Is PSA Still the Best Predictor for Biochemical Recurrence after Radical Prostatectomy in High-Risk Prostate Cancer?

BACKGROUND: Patients with high-risk prostate cancer (PCa) experience heterogeneous oncological outcomes. In this study, we assessed the patients who underwent an RP procedure because of high-risk prostate cancer in subgroups formed according to D'Amico criteria and analyzed the effects of these criteria on biochemical recurrence (BCR) after RP. METHODS: We retrospectively identified high-risk non-metastatic PCa patients who underwent RP between 2006 and 2020 in our hospital. Groups were formed as follows: group 1 consisted of those with an ISUP grade 4 - 5 biopsy, group 2 consisted of those with a clinical stage T2c, group 3 consisted of those with a tPSA level ≥ 20 ng/ml, and group 4 consisted of those with locally advanced disease. Survival analyses were made by Kaplan-Meier test and Log Rank test. A P value <0.05 was accepted as statistically significant. RESULTS: Of all patients, 61.8% were cured by only RP and 38.2% had recurrences. Rates of BCR were significantly different among groups (P = 0.003). In group 1, group 2, group 3, and group 4, BCR rates were 30.8%, 13%, 40.8%, and 70.6%, respectively. Mean BCR-free survival was 82.47 ± 11.64 months. In group 2, BCR-free survival was higher than that in group 3 and group 4 (P1 = 0.020 and P2 = 0.001) and in group 1, BCR-free survival was higher than that in group 4 (P = 0.016). There was no significant difference between group 3 and 4 (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Despite the developments in the imaging technology, an elevated tPSA level remains to be an important predictor for BCR-free survival.

The relationships between metabolic syndrome, erectile dysfunction and lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between erectile dysfunction and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Seventy-eight patients who were admitted to our outpatient clinic because of BPH-related LUTS over 40 years of age were included in the study. Patients with LUTS and erectile dysfunction (ED) were evaluated by International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) forms. The National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria was used for the diagnosis of MetS. LUTS were classified as mild, moderate, and severe according to IPSS and ED was classified as mild- moderate, moderate, and severe according to the IIEF-5. For the evaluation of data, descriptive statistical methods (mean, standard deviation, median, frequency, ratio, minimum, and maximum) and also for the comparison of the variables with non-normal distribution in 3 or more than 3 groups Student's t test, Mann-Whitney U, ANOVA, chi-square, Fisher Exact tests, and Pearson correlation analysis were used. P<0.05 was accepted as the level of statistical significance. RESULTS: Mean age of the patients included in the study was 61.83±9.15. In 34.6% of the patients with MetS, 70.5% of the patients with ED and 37.2% of the patients with severe LUTS were determined. There were no significant differences between the mean age of patients with and without metabolic syndrome (p>0.05). There was a positive correlation with age and severity of LUTS but this relationship was not found to be statistically significant (p>0.05). Mean age of the patients with ED was significantly higher than those without (p<0.001). A statistically significant relationship was not observed between the mean IPSS scores and the severity of LUTS with Mets. However, we observed a weakly positive correlation between triglyceride levels and IPSS. Mean IIEF-5 scores of the patients with MetS were significantly lower than those of the patients without MetS. Severity of ED in the patients with MetS was significantly higher than patients without MetS. The percentage of ED in patients with severe LUTS was found to be statistically higher than other patients with mild, and moderate LUTS. In addition, we found a low degree of negative correlation between IPSS and IIEF-5 scores. CONCLUSION: In patients with LUTS as a consequence of BPH, when severity of symptoms increases, frequency of MetS increases proportionally and severe ED is observed much more frequently.

Helicobacter pylori and urinary system stones: endoluminal damage as sub-hypothesis to support the current stone theory.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a atypical gram-negative bacteria preferring gastric mucosa which also have bizarre multisystem effects extended to some malignancies, hematologic and vascular disorders through some not well defined pathophysiologic pathways. Our pioneer data was pointing that the urinary system stone existence was seemed to be high in the group of H. pylori+cases. While the explanation of the reason of the coincidence of renal-gall bladder stones, it was previously suggested that there may be a shift mechanism of intestinal microbial flora, from Oxalobacter formigenes that may reduce the risk of renal stone by consuming intestinal oxalate, to H. pylori which is known to induce gallstone by unknown mechanism. This hypothesis is an indirect one and highly controversial for the effect of H. pylori in the renal stone formation because intestinal absorption of oxalate is not significant when it is compared with the endogen oxalate. The present preliminary unique data in connection with our hypothesis claimed that a possible relation between H. pylori and renal stones. We think that this detrimental effect is due to the possible systemic influence such as vascular and/or endoluminal sickness due to the H. pylori other than directs bacteriologic colonization. There is strong evidence that H. pylori have some role in the atherosclerotic procedure. The vascular theory of Randall plaque formation at renal papilla and subsequent calcium oxalate stone development that suggests microvascular injury of renal papilla in an atherosclerotic-like fashion results in calcification near vessel walls that eventually erodes as a calculus format into the urinary system. Briefly, theories of stone and atherosclerosis seemed to be overlap and H. pylori is one of the factor of both processes. In addition to our hypothesis, we claimed that H. pylori might have same detrimental effect on endoluminal surfaces of urinary and genital systems and resulting in some special pathologies as Hunner's ulcers in interstitial cystitis and even posttesticular infertility. The accumulating knowledge about extragastric sequelae of H. pylori may open new aspects on therapeutic and the prevention strategies of urolithiasis and even this progress may reach to chronic pelvic pain syndromes and idiopathic infertility.