Prostate Cancer Presenting with Pruritus and Cholestasis

[Non-obstructive jaundice as paraneoplastic syndrome of prostate carcinoma: Systematic review of published cases]

Stauffer syndrome is a paraneoplastic syndrome (PS) that involves liver disorders; it has been often related to renal tumors, but also to others such as adenocarcinoma of the prostate (ACP). Our objective was to carry out a systematic review of published cases associated with ACP. A total of 357 articles were accessed, 25 of which met the study's inclusion criteria. All published cases of Stauffer syndrome in patients diagnoses with ACP were in the metastatic stage. The PS resolved in 3 out of 4 patients when ACP-targeted therapy was implemented. The following were identified as poor prognosis factors: the diagnosis of ACP prior to that of SP, non-elevated levels of total bilirubin, and the non-resolution of SP at the start of treatment.

Stauffer syndrome: a comprehensive review of the disease and diagnostic plan proposal

Stauffer syndrome, first described by Herbert Stauffer in 1961, is a hepatic paraneoplastic syndrome characterized by multiple extrahepatic malignancies, most commonly renal cell carcinoma. The syndrome manifests a wide range of symptoms caused by various pathophysiological mechanisms and presents with abnormalities in liver function tests in either cholestatic or non-cholestatic patterns.

Stauffer’s syndrome is classified into two types: classical and jaundice variants. Some crossovers continue to occur, complicating the diagnosis of such a rare and frequently missed syndrome, which can be the only diagnostic clue for the retrograde detection of a hidden malignancy.

To bridge the gap regarding such an important, but still unrecognized, syndrome, not only did we thoroughly cover what had previously been proposed in the literature, but we also proposed a diagnostic protocol based on multicenter experience with such a rare disease.

Cronkhite-Canada syndrome: An investigation in clinical features and pathogenesis

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the clinical features and potential pathogenesis of a rare nonhereditary polyposis syndrome, Cronkhite-Canada syndrome (CCS).

METHODS

Medical records of eight patients with CCS who were admitted to our hospital from January 2005 to November 2019 were reviewed. Transcriptome profiling was performed in one patient to investigate its difference between gastric polyp tissue and normal mucosa. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were determined for functional analysis. The expression of inhibin beta A (INHBA) was further assessed by using immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

All patients presented with gastrointestinal polyposis, accompanied by diarrhea, skin hyperpigmentation, hair loss and nail dystrophy. Hyperplastic polyps were observed in seven patients, tubular adenoma in two, inflammatory polyps in one and hamartomatous polyps in one, respectively. All patients underwent comprehensive treatment and five achieved clinical remission. A total of 2107 DEGs, including 1265 upregulated and 842 downregulated, were found in the gastric polyp. Gene ontology analysis showed that upregulated genes were significantly enriched in the positive regulation of cell proliferation, epithelium development and angiogenesis. A protein-protein interaction analysis suggested that INHBA was at the center of the interaction network and might play an important role in CCS. Immunohistochemistry confirmed that INHBA expression was upregulated in CCS gastric polyps.

CONCLUSIONS

CCS is a rare disease and its diagnosis mainly depends on typical clinical manifestations, endoscopic findings and histological features. INHBA upregulation may contribute to its pathogenesis.