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Zhong B, Zhang T, Dong Y, Yin W, Zhang JX, Jin WD. Case report: A case with atypical presentation oftesticular choriocarcinoma. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1223873. [PMID: 39099693 PMCID: PMC11294831 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1223873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Testicular choriocarcinoma is a relatively rare malignancy with a highly aggressive nature. Timely diagnosis and treatment can help prolong the survival of patients and even cure them. This case reports a 29-year-old male who presented to the clinic for a month with epigastric pain. On examination, a massive mass of approximately 9*10 cm could be palpated in the upper abdomen. When asked about his previous history, the patient only described a history of a right inguinal hernia that had been repaired 12 years earlier. The admission diagnosis was considered the retroperitoneal tumor, which was found to have metastasized to the liver and lungs after the completion of relevant tests. We then performed a CT-guided lune puncture biopsy on day 8 of admission. The biopsy pathology suggested metastatic cancer was considered. As the symptoms of tumor compression gradually worsened, we performed surgical treatment (retroperitoneal tumor resection + partial duodenal resection + enteroanastomosis) on day 13 of admission. The postoperative pathology was choriocarcinoma. We subsequently conducted a detailed inquiry with the patient's family about his medical history and found a history of inguinal testicle. Through testicular ultrasound examination, it was preliminarily determined to be testicular choriocarcinoma (not yet pathologically confirmed). We wanted to start salvage chemotherapy as soon as possible after surgery. However, the patient's postoperative condition was poor, with rapid progression of hepatopulmonary metastases and gradually increased thyrotoxicosis, and we started salvage chemotherapy (EP regimen: etoposide and cisplatin) on postoperative day 12. However, the patient was forced to stop due to a severe chemotherapy reaction and died of respiratory and cardiac arrest in the hospital. For male patients with retroperitoneal mass, the possibility of germ-cell neoplasm should first be excluded. By inquiring in detail about a history of cryptorchidism and in the initial days of hospitalization, testicular exploration, ultrasounds, and serum tumor markers (AFP, β-HCG) tests can be conducted to rule out the possibility of germ-cell neoplasm, thereby preventing misdiagnosis and treatment delays. If the clinical diagnosis is metastatic germ-cell tumor with severe symptoms of metastatic disease, surgery should never be used as the initial treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Zhong
- The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tao Zhang
- Department of Emergency, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yi Dong
- Department of General Surgery, General Hospital of Central Theater Command, Wuhan, China
| | - Wei Yin
- Department of General Surgery, General Hospital of Central Theater Command, Wuhan, China
| | - Jian-Xin Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, General Hospital of Central Theater Command, Wuhan, China
| | - Wei-Dong Jin
- Department of General Surgery, General Hospital of Central Theater Command, Wuhan, China
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Lei N, Lei LL, Wang CH, Mei CR. Pure testicular choriocarcinoma, a rare and highly malignant subtype with challenging treatment: A case report and review of the literature. Mol Clin Oncol 2024; 20:1. [PMID: 38223403 PMCID: PMC10784770 DOI: 10.3892/mco.2023.2699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Testicular choriocarcinoma (CC) is the rarest subtype of germ cell tumours (GCTs) of the testis, with a high malignant potential and early haematogenous metastasis. Radical surgical resection should be performed primarily for histological diagnosis, while chemotherapy remains the mainstay of therapy for advanced disease. In the present study, the case of a 65-year-old male patient diagnosed with metastatic testicular CC, who did not fully respond to chemotherapy is reported. This patient underwent surgical removal of the testicular tumour, chemotherapy with etoposide and cisplatin, and radiotherapy of the intracranial lesions. Although the serum human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) levels of the patient and most of the metastases continued decreasing during chemotherapy, complete response was not achieved after six cycles of chemotherapy. The patient refused high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation due to severe side effects, and eventually developed respiratory failure on maintenance therapy with oral etoposide. A literature review was then performed, aiming to summarize the characteristics and therapeutic principles of testicular CC. In addition, the emerging therapeutic agents that could be used in maintenance therapy for GCTs, particularly for testicular CC, were also discussed. The limited clinical trials of targeted treatments showed potential benefit for long survival of patients with selected GCTs with fewer side effects. In particular, immunotherapy showed unique potential for testicular CC in preclinical studies, offering new approaches of maintenance therapy for advanced disease. Further studies should shed light on the identification of prognostic factors that predict the response to immune-based therapy in GCTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Lei
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital of Chengdu Office of People's Government of Tibetan Autonomous Region (Hospital. C. T.), Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, P.R. China
| | - Li-Li Lei
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital of Chengdu Office of People's Government of Tibetan Autonomous Region (Hospital. C. T.), Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, P.R. China
| | - Chao-Hong Wang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital of Chengdu Office of People's Government of Tibetan Autonomous Region (Hospital. C. T.), Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, P.R. China
| | - Chao-Rong Mei
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital of Chengdu Office of People's Government of Tibetan Autonomous Region (Hospital. C. T.), Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, P.R. China
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3
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The clinical value of circulating free tumor DNA in testicular germ cell tumor patients. Urol Oncol 2022; 40:412.e15-412.e24. [DOI: 10.1016/j.urolonc.2022.04.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Alsalhi A, Ayon NJ, Coulibaly F, Alshamrani M, Al-Nafisah A, Youan BBC. Enhancing Etoposide Aqueous Solubility and Anticancer Activity with L-Arginine. Assay Drug Dev Technol 2021; 19:508-525. [PMID: 34757813 DOI: 10.1089/adt.2021.085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
It is hypothesized that L-arginine (ARG) can improve etoposide (VP-16) water solubility while preserving its anticancer activity. Factorial design is used to identify conditions for optimum drug aqueous solubility after freeze-drying. The physicochemical properties of the optimized formulation is further analyzed by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Drug stability in formulation is analyzed using mass spectrometry based fragmentation analysis. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and cell viability assay on Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7) cell line are performed to assess the drug cellular uptake and the anticancer activity, respectively. At the VP-16: ARG ratio of 4:10 (w/w), the drug apparent solubility increased significantly (∼65-folds) with a 3.5-fold improvement in the drug dissolution rate. The interaction between VP-16 and ARG transforms the drug from crystalline to amorphous solid state. VP-16-ARG complex in lower native drug concentration range (50-300 μM) has lower anticancer activity compared with native VP-16, due to reduced intracellular transport of the more hydrophilic complex as indicated by the cell viability assay and confirmed by cell uptake study. However, at higher drug concentrations (500 μM) the complex's higher anticancer activity is ascribed to the synergistic effect between ARG and VP-16. These data suggest that an optimal ARG concentration can have positive effects with potential benefits for chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdullah Alsalhi
- Division of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Missouri-Kansas city, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
| | - Navid J Ayon
- Division of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Missouri-Kansas city, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
| | - Fohona Coulibaly
- Division of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Missouri-Kansas city, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
| | - Meshal Alshamrani
- Division of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Missouri-Kansas city, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
| | - Abrar Al-Nafisah
- Department of Chemistry, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
| | - Bi-Botti C Youan
- Division of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Missouri-Kansas city, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
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Best OV, Kim LHC, Patel MI. Metastatic testicular choriocarcinoma to the rectum requiring diverting colostomy. ANZ J Surg 2021; 91:1936-1938. [DOI: 10.1111/ans.16683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 12/19/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Oliver v. Best
- Department of Urology Westmead Hospital Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Discipline of Surgery, Sydney Medical School The University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Lawrence H. C. Kim
- Department of Urology Westmead Hospital Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Discipline of Surgery, Sydney Medical School The University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Manish I. Patel
- Department of Urology Westmead Hospital Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Discipline of Surgery, Sydney Medical School The University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
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Fazal Z, Singh R, Fang F, Bikorimana E, Baldwin H, Corbet A, Tomlin M, Yerby C, Adra N, Albany C, Lee S, Freemantle SJ, Nephew KP, Christensen BC, Spinella MJ. Hypermethylation and global remodelling of DNA methylation is associated with acquired cisplatin resistance in testicular germ cell tumours. Epigenetics 2020; 16:1071-1084. [PMID: 33126827 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2020.1834926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Testicular germ cell tumours (TGCTs) respond well to cisplatin-based therapy. However, cisplatin resistance and poor outcomes do occur. It has been suggested that a shift towards DNA hypermethylation mediates cisplatin resistance in TGCT cells, although there is little direct evidence to support this claim. Here we utilized a series of isogenic cisplatin-resistant cell models and observed a strong association between cisplatin resistance in TGCT cells and a net increase in global CpG and non-CpG DNA methylation spanning regulatory, intergenic, genic and repeat elements. Hypermethylated loci were significantly enriched for repressive DNA segments, CTCF and RAD21 sites and lamina associated domains, suggesting that global nuclear reorganization of chromatin structure occurred in resistant cells. Hypomethylated CpG loci were significantly enriched for EZH2 and SUZ12 binding and H3K27me3 sites. Integrative transcriptome and methylome analyses showed a strong negative correlation between gene promoter and CpG island methylation and gene expression in resistant cells and a weaker positive correlation between gene body methylation and gene expression. A bidirectional shift between gene promoter and gene body DNA methylation occurred within multiple genes that was associated with upregulation of polycomb targets and downregulation of tumour suppressor genes. These data support the hypothesis that global remodelling of DNA methylation is a key factor in mediating cisplatin hypersensitivity and chemoresistance of TGCTs and furthers the rationale for hypomethylation therapy for refractory TGCT patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeeshan Fazal
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Ratnakar Singh
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Fang Fang
- Medical Sciences Program, Indiana University School of Medicine, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Emmanuel Bikorimana
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Hannah Baldwin
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Andrea Corbet
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Megan Tomlin
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Cliff Yerby
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Nabil Adra
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Costantine Albany
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Sarah Lee
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Sarah J Freemantle
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Kenneth P Nephew
- Medical Sciences Program, Indiana University School of Medicine, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Brock C Christensen
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Michael J Spinella
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.,Carle Illinois College of Medicine and Cancer Center of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
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Rabaça A, Ferreira C, Bernardino R, Alves M, Oliveira P, Viana P, Barros A, Sousa M, Sá R. Use of antioxidant could ameliorate the negative impact of etoposide on human sperm DNA during chemotherapy. Reprod Biomed Online 2020; 40:856-866. [PMID: 32376314 DOI: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2020.01.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Revised: 12/31/2019] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
RESEARCH QUESTION A previous study showed that N-acetylcysteine (NAC), used after in-vitro exposure to the gonadotoxic chemotherapeutic drug etoposide, has the ability to decrease DNA damage in human spermatozoa; however, it showed no benefit when used before exposure. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the NAC on the preservation of sperm quality during in-vitro exposure to etoposide. DESIGN Twenty semen samples were submitted to four experimental conditions: control, NAC-only incubation, etoposide-only incubation, and concomitant etoposide and NAC incubation. After in-vitro incubation, semen parameters, sperm chromatin condensation, sperm DNA fragmentation, sperm oxidative stress and sperm metabolism were used to evaluate the role of NAC in protecting human spermatozoa from etoposide. RESULTS Etoposide did not affect semen parameters, nor did it cause sperm oxidative damage or alterations in glycolytic profile. However, it induced chromatin decondensation and DNA fragmentation, which were fully prevented by NAC. CONCLUSIONS NAC was able to protect sperm DNA integrity during etoposide treatment in vitro, suggesting that NAC may be useful as an adjuvant agent in preserving male fertility during chemotherapy treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Rabaça
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Department of Microscopy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto (UP), Porto, Portugal
| | - Carolina Ferreira
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Department of Microscopy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto (UP), Porto, Portugal
| | - Raquel Bernardino
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Department of Microscopy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto (UP), Porto, Portugal; Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine (UMIB), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Marco Alves
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Department of Microscopy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto (UP), Porto, Portugal; Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine (UMIB), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro Oliveira
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Department of Microscopy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto (UP), Porto, Portugal; Department of Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Health Institute of Research and Innovation (IPATIMUP/i3S), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Paulo Viana
- Centre for Reproductive Genetics A. Barros (CGR), Porto, Portugal
| | - Alberto Barros
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Health Institute of Research and Innovation (IPATIMUP/i3S), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Centre for Reproductive Genetics A. Barros (CGR), Porto, Portugal
| | - Mário Sousa
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Department of Microscopy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto (UP), Porto, Portugal; Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine (UMIB), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Rosália Sá
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Department of Microscopy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto (UP), Porto, Portugal; Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine (UMIB), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
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