European collaborative study of antibiotic prophylaxis for transurethral resection of the prostate.

A prospective randomised trial was undertaken in nine European Hospitals to test antibiotic prophylaxis for men undergoing transurethral resection of the prostate. Of the men with no significant growth (< 10(4) cfu ml-1) in their preoperative urine, 247 received a single 1 gram dose of ceftazidime with the induction of anaesthesia, 256 received 1 g daily from the time of induction of anaesthesia until removal of the urethral catheter (but < or = 5 days) and 261 received no prophylaxis. Of evaluable patients 83 (33.9%), 45 (18.7%) and 29 (11.6%) of the no-prophylaxis, single-dose and multidose groups, respectively, developed urinary tract infection in the immediate post-operative period. There were significantly fewer febrile episodes and fewer prescriptions for alternative antibiotics in teh ceftazidime-treated groups. For men developed peri-operative septicaemia and all were in the no-prophylaxis group. We conclude that patients, even those with culture-negative urine pre-operatively, benefit from antibiotic prophylaxis and that antibiotic prophylaxis should be considered for all men undergoing prostatic surgery as a routine procedure.

Advanced prostatic adenocarcinoma: biological aspects and effects of androgen deprivation achieved by castration or agonistic analogues of LHRH.

Twenty-nine patients with advanced prostatic adenocarcinoma were evaluated clinically, biochemically and radiologically and randomly assigned either to orchiectomy or to medical treatment. The latter consisted of the chronic administration of an LHRH agonistic analogue by parenteral and/or intranasal routes. Plasma testosterone levels fell to castrate values and remained so for as long as the follow-up lasted (24 months); estrogen levels fell as well. No change in basal cortisol, thyroxine or prolactin levels was noticed. A decrease in prostate size and improvement in prostatism occurred in all. Bone pain and radiology conventionally or by isotopic scanning, did not parallel the improvement seen in the primary disease locus. Similarly, the changes in alkaline phosphatase were minimal when compared to that of prostatic acid phosphatase. Both enzymes increased prior to or concurrently with relapse of the disease. The longest remission and survival was seen in patients with low enzyme levels, non diffuse bone metastases and high degree of tumor differentiation. Chronic use of agonistic analogues of LHRH induces effective castration in men with prostatic carcinoma and can replace orchiectomy or estrogen administration. The quantitative analysis of androgen receptors (AR) in subcellular fractions of tumor cells; the use of techniques to enhance the number of AR in the cytosol; and the determination of the type II/I regulatory subunit of protein kinase may be used to identify hormone independent clones and spare patients of unnecessary procedures.

Tumor growth inhibition in patients with prostatic carcinoma treated with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonists.

Ten patients with prostatic carcinoma--six with stage C and four with stage D disease--were treated for 6 weeks to 12 months with agonistic analogues of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH). [D-Trp6]LH-RH was given subcutaneously once daily at a dose of 100 microgram and [D-Ser(But)6]des-GlyNH2(10)-LH-RH ethylamide (HOE 766) was given subcutaneously (50 microgram once daily) or intranasally (500 microgram twice daily). In all patients, mean plasma testosterone levels showed a 75% suppression by the third week of treatment and remained low thereafter. This was followed by a decrease or normalization of plasma acid phosphatase levels by the second month of treatment and a 47% decrease in serum alkaline phosphatase by the 10th week of treatment in all but one patient. In patients with stage C disease presenting with prostatism or urinary outflow obstruction, there was a noticeable clinical improvement. In two such patients, a decrease in the size of the prostate was confirmed by ultrasonography. In patients with stage D disease manifested by diffuse bone metastases, there was relief of bone pain, and in one patient treated for greater than 12 months the improvement was documented by radioisotope bone imaging. It is concluded that superactive agonistic LH-RH analogues hold promise as therapeutic agents in patients with androgen-sensitive prostatic adenocarcinoma. Furthermore, the analogous of LH-RH may be used to assess the responsiveness of patients to surgical castration. Long-term administration of LH-RH analogues could become an alternative to surgical castration and estrogen therapy for the treatment of hormone-dependent prostatic carcinoma.