors exhibited significant retardation of tumor growth from the early stage. In vivo depletion assay revealed that the antitumor effect of B16/IL-23 was mainly mediated by CD8+ T cells and IFN-gamma whereas that of B16/IL-27 mainly involved natural killer cells and was independent of IFN-gamma. We also found that antitumor effects of B16/IL-23 and B16/IL-27 were synergistically enhanced by treatment with IL-18 and IL-12, respectively. Furthermore, B16/IL-23-vaccinated mice developed protective immunity against parental B16F10 tumors but B16/IL-27-vaccinated mice did not. When combined with prior in vivo depletion of CD25+ T cells, 80% of B16/IL-23-vaccinated mice completely rejected subsequent tumor challenge. Finally, we showed that the systemic administration of neither IL-23 nor IL-27 induced such intense toxicity as IL-12. Our data support that IL-23 and IL-27 might play a role in future cytokine-based immunotherapy against poorly immunogenic tumors.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Two cases of ganglioneuroma.

Although ganglioneuroma is a relatively rare tumor of the sympathetic nervous system, detection of this tumor has increased as imaging techniques such as computed tomography and ultrasonography have become prevalent. We report 2 cases of ganglioneuroma found incidentally. Both tumors were 40 to 60 mm in size. Magnetic resonance imaging in 1 patient showed a homogeneous mass with a low signal intensity on T1-weighted imaging and a heterogeneous mass with a high signal intensity on T2-weighted imaging, both characteristic of neurogenic tumor. Therefore, we performed laparoscopic adrenalectomy. Histopathologic examination demonstrated that one tumor was located on the adrenal medulla, with the other in the extra-adrenal retroperitoneal space.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗

PubMed2006

Clinicopathological features of recurrence after radical cystectomy for patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to investigate the clinicopathological features of recurrent transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder in patients who had previously undergone radical cystectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 124 patients who underwent radical cystectomy for transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder in our institution. Several clinicopathological factors were analyzed to characterize differences between patients with and without disease recurrence, and determined predictive factors for disease recurrence using multivariate analysis. We further analyzed prognostic parameters that affect survival after disease recurrence was diagnosed. RESULTS: Of the 124 patients, 24 (19.5%) developed recurrence, and the median time to recurrence was 9.5 months (range, 1-44 months). The 5-year recurrence-free survival in these 124 patients was 75.6%. The incidence of disease recurrence was significantly associated with gender, pathological stage, lymph node metastasis, lymphatic invasion and blood vessel invasion. Multivariate analysis identified gender, pathological stage and lymph node metastasis as independent predictors of disease recurrence following radical cystectomy. After disease recurrence, the 1-year cancer-specific survival of the 24 patients was 16.7%; that is, 23 of the 24 patients had died of progressive recurrent diseases, while the remaining 1 who survived had developed recurrence in the upper urinary tract. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that careful follow-up should be performed after radical cystectomy for TCC of the bladder considering gender, pathological stage and nodal involvement; however, once recurrent disease develops, the prognosis of such patients is extremely poor. Therefore, it would be potentially important to establish a multimodal therapeutic approach targeting recurrent TCC of the bladder.

Aged↗

PubMed2006

Interleukin-21 gene transfection into mouse bladder cancer cells results in tumor rejection through the cytotoxic T lymphocyte response.

PURPOSE: We developed the genetically modified mouse bladder carcinoma MBT2 (American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, Virginia), which secretes interleukin-21, to investigate the functional activities of interleukin-21 in tumor immunity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The IL-21 gene was cloned from activated T cells by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, inserted into an expression vector and then introduced into MBT2 using Lipofectamine. Exogenous interleukin-21 was assayed in culture supernatants from transfectants using sandwich enzyme-linked immunoassay. Direct antitumor and tumor vaccine effects were investigated in syngeneic mice rendered immunodeficient by administration of the corresponding antibody. RESULTS: MBT2 cells secreting interleukin-21 (MBT2/IL-21) were completely rejected when subcutaneously injected into syngeneic mice. MBT2/IL-21 proliferated only when CD8+ T cells were depleted, whereas MBT2/IL-21 proliferation was totally abrogated in mice depleted of CD4+ T cells, natural killer cells or interferon-gamma. Subcutaneous injection of MBT2/IL-21 treated with mitomycin C remarkably inhibited parental MBT2 tumor growth at the contralateral site. Cytotoxicity assays using splenocytes from mice that rejected MBT2/IL-21 and the immunohistochemical features of MBT2/IL-21 tumors confirmed that in situ production of interleukin-21 can elicit powerful antitumor activity through CD8+ T-cell activation. CONCLUSIONS: Interleukin-21 production in situ elicits antitumor activity through the activation of CD8+ T cells in vivo.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Feasibility and usefulness of high-dose chemotherapy (high-dose ifosfamide, carboplatin and etoposide) combined with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for male germ cell tumor: a single-institute experience.

Although the usefulness of high-dose chemotherapy with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for advanced germ cell tumor is still under evaluation in phase III randomized controlled studies, this approach is currently used as one treatment option for relapsed or advanced male germ cell tumor. Clinical outcomes of high-dose chemotherapy for a single institute from Japan are presented herein. We administered 63 courses of high-dose ifosfamide, carboplatin and etoposide chemotherapy (1250 mg/m carboplatin; 1500 mg/m etoposide; 7.5 g/m ifosfamide) to 34 men with germ cell tumors. Of these, 27 patients underwent high-dose ifosfamide, carboplatin and etoposide as first-line therapy after 2-3 courses of conventional bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin chemotherapy, and seven patients underwent high-dose ifosfamide, carboplatin and etoposide for relapsed germ cell tumor. Peripheral blood stem cells were harvested during previous chemotherapy and sufficient CD34 cells were harvested for transplantation. Although all patients experienced grade 4 hemotoxicity, leukocyte counts recovered to above 1000/mul within 8-11 days after peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. No treatment-related deaths occurred. After a mean follow-up of 45 months (range 12-118 months), 23 of 34 patients (67.6%) remained disease-free. High-dose ifosfamide, carboplatin and etoposide could be performed safely, and could offer an effective means of treating advanced or refractory germ cell tumors in men.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Hand-assisted laparoscopic radical nephrectomy using intraoperative ultrasonography for left renal cell carcinoma involving a level I renal vein tumor thrombus.

This report concerns two male patients, 65 (case 1) and 72 (case 2) years old, with a left renal tumor involving a level I renal vein tumor thrombus, who underwent hand-assisted laparoscopic radical nephrectomy using intraoperative ultrasonography. With the patient in the flank position, a midline supraumbilical hand port and two other ports were placed. Intraoperative ultrasonography identified the extent of the tumor thrombus. After hilar control, complete resection with intact removal was performed. Surgery lasted 305 min for case 1 and 237 min for case 2, with respective estimated blood loss of 410 mL and 572 mL. No postoperative complications occurred. Pathological examination showed a clear cell carcinoma with a level I tumor thrombus and negative surgical margins. Because the ultrasound probe can be easily inserted and the specimen can be extracted safely and intact, hand-assisted laparoscopic radical nephrectomy is practicable and effective for left renal cell carcinoma involving a level I renal vein tumor thrombus.

Aged↗

PubMed2006

Analysis of differences in clinicopathological features between prostate cancers located in the transition and peripheral zones.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to retrospectively characterize differences in the clinicopathological features of prostate cancer according to the zonal origin. METHODS: Among 185 consecutive patients who underwent radical prostatectomy without any neoadjuvant hormonal therapies, this study included 134 patients who were diagnosed as having either transition zone (TZ) or peripheral zone (PZ) cancer according to the following criteria: TZ or PZ cancers were considered when more than 70% of the cancer area was located in the TZ or PZ, respectively. The various clinicopathological features were then compared according to this classification. RESULTS: In this series, 27 patients were diagnosed as having TZ cancer, while the remaining 107 were diagnosed as having PZ cancer. The percent of positive biopsy cores in TZ cancers was significantly lower than that in PZ cancers; however, there were no significant differences in the anatomical location of positive cores between these two groups except for the middle of prostate where TZ cancer showed a significantly lower rate of positive biopsies than PZ cancer. The preoperative serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) value in patients with TZ cancer was significantly higher than that in those with PZ cancer. Furthermore, tumor volume in TZ cancers was significantly greater than that in PZ cancers. However, there was no significant difference in biochemical recurrence-free survival between patients with TZ and PZ cancers. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the significantly high PSA value as well as great tumor volume compared with those of PZ cancers, TZ cancers had similar biochemical cure rates following radical prostatectomy, suggesting a less aggressive phenotype of TZ cancers than that of PZ cancers.

Aged↗

PubMed2006

A case of Sweet's syndrome following septic pulmonary emboli after high-dose chemotherapy for advanced testicular cancer.

A 33-year-old man with advanced testicular cancer underwent high-dose chemotherapy combined with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. After administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), multiple infiltrative erythema was identified on the face, thigh, and lower leg. A dermatologist diagnosed this as Sweet's syndrome caused by G-CSF; consequently G-CSF administration was stopped. When the skin lesions had improved, phlebitis was found at the injection site of the peripheral vein catheter. The patient then suffered from sudden left chest pain and dyspnea. Chest computed tomography showed the characteristic findings of septic pulmonary emboli (SPE). He was treated by the administration of vancomycin, fluconazole, and pazufloxacin mesilate. Although Sweet's syndrome and SPE are rare diseases, the presence of these diseases must be considered when performing chemotherapy for urological malignancy.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Progress report on phase I/II clinical trial of Ad-OC-TK plus VAL therapy for metastatic or locally recurrent prostate cancer: Initial experience at Kobe University.

There is no effective therapy for hormone-refractory prostate cancer and a novel therapeutic modality, such as a gene therapy, should be actively pursued. Previously, Gardner and Chung conducted a phase I clinical trial of Ad-OC-TK (recombinant adenoviral vector containing osteocalcin promoter-driven herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene) plus VAL (valacyclovir) for the treatment of hormone-refractory prostate cancer at the University of Virginia. We report on our ongoing phase I/II clinical trial of Ad-OC-TK plus VAL for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer at the Kobe University Hospital, Japan.

Acyclovir↗

PubMed2006

High-dose chemotherapy for male germ cell tumor.

Today, 20-30% of male patients with advanced germ cell tumor (GCT) do not have durable, complete remission in spite of cis-platinum (CDDP)-based chemotherapy. High-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) has been tried in CDDP refractory GCT patients. Initially HDCT was performed with autologous bone marrow transplantation in heavily treated patients. However, the clinical outcome was not good and the treatment-related death rate was not ignorable. Therefore, earlier introduction of HDCT with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation was preferable as it renders HDCT more effective and less toxic, and multicycle HDCT is feasible. The durable free rate of recent HDCT for refractory GCT patients is 32-65%. HDCT is also performed as first line chemotherapy for poor prognosis GCT patients. Induction chemotherapy followed by multicycles of HDCT was tried. The durable free rate of recent HDCT as first line chemotherapy is 43-73%. Although previous reports suggest the superiority of HDCT, one recent randomized controlled trial (RCT) failed to show an improvement with one cycle of HDCT followed by three cycles of standard-dose chemotherapy (SDCT) compared with four cycles of SDCT. Ongoing RCT comparing multicycles of HDCT with SDCT for poor prognostic GCT patients will clarify the role of HDCT. Recently, new regimens of HDCT containing paclitaxel have been devised. In this review, the history, current status and future of HDCT for advanced or refractory GCT will be discussed.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

PubMed2006

Papillary renal cell carcinoma: a clinicopathological study of 35 cases.

AIM: The objective of the present study was to characterize the clinicopathological features of histologically defined papillary renal cell carcinoma (RCC). METHODS: The present study included a total of 35 patients who were treated by radical surgery and subsequently diagnosed as having papillary RCC between April 1995 and June 2004. Clinicopathological data of these patients were retrospectively reviewed according to the previously reported classification system (Mod. Pathol. 1997; 10: 537-44). RESULTS: Of these 35 patients, 23 (65.7%) and 12 (34.3%) were diagnosed as type 1 and type 2 papillary RCC, respectively. Despite the lack of significant differences in clinical parameters between these two groups, including age, gender, clinical stage and metastasis, the incidence of symptomatic disease in patients with type 2 papillary RCC was significantly higher than that in those with type 1 papillary RCC. Pathological examinations demonstrated that there were no significant differences between these two groups in pathological stage, tumor grade or vascular invasion. Furthermore, there was no significant difference between these two groups in overall or recurrence-free survival. CONCLUSIONS: Although the present study included a small number of patients with short follow-up period, the clinicopathological features including prognoses were almost similar between patients with type 1 and type 2 papillary RCC; therefore, careful postoperative follow-up should be considered for patients with papillary RCC irrespective of morphological subtype.

Aged↗