Abstract. Early detection and treatment are critical in the management of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, there is no standard serum biomarker to facilitate early diagnosis or prognostic stratification in patients with RCC. Recent reports suggest that circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) have great potential as biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis in patients with several types of cancers. Further, many studies using miRNA microarray analysis demonstrated that miR-210 expression in clear cell carcinoma (CCC), which is the largest subtype of RCC, was significantly upregulated in tumor tissue. Therefore, we investigated whether serum miR-210 could be a useful biomarker for the diagnosis and progression of CCC. This study included 34 CCC patients and 23 healthy controls (HC). First, we analyzed tissue miR-210 levels in tumor tissues and matched normal tissues from the 34 CCC patients. Second, we investigated the serum miR-210 levels in the 34 CCC patients and the 23 HC patients. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to measure miRNA levels. Moreover, we examined the correlation between serum miR-210 levels and the clinicopathological parameters. Among patients with CCC, expression of miR-210 was higher in tumor tissues compared to normal tissues (P<0.001). Serum miR-210 levels were higher in CCC patients compared to HCs (P=0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.77 (95% confidence interval, 0.65-0.89) and a sensitivity and specificity of 65 and 83%, respectively. In addition, there was no significant association between serum miR-210 levels and age, sex, tumor size or existence of metastasis at diagnosis among the 34 CCC patients. In conclusion, serum miR-210 upregulation may occur in the early stage of CCC and serum miR-210 can be a useful biomarker for early CCC in humans.

These miRNAs may contribute to sunitinib resistance in humans.

Objective: To evaluate the prognostic significance of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in patients receiving chemotherapy with docetaxel for castration-resistant prostate cancer. Methods: A total of 57 castration-resistant prostate cancer patients treated between 2009 and 2014 were included in the present retrospective study. All patient data, including clinicopathological factors, were assessed. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were used to predict overall survival and progression-free survival after chemotherapy initiation. Results: The median overall survival and progression-free survival were determined as 19.0 months (range 1-61 months) and 10.0 months (range 1-56 months), respectively. The cut-off level of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was set as the median value of 3.5 among all patients in this study. In Kaplan-Meier analysis, the median overall survival and progression-free survival were shorter in patients with a high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio compared with those with a low neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (15 vs 20 months, P = 0.0125; and 9.5 vs 15 months, P = 0.0132, respectively). The overall survival and progression-free survival periods in patients with a high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio were significantly shorter than those of patients with a low neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (P = 0.0178 and 0.0176, respectively). In the multivariate analysis, a high neutrophilto-lymphocyte ratio was an independent predictor of overall survival and progressionfree survival (hazard ratio 2.728, 95% confidence interval 1.05-7.09, P = 0.039; and hazard ratio 2.376, 95% confidence interval 1.12-5.06, P = 0.024, respectively). Conclusion: The present study results suggest that the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio is a useful prognostic factor in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer treated by docetaxel chemotherapy. These findings might be useful in determining treatment strategies in the future.

This study indicates that not only clinicopathological factors, but also preoperative biomarkers, such as serum creatinine and hemoglobin levels and ECOG PS, predict a poor survival in patients with upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma.

Background In this study, we investigated the effect of preoperative prostate morphology, especially intravesical prostatic protrusion (IPP), on continence after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). Methods Retrospective analysis was applied to patients who underwent RARP between October 2010 and July 2014. The following parameters were assessed in all patients: age, body mass index (BMI), prostate-specific antigen, magnetic resonance imaging and pressure-flow studies findings. The impact of preoperative and intraoperative factors on postoperative urinary incontinence (UI) was assessed using multivariate logistic regression analysis. To evaluate the effects of IPP, the patients were divided into groups according to the IPP length: Group 1, < 5 mm and Group 2, ≥ 5 mm. The International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), Overactive Bladder Symptom Score, Quality of Life index and the number of pads used were assessed. Results A total of 119 patients were eligible for this study. Multivariate analyses showed that IPP (odds ratio (OR) 1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02–1.28, p < 0.05) and nerve-sparing (NS) (OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.18–0.61, p < 0.01) were significant factors related to UI in the first month after RARP. Twelve months after RARP, multivariate analyses revealed that only NS is a factor related to postoperative UI (OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.18–0.61, p < 0.01). The comparison of Groups 1 and 2 indicated significant differences in age (p < 0.01), prostate volume (p < 0.01), total IPSS and voiding symptom score (p < 0.05), compliance (p < 0.01), and detrusor pressure at maximum flow (p < 0.01). Group 1 had a higher continence rate (38.0%) than Group 2 (20.8%) in the first month after RARP (p < 0.05), but the difference was no longer significant from the third month after RARP. The total IPSS and voiding symptom scores were significantly different between the two groups before RARP, however, the significant difference disappeared from the first month after RARP. Conclusions The data suggest that IPP affects early postoperative UI. Although NS was strongly involved in UI in the early and later stages after RARP, IPP had no effect on UI in the later stages.