[Chemotherapy with docetaxel in prostate cancer. A case report]. / Place de la chimiothérapie par docétaxel dans le cancer de la prostate. A propos d'un cas.

There is nothing to support Docetaxel as a first line treatment in metastatic prostate cancer. Hormonal treatment is still the gold standard. Chemotherapy should be initiated in symptomatic patients or if patients are at high risk of developing metastasis (PSADT < 3 months). Quality of life is the main endpoint of chemotherapy in metastatic prostate cancer, that should be monitored clinically. The dose of Docetaxel should be adapted according to the geriatric evaluation in elderly patients. Estramustine is still under evaluation. There is no gold standard for second line chemotherapy in castrate resistant prostate cancer. In this situation patients should be included in protocols.

[Androgen deprivation therapy in locally advanced prostate cancer]. / Cancer de la prostate localement avancé et hormonothérapie.

In case of biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy, hormonal treatments are equally efficient. Early hormonal treatment after biochemical recurrence reduces specific mortality, local and metastatic progression. In locally advanced prostate cancer, adjuvant radiation therapy after biochemical recurrence reduces local and metastatic recurrence. Withdrawal of the steroid hormone should be the first maneuver after primary hormonal therapy failure. Second generation anti-androgens (abiraterone and MDV 3100) should be released soon. These new hormonal agents are in clinical trials and show promising activity in patients with CRPC.

[How to manage bone metastasis in prostate cancer. A case report]. / Prise en charge des métastases osseuses du cancer de la prostate. A propos d'un cas.

Androgen deprivation therapy with LHRH agonists is the gold standard in the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer. This treatment leads to decrease the bone mass, thus bone mineral density evaluation is recommended after one year of hormonal treatment to measure bone loss. Bisphosphonate is recommended when metastasis occurred during hormonal resistance phase to reduce bone events. The necessity of preventive treatment and the appropriate schedule is not well established. Long term fracture risk should be ideally evaluated with a CT scan and an MRI. Fragmented and focal radiotherapy is considered as the treatment of choice to decrease localized pain. Metastasis surgery has functional results and should be performed before major neurologic symptoms occur. Metabolic radiotherapy is an option for multifocal bone metastases.

[The French clinical trials ongoing (GETUG and AFU) on urothelial carcinomas, kidney and prostate cancers]. / Les essais cliniques français GETUG et AFU en cours concernant les carcinomes urothéliaux et les cancers du rein et de prostate.

The collaboration of the Association Française d'Urologie (AFU) and of the Groupe d'Etude des Tumeurs Uro-Genital (GETUG) has lead to increase more and more the credibility of French clinical trials in onco-urology. These trials are on the same level ast North American or European studies. The involvement of urologists is essential. Therefore it seemed necessary to do an update on ongoing trials to further increase recruitment from all practitioners involved in onco-urology.

[What's new in 2009 in prostate cancer: highlights from ASTRO, EAU, ASCO and AUA meetings]. / Les nouveautés 2009 sur le cancer de la prostate: les points forts de l'ASTRO, l'EAU, l'ASCO et l'AUA.

In 2009, prostate cancer was the subject of a large number of communications in international urologic, oncologic and radiation therapy conferences. The most interesting studies that are likely to modify physician's daily practice were selected. This year the results from the European (ERSPC) and the American (PLCO) mass screening studies. Many abstract on prevention, natural history and tumor markers such as PCa3 and fusion gene TMPRSS2 : ERG were presented. Adjuvant hormonal treatment was evaluated in high-risk patients. Hormonal and radiation therapy association reduces recurrence, specific and overall mortality in locally advanced prostate cancer. Intermittent hormonal treatment is an option in hormone sensitive metastatic patients. toremifene and denosumab were evaluated in the prevention of fracture risk in patients under androgen deprivation therapy. The mechanism of tumor proliferation in castrate resistant prostate cancer further explained and 2 new molecules abiraterone and MDV 3100 were presented.

[Actinomycosis: an unusual cause of spinal cord compression. Case report and review of the literature]. / Actinomycose : une cause rare de compression médullaire.

Actinomycosis is an unusual and unrecognized cause of spinal cord compression of infectious origin. We report the case of a 57-year-old immunocompetent woman admitted for sub-acute lower limb ataxia. The diagnosis of spinal cord compression secondary to actinomyces infectious arthritis was established. Surgical decompression and long-term antibiotic treatment enabled complete recovery. Data from the literature indicate that actinomycosis is a potential cause of several neurological manifestations. Unusual but treatable, actinomycosis is a potential alternative when the main etiologies have been ruled out.

[Percutaneous osteosynthesis of lumbar and thoracolumbar spine fractures without neurological deficit: surgical technique and preliminary results]. / Ostéosynthèse percutanée des fractures lombaires et thoracolombaires non neurologiques: technique chirurgicale et résultats préliminaires.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The aim of this work was to study the technique of percutaneous osteosynthesis of lumbar and thoracolumbar spine fractures without neurological deficit and to report preliminary results. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 15 patients with lumbar or thoracolumbar spine fractures who were treated between January 2004 and January 2006 by percutaneous osteosynthesis. There were seven men and eight women, mean age 36 years (range 16-58 years). The Magerl classification (AO) was A1 (n=4), A2 (n=1), A3 (n=9), B2 (n=1). Levels were T12 (n=1), L1 (n=10), L2 (n=2), L3 (n=1), L4 (n=1). A specific instrument set was used to insert a short fixation using two pedicular screws on either side of the fractured vertebra and two prebent 5.5mm rods introduced with an aiming device. The operation was performed under fluoroscopy. Ten patients wore a removable corset. The upright position was allowed if there were no other injuries. Computed-tomography scans were obtained preoperatively, postoperatively and at two years follow-up. Function was assessed with the Oswestry score. RESULTS: Mean operative time was 108 minutes (range 40-180 minutes). None of the patients with an isolated spinal injury required blood transfusion. Mean hospital stay was 12 days (range 4-28). Results were expressed for 13 patients whose operations were exclusively percutaneous. Mean follow-up was 17 months (range 6-30). The visual analog scale (VAS) was 1.6/10. The mean Oswestry score was 16. Three quarters of the patients resumed their occupational activities. None of the patients was dissatisfied. Mean vertebral kyphosis (VK) improved from 16 to 8.1 degrees , corrected regional angle (CRA) from 12 to 2.5 degrees at last follow-up. Loss of correction at last follow-up was 1.1 degrees for VK and 2.5 degrees for CRA. The rate of pedicle screw malposition was 3.8%. There were no cases of disassembly nor material failure. There were no infections. None of the implants had to be removed. DISCUSSION: Percutaneous osteosynthesis of the spine is technically feasible, but requires considerable experience. Functional and subjective results have been good. The loss of correction at last follow-up has been comparable to that observed with conventional open surgery. This technique is an intermediary method between orthopaedic treatment and conventional surgery. Exact indications must be established. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous osteosynthesis of lumbar and thoracolumbar spine fractures is an attractive therapeutic option. Our results are encouraging. Indications and limitations of this technique must be carefully identified.

[PSA and follow-up after treatment of prostate cancer]. / PSA et suivi après traitement du cancer de la prostate.

A first serum total PSA assay is recommended during the first three months after treatment. When PSA is detectable, PSA assay should be repeated three months later to confirm this elevation and to estimate the PSA doubling time (PSADT). In the absence of residual cancer, PSA becomes undetectable by the first month after total prostatectomy: less than 0.1 ng/ml (or less than 0.07 ng/ml) for the ultrasensitive assay method and less than 0.2 ng/ml for the other methods. In the presence of residual cancer, PSA either does not become undetectable or increases after an initial undetectable period. A consensus has been reached to define recurrence as PSA greater than 0.2 ng/ml confirmed on two successive assays. After external beam radiotherapy, PSA can decrease after a mean interval of one to two years to a value less than 1 ng/ml (predictive of recurrence-free survival). Biochemical recurrence after radiotherapy is defined by an increase of PSA by 2 ng or more above the PSA nadir, whether or not it is associated with endocrine therapy. After endocrine therapy, the PSA nadir is correlated with recurrence-free survival. PSA is decreased for a mean of 18 to 24 months followed by a rise in PSA, corresponding to hormone-independence. The time to recurrence or the time to reach the nadir and the PSA doubling time after local therapy with surgery or radiotherapy have a diagnostic value in terms of the site of recurrence, local or metastatic and a prognostic value for survival and response to complementary radiotherapy or endocrine therapy. A PSADT less than eight to 12 months is correlated with a high risk of metastatic recurrence and 10-year mortality. The histological and biochemical characteristics in favour of local recurrence are Gleason score less or equal to seven (3+4), elevation of PSA after a period greater than 12 months and PSADT greater than 10 months. In other cases, recurrence is predominantly metastatic. The risk of demonstrating metastasis in the case of biochemical recurrence after total prostatectomy and before endocrine therapy depends on the PSA level and the PSADT. No consensus has been reached concerning the indication for complementary investigations by bone scan and abdominopelvic CT in patients with biochemical recurrence after treatment of localized cancer without endocrine therapy. However, when PSADT greater than six months, the risk of metastasis is less than 3% even for PSA greater than 30 ng/ml. When PSADT less than six months and PSA greater than 10 ng/ml, the risk of metastasis is close to 50%.

Isolated lesser trochanter fracture in adults: an early indicator of tumor infiltration.

We report on a case of isolated lesser trochanter fracture, without associated trauma, secondary to pulmonary adenocarcinoma metastasis. Treatment consisted in resection-reconstruction by megaprosthesis. This form of isolated fracture is rare, and results from infiltration of the trochanteric area by a malignant tumoral process, which is usually metastatic.