<i>Objective:</i> Familial benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a recently popularised entity with yet uncertain clinical and pathological features. In the present study we investigated whether there was any difference between clinical characteristics of familial and sporadic BPH in a series of 148 surgically treated BPH patients. <i>Materials and Methods:</i> A retrospective analysis was performed in 148 patients subjected to transvesical or transurethral prostatectomy to determine the clinical features of familial BPH. Patients were categorised as having familial BPH when 3 or more (including the patient) first-degree family members gave a history of BPH. Accordingly 23 cases who fit this criterion were accepted as having familial BPH and the rest of the cases were taken as the control group. The two groups were compared with respect to age, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), quality of life score, prostate specific antigen (PSA), maximum urinary flow rate and the weight of the surgical prostate specimen. <i>Results:</i> The mean age, IPSS, quality of life score, total PSA, maximum urinary flow rate and the weight of the surgical prostate specimen were found as 65.13 ± 5.51 years, 23.13 ± 4.82, 4.78 ± 0.95, 6.0 ± 4.1 ng/ml, 6.9 ± 2.7 ml/s and 62.96 ± 38.76 g, respectively, in the familial BPH group whereas the same parameters were measured as 68.13 ± 7.68 years, 24.74 ± 3.73, 4.52 ± 0.85, 5.93 ± 4.75 ng/ml, 4.6 ± 1.71 ml/s and 70.87 ± 53.21 g, respectively. No significant difference was present between familial and sporadic BPH cases in any of the studied parameters. <i>Conclusion:</i> The clinical features of familial BPH did not differ significantly from those of sporadic BPH.
To determine the incidence and clinical and pathological features of chromophobe cell carcinoma (CCC) among renal cell carcinomas (RCCs).The records and nephrectomy samples from 166 patients who were operated on and followed up thereafter with a diagnosis of RCC were re-evaluated. New sections were cut and specific staining performed when deemed necessary.Of 166 patients with RCC, six were diagnosed as having CCC and, unusually, one patient had a mixed RCC with areas of CCC. Neither the symptoms nor radiological features of these seven patients differed from those of the patients with RCC; the serum ferritin levels of these seven patients were also within the normal range. These patients appeared to have a favourable clinical course.Chromophobe cell carcinoma is a distinct entity and must be distinguished particularly from oncocytoma and other variants of RCC. Although it seems to have a low malignant potential, metastatic CCC may have a worse prognosis.
Objective To evaluate the efficacy of the conservative management of stage T2 and T3a bladder cancer with deep (radical) transurethral resection (TUR) followed by four cycles of chemotherapy with methotrexate, vinblastine, epirubicin and cisplatin (MVEC) and its impact on bladder preservation and tumour recurrences. Patients and methods Between May 1990 and June 1995, 19 patients with stage T2 or T3a transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder who refused radical cystectomy entered the study. The patients were re‐evaluated 4 weeks after completion of the treatment by cystoscopy, TUR of the tumour site and multiple deep bladder biopsies. The patients were maintained on periodic local and systemic surveillance with cystoscopy and deep biopsy every 3 months, and annual intravenous urography and computed tomography. Results Seventeen patients completed the treatment protocol; 13 patients were tumour‐free at the first evaluation after treatment and six of these had tumour recurrences in the bladder during surveillance. Eleven patients retained their bladder in a functional state for a mean duration of 36 months (range 12–62+) and seven of them remain free of recurrence after a mean duration of 41 months (range 8–58+). Conclusion Deep TUR of the bladder tumour followed by four cycles of MVEC chemotherapy is an effective alternative in the conservative management of patients with stage T2 and T3a bladder cancer. We suggest this protocol for patients who refuse or are unsuitable for surgery.
<i>Objective:</i> To find out whether the combination of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and ondansetron had an increased antiemetic effect. <i>Materials and Methods:</i> Fourteen testis and 11 bladder cancer patients were scheduled for 4 cycles of bleomycin-etoposide-cisplatin (BEP) or methotrexate-vinblastine-etoposide-cisplatin (MVEC) combination chemotherapy, respectively. At each cycle the whole cisplatin dose was given in 1 day that is 100 mg/m<sup>2</sup>/day in the BEP and 70 mg/m<sup>2</sup>/day in the MVEC protocols. Ondansetron was given at a dose of 12 mg/day and TENS was applied by commercially available ‘Relief Band’(Maven Labs, Inc., Citrus Heights, Calif., USA). The first 3 cycles of each case were blindly randomized to one of the following regimens; TENS vs. ondansetron vs. a combination of both. The regimens were applied during the administration of cisplatin and the patients were asked to report their nausea according to a scale between 0 to 10. Also for each regimen the number of emetic attacks experienced during the administration of cisplatin was recorded by the same observer. Then the scores of each regimen were compared. <i>Results:</i> The mean nausea scores for regimens TENS, ondansetron and TENS + ondansetron were found to be 5.12 ± 2.54, 3.0 ± 1.71 and 0.8 ± 0.96, respectively. Ondansetron was better than TENS in preventing nausea (p = 0.000). However the combination of TENS and ondansetron resulted in a significant decrease in nausea scores when compared to TENS alone (p = 0.000) or ondansetron alone (p = 0.000). The mean number of emetic attacks for the TENS, ondansetron and TENS + ondansetron regimens were 3.16 ± 1.84, 1.64 ± 1.44 and 0.56 ± 0.82, respectively. A statistically significant difference was present between the number of emetic attacks observed with the TENS + ondansetron combination and TENS alone (p = 0.000) or ondansetron alone (p = 0.001). Ondansetron was again better than TENS in preventing emetic attacks (p = 0.001). <i>Conclusion:</i> The use of TENS as an adjunct to ondansetron therapy has provided significant benefit in preventing nausea and emetic attacks caused by cisplatin.
