Clinical, pathological, and therapeutic features of newly diagnosed prostate cancer predominantly detected by opportunistic PSA screening: A survey of Shiga Prefecture, Japan.

BACKGROUND: In all the prefectures of Japan, with the exception of Shiga Prefecture, more than half of local governments have an organized prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening system in place. However, in the Shiga Prefecture, only a single city performed PSA screening over the time period of this survey. The purpose of the present study was to determine the clinical, pathological, and therapeutic features of newly diagnosed prostate cancer in localities where a formally organized screening system was almost entirely absent. METHODS: A multicenter observational study was conducted in the Shiga Prefecture, which has the lowest rate of population-based PSA-screening in Japan. Patients' age, initial PSA, reasons for PSA testing, Gleason score, clinical stage, and primary treatments were surveyed. We stratified patients according to the reasons for PSA measurement, and compared the differences between groups subject to organized versus opportunistic screening. RESULTS: In the 2 years 2012 and 2017, 984 newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients were analyzed. Of these, 954 (97%) were opportunistically tested (i.e., not as part of an organized screening system), with the remaining 29 (3%) measured as part of an organized screening program. Patients in the former group exhibited a higher initial PSA value than in the organized screening group (median: 11.49 vs. 5.67 ng/ml). They also had worse clinical features, including higher Gleason score and TNM stage. More patients in the organized screening group were treated curatively than in the nonorganized screening group in terms of the primary treatment. The results were similar in a subanalysis of the patients of age 50-69 years. CONCLUSIONS: Organized PSA screening contributes to increasing the number of patients diagnosed with early-stage cancer who can be treated curatively.

Intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin therapy after second transurethral resection for primary T1 bladder cancer.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the effect of intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) instillation therapy after second transurethral resection (TUR) on primary T1 bladder cancer. METHODS: The subjects were 180 patients diagnosed with T1 bladder cancer at our university and at affiliated hospitals between January 1990 and December 2015. Tumor residual rate, intravesical recurrence rate, and risk factors for intravesical recurrence were investigated. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 26 (1-175) months. Of the 180 patients, 78 (43%) underwent a second TUR. Residual tumors were detected in 42 patients (53.8%), and no up-staging cases were observed. Within the whole group, 42 patients were treated with intravesical BCG therapy following a second TUR (group 1), 36 were treated with second TUR alone (group 2), 28 were treated with intravesical BCG therapy alone (group 3), and 74 were treated without second TUR or intravesical BCG therapy (group 4). The 1- and 5-year recurrence-free survival rates of the four groups were 80.7 and 59.7% (group 1), 69.0 and 26.3% (group 2), 76.3 and 56.6% (group 3), 64.6 and 48.6% (group 4), respectively. There was no significant difference between group 1 and group 3 (p = 0.401). Intravesical BCG therapy was the only factor preventing intravesical recurrence (p = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: Intravesical BCG therapy alone showed a significant preventive effect with regard to intravesical recurrence. In our cohort, however, second TUR did not improve recurrence-free survival in those individuals who underwent BCG instillation.

Population­based prostate­specific antigen screening for prostate cancer may have an indirect effect on early detection through opportunistic testing in Kusatsu City, Shiga, Japan.

Prostate cancer is the most common genitourinary cancer in men. Population-based serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing is used to screen men for the early detection of asymptomatic prostate cancer. The present study compared the features of patients with prostate cancer in Kusatsu City, the only municipality in Shiga Prefecture of Japan to implement organized PSA screening, with those in other municipalities. The target population for organized PSA screening by mail invitation was men ≥50 years. Patients were pathologically diagnosed via prostate biopsy because of elevated serum PSA. This multicenter observational study was subsequently conducted in 14 hospitals. The following information was extracted from patient records: age, reason for PSA testing, initial PSA level, Gleason score, clinical stage, and place of residence. Risk classification was defined as low, intermediate, high, and advanced. Each patient was stratified according to their city/town. A total of 984 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer in Shiga in 2012 and 2017 were analyzed, of which 955 (97%) were opportunistically tested, with the remaining 29 (3%) assessed by organized screening. In Kusatsu, 93 patients were diagnosed, of whom 26 (28%) were detected by organized screening. By contrast, only three of 891 patients (0.3%) were detected by organized screening in other municipalities. Of patients in Kusatsu, cases identified by opportunistic testing had a higher initial PSA value (P=0.010) than those identified by organized screening. However, patients detected through opportunistic testing in Kusatsu City were younger (P=0.034), had a lower PSA value (P=0.001), and improved risk classification (P<0.001) than those in other municipalities. It was concluded that more patients were diagnosed with early-stage cancer by organized PSA screening. Furthermore, population-based PSA screening in Kusatsu City may have indirectly affected early detection, even by opportunistic testing.

Single Short Retention Instillation of Pirarubicin Prevents Intravesical Recurrence of Low-risk Non Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the efficacy of a single instillation of pirarubicin with a short retention time for preventing intravesical recurrence of low-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed 165 patients with low-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer who underwent transurethral surgery. Single instillation of pirarubicin with 15-min retention time immediate after surgery was performed in 47 (28%) patients. The other patients (118, 72%) were treated without instillation therapy. The primary endpoint was recurrence-free survival. RESULTS: Median overall follow-up was 50 (range=6-134) months. Recurrence-free survival at 1 and 5 years was 91% and 72%, and 79% and 54% in the group treated with pirarubicin, and that treated with surgery alone, respectively (p=0.031). Cox's hazard analysis revealed lack of instillation and larger tumor size (>10 mm) as significant factors for risk of recurrence. No adverse events regarding intravesical chemotherapy were observed. CONCLUSION: Pirarubicin instillation with 15-min retention time can prevent intravesical recurrence of low-risk bladder tumors.

[Efficacy of naftopidil for nocturia and consequent sleep disturbance in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia].

Nocturnal urinary frequency is a predominant complaint among males presenting with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which markedly impacts quality of life (QOL) and often causes sleep disturbance. We studied the efficacy of naftopidil an alpha 1-adrenoreceptor antagonist used for treatment of BPH for improvement of nocturia and consequent sleep disturbance. Twenty-five patients diagnosed with BPH were administered daily oral doses of naftopidil (50 or 75 mg/day) for eight weeks. The symptoms were assessed quantitatively using the following criteria : International Prostate Symptoms Score (I-PSS), QOL index, frequency volume chart, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). After treatment, the mean+/-SD of total I-PSS and nocturia decreased from 16.9+/-5.2 to 10.3+/-4.9 (p<0.001) and 3.5+/-1.2 to 2.3+/-1.3 (p<0.001), respectively. In addition, all categories of storage symptoms in I-PSS were also significantly improved. PSQI results were obtained in 21 of the 25 patients, and decreased from 6.4+/-4.2 to 5.3+/-3.5 (p=0.026) (normal range: less than 5.5). This is the first report of a quantitative analysis of the effect of naftopidil on sleep quality in BPH patients. In conclusion, naftopidil appears to be an effective agent not only for nocturia and other urinary storage symptoms, but also for improving the quality of sleep.

Transitional cell carcinoma in a single ectopic ureter opening into the ejaculatory duct.

The incidence of an ectopic ureter in male patients is low. The ectopic ureter in men often ends at the seminal tract in association with renal dysgenesis. Malignant transformation of this closed, nonfunctional urothelial system has been reported only once. To our knowledge, we report the first case of primary transitional cell carcinoma in a single ectopic ureter with a dysplastic kidney that terminated in the ejaculatory duct.