• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.295-298
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• 2014

Primary renal echinococcosis, a rare disease involving the kidney, accounts for 2-3% of human echinococcosis. A 64-year-old female patient from Uzbekistan presented with complaints of left flank pain. A CT scan revealed a cystic mass in the upper to midpole of the left kidney. We regarded this lesion as a renal malignancy and hand-assisted laparoscopic radical nephrectomy was performed to remove the renal mass. The mass consisted of a large unilocular cyst and multiple smaller cysts without any grossly visible renal tissue. The final pathologic diagnosis was a renal hydatid cyst. For patients from endemic areas, hydatid cyst should be included in the differential diagnosis. Here, we present a case of renal hydatid cyst in a female patient who relocated from Uzbekistan to Korea.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.283-294
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• 2021

A genetic etiology of male infertility is identified in fewer than 25% of infertile men, while 30% of infertile men lack a clear etiology, resulting in a diagnosis of idiopathic male infertility. Advances in reproductive genetics have provided insights into the mechanisms of male infertility, and a characterization of the genetic basis of male infertility may have broad implications for understanding the causes of infertility and determining the prognosis, optimal treatment, and management of couples. In a substantial proportion of patients with azoospermia, known genetic factors contribute to male infertility. Additionally, the number of identified genetic anomalies in other etiologies of male infertility is growing through advances in whole-genome amplification and next-generation sequencing. In this review, we present an up-to-date overview of the indications for appropriate genetic tests, summarize the characteristics of chromosomal and genetic diseases, and discuss the treatment of couples with genetic infertility by microdissection-testicular sperm extraction, personalized hormone therapy, and in vitro fertilization with pre-implantation genetic testing.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.2483-2487
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• 2015

This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a combination of gemcitabine and nedaplatin therapy among patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma previously treated with two lines of chemotherapy. Between February 2009 and August 2013, 30 patients were treated with gemcitabine and paclitaxel as a second-line chemotherapy. All had received a first-line chemotherapy consisting of methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin and cisplatin. Ten patients who had measurable histologically proven advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder and upper urinary tract received gemcitabine $1,000mg/m^2$ on days 1, 8 and 15 and nedaplatin $70mg/m^2$ on day 2 as a third-line chemotherapy. Tumors were assessed by imaging every two cycles. The median number of treatment cycles was 3.5. One patient had partial response and three had stable disease. The disease-control rate was 40%, the median overall survival was 8.8 months and the median progression-free survival was 5.0 months. The median overall survival times for the first-line and second-line therapies were 29.1 and 13.9 months, respectively. Among disease-controlled patients (n=4), median overall survival was 14.2 months. Myelosuppression was the most common toxicity. There were no therapy-related deaths. Gemcitabine and nedaplatin chemotherapy is a favorable third-line chemotherapeutic option for patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma. Given the safety and benefit profile seen in this study, further prospective trials are warranted given the implications of our results with regard to strategic chemotherapy for patients with advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.1187-1191
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• 2016

Background: The prevalence of prostate cancer (PCa) has been increasing in recent years. Treatment strategies are largely based on the results of bone scan screening. Therefore, our aim was to investigate predictors of positive bone metastasis in newly diagnosed PCa patients. Materials and Methods: After extensive review, 336 consecutive patients newly diagnosed with PCa between April 2010 and November 2013 at our institution were enlisted in the study. Patients were divided into two groups according to bone scan results. Univariate analyses (Chi-square test for discrete variables and independent t-test for continuous variables) were applied to determine the potentially significant risk factors associated with distant bone metastasis. Binary logistic regression analyses were used to further investigate the influence of these factors on bone metastasis. Results: The patient mean age was $71.9{\pm}8.6years$ (range: 48 to 94 years). The mean prostate specific antigen (PSA) level and biopsy Gleason score were $260.2{\pm}1107.8ng/mL$ and $7.4{\pm}1.5$, respectively. The body mass index (BMI) for the series was $24.5{\pm}3.4kg/m^2$. Sixty-four patients (19.0%) had a positive bone scan result. Patients with positive bone scan results had a significantly lower BMI ($23.3{\pm}3.5$ vs. $24.8{\pm}3.3$; p=0.003), a higher Gleason score ($8.5{\pm}1.1$ vs. $7.1{\pm}1.5$; p < 0.001), and a higher PSA level ($1071.3{\pm}2337.1$ vs. $69.4{\pm}235.5$; p < 0.001) than those without bone metastasis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis employing the above independent predictors demonstrated that a Gleason score of ${\geq}7$, clinical stage ${\geq}T3$, $BMI{\leq}22kg/m^2$, and an initial PSA level of ${\geq}20ng/mL$ were all independent predictors of bone metastasis. Conclusions: A bone scan might be necessary in newly diagnosed PCa patients with any of the following criteria: clinical stage T3 or higher, a Gleason score of 7 or higher, BMI equal to or less than 22, and a PSA level of 20 or higher.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.14
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• pp.5907-5912
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• 2015

Purpose: To evaluate and update evidence for prognostic effects of kidney-sparing (KS) management and nephroureterectomy (NU) for upper tract urothelial carcinomas. Materials and Methods: Pubmed, Embase and the Cochrane Library were retrieved for the identification of comparative studies of kidney-sparing procedure and nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma prior to December 2014. The data were extracted independently by 2 reviewers and the quality of the included studies was assessed. Review Manager 5.3 and STATA 13 were used to perform the meta-analysis. Results: Twenty-three observational studies including 1,587 KS and 3,996 NU were evaluated. The results of the meta-analysis showed that nephroureterectomy had no significant benefit with regard to intravesical recurrence (IRFS), metastasis (MFS), cancer specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) except the total tumor recurrence (RFS) when compared with kidney sparing management. The respectively pooled outcomes were HR 1.36 (0.69-2.68, P=0.38) for IRFS, 1.09 (0.59-2.01, P=0.78) for MFS, 1.17 (0.77-1.79, P=0.47) for CSS, 1.50 (0.90-2.48, P=0.12) for OS and 1.61 (1.03-2.51, P=0.04) for RFS. Conclusions: On the whole, kidney-sparing management had equivalent prognostic effect on upper tract urothelial carcinoma as the standard nephroureterectomy except in tumor recurrence. However, the results should be interpreted with caution for lack of stage and grade stratification and multi-center randomized controlled trials are still needed to verify our results.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.8
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• pp.3369-3375
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• 2014

Background: C-reactive protein (CRP), considered as a prototypical inflammatory cytokine, has been proposed to be involved in tumor progression through inflammation. Recent studies have indicated CRP as a progostic predictor for urological cancers, but the results remain controversial. Materials and Methods: A systematic search of Medline, Scopus and the Cochrane Library was performed to identify eligible studies published between Jan 1, 2001 and Sep 1, 2013. Outcomes of interest were collected from studies comparing overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) in patients with elevated CRP levels and those having lower levels. Studies were pooled, and combined hazard ratio (HR) of CRP with its 95% confidence interval (CI) for survival were used for the effect size estimate. Results: A total of 43 studies (7,490 patients) were included in this meta-analysis (25 for RCC, 10 for UC, and 8 for PC). Our pooled results showed that elevated serum CRP level was associated with poor OS (HR: 1.26, 95%CI: 1.22-1.30) and RFS (HR: 1.38 95%CI: 1.29-1.47), respectively. For CSS the pooled HR (HR: 1.33, 95%CI: 1.28-1.39) for higher CRP expression could strongly predict poorer survival in urological cancers. Simultaneously, elevated serum CRP was also significantly associated with poor prognosis in the subgroup analysis. Conclusions: Our pooled results demonstrate that a high serum level of CRP as an inflammation biomarker denotes a poor prognosis of patients with urological cancers. Further large prospective studies should be performed to confirm whether CRP, as a biomarker of inflammation, has a prognostic role in urological cancer progression.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• v.33 no.47
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• pp.303.1-303.10
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• 2018

Background: Cell division cycle 6 (CDC6) is an essential regulator of DNA replication and plays important roles in the activation and maintenance of the checkpoint mechanisms in the cell cycle. CDC6 has been associated with oncogenic activities in human cancers; however, the clinical significance of CDC6 in prostate cancer (PCa) remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated whether the CDC6 mRNA expression level is a diagnostic and prognostic marker in PCa. Methods: The study subjects included 121 PCa patients and 66 age-matched benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients. CDC6 expression was evaluated using real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemical (IH) staining, and then compared according to the clinicopathological characteristics of PCa. Results: CDC6 mRNA expression was significantly higher in PCa tissues than in BPH control tissues (P = 0.005). In addition, CDC6 expression was significantly higher in patients with elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels (> 20 ng/mL), a high Gleason score, and advanced stage than in those with low PSA levels, a low Gleason score, and earlier stage, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that high expression of CDC6 was significantly associated with advanced stage (${\geq}T3b$) (odds ratio [OR], 3.005; confidence interval [CI], 1.212-7.450; P = 0.018) and metastasis (OR, 4.192; CI, 1.079-16.286; P = 0.038). Intense IH staining for CDC6 was significantly associated with a high Gleason score and advanced tumor stage including lymph node metastasis stage (linear-by-linear association, P = 0.044 and P = 0.003, respectively). Conclusion: CDC6 expression is associated with aggressive clinicopathological characteristics in PCa. CDC6 may be a potential diagnostic and prognostic marker in PCa patients.

• Investigative and Clinical Urology
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• v.59 no.6
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• pp.363-370
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• 2018

Purpose: The aim of this study is to describe the technique and to report early results of transperineal magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasonography (MRI-US) fusion biopsy. Materials and Methods: A total of 75 patients underwent MRI-US fusion transperineal biopsy. Targeted biopsy via MRI-US fusion imaging was carried out for cancer-suspicious lesions with additional systematic biopsy. Detection rates for overall and clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) were evaluated and compared between systematic and targeted biopsy. In addition, further investigation into the detection rate according to prostate imaging reporting and data system (PI-RADS) score was done. Results of repeat biopsies were also evaluated. Results: Overall cancer detection rate was 61.3% (46 patients) and the detection rate for csPCa was 42.7% (32 patients). Overall detection rates for systematic and targeted biopsy were 41.3% and 57.3% (p<0.05), respectively. Detection rates for csPCa were 26.7% and 41.3%, respectively (p<0.05). The cancer detection rates via MRI fusion target biopsy were 30.8% in PI-RADS 3, 62.1% in PI-RADS 4 and 89.4% in PI-RADS 5. Rates of csPCa missed by targeted biopsy and systematic biopsy were 0.0% and 25.0%, respectively. The cancer detection rate in repeat biopsies was 61.1% (11 among 18 patients) in which 55.5% of cancer suspected lesions were located in the anterior portion. Conclusions: Transperineal MRI-US fusion biopsy is useful for improving overall cancer detection rate and especially detection of csPCa. Transperineal MRI-US targeted biopsy show potential benefits to improve cancer detection rate in patients with high PIRADS score, tumor located at the anterior portion and in repeat biopsies.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.1813-1816
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• 2015

Background: The aim of this study was to research the importance of the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in prediction of PSA recurrence after radical prostatectomy, which has not been reported so far. Materials and Methods: The data of 175 patients who were diagnosed with localised prostate cancer and underwent retropubic radical prostatectomy was retrospectively examined. Patient pre-operative hemogram parameters of neutrophil count, lymphocyte count and NLR were assessed. The patients whose PSAs were too low to measure after radical prostatectomy in their follow-ups, and then had PSAs of 0,2 ng/mL were considered as patients with PSA recurrence. Patients with recurrence made up Group A and patients without recurrence made up Group B. Results: In terms of the power of NLR value in distinguishing recurrence, the area under OCC was statistically significant (p<0.001) .The value of 2.494 for NLR was found to be a cut-off value which can be used in order to distinguish recurrence according to Youden index. According to this, patients with a higher NLR value than 2.494 had higher rates of PSA recurrence with 89.7% sensitivity and 92.6% specificity. Conclusions: There are certain parameters used in order to predict recurrence with today's literature data.We think that because NLR is easy to use in clinics and inexpensive, and also has high sensitivity and specificity values, it has the potential to be one of the parameters used in order to predict biochemical recurrence in future.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.2475-2478
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• 2016

Background: Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy is one of the major surgical techniques for small renal masses. However, it is difficult to manage cutting and suturing procedures within acceptable time periods. To overcome this difficulty, we applied a three-dimensional (3D) video system with laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, and evaluated its utility. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 31 patients who underwent laparoscopic partial nephrectomy between November 2009 and June 2014. A conventional two-dimensional (2D) video system was used in 20 patients, and a 3D video system in 11. Patient characteristics and video system type (2D or 3D) were recorded, and correlations with perioperative outcomes were analyzed. Results: Mean age of the patients was $55.8{\pm}12.4$, mean body mass index was $25.7{\pm}3.9kg/m^2$, mean tumor size was $2.0{\pm}0.8cm$, mean R.E.N.A.L nephrometry score was $6.9{\pm}1.9$, and clinical stage was T1a in all patients. There were no significant differences in operative time (p=0.348), pneumoperitoneum time (p=0.322), cutting time (p=0.493), estimated blood loss (p=0.335), and Clavien grade of >II complication rate (p=0.719) between the two groups. However, warm ischemic time was significantly shorter in the 3D group than the 2D group (16.1 min vs. 21.2min, p=0.021), which resulted from short suturing time (9.1 min vs. 15.2 min, p=0.008). No open conversion occurred in either group. Conclusions: A 3D video system allows the shortening of warm ischemic time in laparoscopic partial nephrectomy and thus may be useful in improving the procedure.