Testicular cancer with tumor thrombus extending to the inferior vena cava successfully removed using veno-venous bypass: A case report

A 33-year-old man with a left testicular tumor was referred to Shinshu University Hospital for advanced therapy. Radiographic imaging revealed multiple metastases in the retroperitoneal lymph nodes (RPLN) and bilateral lungs, as well as tumor thrombus that extended from the left renal vein to the inferior vena cava (IVC) adjacent to the right atrium. After orchidectomy, a diagnosis of embryonal carcinoma was made with a clinical stage of T1N2M1bS3, which has a poor prognosis, based on the International Germ Cell Cancer Collaborative Group consensus. After eight courses of chemotherapy, the patient's tumor markers normalized and the lung metastases disappeared, but the RPLN and tumor thrombus remained. Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection and thrombectomy were performed using a veno-venous bypass (VVB). The pathological examination of the thrombus revealed a mature teratoma. The patient has been disease-free since surgery.     

First-line high-dose chemotherapy combined with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for patients with advanced extragonadal germ cell tumors

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of first-line high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) combined with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) for patients with advanced extragonadal germ cell tumors (EGGCT). METHODS: Six male patients with advanced non-seminomatous EGGCT were treated with HDCT combined with PBSCT following 2-3 cycles of conventional-dose induction chemotherapy. The regimens used for HDCT were carboplatin, etoposide and ifosfamide (ICE) in five patients and ICE plus paclitaxel (T-ICE) in one patient, and that for induction therapy was cisplatin, etoposide and bleomycin (PEB) in all patients. As a rule, HDCT was continuously administered until alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and beta-human chorionic gonadotropin normalized (beta-HCG). RESULTS: Following 1-6 courses of HDCT (median, 4 courses), beta-HCG and AFP were normalized in all patients, and five and one patient were diagnosed as showing partial remission and stable disease, respectively. Five patients underwent surgical resection of residual tumors after HDCT, yielding necrotic tissue in two, mature teratoma in two, and viable cancer tissue in one, and the surgical margin was negative in all patients. At a median follow-up of 36 months, five patients were alive and disease-free, whereas the remaining one died of disease progression. Although all patients had grade 3 hematological toxicity, there was no treatment-related death by combining PBSCT. CONCLUSIONS: First-line HDCT with PBSCT could be safely administered to patients with advanced EGGCT, and the antitumor effect of this treatment was comparatively favorable. First-line HDCT therefore may represent an attractive option for patients with advanced EGGCT.     

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.     

Solitary fibrous tumor of the inguinal region

Solitary fibrous tumors (SFT) have recently been established to be of mesenchymal origin. Although there are numerous reports of SFTs arising from the pleura, reports of the tumor arising from extrapleural sites are comparatively rare [Fletcher CDM, Unni K, Mertens F (eds) World Health Organization classification of tumors, pathology & genetics, tumors of soft tissue and bone. IARC Press, Lyon, pp 86–901, 2002]. We report a case of SFT arising in the inguinal region.     

子宫内膜异位症患者血清TNF-α和TNF-β的测定

目的:了解子宫内膜异位症（简称内异症）患者血清中肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α)和肿瘤坏死因子-β（TNF-β）的水平以及在腹腔镜保守性手术治疗前后的变化。方法:采用酶联免疫吸附法检测82例内异症患者（内异症组）和68例非内异症妇女（对照组）血清中TNF-α和TNF-β的含量及49例手术前后两者水平的变化。结果：内异症组血清TNF-α和TNF-β含量均显著高于对照组（Ｐ<0.01），且二者表达量随病情加重有上升趋势（Ｐ<0.05）。手术后Ⅲ～Ⅳ期患者血清中的TNF-α和Ⅰ～Ⅳ期患者血清TNF-β的含量随着内异灶的清除逐渐下降。结论:检测患者血清中TNF-α和TNF-β的含量，对术后随访、监测及手术效果的评价具有重要意义。     

Radiofrequency-ablation of unresectable primary and secondary liver tumors: results in 88 patients

Background and aims Radiofrequency-ablation (RFA) is increasingly used for destruction of unresectable primary and secondary liver tumors. We report our experience in the use of RFA for the management of unresectable hepatic malignancies. Patients and methods Between February 2000 and December 2004 we have undertaken 120 RFA procedures to ablate 426 unresectable primary or metastatic liver tumors in 88 patients. RFA was performed via laparotomy (n=68), laparoscopy (n=9) or a percutaneous approach (n=43). Primary liver cancer was treated in seven patients (8%) and metastatic liver tumors were treated in 81 patients (92%). All patients were followed to assess complications, treatment response and recurrence of malignant disease. Results Procedure-related complication rate was low (3.4%). During a mean follow-up of 21.2 months, 15 patients had local tumor progression (17%), 21 patients (23,9%) had new malignant disease and 27 patients (30.7%) died from intervention-unrelated complications of their malignant disease. Additional liver lesions were identified in 27 (35%) of 77 cases by intraoperative ultrasound. Thirty-six patients received simultaneous resection and RFA. Conclusion RFA is a safe, well-tolerated and effective treatment for patients with unresectable primary and secondary liver malignancies.     

颈静脉球瘤的MR诊断

目的探讨MR检查在颈静脉球瘤诊断中的应用价值。方法对15例病变进行回顾性分析,重点分析其部位、信号及其侵袭性表现等情况。结果15例患者中,右侧病变8个(8/15),左侧7个(7/15);肿瘤形态为类圆形或不规则形,12例较大病变不同程度侵犯颈静脉孔区、乳突、岩骨、岩尖、斜坡等处骨质;肿瘤信号欠均匀,12个(12/15)肿块在MR平扫出现“盐和胡椒征”,以“胡椒”表现最为显著;13个肿块(13/13)均有明显强化,其中10个肿块出现“盐和胡椒征”。9例行MRA检查,颈内动脉和颈内静脉不同程度移位和包绕。结论根据肿瘤的部位、“盐和胡椒征”等MR表现,可在手术前正确诊断颈静脉球瘤。     

Comparative studies of chemotherapy of human tumor cells in vitro by tritiated thymidine uptake inhibition and soft agar clonogenic assay

A rapid nonsterile short-term assay has been investigated in which percent inhibition of incorporation of the DNA precursor (3H)-thymidine is measured following exposure of tumor cells to the test drugs. To evaluate the usefulness of the short-term assay in providing a rapid reliable assessment of chemotherapeutic response, the short-term assay was compared with the soft agar clonogenic assay. Sensitivity to five anticancer drugs was compared using three human tumor cell lines (epidermoid carcinoma of the oral cavity, pancreatic carcinoma, and bladder carcinoma). The short-term assay produced results that were similar to results of the clonogenic assay in two of the three tumors tested, for three drugs (cis-platin, doxorubicin, and BCNU), but did not detect responses to two antimetabolites (5-FU and MTX) in any tumor. Further studies of this short-term assay should focus on alkylating agents and other nonantimetabolites.     

腹膜转移瘤的影像学诊断

目的探讨腹膜转移瘤的影像学表现特点。方法回顾性分析经手术及穿刺活检证实的35例腹膜转移瘤的影像学表现,并与手术结果对照,35例做CT平扫及增强扫描,5例行MR I检查。结果(1)腹膜转移瘤常表现为大量腹水(22/35);(2)腹膜结节状增厚(23/35);(3)大网膜饼形增厚(16/35)和大网膜污垢样改变(12/35);(4)肠系膜污垢样改变(12/35)及结节状改变(9/35);(5)腹腔单发或多发囊性改变,有占位效应(4/35)。结论CT/MR I是发现腹膜转移灶的重要影像学方法。     

自发性高血压大鼠颈动脉血管平滑肌中抑癌基因P53和原癌基因c-jun、c-fos、c-myc mRNA表达的研究

目的探讨自发性高血压大鼠颈动脉中抑癌基因P53和原癌基因c-jun、c-fos、c-myc mRNA的表达.方法用逆转录聚合酶链式反应检测两种基因的表达水平.正常雄性大鼠作为对照组.结果 SHR颈动脉中,抑癌基因P53和原癌基因c-jun、c-fos、c-myc均有高表达,较WKY差异有显著性(P<0.05).结论自发性高血压大鼠颈动脉组织中抑癌基因P53和原癌基因c-jun、c-fos、c-myc均有高表达,癌基因的活化可能与自发性高血压大鼠颈动脉血管重构有关.