M. Albersen MD, PhD

Stromal tumour of unknown malignant potential of the prostate: A case report and review of the literature

SUMMARY

Stromal tumour of unknown malignant potential (STUMP) is a rare type of mesenchymal tumour of the prostate. These tumours often cause obstructive urinary symptoms, haematuria or haematospermia and can be misdiagnosed as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). STUMP has a variable and unpredictable clinical course. Generally, these tumours have a good prognosis since they are mostly confined to the prostate. However, a minority recurs after surgery and uncommonly can adhere to adjacent organs or (even more rarely) metastasizes. Progression to prostatic stromal sarcoma has rarely been reported. The diagnosis is made on histological examination of prostate tissue (from biopsy or transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP)). The appropriate treatment approach is currently unknown. Treatment recommendations should be based on patient age, treatment preference, size or extent of the lesion. This case report describes a case of a 68-years old man who presented with a STUMP and provides an overview of the literature on this topic.

(BELG J MED ONCOL 2022;16(6):303–6)

Succinate dehydrogenase B deficient renal cell carcinoma in a young adult with paraganglioma: Management of a rare, hereditary malignancy

SUMMARY

Succinate dehydrogenase deficient renal cell carcinoma (SDH-RCC) is a very rare but distinct renal neo-plasm, most often presenting at a young age and commonly associated with paragangliomas, pheochromocytomas and gastro-intestinal stromal tumours as a hereditary cancer syndrome. Although SDH-RCCs often have a relatively indolent disease course, higher nuclear grade, coagulative necrosis and sarcomatoid dedifferentiation may indicate aggressive disease. Radical surgery and (targeted) radiation therapy are valuable options in the treatment of these rare tumours. Genetic testing for germline SDH mutations is crucial. First-line relatives with germline SDH mutations should undergo periodical screening since early detection is paramount. The strong presence of the Warburg effect in SDH-related tumours make these the hallmark tumour for ¹⁸Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography based screening and follow-up.

(BELG J MED ONCOL 2021;15(1):44-7)

Immune Checkpoint Inhibition for metastatic penile cancer: a case report and review of the literature

Metastatic penile cancer patients have a poor prognosis of six to twelve months with conventional therapies including surgery, cytotoxic chemotherapy and radiotherapy. We present the promising result of the use of an immune checkpoint inhibitor in a metastatic penile cancer patient. A review of the potential for immuno-therapy in penile cancer is presented.

Penile Mucosal Melanoma: a case report and review of literature

SUMMARY

This article describes the case of a 77-year old patient in whom a brownish bleeding glans lesion led to the diagnosis of a stage pT4b ulcerating melanoma of nodular subtype on excision biopsy, with a suspect lymph node in the left inguinal region. There was no evidence of nodal or distant metastatic disease. Punch biopsy confirmed nodal disease on the left side. Consequently, a complete glansectomy combined with an iliacofemoral lymphadenectomy was performed on the left side, as well as a sentinel procedure on the right side. Pathology showed residual melanoma in situ in the glans and one necrotic adenopathy (1/8) in the inguinal lymphadenectomy. For this node positive melanoma, the multidisciplinary team meeting agreed to start with nivolumab. Based on the ‘Melanoma Focus’ ano-uro-genital (AUG) mucosal melanoma guidelines, the current recommendations of practice are highlighted. However, the available evidence on AUG mucosal melanoma, and especially penile mucosal melanoma, is very limited.

(BELG J MED ONCOL 2020;14(2):74–9)

Case report of a patient treated locally for bone metastatic renal cell carcinoma

SUMMARY

Based on a case report of a 47-year old male with primary bone metastatic renal cell carcinoma, the current treatment options are reviewed in this article.

(BELG J MED ONCOL 2019;13(7):305–8)

Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the male posterior urethra: a rare urogenital malignancy

Primary urethral cancer is an extremely rare and aggressive malignancy. Due to its rarity and the lack of large prospective trials, no standardised treatment protocols are currently available, and treatment decisions are most often made on a case-to-case basis. We present the case of a 62-year-old male with squamous cell carcinoma of the posterior urethra treated at our institution followed by an in-depth discussion on presentation, diagnosis and treatment of this rare cancer.

(BELG J MED ONCOL 2019;13(1):27–30)

Penile cancer

It has become of yearly tradition of BMUC to put a tumor type in the spotlight that is often overlooked at (inter)national symposia. This year, Prof. Maarten Albersen gave an overview of the current treatment landscape of penile cancer.