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Copyright of Der Onkologe is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can be detected with sensitive immunocytological and molecular methods and can potentially cause distant metastases. Consecutively the prognostic significance of CTC-counts for survival was demonstrated in metastatic prostate cancer (mPC) revealing CTCs as reliable surrogate marker during therapy. Comparatively the prognostic value of a CTC-threshold with < 5 vs. ≥ 5 CTCs was superior to the commonly used PSA-decrement algorithms. In contrast despite evidence of CTCs in localized PC, their clinical value in this stage is currently precarious. Furthermore, CTCs may serve as predictive markers with the ability to predict treatment sensitivity or resistance, since they may represent the heterogeneous molecular signature of primary as well as metastatic cancer lesions. Thus, the isolation of CTCs may serve not only as a prognostic tool but moreover as a liquid biopsy and a window towards personalized treatment. This review discusses the clinical impact of CTCs in the different stages of PC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A positive lymph node status is a major prognostic factor for tumor recurrence and mortality following radical prostatectomy in prostate cancer patients or radical cystectomy in bladder cancer patients. However, despite having histopathologic negative lymph nodes, a substantial proportion of patient suffers from tumor recurrence within a few years after the operation. Tumor recurrence in node-negative patients may result from hematogeneous or lymphatic metastatic spread which remains undetected by standard clinical or histopathologic examinations. Molecular lymph node analysis is a potential method for detection of lymph node metastases with higher sensitivity and for prognostic risk stratification of patients with histopathologic negative lymph nodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Der Hautarzt is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article summarizes contemporary standards in systemic therapy for urothelial carcinoma as well as updated results of peer-reviewed publications and international bladder cancer meetings in 2011. Both neoadjuvant and adjuvant trials for locally advanced carcinoma and data on systemic chemotherapy for metastatic bladder cancer are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: First clinical experiences with abiraterone and cabazitaxel for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients following docetaxel chemotherapy are reported.Patients and Methods: We describe PSA response rates and disease control rates determined by imaging studies at 3 months as well as side effects in the daily routine. All patients were treated within the"compassionate use" programs of cabazitaxel and abiraterone or treated according to their inclusion and exclusion criteria at the "Technische Universität München".Results: Of 54 patients, 15 were treated with cabazitaxel and 39 with abiraterone. In patients treated with cabazitaxel, after 3 months of therapy the PSA reduction rate > 50% was 46.2%, the PSA progression rate was 15.4%, and the disease control rate was 83.3%. Main grade 3/4 hematotoxicities were neutropenia (40%) and anemia (20%). Febrile neutropenia was observed in 2 of 15 (13.3%) patients. Main non-hematological grade 3/4 toxicities were diarrhea (13.3%) and polyneuropathy (13.3%). In patients treated with abiraterone, after 3 months of therapy the PSA reduction rate >50% was 35.1%, the PSA progression rate was 46.0%, and the disease control rate was 47.1%. Main grade 3/4 hematotoxicities were anemia (5.1%) and thrombocytopenia (5.1%). Main non-hematological toxicities were fatigue (20.5%), sweating (17.9%), and constipation (10.3%).Conclusion: Utilization of cabazitaxel and abiraterone in the daily routine show response rates comparable to their approval studies with acceptable side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a workshop held by the Institute for Communal Social Research and Social Policy in Saarbrücken, Germany from May 28–30, 1987. Main topics of the conference focused on social science and policies in Germany. Speakers included Thomas Specht, Walter H. Asam, and Armin Lang.

The rapid development of molecular medicine has opened up new perspectives for the diagnosis and treatment of urological tumors. Urology faces the challenge of effectively treating advanced cancer, especially in view of the genetic diversity of urological tumors. The molecular tumor board offers an innovative approach to identify targeted therapy options based on the individual genetic signatures of tumor cells or tumor microenvironment-based treatment options. In this article, the concept of the molecular tumor board in urology is presented using the example of prostate cancer. We discuss the principles, applications, and future prospects of this promising approach., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature.)

Background: Extracorporal photopheresis (ECP) was shown to be effective without severe side effects in the treatment of cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) and graft versus host disease (GvHD). However, only few studies investigated the practical aspects of ECP., Methods: Treatment protocols of 2038 ECP procedures in 52 patients (CTCL, n = 29; GvHD, n = 15; other, n = 8) were evaluated. The patients were treated with the UVAR® XTS™ ECP system (Therakos, Inc. Johnson & Johnson, Raritan, NJ, USA) between 2001 and 2010. All patients started with a peripheral venous access. During the course of treatment 7 patients were treated via a port and 4 via a central venous catheter., Results: In all, 1765 (86.6%) treatments were performed with a peripheral venous access; 239 (11.7%) ECPs were done via a port and 34 (1.7%) via a central venous catheter. The peripheral venous access showed a higher flow rate and longer photoactivation time. ECPs via port lead to higher UV-irradiated volumes, longer treatment times and higher differences in systolic blood pressure. The following side effects were observed: being unwell (n = 13), hypo- (n = 13) and hypertension (n = 7), vertigo (n = 4), headache (n = 4), shortness of breath (n = 4), fever (n = 3) and metallic taste (n = 3). Technical complications such as problems with venous access (9.6%) occurred in 385 (18.9%) treatments., Conclusions: Peripheral venous access should be preferred for ECP treatments.

Background: The incidence of skin cancer continues to increase. However, little is known about the dermatosurgical characteristics of the patients., Patients and Methods: In this single center, retrospective study, dermatosurgical reports of all patients treated because of basal cell carcinomas (BCC), squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), and malignant melanoma (MM) between 2004 and 2013 were analyzed., Results: During the observed period, the number of operated BCC rose by a factor of 1.86 and the number of MM by a factor of 2.3. In comparison to BCC/MM, there was a disproportionately high increase of SCC by a factor of 4.02. The average age was 71.5 ± 13.4 years (minimum: 14 years; maximum: 104 years), whereupon a significant increase of male age and a significant decrease of female age occurred. Almost 70% of all tumors were located in the head and neck area. The nose was most commonly treated., Conclusions: During the last 10 years, the cohort of dermatosurgical patients changed in the tumor center. This should be verified in multicenter studies.

Radioligand therapy (RLT) directed against prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) enables tumor-specific treatment directed against PSMA-overexpressing prostate cancer cells. Several PSMA ligands such as PSMA-617 or PSMA-I&T have been developed that can be labeled with β‑radiating lutetium-177. These are currently applied in compassionate use programs to treat metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). PSMA-directed RLT is currently being offered in several nuclear medicine departments throughout Germany. Several retrospective case series demonstrate its activity with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) decrease >50% in 30-60% of mCRPC patients. The toxicity seems to be low. Hematologic grade 4 toxicity has not been observed and grade 3 toxicities rarely occur. The main nonhematologic adverse events are intermittent dry mouth because of unspecific PSMA expression in the salivary glands as well as fatigue and nausea. Currently there are no prospective studies available for evaluation of PSMA-targeted RLT and a survival benefit over approved standard therapies such as abiraterone, enzalutamide, radium-223-dichloride, docetaxel or cabazitaxel has not been shown. PSMA-targeted RLT should therefore currently only be offered after critical evaluation in patients who exhausted the approved standard therapies.

A positive lymph node status is a major prognostic factor for tumor recurrence and mortality following radical prostatectomy in prostate cancer patients or radical cystectomy in bladder cancer patients. However, despite having histopathologic negative lymph nodes, a substantial proportion of patient suffers from tumor recurrence within a few years after the operation. Tumor recurrence in node-negative patients may result from hematogeneous or lymphatic metastatic spread which remains undetected by standard clinical or histopathologic examinations. Molecular lymph node analysis is a potential method for detection of lymph node metastases with higher sensitivity and for prognostic risk stratification of patients with histopathologic negative lymph nodes.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can be detected with sensitive immunocytological and molecular methods and can potentially cause distant metastases. Consecutively the prognostic significance of CTC-counts for survival was demonstrated in metastatic prostate cancer (mPC) revealing CTCs as reliable surrogate marker during therapy. Comparatively the prognostic value of a CTC-threshold with < 5 vs. ≥ 5 CTCs was superior to the commonly used PSA-decrement algorithms. In contrast despite evidence of CTCs in localized PC, their clinical value in this stage is currently precarious. Furthermore, CTCs may serve as predictive markers with the ability to predict treatment sensitivity or resistance, since they may represent the heterogeneous molecular signature of primary as well as metastatic cancer lesions. Thus, the isolation of CTCs may serve not only as a prognostic tool but moreover as a liquid biopsy and a window towards personalized treatment. This review discusses the clinical impact of CTCs in the different stages of PC.

Foam sclerotherapy is a minimally invasive, effective technique for the treatment of varicoses up though venous malformations. This efficient therapy can be easily integrated in daily clinical practice and shows only minor side effects. It provides an alternative to invasive therapies like vein stripping, endovenous laser therapy or endovenous radiofrequency ablation, but without the need for anesthesia. The treatment can be performed in an outpatient setting and the patient is able to return quickly to everyday life.

This article summarizes contemporary standards in systemic therapy for urothelial carcinoma as well as updated results of peer-reviewed publications and international bladder cancer meetings in 2011. Both neoadjuvant and adjuvant trials for locally advanced carcinoma and data on systemic chemotherapy for metastatic bladder cancer are discussed.

Objective: First clinical experiences with abiraterone and cabazitaxel for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients following docetaxel chemotherapy are reported., Patients and Methods: We describe PSA response rates and disease control rates determined by imaging studies at 3 months as well as side effects in the daily routine. All patients were treated within the"compassionate use" programs of cabazitaxel and abiraterone or treated according to their inclusion and exclusion criteria at the "Technische Universität München"., Results: Of 54 patients, 15 were treated with cabazitaxel and 39 with abiraterone. In patients treated with cabazitaxel, after 3 months of therapy the PSA reduction rate > 50% was 46.2%, the PSA progression rate was 15.4%, and the disease control rate was 83.3%. Main grade 3/4 hematotoxicities were neutropenia (40%) and anemia (20%). Febrile neutropenia was observed in 2 of 15 (13.3%) patients. Main non-hematological grade 3/4 toxicities were diarrhea (13.3%) and polyneuropathy (13.3%). In patients treated with abiraterone, after 3 months of therapy the PSA reduction rate >50% was 35.1%, the PSA progression rate was 46.0%, and the disease control rate was 47.1%. Main grade 3/4 hematotoxicities were anemia (5.1%) and thrombocytopenia (5.1%). Main non-hematological toxicities were fatigue (20.5%), sweating (17.9%), and constipation (10.3%)., Conclusion: Utilization of cabazitaxel and abiraterone in the daily routine show response rates comparable to their approval studies with acceptable side effects.

This review summarizes results of neoadjuvant and adjuvant trials for locally advanced bladder cancer as well as data on systemic chemotherapy for metastatic urothelial cancer. Increasing attention has been drawn to targeted cancer therapies in the treatment of urothelial cancer in recent years. In future, molecular profiling will play a major role as a means to tailor individual therapy.

Preoxygenation is a simple technique to expand the time under planned apnea till the patient is endangered by hypoxia. In this study, we analysed how preoxygenation is used by anaesthesiologists in clinical routine and how this method is tolerated by the patients. One hundred and twenty-one anaesthesiologists of 4 hospitals were interviewed anonymously about training level, rank, indication for preoxygenation and techniques of preoxygenation, as well as their estimation of the patients' discomfort during preoxygenation. Data on 100 patients about oxygen-mask-tolerance were acquired by an anonymous questionnaire from a standard quality control inquiry. We received back 76 of the 121 questionnaires of anaesthesiologists (63 %). Fifty-nine percent of the anaesthesiologists (45/76) preoxygenated in clinical routine. With increasing training time and higher ranks, less anaesthesiologists preoxygenated routinely: junior residents: 80 %; senior residents: 68 %; consultants: 60 %; assistant medical directors: 48 %.80 % of the anaesthesiologists (61/76) used imperfect techniques for preoxygenation (e. g. oxygen-flow < 8 l/min). At the time of preoperative evaluation, the patients estimated the discomfort during preoxygenation on a continuous scale (1 to 10) as 2 (median; 1 - 7: 95 % confidence interval). Postoperatively, the patients mentioned no discomfort: 1 (1 - 1). The anaesthesiologists overestimated their patients' discomfort significantly with 5 (3 - 7) (p < 0.001).In conclusion, preoxygenation, a simple safety procedure, is not routinely used by many anaesthesiologists and imperfect methods are often employed. A possible reason for the anaesthesiologists' reluctance to preoxygenate is an overestimation of the patients' discomfort, though the patients tolerate preoxygenation very well.

Provocation tests with pharmacodynamic substances should preferably be conducted as dose-effect relation tests. Reservoir methods are well suited to guarantee a relatively constant intrabronchial deposition in respect of both the site of deposition (centrally, peripherally) and the deposited quantity. A commercially produced reservoir method has been available for some time now (Provocation test IR, Pari-Medanz, Starnberg). It was the aim of our study to find out which initial concentration of carbachol is necessary with this reservoir method to avoid incidents even if there is a marked hyperreactivity. Another goal was to find out the cumulative total quantity allowing differentiation between healthy subjects and asthmatic patients (cumulative total dose; maximum possible sensitivity and specificity). In 22 patients assessed to have healthy lungs according to clinical criteria and 22 subjects suffering from clinically confirmed asthma bronchiale, provocation tests were performed using increasing quantities of carbachol: Carbachol concentrations of 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.4% and 1.0% were nebulized to a aerosol volume of 5 litres. Whole body plethysmography was performed after each carbachol inhalation (Raw, FEV1, ITGV), so that dose-effect relations could be established. To calculate bronchial hyperreactivity, straight lines of linear regression were calculated for Raw (y = mx) (calculation of reactivity after Orehec). From this we calculated average reactivities for healthy subjects and asthmatic patients with pertaining standard deviations. We found that an initial dose of 0.05% carbachol sprayed in an aqueous solution in relation to 5 litres, was unnecessary if the patients did not suffer from any relevant obstruction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Inhalative bronchial provocation tests with pharmacodynamic substances, such as histamine, methacholine or carbachol are performed to confirm or exclude bronchial hyperreactivity. The provocation schemas employed so far are often very tedious, with 8 or 9 inhalation steps, or include the danger of severe or hazardous obstructions in case of 1-step or 2-step tests. A provocation test is presented that can be conducted in about 30 minutes' time comprising only 4 inhalation steps. In a separate group of 44 clinically defined healthy subjects and patients suffering from asthma bronchiale, we determined the minimal concentration and cumulative total dose of carbachol to find a non-hazardous initial concentration on the one hand and to arrive at a best possible separation of healthy subjects and asthmatics on the other. Subsequently, 20 patients suspected of bronchial hyperreactivity were provoked by inhalation, using a commercial reservoir method 1. We used carbachol provocative solutions of 0.1 and 0.5% (0.1% 5 1, 0.1% 5 1, 0.5% 5 1, 0.5% 5 1, 0.5% 10 1). At the beginning and at the end of the study, whole body plethysmography was performed (Raw, FEV1, ITGV). A peak flow meter was employed for the intermediate steps. 13 of the 20 patients showed bronchial hyperreactivity. 11 of these 13 patients were provoked according to the schema mentioned above; an intermediate step was introduced in 2 patients. The peak flow dropped on the average by 28% and the FEV1 on the average by 33%. The airway resistance increased by 300% on the average compared with the initial value. There were no severe obstructions that required parenteral treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)