Bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy and radical retropubic prostatectomy for stage C adenocarcinoma of prostate

A series of 105 patients with surgical Stage C adenocarcinoma of the prostate underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy and radical retropubic prostatectomy and were followed up from one and one-half to fifteen years; 33 (31%) of the 105 had clinical Stage C disease. Of the 105 patients, 92 were at risk for greater than or equal to two years, 42 for greater than or equal to five years, and 12 for greater than or equal to ten years. Survival and disease progression were related to tumor grade (Mayo grades 1 through 4) and tumor bulk (less than 3, 3 to 10, greater than 10 cm3) but not to seminal vesicle involvement. Twenty-seven patients received adjuvant treatment (orchiectomy, DES, radiation, or combinations of these); it was administered to patients with higher tumor grades, larger tumor bulk, and/or residual cancer. Overall actuarial survival at five and ten years was 85 per cent and 72 per cent, respectively; five-year nonprogression rate was 64 per cent. Local recurrence was noted in only 8 patients (7.6%). Radical surgical treatment for nonbulky Stage C disease of the prostate is associated with favorable survival results and good local control. Adjuvant treatment may favorably affect disease outcome. Clinical seminal vesicle involvement with negative urethrocystoscopy should not necessarily deter the surgeon from planning radical prostatectomy. Prospective adjuvant treatment protocols need to be developed to identify the value of adjuvant hormone and/or radiation therapy.     

Pelvic lymphadenectomy and transperineal interstitial implantation of IR 192 combined with external beam radiotherapy for bulky stage C prostatic carcinoma

From January 1983 until June 1987, 51 patients with locally advanced prostatic carcinoma (47 Stage C, 4 bulky B2) were treated at Mayo Clinic (33 patients) and at William Beaumont Hospital (18 patients) with (a) 5 Gy delivered pre-operatively in one fraction, (b) pelvic lymphadenectomy and (c) interstitial implantation of the prostate with Ir 192 seeds via a perineal template (the Martinez Universal Perineal Interstitial Template) to deliver 35 Gy, and (d) 30.6 Gy external beam therapy in 17 fractions to prostate only fields. Initial clinical response has been excellent. Local control, with a median follow-up of 45 months, has been 100% by clinical exam and 84.5% pathologically in the subset biopsied. Disease-free actuarial survival at 5 years is 89%. Major toxicity has been limited to the rectum, but a modification of the brachytherapy technique has reduced this sharply. We conclude that bulky Stage C prostatic carcinoma can be successfully treated by this aggressive combination of modalities with acceptable toxicity.     

Acute toxicity and preliminary therapeutic results of pelvic lymphadenectomy combined with transperineal interstitial implantation of 192IR and external beam radiotherapy for locally advanced prostate cancer

We have developed a combined modality approach for treatment of locally advanced prostate cancer consisting of: surgical staging with lymphadenectomy; transperineal placement of afterloading needles for a course of 192Ir brachytherapy; and a course of moderate-dose external beam irradiation to tight prostatic fields. The flexibility of the treatment permits adaptation of the dose to any tumor configuration. A total of 23 patients have been treated to date; 18 are available for treatment review and 14 for acute toxicity analysis. Significant morbidity has occurred in only 2 patients, 1 with a pelvic hematoma and 1 with hematoma in the wound. Local tumor response has been excellent in all but 1 patient. A good degree of symptomatic improvement was observed at the three-month follow-up. This approach appears to be safe and effective at this time. A brief review of the technique and the rationale for its use are also presented.     

Ureterocalicostomy: an alternative to nephrectomy.

Ureterocalicostomy is a procedure with limited indications but with important application in the infrequent patient in whom the more desirable methods of creating unobstructed ureteropelvic drainage cannot be used. Three children are described in whom successful ureterocalicostomy was performed. The most common condition in which ureterocalicostomy has been useful is in the obstructed and scarred, intrarenal pelvis in which a classic type of ureteropyelostomy is not possible. The most important technicalconsideration seems to be sufficient amputation of the lower pole renal cortex in order to free the ureterocaliceal anastomosis from the surrounding cortical tissue. The 3 cases illustrate the difficult situations in which ureterocalicostomy may be indicated and the value of this procedure in preserving maximal renal function in children.     

Long-term results with transpubic urethroplasty

From 1973 to 1982, 44 patients underwent transpubic urethroplasty for traumatic prostatomembranous strictures and were followed for 1 to 10 years. The most frequent late sequelae were permanent erectile dysfunction (22 patients) and progressive erectile dysfunction (4 patients). Of the 44 patients 6 (14 per cent) had significant primary urinary incontinence that necessitated placement of a genitourinary sphincter and 2 (4.5 per cent) had incontinence after secondary transurethral procedures because of involvement of the remaining voluntary sphincter mechanism. Prosthetic devices may be useful in correcting erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence in this difficult patient population. Of 13 patients with post-urethroplasty strictures 10 required dilation.     

Safe technique for repeated venipuncture in the rat

A reliable technique of vascular access in the rat is described.     

The preoperative erythrocyte sedimentation rate is an independent prognostic factor in renal cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Prognostic nomograms are used increasingly in clinical trials and to guide surveillance for patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). An elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) reportedly has been associated with a poor prognosis among patients with RCC, but the ESR is not incorporated into existing nomograms. Hence, the current study was conducted to expand on prior observations pertaining to the ESR as a prognostic indicator in patients with RCC. METHODS: The authors identified 3008 patients who underwent nephrectomy for RCC between 1970 and 2002. Disease-specific survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and its association with the ESR and other clinical and pathologic features was evaluated using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. RESULTS: A preoperative ESR was available for 1075 patients (35.7%), 501 of whom (46.6%) exhibited an elevated ESR, including 437 of 881 patients (49.2%) with clear cell RCC, 41 of 134 patients (30.6%) with papillary RCC, and 20 of 48 patients (41.7%) with chromophobe RCC. An elevated ESR was associated with adverse clinical, laboratory, and pathologic profiles for all three histologic subtypes. The risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for death because of clear cell RCC, papillary RCC, and chromophobe RCC for patients with an elevated ESR were 3.6 (95% CI, 1.1-1.9), 3.8 (95% CI, 1.4-10.6), and 10.3 (95% CI, 1.2-89.5), respectively. The association between an elevated ESR and death from clear cell RCC persisted even after multivariate analysis (RR of 1.5; 95% CI, 1.2-2.0). CONCLUSIONS: An elevated ESR in patients with RCC suggested the presence of aggressive disease and poorer outcomes after surgical treatment. For patients with clear cell RCC, the ESR provided useful information above and beyond traditional prognostic algorithms, and it may be valuable for preoperative prognostication.