OBJECTIVE: To evaluate treatment outcomes in Wilms' tumor (WT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 53 children with median age of 2 years with WT, stages I-19, II-14, III-12, IV-6 and V-2. Treatment consisted of surgical excision plus adjuvant (40 children) or neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy (unresectable tumor, n = 8, or caval tumor extension, n = 5). Chemotherapy and radiotherapy followed protocols of Brazilian Wilms' Tumor Study Group excepting 16 cases with stage I disease that received a short duration postoperative treatment with vincristine (VCR - 11 doses) and dactinomycin (AMD - 4 doses). Relapsed WT was treated with multiagent regimens including cisplatin/carboplatin, cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide and etoposide. One patient with resistant relapsed WT was treated by high-dose conditioning chemotherapy with stem cell rescue. RESULTS: Overall and disease-free survival rates at 5 years were respectively 88.2 ± 5.0% and 76.7 ± 6.6%. Short duration therapy for stage I tumor showed a disease-free survival rate of 100% in a median time of 101 months (range 14 to 248 months). Overall and disease-free survival of 10 patients with recurrent WT at 5 years was 42.8%. The child treated with high-dose chemotherapy plus stem cell transplant is alive without evidence of disease 84 months from relapse. CONCLUSION: The postoperative chemotherapy in stage I disease can be reduced without compromising the cure rate. The treatment of unfavorable stage III and IV disease or relapsed tumor remains a challenge.

INTRODUCTION: The treatment of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) presents 2 options: medical or surgical, and there are doubts about what is the best treatment since 80% of patients who undergo surgery become asymptomatic and 10 to 40% of those under medical regimen undergo surgery within a 5 years period. It is difficult to assess the actual costs of treating BPH in Brazil due to several factors, among them regional particularities and the scarcity of current statistical data. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Recently, in the Ribeirão Preto area, São Paulo, Brazil, the IPSS (International Prostatic Symptoms Score) and quality of life were verified in 934 volunteers. It was determined the percentage of individuals with ages ranging from 40 to 79 years with moderate symptoms (score 8-19) and with severe symptoms (score 20-35), values for which are indicated medical and surgical treatment, respectively, according to the Brazilian Society of Urology consensus on BPH. Data on Brazilian population in that age range were obtained from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics referent to the year of 2000. It was determined the number of patients, according to the criteria above, subjected to either one of the treatments mentioned. Surgical costs of prostate transurethral resection were researched according to Unified Health System - SUS tables (US$ 173) and of Brazilian Medical Society - AMB with a mean cost in 3 hospitals of US$ 933. Drug costs were calculated by the annual mean price (US$ 355) of 4 alpha-blockers (tamsulosin, alfuzosin, doxazosin and terazosin). RESULTS: The estimated population for medical treatment was 5,397,321 individuals, with a cost corresponding to US$ 1,916,489,055.00. The estimated population for surgical treatment was 2,040,299 men, what would represent a cost of US$ 353,291,204.00 based on the SUS table and of US$ 1,904,279,066.00 based on AMB with hospital expenses included. CONCLUSION: All theses facts induce us to predict that the treatment of BPH in a not-so-far future can become a public health problem for Brazilian society, since the current estimate would be, approximately, costs around 2.26 - 3.83 billion dollars, added by the yearly increase in the risk population (24.99%) for the group under medical treatment and over the non-operated amount of the surgical group.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Chagas' disease causes specific parasympathetic denervation and in its digestive clinic form promotes also functional alterations in bladder. Thus, the aim was to investigate the existence of balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic systems in lower urinary tract, as occurs in other organs. We verified the urethral closing pressure before and following parasympathetic stimulus. PATIENTS AND METHODS: For that, the urethral closure pressure was studied before and after the injection of 5 mg of bethanechol chloride subcutaneously in 28 voluntary female patients, divided into 4 groups. The constitution of theses groups was: A) normal control = 6 patients; B) Chagas' disease with positive serology only = 5 patients; C) Chagas' disease with cardiac disease = 6 patients, and D) Chagas' disease with digestive disease and vesical hyporeflexia = 11 patients. Urethral profilometry was performed through perfusion urethral catheter with a 6.5 ml/minute flow and a traction rate of 5 mm/minute. RESULTS: Means and standard deviations for urethral closure pressure before bethanechol chloride were respectively: group A = 67.3 ± 7.1; group B = 69.2 ± 7.4; group C = 95.8 ± 5.1; group D = 82.1 ± 8.4. After bethanechol chloride they were: group A = 66.0 ± 6.6; group B = 77.0 ± 7.6; group C = 98.3 ± 8.8; group D = 45.9 ± 6.2. The Kruskal Wallis statistical test did not show statistically significance difference between groups A, B, C. However, it was statistically significant between groups C and D with p = 0.003. Wilcoxon test showed p = 0.001, only for values in group D before and following bethanechol chloride. CONCLUSIONS: Chagas' disease in its intestinal form seems to alter urethral function as well. Parasympathetic stimulation decreased urethral pressure, indicating potential modulation by the parasympathetic system over the sympathetic system.

Objetivo: apresentar os aspectos clínicos, diagnósticos e terapêuticos de pacientes portadores de válvula da uretra anterior. Descrição: em dois neonatos, o diagnóstico presuntivo de patologia obstrutiva do trato urinário foi sugerido pela ultra-sonografia realizada no período pré-natal, confirmando-se o diagnóstico de válvula de uretra anterior pela avaliação pós-natal. Os pacientes foram submetidos a tratamento cirúrgico paliativo, com vesicostomia temporária e, posteriormente, definitivo, pela fulguração endoscópica das válvulas. Ambos evoluíram com função renal normal. Comentários: a válvula da uretra anterior é anomalia rara que deve ser considerada em meninos com quadro radiológico pré-natal sugestivo de obstrução infravesical, secundariamente à hipótese mais comum de válvula da uretra posterior. Ressaltamos a utilização da vesicostomia como derivação urinária temporária nestes casos, prevenindo potenciais complicações pela manipulação da uretra do recém-nascido.

Objective: to discuss clinical signs, diagnostic tools and therapeutics of anterior urethral valves, an obstructive anomaly of the urinary system in males. Description: signs of urinary tract obstruction were identified on pre-natal ultrasound in two male fetuses and the diagnosis of anterior urethral valves was made through post-natal evaluation. As an initial treatment, vesicostomy was performed in both patients. Later, the valves were fulgurated using an endoscopic procedure. During the follow-up period both patients presented normal renal function. Comments: anterior urethral valves are a rare form of urethral anomaly that must be ruled out in boys with pre-natal ultrasound indicating infravesical obstruction. Vesicostomy used as an initial treatment rather than transurethral fulguration may prevent potential complications that can occur due to the small size of the neonatal urethra.

A marcação imunohistoquímica da proteina p53 foi estudada em tumores da adrenal conservados em formol ou em blocos de parafina, pelo método da avidina-biotina-peroxidase com recuperação antigênica. Foram estudados 24 carcinomas e 26 adenomas com o objetivo de verificar se o marcador mostrava capacidade de distinção entre eles. Em 62,5% dos carcinomas a marcação foi positiva enquanto que nos adenomas foi de 15,4%, diferença essa estatisticamente significante (p=0,0003). A sensibilidade, especificidade e valor preditivo positivo desse marcador para o diagnóstico do câncer foram, respectivamente: 83,3%, 71,8% e 62,5%. Não houve relação entre o índice de marcação e outros parâmetros clínicos, como peso do tumor, estádio local, recidiva e metástases. Os autores concluem que o marcador é útil no diagnóstico diferencial de massas da adrenal, mas não tem relação com a agressividade biológica da neoplasia maligna.

Fez-se um estudo imunohistoquímico do antígeno nuclear de proliferação celular (PCNA) em 26 adenomas e 24 carcinomas de adrenal através da técnica da avidina-biotina-peroxidase. O índice de marcação (IP) do PCNA, definido com o número de células marcadas/1000 contadas, foi em média de 77,4± 66,1 (mediana - 63,5) para os adenomas enquanto que para os carcinomas foi 215,8± 56,0 (mediana - 217,5) (p<0,0001). Estabelecendo-se o IP de 100 o marcador (para a discriminação de carcinomas dos adenomas) o marcador exibiu sensibilidade, especificidade e valor preditivo positivo seguintes, respectivamente: 100%, 69% e 75%.

Estudou-se a marcação imunohistoquímica para o MIB-1 (Ki-67) em 24 carcinomas da córtex adrenal. A idade dos pacientes variou de 1 a 53 anos, com mediana de 7,5. Excetuando 1 paciente com doença avançada, todos foram submetidos à adrenalectomia. O tempo de seguimento variou de 1 a 13 anos. No momento do diagnóstico 7/24 pacientes já apresentavam metástases e no decorrer do seguimento 3 pacientes adicionais as desenvolveram. A média do peso tumoral dos sobreviventes livres da doença foi de 400± 687 g enquanto que nos falecidos ou com neoplasia após a cirurgia foi de 508± 335 g, diferença essa sem significado estatístico. Tumores maiores que 200 g mostraram pior prognóstico do que aqueles com peso menor (p = 0,01). Os valores médios do índice mitótico (IM) para tumores em estádio I, II, III e IV foram respectivamente: 17,4± 10,0, 12,4± 11,2, 18,3± 14,0 e 28,3± 21,0. A comparação das médias revelou p>0,2. Os valores médios do índice de proliferação(IP) determinado pelo MIB-1 nos estádios I, II, III e IV foram respectivamente: 201,4± 131,0, 179,6± 98,7, 129,1± 170,2 e 124,0± 99,4. A comparação estatística dessas médias mostrou p>0,3. Valores do IP maiores que 20 estão associados a pior prognóstico. O IP não mostrou relação com o prognóstico.