Trends of First-Line Targeted Therapy in Korean Patients With Metastatic Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma: Sunitinib Versus Pazopanib, a Multicenter Study

Purpose@#There have been few reports on comparison between sunitinib and pazopanib as first-line targeted therapy in Korean metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). We sought to analyze the treatment trends of metastatic ccRCC by comparing the effects and adverse events of sunitinib and pazopanib. @*Materials and Methods@#Data of 357 metastatic RCC patients who received the sunitinib or pazopanib as the first-line targeted therapy from the Daegyeong Oncology Study Group database was obtained and analyzed. Among these patients, patients who only clear cell type was confirmed after needle biopsy or nephrectomy were included, and patients who underwent target therapy for less than 3 months were excluded. @*Results@#Of 251 patients who met the inclusion criteria, sunitinib and pazopanib group were identified in 156 (62%) and 95 patients (38%), respectively. Pazopanib group was older (66 years vs. 61 years, p=0.001) and more symptomatic (65% vs. 52%, p=0.037) and had more patients with Karnofsky performance status <80 (20% vs. 11%, p=0.048) and fewer number of organ metastases (p=0.004) compared to sunitinib group. There was no significant difference in disease control rate (88.5% vs. 87.3%, p=0.744), the median progression-free survival (19 months vs. 15 months, p=0.444) and overall survival (25 months vs. 19 months, p=0.721) between sunitinib and pazopanib. The most common grade 3/4 adverse events with sunitinib and pazopanib were anemia (5%) and hand-foot syndrome (3%), respectively. There was no significant difference between sunitinib and pazopanib in number of patients who experienced grade 3/4 adverse events (15% vs. 11%, p=0.275). However, there were more patients who discontinued treatment due to only adverse events in sunitinib group compared to pazopanib group (12% vs. 3%, p=0.020). @*Conclusions@#In Korean metastatic ccRCC, pazopanib tended to be used in patients with poorer health status compared to sunitinib. Sunitinib and pazopanib had no significant difference in treatment effect and survival, but pazopanib had more tolerable adverse events.

Impact of Multiple Prostate Biopsies: Risk of Perioperative Complications and Biochemical Recurrence After Radical Prostatectomy

Purpose@#The aim of this study was to analyze the perioperative complications and oncological outcomes of radical prostatectomy (RP) in patients who underwent multiple prostate biopsies. @*Materials and Methods@#A total of 1,112 patients who underwent RP between January 2009 and April 2016 at 4 different centers were included in this study. We divided these patients into 2 groups: patients who underwent only 1st biopsy, and those who underwent 2nd or more repeated biopsies. The association between the number of prior biopsies and perioperative complications and biochemical recurrence (BCR) was analyzed. @*Results@#Of 1,112 patients, 1,046 patients (94.1%) underwent only 1st biopsy, and 66 (5.9%) underwent 2nd or more repeated biopsies. There were no significant differences in preoperative prostate-specific antigen levels, operation times, blood loss volumes, or hospital stay durations (all p＞0.05). Patients who underwent multiple prostate biopsies presented with a localized tumor significantly more often (p＜0.05). The Gleason score and rate of positive surgical margins were significantly lower in patients with multiple biopsies (all p＜0.05). The Cox proportional hazards model analysis indicated that there was no association between the number of prior prostate biopsies and BCR (p＞0.05). Kaplan-Meier curve analysis indicated that BCR-free survival rates between the 2 groups were similar (p＞0.05). @*Conclusions@#Multiple prostate biopsies are not associated with an increased risk of perioperative complications, adverse pathological outcomes, or higher rates of BCR in patients who have undergone RP. (Korean J Urol Oncol 2020;18:24-31)

Huge Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia / 계명의대학술지

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the most common diseases in older men and it may be accompanied with significant problems in the quality of life. Histological changes of BPH is starting at the age of 35, and there is induced in 60% of 60-year-old men, 80% of 80-year-old men, in 50% of the patient group may lead to lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). A 74-year-old man with huge BPH visited outpatient clinic with severe LUTS of an year duration. He was diagnosed with BPH 11 years ago and underwent transurethral resection of prostate twice. However, the prostate grew up to remarkable size again, which lead to the bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) and renal failure. There is no report for huge BPH (above 300 g) in Korea, we report a case with huge prostate size that is measured 330 g and treated with suprapubic open prostatectomy.

Pathological upgrading in prostate cancer patients eligible for active surveillance: Does prostate-specific antigen density matter?

PURPOSE: To evaluate prospectively the role of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) density in predicting Gleason score upgrading in prostate cancer patients eligible for active surveillance (T1/T2, biopsy Gleason score< or =6, PSA< or =10 ng/mL, and < or =2 positive biopsy cores). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2010 and November 2013, among patients who underwent greater than 10-core transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy, 60 patients eligible for active surveillance underwent radical prostatectomy. By use of the modified Gleason criteria, the tumor grade of the surgical specimens was examined and compared with the biopsy results. RESULTS: Tumor upgrading occurred in 24 patients (40.0%). Extracapsular disease and positive surgical margins were found in 6 patients (10.0%) and 8 patients (17.30%), respectively. A statistically significant correlation between PSA density and postoperative upgrading was found (p=0.030); this was in contrast with the other studied parameters, which failed to reach significance, including PSA, prostate volume, number of biopsy cores, and number of positive cores. Tumor upgrading was also highly associated with extracapsular cancer extension (p=0.000). The estimated optimal cutoff value of PSA density was 0.13 ng/mL2, obtained by receiver operating characteristic analysis (area under the curve=0.66; p=0.020; 95% confidence interval, 0.53-0.78). CONCLUSIONS: PSA density is a strong predictor of Gleason score upgrading after radical prostatectomy in patients eligible for active surveillance. Because tumor upgrading increases the potential for postoperative pathological adverse findings and prognosis, PSA density should be considered when treating and consulting patients eligible for active surveillance.

Clinicopathologic Differences Between Prostate Cancers Detected During Initial and Repeat Transrectal Ultrasound-Guided Biopsy in Korea

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate clinicopathologic differences between prostate cancer (PCa) detected at initial and repeat transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy in a large Korean cohort. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 2000 through 2012, a total of 7,001 patients underwent transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy at 6 centers in Daegu and Gyeongbuk provinces. Of these 7,001 patients, the initial biopsy was positive for PCa in 2,118 patients. Repeat biopsy was performed in 374 of the 4,883 patients with an initial negative finding and a persistently elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, nodules or asymmetry by digital rectal examination (DRE), high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, or atypical small acinar proliferation. Numbers of biopsy cores varied from 6 to 12 according to center and biopsy date. RESULTS: Cancer was diagnosed in 2,118 of the 7,001 patients (30.3%) at initial biopsy and in 86 of the 374 patients (23.0%) at repeat biopsy. The repeat biopsy rate was 5.3%. Mean PSA values were 68.7+/-289.5 ng/mL at initial biopsy and 18.0+/-55.4 ng/mL at repeat biopsy (p<0.001). The mean number of cancer-positive cores per biopsy was 5.5+/-3.5 for initial biopsy and 3.0+/-2.9 for repeat biopsy (p<0.001). Mean Gleason score was 7.5+/-1.4 at initial biopsy and 6.6+/-1.3 at repeat biopsy (p<0.001). For detected cancers, the low-stage rate was higher for repeat biopsy than for initial biopsy (p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Cancers detected at repeat biopsy tend to have lower Gleason scores and stages than cancers detected at initial biopsy. The present study shows that repeat biopsy is needed in patients with a persistently high PSA or abnormal DRE findings.

Association of Carbonic Anhydrase IX Expression on the Prognosis and Therapeutic Response in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma / 계명의대학술지

Recent studies of Carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) expression and clinical significance in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) have given rise to disagreements in the usefulness of CAIX as a prognostic factor. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between CAIX expression and clinical factors in RCC. The medical record of 172 RCC patients in hospital (from January 1999 and December 2007) were reviewed retrospectively. Patients were divided into a high expression group (109 cases) and low expression group (63 cases) according to their degree of CAIX expression. We evaluated the association between CAIX expression and age, body mass index (BMI), type of renal neoplasm, tumor stage, nuclear grade, metastasis after surgery and tumor-specific survival rate. The mean age of the high expression group and the low expression group were 56 years and 54 years respectively. The mean BMI of the high expression group and the low expression group were 24.2 kg/m2 and 24.5 kg/m2 respectively. Comparing the difference between clear cell RCC and non clear cell RCC, CAIX was significantly more expressed in clear cell RCC. There was no significant differences between high expression clear cell RCC and low expression clear cell RCC according to age, BMI, nuclear grade, metastasis after surgery and tumor-specific survival rate (p=0.237, p=0.802, p=0.382, p=0.551). However, in clear cell RCC, CAIX expression was significantly more expressed in patients with higher T or N stages (p=0.015, p=0.033). CAIX was significantly higher expressed in clear cell RCC and was significantly lower expressed in patients with higher T stage or N stage.

Early Experience With Active Surveillance in Low-Risk Prostate Cancer Treated

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to describe our early experience with active surveillance (AS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2008 and December 2012, 35 patients were treated with AS. Selection criteria included the following: Gleason score < or =6 with single positive core, clinical stage < or =T1c, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) < or =10 ng/mL, and unremarkable imaging results. On patient follow-up, we regularly measured PSA (every 3-6 months) and performed prostate biopsies (after 1 and 3 years). RESULTS: In the first year of follow-up, prostate biopsies were performed in 25 patients (13 patients, negative for cancer; 7 patients, Gleason score of 6 without progression; 5 patients, progression, treated with radical prostatectomy [RP]). In the third year of follow-up, prostate biopsies were performed in five patients (two patients, negative for cancer; one patient, Gleason score of 6 without progression; two patients, progression, treated with RP). Seven patients discontinued AS because of increased anxiety, and three patients were lost to follow-up. Overall, seven patients (28%) who experienced progression had a mean PSA doubling time (DT) of 7.54 years. Six patients had a PSA DT of more than 3 years, whereas one had a PSA DT of less than 3 years. This study was limited by its small sample size and short follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: PSA kinetics did not correlate with progression, which suggests that regular biopsies should still be performed. AS is an available treatment option for patients with a low risk of prostate cancer but should only be used in carefully selected patients.

Effect of Overexpression of Glucose-Regulated Protein 78 and Bcl-2 on Recurrence and Survival in Patients With Ureter Tumors

PURPOSE: The utility of the expression of glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) in the evaluation of prognosis depends on the type of tumor. Hence, we aimed to examine the impact of expression of GRP78 and Bcl-2, which are used in the existing prognostic evaluation of ureter tumors, in the evaluation of recurrence and survival rates of ureter tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 53 patients who had undergone radical nephroureterectomy for a ureter tumor from March 2002 to March 2012, age, sex, T stage, nuclear grade, bladder recurrence, and survival rate were analyzed at the time of the patient's surgery depending on the extent of immunohistochemical expression of GRP78 and Bcl-2. RESULTS: GRP78 was overexpressed in 25 patients (47.2%). When GRP78 was overexpressed, there was a high T stage (p=0.001) and nuclear grade (p=0.007) and a lot of bladder recurrence (40.0%, p=0.034). Bcl-2 was overexpressed in 16 patients (30.1%), and there were no significant associations with any risk factors (p>0.05, respectively). In the multivariate analysis regarding bladder recurrence, the recurrence rate was higher with higher pT stage (p=0.048) and when GRP78 (p=0.033) was overexpressed. In the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, although the survival rate was significantly lower in the group in which GRP78 was overexpressed (p=0.03), there was no correlation between Bcl-2 overexpression and survival rate (p=0.07). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with ureter tumors who had overexpression of GRP78 had a high T stage and nuclear grade, a lot of bladder recurrence, and a low survival rate. Therefore, if GRP78 is overexpressed in ureter tumor patients, active postoperative follow-up should be carried out.

Relationship Between Spontaneous Passage Rates of Ureteral Stones Less Than 8 mm and Serum C-Reactive Protein Levels and Neutrophil Percentages

PURPOSE: A ureter obstruction caused by a ureteral stone results in inflammatory changes in the proximal submucosal layer and prevents the spontaneous passage of the ureteral stone. Accordingly, we analyzed the relationship between the spontaneous passage rates of ureteral stones less than 8 mm in size and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and neutrophil percentages. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 187 patients who were diagnosed with ureteral stones less than 8 mm in size and were managed consecutively at Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center from January 2001 to January 2011 were retrospectively analyzed. Ureteral stone removal was defined as no ureteral stone shown in an imaging test without any treatment for 8 weeks after diagnosis. The patients were divided into three groups according to the levels of serum CRP and into two groups according to neutrophil percentage. The associations between these factors and ureteral stone passage rates were then examined. RESULTS: The ureteral stone passage rates of the low serum CRP level group, the medium serum CRP level group, and the high serum CRP level group were 94.1% (159/169), 70% (7/10), and 50.0% (4/8), respectively. The passage rates of ureteral stones in the group with a normal neutrophil percentage and in the group with a higher neutrophil percentage were 94.5% (121/128) and 83.1% (49/59), respectively (p=0.011). CONCLUSIONS: Measuring serum CRP levels and neutrophil percentages in patients with small ureteral stones of less than 8 mm is useful in predicting whether the stone will be spontaneously passed. When the serum CRP level and neutrophil percentage of a patient are high, aggressive treatment such as extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy should be considered.

alpha-Blocker Monotherapy and alpha-Blocker Plus 5-Alpha-Reductase Inhibitor Combination Treatment in Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia; 10 Years' Long-Term Results

PURPOSE: We compared the effects of alpha-adrenergic receptor blocker (alpha-blocker) monotherapy with those of combination therapy with alpha-blocker and 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor (5-ARI) on benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) progression for over 10 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 620 patients with BPH who received alpha-blocker monotherapy (alpha-blocker group, n=368) or combination therapy (combination group, n=252) as their initial treatment were enrolled from January 1989 to June 2000. The incidences of acute urinary retention (AUR) and BPH-related surgery were compared between the two groups. Incidences stratified by follow-up period, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and prostate volume (PV) were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The incidence of AUR was 13.6% (50/368) in the alpha-blocker group and 2.8% (7/252) in the combination group (p2.0 ng/ml or PV >35 ml, combination therapy promises a better effect for reducing the risk of BPH progression.

Usefulness of Preoperative Serum Testosterone as a Predictor of Extraprostatic Extension and Biochemical Recurrence

PURPOSE: A great variety of studies on preoperative serum testosterone as a predictor of progression of prostate cancer have been reported recently. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of preoperative serum testosterone levels in patients who underwent radical prostatectomy with prognostic factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical data were collected from 60 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy. The 60 cases were divided into 2 groups according to their preoperative serum testosterone levels: group 1 (n=21), or =3 ng/ml. The groups were compared according to prog-ression factors. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the correlation between biochemical recurrence and each variable. RESULTS: The incidence of extraprostatic invasions was significantly higher in group 1 with 13 cases in group 1 (61.9%) and 11 cases in group 2 (28.2%) (p=0.011). The incidence of biochemical recurrence was also significantly higher in group 1 with 5 cases in group 1 (23.8%) and 2 cases in group 2 (5.1%) (p=0.032). A low serum testosterone level (< or =3 ng/ml) was associated with an increased risk of biochemical recurrence (odds ratio [OR], 13.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.66 to 2.43; p=0.015) and an increased risk of extraprostatic invasions (OR, 4.96; 95% CI, 1.41 to 17.38; p=0.012). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence rates of extraprostatic invasions and biochemical recurrence were significantly higher in the group with preoperative average serum testosterone of less than 3 ng/ml. Therefore, these results suggest that preoperative average serum testosterone will be useful in predicting postoperative prostate cancer progression.

Expression of Claudin-1 and -7 in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma and Its Clinical Significance

PURPOSE: We investigated the correlations between the expression of claudin-1 and claudin-7 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (clear cell RCC) and clinical parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects of this study were 119 patients with confirmed clear cell RCC between January 2000 and December 2007. Their RCC tissues were immunohistochemically stained for claudin-1 and claudin-7. The correlations between the expression of claudin and parameters such as sex, age, body mass index (BMI), tumor size, TNM stage, Furhman nuclear grade, postoperative distant metastasis, and cancer-specific survival were analyzed. RESULTS: Among the total 119 subjects, claudin-1 was expressed in 18 (15.1%) and claudin- 7 in 31 (26.1%). Claudin-1 was expressed in patients who were older (p=0.007), who had a greater tumor size (p=0.001), who had a higher pathologic T stage (p=0.009), who had preoperative distant metastasis (p=0.035), and who had a higher Furhman nuclear grade (p=0.004). Claudin-7 was expressed only in patients who had a higher Furhman nuclear grade (p=0.031). The risk of postoperative distant metastasis was associated with the expression of claudin-1 (p0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In clear cell RCC, claudin-1 was expressed in patients who were older and who had a greater tumor size, who had higher T or M stages, and who had a higher Furhman nuclear grade. The expression of claudin-1 was associated with a higher risk of postoperative distant metastasis.

Effectiveness of an Immediate Mitomycin C Instillation in Patients with Superficial Bladder Cancer Receiving Periodic Mitomycin C Instillation

PURPOSE: We analyzed the impact of immediate intravesical mitomycin C instillation after transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB) on tumor recurrence and progression in patients with periodic mitomycin C instillation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between June 2000 and June 2006, a retrospective study was performed in a total of 115 patients with primary bladder tumors receiving a 6-week course of mitomycin C instillation after TURB. The patients were assigned to two groups: 53 patients in the immediate mitomycin C (I-MMC) group were treated by immediate instillation of mitomycin C after TURB and periodic instillation (6 times, 1 time per week), and 62 patients in the MMC group received only periodic instillation. Tumor recurrence and progression were compared in the two groups. RESULTS: During the mean follow-up period of 46.5 months in the I-MMC group and 47.2 months in the MMC group, early recurrence (within 1 year) occurred in 6 of 53 patients (11.3%) in the I-MMC group and in 18 of 62 patients (29.0%) in the MMC group (p<0.02). Although a significantly lower early recurrence rate was observed in the I-MMC group, this difference was not significant for recurrence within 2 or 3 years or for total recurrence. Progression was not significantly different between the two groups regarding the early and total period. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirmed the positive effect of a single, immediate mitomycin C instillation in patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder tumors who received periodic mitomycin C instillation. This benefit was limited to early recurrence and was not maintained with long-term follow-up. This approach can be an alternative to periodic mitomycin C instillation without immediate instillation.

Correlation between Chemokine Receptor CXCR4 Expression and Prognostic Factors in Patients with Prostate Cancer

PURPOSE: We evaluated the correlation between the expression of CXCR4 and prognostic factors in patients with prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 57 patients who had undergone surgery for prostate cancer were enrolled. Specimens were obtained before any treatment and were stained with antihuman CXCR4 antibody. The intensity of staining was graded as low or high. The age, pretreatment prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, Gleason score, T stage, biochemical recurrence, local recurrence, and distant metastasis were compared according to the expression of CXCR4 in patients with prostate cancer. RESULTS: Local recurrence was higher in the group with high expression, in 11 of 36 cases (30.6%), than in the group with low expression, in 1 of 21 cases (4.8%), with statistical significance (p=0.040). Distant metastasis was also associated with expression, occurring in 10 of 36 cases (27.8%) in the group with high expression and in 1 of 21 cases (4.8%) in the group with low expression (p=0.041). In the logistic regression test, CXCR4 expression was the only factor in determining local recurrence (p=0.016) and distant metastasis (0.022). Furthermore, the group with high CXCR4 expression showed significantly longer cancer-specific survival than did the low expression group (p=0.041). CXCR4 showed no association with age (p=0.881), pretreatment PSA level (p=0.584), Gleason score (p=0.640), T stage (p=0.967), or biochemical recurrence (p=0.081). CONCLUSIONS: The high expression of CXCR4 was associated with local recurrence and distant metastasis. CXCR4 expression was shown to be a useful prognostic factor for patients with prostate cancer.

Efficacy and Tolerability of Tamsulosin 0.4 mg in Patients with Symptomatic Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of tamsulosin 0.4 mg once daily in Korean patients with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and investigate whether tamsulosin 0.4 mg can improve symptoms in patients with refractory lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) who were previously receiving tamsulosin 0.2 mg once daily. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 116 patients from 3 urology centers participated. All study subjects entered a nonblind phase consisting of 8 weeks of tamsulosin 0.2 mg monotherapy followed by an additional 8 weeks of tamsulosin 0.2 mg (0.2 mg group) or 8 weeks of tamsulosin 0.4 mg (0.4 mg group). At week 8, we chose the 0.4 mg group on the basis of International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), quality of life (QoL), maximal urinary flow rate (Qmax), and adverse effects. At week 16, we compared the efficacy and tolerability of tamsulosin between the 0.2 and 0.4 mg groups. RESULTS: A total of 26 patients (22.4%) were escalated to tamsulosin 0.4 mg at week 8. There were significant differences in IPSS, QoL, and Qmax at week 8 in both groups. There were significant differences in improvement in IPSS, QoL, Qmax, and postvoid residual urine volume from baseline to week 16 in both groups. There were no significant differences in efficacy or tolerability between the groups at week 16. CONCLUSIONS: Our trial demonstrated that tamsulosin 0.4 mg has favorable efficacy and tolerability in Korean patients with symptomatic BPH refractory to tamsulosin 0.2 mg. No patients experienced any serious adverse effects when we escalated the dose of tamsulosin to 0.4 mg.

Current Status of Transurethral Prostatectomy: A Korean Multicenter Study

PURPOSE: We aimed to verify the current status of transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) in Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical records of 1,341 men who underwent TURP in 9 Korean medical centers between 2004 and 2008 were reviewed. The patients were divided into two groups according to time periods: 2004-2005 (group 1) and 2006-2008 (group 2). To verify differences in the two patient groups, age, prostate volume, indications for TURP, preoperative International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), and resected tissue weight were evaluated. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 71.2 years and the mean IPSS was 22.7. The patients' characteristics were not significantly different between the two groups. The annual cases of TURP increased over the study period. The proportion of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) as an indication for TURP increased up to 58.3% in group 2 compared with 51.6% in group 1 (p=0.019). However, the proportion of patients who presented with acute urinary retention decreased from 35.5% to 30.3% with marginal statistical significance (p=0.051). Other indications such as hematuria, bladder stone, recurrent urinary tract infection, and hydronephrosis were not significantly different between the groups. The mean resected weights of the prostate were similar (17.5 g in group 1 and 18.3 g in group 2, respectively; p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: TURP has been steadily performed in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia and it is expected to remain constant. LUTS was the most common indication for TURP in recent years.

Cyclooxygenase-2 Overexpression in Chronic Inflammation Associated with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: Is It Related to Apoptosis and Angiogenesis of Prostate Cancer?

PURPOSE: This study was performed to investigate the relationship between cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and apoptosis/angiogenesis in inflammatory and noninflammatory benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (PC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study involved 64 BPH and 57 PC patients. The BPH histopathologies were classified by the presence of chronic inflammation as follows: noninflammatory BPH (NI-BPH; n=23) and inflammatory BPH (I-BPH; n=41). The association between the expression of COX-2, expression of Bcl-2, the apoptotic index (AI), expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and microvascular density (MVD) in the prostate was investigated. RESULTS: An overexpression of COX-2, Bcl-2, and VEGF was observed in cases of PC compared with cases of BPH. In PC, the AI was lower and MVD was higher than in BPH. In NI-BPH, I-BPH, and PC, the overexpression of COX-2, Bcl-2, and VEGF gradually increased. The AI was high in I-BPH, but did not differ significantly between the NI-BPH and I-BPH groups or between the NI-BPH and PC groups. MVD was significantly high in PC, but no significant difference was found between NI-BPH and I-BPH. A significant correlation was shown between the overexpression of COX-2 and Bcl-2, and COX-2 and VEGF. However, the AI was not correlated with the overexpression of COX-2 or Bcl-2. MVD was correlated with the overexpression of COX-2 and VEGF. CONCLUSIONS: COX-2 overexpression in PC is correlated with a decrease in apoptosis and an increase in angiogenesis. Chronic inflammation in BPH causes an overexpression of COX-2, which induces the increased expression of Bcl-2 and VEGF. It is likely that chronic inflammation plays a role in the intermediate step of carcinogenesis in the prostate.

Long-Term Effect of Loxoprofen Sodium on Nocturia in Patients with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

PURPOSE: We evaluated the long-term effects of loxoprofen on nocturia in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2006 and December 2008, 40 BPH patients with 2 or more episodes of nocturia received an alpha-blocker, 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, and a single dose of 60 mg of loxoprofen at night before sleep for 12 months (Group I). During the same period, 38 BPH patients selected as the control group received an alpha-blocker and 5-alpha reductase inhibitor (Group II). Patients were reevaluated after 3, 6, and 12 months of treatment by the number of nocturia episodes and side effects. RESULTS: After 3 months of treatment, the number of nocturia episodes decreased significantly compared with baseline in both group I and group II (1.9+/-0.7, 2.1+/-0.7, respectively, p0.05). After 6 and 12 months of treatment in group I, treatment-emergent adverse events, including 5 cases of gastric discomfort (12.5%), 3 cases of leg edema (7.5%), and 1 case of decreased urine volume (2.5%), occurred in 9 of the 40 (22.5%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: Loxoprofen can be an effective treatment for patients with nocturia secondary to BPH in the short term. Long-term use of loxoprofen is not recommended because of the side effects.

Efficiency of Embolization for Kidney Injury

PURPOSE: High-grade (III, IV, V) renal injury may need interventional management. We investigated whether the selective embolization of the renal artery is effective for the treatment of major renal injury in comparison with emergency renal exploration. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical and radiologic records of patients who underwent surgery or embolization for renal injury (Grade III, IV, V) between January 1990 and December 2007. We analyzed the change in treatment method before and after 2000, the blood pressure, the hemoglobin at the time of visit, the hospital days and the complications in patients who received surgery or embolization. Preserved renal functions of the embolized kidneys were identified by using enhanced CT. RESULTS: Cases of surgery and embolization were 37 and 13, respectively: 5 and 4 in renal injury grade III, 17 and 6 in grade IV and 13 and 3 in grade V. Cases of surgery and embolization were 33 and 1 before 2000 and 2 and 12 after 2000, repectively: embolizations increased after 2000. No significant differences in mean diastolic pressure, hemoglobin, hospital days and complications existed between the surgery and the embolization groups (p>0.05). However, the transfusion volume was significantly smaller in the embolization group (p<0.05). One postoperative complication occurred in the surgery group. We identified the preserved renal functions of the embolized kidney by using enhanced CT. CONCLUSION: Embolization could be one treatment method for high-grade renal injury. Thus, we might suggest selective embolization a useful method for preserving the renal function in cases of high-grade renal injury.

The Efficacy of the EORTC Scoring System and Risk Tables for the Prediction of Recurrence and Progression of Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer after Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Instillation

PURPOSE: The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) scoring system and risk table were introduced in the 2008 European Association of Urology guidelines on TaT1 bladder cancer. We compared the recurrence and progression rate between EORTC risk tables and author's patients who underwent transurethral resection of bladder cancer (TURB) following intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) instillation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical records of 251 patients who underwent TURB and were diagnosed with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer from l993 to 2007 were analyzed. The patients were divided into 2 groups: the recurrence group and the progression group. According to the EORTC scoring system, the patients in each group were categorized in terms of number of tumors, tumor size, prior recurrence rate, T category, carcinoma in situ, and pathologic grade and the scores were summed. According to the summed scores, the recurrence group and the progression group were divided into 3 subgroups: low, intermediate, and high risk, respectively. The recurrence rate and progression rate of each group were compared with the EORTC risk tables. RESULTS: The recurrence rate and progression rate were almost similar to the EORTC risk tables. However, the recurrence rate was low in the intermediate-risk group. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical utilization of the EORTC scoring system and risk tables is very effective in predicting the recurrence and progression of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer and in selecting treatment.