Introduction Retroperitoneal fibrosis (RF) is a fibrotic process in the retroperitoneum, that often causes ureteral obstruction. This condition, first described by Albarran in 1905, became an established clinical entity in 1948 owing to the work of Ormond. Studying the origins of this illness, Koep and Zuidema (1977) reviewed 481 cases of RF, of which 68% were considered idiopathic. This study ...

A 41 -year old female patient was admitted with acute onset of dyspnea and chest pain. Previous history revealed asthma, chronic sinusitis and eosinophilic proctitis. Electrocardiogram showed anterior ST-segment elevations and inferior ST-segment depression. Immediate heart catheterization revealed a distally occluded left anterior descending coronary artery, the occlusion being reversible afte...

AIM Radiobiological analysis of clinical data suggests that prostate cancer has a low α/β ratio, implying that large radiotherapy fractions may better control the disease. Acceleration of radiotherapy may be also of importance in a subset of tumors. In this study we assessed the feasibility and efficacy of a highly accelerated and hypofractionated scheme of radiotherapy (HypoARC), for the treat...

BACKGROUND Non-invasive diagnostic tools to evaluate the severity of acute, radiation-induced proctitis are not readily available. The faecal excretion of eight markers of gut inflammation was therefore examined. Five proteins and three lipid derivates were analysed in sequential stool samples taken before and during radiation therapy. METHODS Stool samples from 15 patients with prostate canc...

Purpose Research describing proctitis or pelvic radiation disease symptoms of prostate cancer patients one year after external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) plus high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy is limited. This study aimed to assess prostate cancer patients' pelvic radiation disease symptoms from baseline to 12 months post-radiotherapy. Material and methods Men with prostate cancer referred for...

AIM The aim of this study was to evaluate acute adverse events and efficacy of three-dimensional intensity- modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) combined with endocrine therapy for intermediate and advanced prostate cancer. METHODS Sixty-seven patients were treated with three-dimensional IMRT combined with maximum androgen blockade. The correlation between radiation-induced rectal injury and clinica...

A 73-year-old man with a history of prostate cancer and radiation proctitis presented for a surveillance colonoscopy. Radiation proctopathy was found and was treated with argon plasma coagulation. A retroflexion was performed with some difficulty. A 2-cm linear tear was noted at the rectum junction (●" Fig.1), showing exposure of the muscularis layer of the rectum with oozing blood. Three endoc...

BACKGROUND Radiation proctitis is a complication of radiotherapy for malignant pelvic disease. Argon beam coagulation is a new and rapidly evolving technology that permits a "no-touch" electrocoagulation of diseased tissue. METHODS We analyzed retrospectively the records of 7 patients with prostatic and endometrial cancers treated with irrradiation (median radiation dose was 6840 cGy, range 2...

Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) is a sexually transmitted infectious disease caused by serovars L1, L2 and L3 of Chlamydia trachomatis. The initial presentation is usually a painless ulcerated papule on the genitalia or distal proctitis. The progression of the infection can lead to major complications: rectal strictures, intestinal obstruction or perforation. We present five cases of LGV proctit...