Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Clin Cancer Res 2019 Apr 15. Epub 2019 Apr 15.

Medical Oncology, Georgetown University

Background: NRG1 gene fusions are rare but potentially actionable oncogenic drivers present in some solid tumors. Details regarding the incidence of these gene rearrangements are lacking. Here, we assessed the incidence of NRG1 fusions across multiple tumor types and described fusion partners. Read More

Int J Surg Case Rep 2019 Mar 28;57:122-125. Epub 2019 Mar 28.

Urology Department, Urology and Nephrology Center, Mansoura University, Egypt.

Introduction: There is no reported data for patients with malignant bladder Botox injection related outcomes. Herein, we reported effect of Botox injection in case of BCG cystitis. In addition, reporting of rare incidence of both primary neuroendocrine differentiation of bladder tumor and primary ovarian paraganglioma post cystectomy. Read More

Oncol Rep 2019 Apr 1. Epub 2019 Apr 1.

Ultrasound Department, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518036, P.R. China.

Epithelial‑mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays an important role in cancer progression, metastasis and drug resistance, and recent studies have revealed that neoplastic epithelial cells regain the stem cell state through EMT. Single‑agent targeted cancer therapy frequently fails due to acquired drug resistance. Therefore, multi‑agent targeted therapy exhibits advantages in fighting cancer cells. Read More

J Cancer Res Ther 2019 Mar;15(Supplement):S82-S86

Department of Urology, Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India.

Aims: The clinical presentation and frequency of urogenital tumors varies in different regions of the world. This study was undertaken to analyze the frequency, clinical presentation, and the histopathological spectrum of the various male urogenital tumors diagnosed over a period of 3 years in a tertiary care institute.

Materials And Methods: Three-year data were collected from the histopathology laboratory, which included all the cases of male urogenital tumors which were diagnosed histopathologically between November 2012 and October 2015. Read More

Am J Manag Care 2019 Mar 1;25(3):e66-e70. Epub 2019 Mar 1.

Division of Quality and Informatics, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, 6420 W Newberry Rd, Ste 100, Gainesville, FL 32605. Email:

Objectives: The site of cancer care delivery has been shown to be associated with the total cost of care. The magnitude of this effect in patients receiving expensive immuno-oncology (I-O) therapies has not been evaluated. We evaluated cost differentials between community-based and hospital-based outpatient clinics among patients receiving I-O therapies. Read More

Bladder Cancer 2019 Jan 31;5(1):13-19. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

Department of Surgery, Urology Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.

Purpose: While a definitive cure can be achieved by radical cystectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection in select patients with regional lymphadenopathy, the benefit remains uncertain in patients who present with non-regional metastases. We analyzed the survival outcomes of post-chemotherapy retroperitoneal lymph node dissection.

Materials And Methods: We reviewed our institutional database and identified 13 patients with radiographically evident or biopsy proven retroperitoneal nodal metastases with a significant response to chemotherapy. Read More

Ann Ital Chir 2019 Mar 4;8. Epub 2019 Mar 4.

Neuroendocrine carcinoma cases, more frequent in the GI tract, have rarely been reported in extrapulmonary areas. Neuroendocrine carcinoma of the bladder is one of the malignancies with a poor prognosis, which is expected to cause rapid metastases. In addition, neuroendocrine carcinoma of the bladder constitutes < 1% of all bladder carcinomas. Read More

Ann Lab Med 2019 Jul;39(4):400-402

Department of Pathology, Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.

Cancer Gene Ther 2019 Feb 21. Epub 2019 Feb 21.

Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.

COMMD10, a member of COMMD protein, has been proved to target p65 NF-kappaB (nuclear factor-kappaB) subunit and reduce its nuclear translocation, thereby leading to the inactivation of NF-kappaB pathway and suppression of colorectal cancer invasion and metastasis. The aim of this study is to explore its expression pattern and tissue distribution in human normal tissues and other tumor tissues and to investigate the relevant mechanism. We firstly provided the expression profile and histological distribution of COMMD10 in various BALB/c mice tissues and identified the biological distribution of COMMD10 in different kinds of human normal and tumor tissues. Read More

Cell Rep 2019 Feb;26(8):2241-2256.e4

Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA. Electronic address:

We used whole-organ mapping to study the locoregional molecular changes in a human bladder containing multifocal cancer. Widespread DNA methylation changes were identified in the entire mucosa, representing the initial field effect. The field effect was associated with subclonal low-allele frequency mutations and a small number of DNA copy alterations. Read More

Thorax 2019 May 18;74(5):466-472. Epub 2019 Feb 18.

Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Background: Lung cancer 5-year survival has doubled over 15 years. Although the risk of second primary cancer is recognised, quantification over time is lacking. We describe the incidence of second and higher order smoking-related primary cancers in lung cancer survivors, identifying high-incidence groups and how incidence changes over time from first diagnosis. Read More

Clin Cancer Res 2019 Feb 15. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

University of Colorado Cancer Center, Aurora, Colorado.

IDO1 induces immune suppression in T cells through l-tryptophan (Trp) depletion and kynurenine (Kyn) accumulation in the local tumor microenvironment, suppressing effector T cells and hyperactivating regulatory T cells (Treg). Navoximod is an investigational small-molecule inhibitor of IDO1. This phase I study evaluated safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of navoximod in combination with atezolizumab, a PD-L1 inhibitor, in patients with advanced cancer. Read More

Lancet Oncol 2019 Mar 8;20(3):383-393. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Department of Oncology, Phase 1 Unit, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Background: Tisotumab vedotin is a first-in-human antibody-drug conjugate directed against tissue factor, which is expressed across multiple solid tumour types and is associated with poor clinical outcomes. We aimed to establish the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic profile, and antitumour activity of tisotumab vedotin in a mixed population of patients with locally advanced or metastatic (or both) solid tumours known to express tissue factor.

Methods: InnovaTV 201 is a phase 1-2, open-label, dose-escalation and dose-expansion study done at 21 centres in the USA and Europe. Read More

J Pathol 2019 Apr;247(5):535-538

RECAMO, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Brno, Czech Republic.

In this Annual Review Issue of The Journal of Pathology, we present 15 invited reviews on topical aspects of pathology, ranging from the impacts of the microbiome in human disease through mechanisms of cell death and autophagy to recent advances in immunity and the uses of genomics for understanding, classifying and treating human cancers. Each of the reviews is authored by experts in their fields and our intention is to provide comprehensive updates in specific areas of pathology in which there has been considerable recent progress. Copyright © 2019 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Read More

Urol Oncol 2019 Jan 28. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Department of Urology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY.

Background: Bladder cancer is the ninth most common noncutaneous malignancy worldwide, though a fraction (2%-5%) are diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in the Western world. Current understanding is based on small, single-institution studies and SEER-database reviews with conflicting results. We used the National Cancer Database to explore clinical characteristics and outcomes from a large cohort of invasive bladder SCC. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2019 Jan 18;12(1). Epub 2019 Jan 18.

Urology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India.

Urothelial carcinoma with villoglandular differentiation (UCVGD) is a rare aggressive variant of urothelial carcinoma. It is usually associated with high-grade urothelial carcinoma or rarely adenocarcinoma. There is only one other previous report of UCVGD associated with small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of urinary bladder. Read More

J Cell Physiol 2019 Jan 15. Epub 2019 Jan 15.

The School and Hospital of Stomatology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) act as an initial factor and promoter in different tumors as a kind of ncRNAs. The length of them is >200 nucleotides opposite small ncRNAs. Increasing researches have proved that dysregulation lncRNA has been implicated in tumorigenesis. Read More

Biomed Res Int 2018 16;2018:4678362. Epub 2018 Dec 16.

Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College and Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is grappling with the largest mass poisoning of a population in the world due to contamination of drinking water with naturally occurring inorganic arsenic. It is estimated that 75 million people of 59 (out of 64) districts are at risk of drinking contaminated water with arsenic above 50g/L. Long term exposure to arsenic causes cancers, including skin, lung, and bladder. Read More

Cancer Manag Res 2019 28;11:309-316. Epub 2018 Dec 28.

Philipps University Hospital, Department of Urology, Marburg, Germany,

Background: Urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC), also called transitional cell cancer, occurs significantly more often in males than in females. Essential for the prognosis of recovery is depth of infiltration (muscle-invasive or non-muscle invasive) and tumor-differentiation at initial diagnosis. The current study aimed to explore sex-related differences after initial diagnosis of UCC in Germany. Read More

Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract 2019 Mar 8;49(2):311-323. Epub 2019 Jan 8.

Piper Memorial Veterinary Center, 730 Randolph Road, Middletown, CT 06457, USA.

Primary renal tumors are an uncommon diagnosis in small animals. Presentation, treatment, and prognosis depend on tumor type. Surgery with or without chemotherapy are the mainstays of treatment. Read More

Gynecol Oncol Rep 2019 Feb 12;27:38-41. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Lebanon.

A 43-year-old woman treated with radical hysterectomy 1 year ago for cervical cancer presented with a suprapubic abdominal mass. A 15 cm necrotic mass from the abdominal wall along with 2 small bowel loops and the dome of the bladder were resected. The peritoneal defect was reconstructed with a pedicled anterolateral thigh and Vastus Lateralis muscle composite flap. Read More

Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract 2019 Mar 24;49(2):247-260. Epub 2018 Dec 24.

Department of Pathology and Population Medicine, Midwestern University College of Veterinary Medicine, 5715 West Utopia Road, Glendale, AZ 85308, USA.

Cytologic evaluation of the urinary tract can be diagnostically rewarding in cases of renomegaly or when discrete kidney or bladder masses are identified. Cytology can often help to distinguish between cystic, inflammatory, and neoplastic disorders. Various types of cystic and benign urinary tract lesions, diseases associated with urinary tract inflammation, and the cytologic differences between primary and metastatic neoplasms of the kidney and bladder are described. Read More

Ochsner J 2018 ;18(4):370-376

Division of Bone Marrow Transplant and Benign Hematology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY.

Background: Checkpoint inhibitors have transformed the treatment of cancer in adults. This class of drugs has demonstrated encouraging results in various malignancies such as metastatic melanoma, bladder cancer, renal cancer, and non-small cell lung carcinoma. However, researchers have only begun investigating the effectiveness and tolerability of checkpoint inhibitors in pediatric patients. Read More

Can Urol Assoc J 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.

Introduction: Small cell carcinoma of the bladder (SmCC) is a rare and aggressive genitourinary malignancy. The paucity of clinical trials and outcome data provide no standard treatment guidelines. Accordingly, patient prognosis is poor. Read More

Int Braz J Urol 2018 Oct 30;44. Epub 2018 Oct 30.

Department of Urology, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

Purpose: To describe the clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes in patients with small cell bladder cancer at our institution, including those who received prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) for the prevention of intracranial recurrence.

Materials And Methods: Patients with small cell bladder cancer treated at a single institution between January 1990 and August 2015 were identified and analyzed retrospectively for demographics, tumor stage, treatment, and overall survival.

Results: Of 44 patients diagnosed with small cell bladder cancer, 11 (25%) had metastatic disease at the time of presentation. Read More

Neoplasma 2019 Jan 4;66(1):160-165. Epub 2018 Sep 4.

Division of Radiation Oncology, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy.

This paper presents a retrospective report on radiotherapy (RT) in the oligometastastic recurrence of bladder cancer. Thirteen patients treated for low-volume metastatic transitional cell urinary bladder carcinoma (TCC) were reviewed, with the primary endpoint to evaluate the safety and efficacy of RT, proposed as an alternative to systemic treatment and/or to defer commencement of systemic therapy. The inclusion criteria were: patients who received RT without other local/systemic therapy for oligometastatic TCC with lymph node, bone and lung lesions or local recurrence. Read More

Surg J (N Y) 2018 Oct 18;4(4):e201-e204. Epub 2018 Oct 18.

Department of Urology, Mater Dei Hospital, Msida, Malta.

Although fistulae between the urinary bladder and the gastrointestinal tract are not uncommon, those caused by carcinoma of the urinary bladder are rare. This report describes the case of an 85 years old male who was diagnosed with a mass involving the small bowel and the urinary bladder during the course of investigation for recurrent urinary tract infections. At laparotomy, the presence of an enterovesical fistula involving the ileum and bladder was confirmed. Read More

Case Rep Urol 2018 24;2018:3069294. Epub 2018 Oct 24.

Department of Urology, National Defense Medical College, 3-2 Namiki, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-8513, Japan.

Small cell carcinoma (SCC) of the urinary bladder is highly aggressive and portends a poor outcome. Herein, we report a patient with recurrent SCC of the urinary bladder who experienced an unusually long-term disease-free duration after radical cystectomy. The patient was a 60-year-old woman who had undergone transurethral resection followed by radical cystectomy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (high-grade urothelial carcinoma with adenocarcinomatous differentiation) 6 years prior; the surgical specimen had a negative surgical margin. Read More

Surg Pathol Clin 2018 Dec 17;11(4):713-723. Epub 2018 Oct 17.

Department of Medicine, Genitourinary Oncology Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.

Urothelial carcinoma is a morphologically and genomically heterogeneous disease that exhibits a wide spectrum of morphologic features and molecular alterations and subtypes. Classic urothelial carcinoma (not otherwise specified) is the most common tumor type that develops in the urinary bladder but many, well-documented, variant histologies are commonly encountered in approximately one-third of invasive urothelial carcinoma, including squamous, glandular, micropapillary, sarcomatoid, small cell/neuroendocrine, clear cell, lymphoepithelioma-like, and plasmacytoid types, among others. In this review, we provide an update on the molecular advances in urothelial carcinoma and some of its variant histologies. Read More

Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther 2019 Mar 6;25:35-42. Epub 2018 Nov 6.

Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, 119435, 10c8 Pogodinskaya St., Moscow, Russia.

Photophysical and in vitro photocytotoxicity studies were performed for the photosensitizer Dimegine, a disodium salt 2.4-di(alpha-methoxyethyl)-deuteroporphyrin-IX with very low systemic toxicity. The singlet oxygen and luminescence quantum yield were Φ = 0,65 ± 0,06, and Φ=0,11 ± 0,01 respectively, and were independent of the excitation wavelength. Read More

Int J Oncol 2019 Jan 31;54(1):339-347. Epub 2018 Oct 31.

Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, P.R. China.

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of the long non‑coding RNA (lncRNA) bladder cancer‑associated transcript 1 (BLACAT1) in chemoresistance of non‑small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Expression of lncRNA BLACAT1, microRNA (miR)‑17, autophagy‑related protein 7 (ATG7), multidrug‑resistance protein 1 (MRP1), and the autophagy‑associated proteins light chain 3 (LC3)‑II/LC3‑I and Beclin 1 were detected using the reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis. Cell viability was determined using an MTT assay. Read More

Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 2019 Feb 2;83(2):212-220. Epub 2018 Nov 2.

a Department of Respiratory Medicine , The First Hospital of Tianshui , Tianshui , China.

MiRNA-5195-3p (miR-5195-3p), a recently discovered and poorly studied miRNA, has been reported to suppress bladder cancer cell behavior. However, its regulatory role in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear. Here, the expression of miR-5195-3p was found to be reduced in NSCLC tissues and cells. Read More

J Cell Biochem 2019 Apr 26;120(4):5519-5530. Epub 2018 Oct 26.

Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.

H-Ras oncogene plays a critical role in the transformation of normal cells to a malignant phenotype through constitutive activation of the GTP bound protein leading to uncontrolled cell proliferation in several human cancers. Thus, H-Ras oncoprotein serves as an excellent target for anticancer drug discovery. To identify novel H-Ras inhibitors, we performed structure-based virtual screening of the Maybridge HitFinder™ library using Schrodinger suite. Read More

Cancer Manag Res 2018 11;10:4479-4489. Epub 2018 Oct 11.

Department of Urology, Subei People's Hospital of Jiangsu Province (Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou University), Yangzhou, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China,

Background: Bladder neuroendocrine carcinomas (BNECs) are relatively a rare type of tumor. The aim of this study was to examine the clinicopathological characteristics and predictors of survival outcomes of patients with BNECs based on the analysis of the national Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database.

Materials And Methods: Kaplan-Meier analysis with log-rank test was used for survival comparisons. Read More

Urologe A 2018 Nov;57(11):1334-1341

Abteilung für Urologie und Andrologie, Ordensklinikum, Barmherzige Schwestern, Linz, Österreich.

Urothelial carcinoma of the bladder is difficult to treat in advanced and metastatic stages. Several factors play a role: age, multimorbidity including impaired renal function and neuropathy make access to life-prolonging chemotherapy impossible in many cases. Improvements of response rates and overall survival in the second-line setting are not much different compared to best supportive care. Read More

Clin Chim Acta 2018 Dec 2;487:197-201. Epub 2018 Oct 2.

Institute of Basic Medicine, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250062, China. Electronic address:

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide with a high risk of incidence and mortality. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to participate in various biological processes, including tumorigenesis and progression. The HOXD-AS1 (also known as HAGLR and Mdgt) gene is located between the HOXD1 and HOXD3 genes in the HOXD cluster and has been reported to play a critical role in the development and progression of cancers. Read More

Oncol Rep 2018 Dec 21;40(6):3543-3550. Epub 2018 Sep 21.

Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China.

Transforming growth factor (TGF)‑β1 is highly expressed in bladder transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) and is positively associated with tumor grade. TGF‑β1 signaling promotes cell metastasis by inducing epithelial‑mesenchymal transition (EMT), however, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Our previous study demonstrated the anti‑metastatic effects of silibinin, a natural flavonoid derived from milk thistle, against TCC. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2018 Sep 21;10(10). Epub 2018 Sep 21.

Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Nara Medical University School of Medicine, Nara 634-8521, Japan.

The nucleus accumbens-associated protein 1 (NACC1) is a transcription factor constitutively expressed in the urothelium, where it regulates cell growth, senescence, autophagy, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. microRNA (miRNA) constitutes a class of small non-coding RNAs which are involved in cell proliferation, differentiation, and progression of tumors. miRNAs and their target molecules are utilized for molecular diagnosis of urothelial carcinoma. Read More

Histopathology 2019 Feb 5;74(3):504-513. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Department of Pathology, Michigan Medicine/University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

Aim: Primary cutaneous neuroendocrine carcinoma, or Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), cannot be distinguished morphologically from small-cell neuroendocrine carcinomas (SmCC) from other sites. Immunohistochemistry is required to confirm cutaneous origin, and is also used for detection of sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastases of MCC. Cytokeratin 20 (CK20) expression is commonly used for these purposes, but is negative in some MCC cases, and has unclear specificity. Read More

Mol Med Rep 2018 Nov 6;18(5):4760-4766. Epub 2018 Sep 6.

Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001, P.R. China.

A previous study indicated that LIM domain containing 2 (LIMD2) is an oncogene in a variety of human cancers, including breast, bladder and thyroid cancers, and melanoma; however, the role of LIMD2 in non‑small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains largely unknown. In the present study, by reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‑qPCR) analysis, it was demonstrated that LIMD2 was significantly upregulated in NSCLC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. Consistently, LIMD2 was also upregulated in NSCLC cell lines. Read More

Transl Oncol 2018 Dec 11;11(6):1379-1389. Epub 2018 Sep 11.

Cancer Biology Laboratory, DBT-AIST International Laboratory for Advanced Biomedicine (DAILAB), Department of Biosciences & Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam-781039, India. Electronic address:

Sorcin (Soluble resistance related calcium binding protein) is a small soluble penta EF family (PEF) of calcium (Ca) binding protein (22,000 Da). It has been reported to play crucial roles in the regulation of calcium homeostasis, apoptosis, vesicle trafficking, cancer development, and multidrug resistance (MDR). Overexpression of sorcin has been reported to be associated with different cancers such as breast cancer, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, leukemia, lung cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, ovarian cancer, etc. Read More

Acta Medica (Hradec Kralove) 2018;61(2):57-59

Division of Respiratory Medicine, Mito Medical Center, University of Tsukuba.

Radiotherapy with systemic corticosteroid therapy has been used to treat intramedullary spinal cord metastasis (ISCM), but recovery of function and long-term survival of these patients has been rarely observed. We report herein a small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patient with recurrent thoracic ISCM, who was successfully treated with radiotherapy and systemic corticosteroid therapy. A 70-year-old man, who was diagnosed as having SCLC seven months previously, developed thoracic ISCM. Read More

Clin Neurol Neurosurg 2018 Oct 16;173:194-195. Epub 2018 Aug 16.

Hospital Ruber Internacional, Department of Neurology, La Masó Street, 38, CP 28034, Madrid, Spain. Electronic address:

The stiff person syndrome is a rare neurological disorder, difficult to diagnose and to treat. Paraneoplastic patients usually present amphiphysin antibodies but the association with anti-Ri antibodies is less known. We present a case report of paraneoplastic SPS, small cell carcinoma of the bladder and anti-Ri antibodies. Read More

Mol Clin Oncol 2018 Sep 19;9(3):335-338. Epub 2018 Jul 19.

Department of Urology, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518036, P.R. China.

Primary small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SCNEC) of the urinary bladder is a rare tumor characterized by poor differentiation and high aggressiveness. Only ~150 cases have been reported in the literature to date. We herein present a case of an 87-year-old man who presented with hematuria and was found to have an ill-defined mass in the urinary bladder on computed tomography and cystoscopic examination. Read More

J Gastrointest Oncol 2018 Aug;9(4):610-617

The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, Los Angeles, USA.

Background: The clinical application of targeting checkpoint inhibitors in colorectal cancer (CRC) has largely focused on a subset of microsatellite instable (MSI-high) patients. However, the proposed genotype that sensitizes these patients to immunotherapy is not captured by MSI status alone. Estimation of tumor mutational burden (TMB) from comprehensive genomic profiling is validated against whole exome sequencing and linked to checkpoint response in metastatic melanoma, urothelial bladder cancer and non-small cell lung carcinoma. Read More

PLoS One 2018 24;13(8):e0200906. Epub 2018 Aug 24.

Cancer Center Amsterdam, Department of Urology, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Background: Urine poses an attractive non-invasive means for obtaining liquid biopsies for oncological diagnostics. Especially molecular analysis on urinary DNA is a rapid growing field. However, optimal and practical storage conditions that result in preservation of urinary DNA, and in particular hypermethylated DNA (hmDNA), are yet to be determined. Read More

Urol Oncol 2018 10 20;36(10):472.e1-472.e9. Epub 2018 Aug 20.

Department of Nephro-Urologic Surgery and Andrology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, Japan. Electronic address:

Background: In nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer patients, prediction of pTa and pT1 bladder cancer recurrence and progression must be established. Micropapillary structures have been defined as small clusters of invasive cancer cells having features of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Since the stromal microenvironment helps to induce the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, interactions between cancer cells and stroma should be closely examined to predict the tumorigenic phenotype of human bladder cancer cells. Read More

J Obstet Gynaecol Res 2018 Dec 21;44(12):2186-2189. Epub 2018 Aug 21.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mie University School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan.

A 52-year-old woman presented to our hospital complaining of genital bleeding and was found to have a 50-mm vaginal tumor that involved the bladder, rectum, and small bowel and extended to the left pelvic side wall. Her history included a bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and a total abdominal hysterectomy for fibroids and endometriosis. She had been prescribed estrogen replacement therapy (1. Read More

Curr Oncol Rep 2018 Aug 20;20(10):77. Epub 2018 Aug 20.

Johns Hopkins Greenberg Bladder Cancer Institute and Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Marburg 149, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.

Purpose Of Review: Recent whole genome characterizations of primary human bladder cancers revealed that they can be grouped into "intrinsic" basal and luminal molecular subtypes. Here, we provide an overview of the subtypes and discuss their biological and clinical properties.

Recent Findings: Basal cancers are characterized by advanced stage and metastatic disease at presentation. Read More

Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 2018 Aug 18;18(10):70. Epub 2018 Aug 18.

Burkhardt Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center, Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Ave, S73, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA.

Purpose Of The Review: Brain metastasis is a common complication of advanced malignancies, especially, lung cancer, breast cancer, renal cell carcinoma, and melanoma. Traditionally surgery, when indicated, and radiation therapy, either as whole-brain radiation therapy or stereotactic radiosurgery, constituted the major treatment options for brain metastases. Until recently, most of the systemic chemotherapy agents had limited activity for brain metastases. Read More