[Application of dynamic contrast enhanced status in multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging for prostatic cancer with PI-RADS 4 lesion].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic value of dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) for prostate imaging reporting and data system (PI-RADS) 4 lesion in prostate peripheral zone. METHODS: The clinical data of patients with PI-RADS 4 lesion in prostate peripheral zone who underwent prostate biopsy from January 2018 to September 2021 in Peking University First Hospital were retrospectively included. According to DCE status, the patients were divided into the conventional group (4 points for diffusion-weighted imaging) and the comprehensive group (3 points for diffusion-weighted imaging + 1 point for DCE positive). Pearson's chi-square test or Fisher's exact test for comparison was conducted between prostate cancer and non-cancer patients. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression were performed to analyze the correlation of positive biopsy with age, total prostate specific antigen (PSA), free PSA/total PSA (f/tPSA), prostate volume (PV), PSA density (PSAD) and DCE status. RESULTS: Among the 267 prostate biopsy patients, 217 cases were diagnosed as prostatic cancer (81.27%) and 50 cases were non-cancer (18.73%). Statistical analysis between the prostatic cancer group and the non-cancer group showed that there were significant differences in age, tPSA, PV and PSAD (all P < 0.05), but no significant differences in f/tPSA between the two groups. About different PI-RADS 4 lesion groups, the conventional group and the comprehensive group showed significant difference in biopsy results (P=0.001), and the conventional group had a higher positive rate. The PV of comprehensive group was larger than that of the conventional group. Among the prostate cancer patients diagnosed by biopsy, statistical analysis between the conventional group and comprehensive group showed that there were not significant differences in International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) grade and distinguishing clinically significant prostate cancer (all P > 0.05). Logistic univariate analysis showed that the diagnosis of prostate cancer was related to age, tPSA, f/tPSA, PV and DCE group status (all P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that age, tPSA, PV and DCE group status (all P < 0.05) were independent risk factors for the diagnosis of prostatic cancer. CONCLUSION: tPSA, f/tPSA, PV and PSAD are the indicators to improve the diagnosis of prostatic cancer with PI-RADS 4 lesion in peripheral zone lesions. DCE status is worth considering, so that we can select patients for biopsy more accurately, reduce the rate of missed diagnosis of prostate cancer as well as avoid unnecessary prostate puncture.

[A head-to-head comparison of contemporary indolent prostate cancer screen protocols in Chinese].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of five internationally used indolent prostate cancer screen protocols in Chinese prostate cancer patients. METHODS: Retrospective analysis was made of the consecutive cohort of 314 patients, from Jan. 2006 to Apr. 2014, who had both prostate biopsy and radical prostatectomy in Peking University First Hospital. The Gleason score≤6, pT2, tumor volume≤0.5 mL, margin negative and lymph nodes negative were defined as indolent prostate cancer. The predictive value of five indolent screen criteria including Epstein, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), Prostate Cancer Research International: Active Surveillance (PRIAS), University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and University of Miami (UM) were evaluated in Chinese prostate cancer patients. Measures of diagnostic accuracy and areas under the receiver-operating curve (AUC) were calculated for each protocol and compared. RESULTS: A total of 16% (49 cases) of the patients met the inclusion criteria of at least one protocol, including 24 cases in Epstein, 33 cases in MSKCC, 28 cases in PRIAS, 34 cases in UCSF, and 22 cases in UM. Three percent were eligible for all the studied criteria. UCSF and MSKCC protocols had the highest sensitivity and specificity than the others. The Epstein and PRIAS protocols demonstrated acceptable positive predictive value, but the specificity and sensitivity were inefficient. The UM protocol was performed unsatisfiedly on sensitivity, positive predictive value and AUC. A strict limited protocol which contained all the five protocols could not improve the predictive accuracy. CONCLUSION: The UCSF protocol had better diagnostic accuracy than the others, but the results were not satisfied. A further investigation on indolent prostate cancer screening in Chinese patients is needed.

[Adenocarcinoma of the prostate in patients under 50 years of age: analysis of 10 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinicopathologic features of 10 Chinese prostate adenocarcinoma patients under 50 years. METHODS: Between January 2007 and April 2012, 10 cases of prostate adenocarcinoma patients under 50 years (age: 36-49) were diagnosed at our institution through prostate biopsy. The indications of biopsy were abnormal digital rectal examination (7 cases) and/or a total prostate specific antigen (PSA) over 4.0 µg/L (4 cases). The clinicopathological data of these patients were reviewed. The results of biopsy were 1 case with Gleason score (GS) 6, 4 cases with GS 7 and 5 cases with GS 9. In the study, 7 patients were diagnosed with cT4. Lymph node metastasis and bone metastasis were found in 5 and 4 cases, respectively. The treatments were hormonal therapy in 5 cases, radical prostatectomy in 2 cases and combination therapy in 3 cases. RESULTS: During the follow-up, 6 patients were in progression within 3 to 7 months, 1 patient died after 3 years, and 4 patients were lost of the follow-up. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the Chinese prostate adenocarcinoma patients with age under 50 years are likely to have more aggressive tumor and combination therapy might be appropriate.

[Distribution characteristics of cancerous foci in the prostate among patients undergoing single positive core biopsy].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the distribution characteristics of cancerous foci in the prostate by retrospective analysis on the radical prostatectomy (RP) samples from patients with prostate cancer diagnosed by single positive core biopsy and treated by RP. METHODS: Thirty-seven patients with prostate cancer diagnosed by ultrasound-guided biopsy and single positive core biopsy underwent RP. We reviewed the pre- and post-operative data of the patients, compared the results of biopsies and pathological examination of the RP samples, and analyzed the factors that led to the underestimation of the overall prostate cancer risks. RESULTS: Post-operative pathological results showed multifocal distribution of the tumors in 70% of the patients (26/37) and obviously increased Gleason score (7-9) in 56% (21/37). The clinical stages of the tumors had been significantly underestimated preoperatively. The underestimation of their clinical stages might be due to a larger proportion of cancer tissues in a single positive core biopsy, and that of the overall cancer risks attributed to PSAD > 0.2 microg/L. Larger prostate volume (> or = 40 ml) increased the possibility of multifocal distribution. CONCLUSION: The risk of prostate cancer diagnosed by single positive core biopsy might be underestimated, and the cancerous foci were characterized by multifocal distribution in the prostate.

[Impact of prostate volume on the diagnostic value of prostate cancer with different biopsy strategies].

OBJECTIVE: To assess impact of different prostate biopsy strategies according to prostate volume on tumor detection. METHODS: A total of 323 consecutive men with suspected prostate cancer were included in the study. Indications for transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy were: abnormal digital rectal examination (DRE, 52 cases) and/or a total prostate specific antigen (PSA) over 4.0 microg/L (305 cases). In the subjects, their ages were between 49 years and 90 years, the mean: 69 years; PSAs were between 0.6 microg/L and 142.5 microg/L, the mean: 20.8 microg/L; and the prostate volumes were between 12.3 mL and 255.5 mL, the mean: 60.4 mL. Transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy of 13 core scheme was conducted in each patient. The cancer detection rate for each biopsy core was calculated. The sensitivities of different combinations of biopsy cores were compared with a 13 core biopsy protocol and the prostate volumes were divided into two groups (<50 mL and >or=50 mL). The optimum number of biopsy cores was determined in patients with different prostate volumes. RESULTS: Of the 323 patients 120 (37.2%) were positive for prostate cancer. Compared to the patients with a prostate volume<50 mL, cancer detection rates of 13 core biopsy protocol in the patients with a prostate volume>or=50 mL decreased significantly (51.0% vs 26.1%). In patients with a prostate volume smaller than 50 mL, the 8 core biopsy protocol consisting of the apex, mid gland, base, lateral mid gland or of the apex, mid gland, lateral mid gland, lateral base of the prostate revealed the results similar to those of the 13 core biopsy protocol (sensitivities: 98.6% and 97.3%, both P>0.05). In the larger prostate volume group, 10 core biopsy protocol that included cores at the apex, mid gland, base, lateral mid gland and lateral base detected 97.6% of cancers (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Patients with larger prostates have lower cancer detection rates. For patients with prostate volume smaller than 50 mL, 8 core biopsy protocol consisting of the apex, mid gland, base, lateral mid gland or of the apex, mid gland, lateral mid gland, lateral base of the prostate can be used since it reveals results similar to those of 13 core biopsy protocol. 10 core biopsy protocol that includes cores at the apex, mid gland, base, lateral mid gland and lateral base can be used for patients with prostate volumes larger than 50 mL.

[Correlation of intravesical prostatic protrusion with clinical evaluation parameters in BPH patients].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation of the degrees of intravesical prostatic protrusion (IPP) measured by transabdominal ultrasound with the clinical evaluation parameters in BPH patients. METHODS: We measured the length of IPP in the mid-sagittal section by transabdominal ultrasound in 275 BPH outpatients with lower urinary tract symptoms, and analyzed the correlations of the degree of IPP with the age, prostatic volume (PV), international prostatic symptom score (IPSS), maximum uroflow rate (Qmax), and postvoid residual urine volume (PVR) of the patients. RESULTS: The degree of IPP was correlated positively with the age (r = 0.210, P < 0.01), PV (r = 0.534, P < 0.01) and PVR (r = 0.314, P < 0.01), but negatively with the Qmax (r = -0.364, P < 0.01) of the BPH patients. There was no significant correlation between the degree of IPP and IPSS (r = 0.064, P = 0.299). CONCLUSION: The degree of IPP may be associated with the age and prostatic volume of BPH patients. Transabdominal ultrasound measurement of IPP is a useful noninvasive method to assess the presence and severity of bladder outlet obstruction in BPH patients.

[Diagnosis and differential diagnosis value of ultrasound in epididymal mass].

OBJECTIVE: To elevate the diagnosis and differential diagnosis levels of epididymal mass by sonography. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 179 cases of epididymal mass treated by surgery in our hospital between 1990 and 2005. The analysis was focused on pathological and sonographic features. RESULTS: 179 patients with mean age of 51.4 +/- 14.7 were enrolled. The epididymal mass was classified into four groups: epididymal cyst (n = 98), nonspecific epididymitis (n = 27), tuberculous epididymitis (n = 33) , and epididymal tumor (n = 21). Epididymal cyst could be easily diagnosed by ultrasound, the diagnostic rate was 93.8%, but nonspecific epididymitis and tuberculous epididymitis were hard to differentiate, complicating with multiple organs lesions may distinguish tuberculous from nonspecific epididymitis. Tuberculous epididymitis could be easily diagnosed when cold abscess, calcification and sinus tract emerged. The majority epididymal tumors were benign, and malignant cases were rarely seen. Patient's history, physical examination and sonographic features were all essential to make a right diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound features may be helpful to the differential diagnosis of epididymal mass and ultrasound should be the first choice of image detection in epididymal lesions.

[Etiology and management of persistent hematospermia: a pilot study].

OBJECTIVES: To study the etiology of persistent hematospermia and to evaluate the efficacy of transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS)-guided transperineal needle aspiration and irrigation for diagnosis and treatment of persistent hematospermia. METHODS: Twelve patients were included in the study, with a mean age of (36.4 +/- 10.8) years old, and a mean duration of the disease of (13.9 +/- 6.4) months. After the expressed prostatic secretion (EPS) by prostatic massage was cultured, patients with recurrent hematospermia received TRUS-guided transperineal needle aspiration for seminal vesicle fluid (SVF), which was sent for bacteriological and cytological examination. If the EPS culture were positive, certain antibiotics according to the drug sensitivity assay were injected into the abnormal seminal vesicle(s) via TRUS-guided transperineal needle puncture. The treatment would be repeated one month later if the patients still had hematospermia. The patients were followed up every three months. RESULTS: Abnormal images were found in left seminal vesicle (SV) in 4 cases, right in 3 cases, bilateral in 2 cases, and no abnormal findings in 3 cases. The abnormal findings included: 7 cases of SV and/or ejaculatory duct dilation, 3 cases of thickening SV wall, 3 cases of calcification or calculi of SV, and 1 case of Müllerian duct cyst. SVF cultures were positive in 7 cases: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) 4 cases, methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (MRCNS), E. Coli, Proteus mirabilis 1 case, respectively. In five of these 7 cases, bacteriological cultures of SVF and EPS showed the same results. All patients were treated by TRUS-guided transperineal injection of certain antibiotics into SV. Seven cases were injected once, 5 cases twice. The mean follow-up period of 10 patients was (16.7 +/- 5.9) months. Hematospermia disappeared in 6 cases. CONCLUSIONS: SV infection of bacteria, especially infection of the drug resistant strains was one of the main causes of persistent hematospermia. The difficulties in treatment of persistent hematospermia were due to infection of drug resistant bacteria, calcification or calculi of SV, obstruction of ejaculatory duct. TRUS-guided transperineal aspiration of SVF was helpful to the etiologic diagnosis of persistent hematospermia.