Miklós Szűcs

Enzalutamide, abiraterone-acetate, and cabazitaxel are licensed post-docetaxel treatments of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) in Hungary. The objectives of the study were to assess the efficacy and safety of post-docetaxel enzalutamide treatment and to compare it with abiraterone and with cabazitaxel, using Medline-based systematic literature search, and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCT). Overall 3 RCTs were included, one for each substance. Compared to placebo, enzalutamide proved significant efficacy in each primary and secondary endpoint. Enzalutamide extended median overall survival by 4.8 months. Due to lack of a common comparator in the cabazitaxel trial, only enzalutamide and abiraterone were involved in an indirect comparison. No significant difference was identified either in the primary endpoint (overall survival) (HR: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.75-1.25) or in frequencies of adverse events between these two treatments. However, enzalutamide was significantly more efficacious than abiraterone in 3 secondary endpoints: time to prostate-specific antigen (PSA) progression (HR: 0.43, 95% CI: 0.31-0.59), radiographic progression-free survival (HR: 0.6, 95% CI: 0.5-0.72), and PSA response rate (RR: 7.48, 95% CI: 2.83-19.72). Enzalutamide therapy proved clinical efficacy and safety in patients with post-docetaxel mCRPC. In the indirect comparison, efficacy and safety of abiraterone and enzalutamide were found to be similar.

Our aim was to evaluate the anal sphincter function following cystectomy with urinary diversion of Mainz pouch II. Seventy-six patients were involved in our survey, and the cohort was for two groups divided. The first group was a retrospective review of 40 patients with examination of the state of continence. Comparative examinations on anal sphincter function and the quality of life survey were carried out. The second group consisting of 15 patients underwent a prospective investigation including rectal manometry in both the pre- and postoperative periods. Measurements of resting anal sphincter pressure (RASP), maximal anal closing pressure (MACP) and the function of the recto anal inhibitions reflex were taken. In the first part of our investigation, 80% of the patients were considered as continent. There were no significant differences observed between RASP values in the cases of continent as well as of incontinent patients (79.2 ± 2 vs. 73.6 ± 68.4 mmHg, p = 0–53); however, the MACP values of the continent patients were significantly higher (204.3 ± 22.8 vs. 117.3 ± 14 mmHg, p = 0.001). In the course of the second experiment, both the RASP (86.3 ± 18.7 vs. 76.1 ± 13.9 mmHg p = 0.0049) and the MACP (232.2 ± 53.8 vs. 194.1 ± 74.5 mmHg, p = 0.0054) were detected as decreasing in the case of the incontinent group. A decrease in rectal sphincter function is responsible for incontinence following Mainz pouch type II diversion, and this dysfunction can be correlated with the surgery. Ureterosigmoideostomy is therefore considered as a useful method of urinary diversion only in selected cases with proven good sphincter function.

Endogenous transmethylation processes proceed via formaldehyde. Endogenous formaldehyde can be found in special bounded forms in animal tissues. The aim was to find non-invasive methods to help establish an early diagnosis of prostate cancer processes, and to search for a reliable examination repertoire to predict metastasis based on genomic hypomethylation that can be found in tumors. Fifty-eight age-matched patients suffering from prostate cancer and 26 healthy volunteers were enrolled in the study. Biochip technique was applied to quantify serum interleukins and growth factors. OPCL method served to determine mobilized formaldehyde, and fluorometric methods were applied to measure Zn- and free protoporphyrin concentrations in erythrocytes. Spectrophotometric measurements were carried out to evaluate redox homeostasis in plasma. There were no significant differences in most measured laboratory and immune parameters at different early stages of prostate cancer; at the same time, erythrocyte parameters, especially immobilized formaldehyde determination, were promising. The authors assume that hypomethylation detection in erythrocytes might become a predictive factor in the diagnostic panel in the near future. (doi: 10.5562/cca1748

A renal cell cancer patient with late onset of multiorgan metastases showed an unusually long survival following surgical resection. Femoral metastasis appeared 11 years, and contra lateral kidney and adrenal gland metastasis 19 years after the primary nephrectomy, respectively. Following the resection of the femur and implantation of endoprosthesis and removal of adrenal gland and partial nephrectomy, the patient was disease-free 20 years after the first diagnosis of cancer. The long survival and successful treatment underline the importance and efficiency of radical metastasectomy even in the case of late onset multiorgan metastases of renal cell cancer. The life expectancies are better in the late onset of bone metastasis following the nephrectomy. The very late onset of metastases in this case shows however the importance of lifelong follow up.

Számos közlemény beszámol tumoros betegek életminőségének javítására alkalmazott étrend-kiegészítők hatásáról, de mindezek élettani vizsgálata szegényes. A cékla számos, a szervezetben lezajló biokémiai reakcióutat, enzim- és metabolitszintézist befolyásol.Módszer:A szerzők hormonrezisztens és metasztatikus prosztatarák miatt taxán-kemoterápiában részesülő betegek életminőségének javítása érdekében kereskedelmi forgalomból származó természetes céklakészítményt adtak egy hónapon át 2×10 g dózisban 24 (életkor: 68±8 év) betegnek, akik 3,6±2,8 éve jelentkeztek először panaszaikkal. A kezelést követően 18 fő esetében tudták az adatokat kiértékelni. A rutin laboratóriumi vizsgálatok mellett a betegek PSA-, HbA_1c-értékeit, 9 citokin- és 3 növekedésifaktor-szintet, a redox-homeosztázis globális paramétereit, fémionháztartásuk néhány elemét, Zn- és szabadprotoporfirin-szintjét, transzmetiláló képességét a kezelés megkezdése előtt és egy hónap múlva határozták meg.Eredmények:Eredményeik azt mutatták, hogy a betegek döntő többségében a cékla kedvező hatása érvényre jutott, és a tumoros betegekre jellemző szignifikánsan magas Zn- és szabadprotoporfirin-szintek csökkentek, valamint a transzmetilezési folyamatok felgyorsultak.Következtetések:Eredményeik alapján úgy tűnik, hogy az általuk alkalmazott céklakészítmény mérsékelt és tartós fogyasztása kedvezően befolyásolja a betegek életminőségét, de több esetben megfigyelhető növekvő EGF-érték miatt szoros orvosi kontroll szükséges kemoterápiában részesülő prosztatarákos betegeknél. Orv. Hetil., 2010, 37, 1495–1503.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the patterns of expression of the junctional proteins β‐catenin and claudins in different prognostic groups of patients with prostatic cancer, to determine their value as prognostic markers. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We evaluated the samples of 30 patients who had a radical prostatectomy for organ‐confined cancer (pT2N0M0), men with clinically advanced cancer, and a control group with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Using immunohistochemistry applied to tissue microarrays, each group was evaluated for claudin‐1, ‐2, ‐3, ‐4, ‐5, ‐7, ‐8 and ‐10, and β‐catenin expression. RESULTS: There were differences among the three groups in the expression of claudin‐1 ( P = 0.001), ‐2 ( P = 0.014), ‐3 ( P = 0.027), ‐4 ( P = 0.001), ‐8 ( P = 0.001) and β‐catenin ( P = 0.002), regardless of Gleason score. By contrast, claudin‐5, ‐7 and ‐10 patterns were not significantly different among the groups. Furthermore, claudin‐1 ( P = 0.014) and ‐4 ( P = 0.004) could be used to distinguish between those patients who had metastases and those who did not. CONCLUSIONS: The pattern of claudin expression could be a novel diagnostic marker in re‐classifying adenocarcinomas, and an additional sensitive predictive factor for a clinically poor prognosis. Our results suggest that patients with organ‐confined and advanced cancer are subsets with distinct claudin expression profiles, and that claudin‐4 is related to cellular differentiation in prostate cancer, which is not only the receptor molecule for the Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin, and thus a theoretical future therapeutic target for prostate cancer, but also a marker of progression.

Radical prostatectomy is the curative surgical management of organ confined prostate cancer. Erectile dysfunction may follow surgery as the most common complication decreasing the quality of life of the patient. Thanks to spreading PSA screening probabilty increases to detect prostate cancer in its early stage and so the expected number of surgery is increasing, too. Higher number of operation as well as surgery more frequently performed in younger age calls the attention to the importance of erectile dysfunction and its management. Nowadays the physiology of erectile dysfunction due to radical prostatectomy has been revealed, and as a consequence, the nerve sparing surgery for its prevention is already known. The paper presents the different kind of possible invasive and non-invasive treatments of erectile dysfunction, and surveys their history and effectiveness. The erectile function of patients who underwent radical prostatectomy between 1998 and 2007 at the Department of Urology and Urooncological Centre was assessed by IIEF- and MMM questionnaire and letters with questions of habit of medicine taking. The results showe that 59% of patients who require sexual life are capable of it spontaneously or with medical management.

It is not yet elucidated whether the symptoms related to renal cell carcinoma have a strong effect on intraoperative complications or survival. We aimed to investigate this association in a cohort of renal cancer patients operated on between June 1997 and December 2004 at the Department of Urology, Semmelweis University School of Medicine. Among 363 consecutive patients with renal masses treated at our institution, only 200 (55.3%) were truly asymptomatic and completely incidental (group A). Among the 259 patients with incidentally detected tumors, 59 (16.1%) had symptoms that were probably related to the renal lesion according to a reviewed history (group B) and 104 patients (28.6%) presented for symptoms related to renal cell cancer (group C). Patients in group B had a higher risk for weight loss (P < 0.0001) and flank pain (P = 0.063), lower risk for symptoms related to distant metastases, while their outcome was not significantly different from group C. The collapsed group (B + C) had an increased risk for metastasis (P = 0.002), higher stage (P = 0.001), and intraoperative complications (P = 0.046) compared to group A according to a logistic regression. The presence of symptoms was significantly related to the overall survival using the Kaplan–Meier method (P < 0.0001). Weight loss and flank pain were frequently neglected as a possible symptom of renal cancer by the patients. An easily accessible parameter (the presence of symptoms) was independently related to intraoperative complications and survival in renal cancer patients.

The authors present the case of a 52-year-old man who had recurring scrotal abscesses resulting in oncotomy being carried out seven times within 2 years. Eventually, it was dissected out totally. Histology proved anaplastic cancer metastasis. The primary tumor was detected in the bronchia; moreover, metastases were found in other organs as well. The patient died 6 weeks after the first diagnosis. We intended to draw attention to frequently occurring scrotal inflammation and thus the underlying diseases. We emphasize the importance of histology examinations.