Two Cases of Intractable Radiation-Induced Hemorrhagic Cystitis Treated with Transcatheter Embolization.

Radiation-induced hemorrhagic cystitis is a late complication of radiotherapy, and in rare cases, refractory. Refractory bleeding may not be resolved by transurethral electrocoagulation (TUEC) or hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy and requires transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) or urinary diversion. Here, we report two cases of radiation-induced hemorrhagic cystitis successfully treated with TAE. Case 1 was a 61-yearold man who underwent total prostatectomy for prostate cancer followed by salvage radiation therapy. The patient developed radiation-induced hemorrhagic cystitis 2 years and 3 months after radiotherapy. After no improvement with TUEC and HBO, TAE was performed. Case 2 was a 78-year-old man who underwent total prostatectomy followed by salvage radiation therapy and developed radiation-induced hemorrhagic cystitis 12 years later. TAE was performed after no improvement with HBO. TAE proved successful in both patients, and there was no relapse. TAE is a potential treatment option for refractory radiation-induced hemorrhagic cystitis.

Functional outcomes of transurethral thulium laser enucleation versus bipolar transurethral resection for benign prostatic hyperplasia over a period of 12 months: A prospective randomized study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate functional outcomes over a year for benign prostatic hyperplasia treated with thulium laser enucleation of the prostate or bipolar transurethral resection of the prostate. METHODS: In this study, we prospectively included 140 patients who were treated for benign prostatic hyperplasia from April 2017 to February 2019. A randomization list was used for non-blind assignment to treatment groups (thulium laser enucleation of the prostate or bipolar transurethral resection of the prostate). The International Prostate Symptom Score, International Prostate Symptom Score quality of life, Overactive Bladder Symptom Score, uroflowmetry and International Index of Erectile Function-5 were used for the assessment of outcomes. Scores were taken before treatment, and at 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after treatment. RESULTS: Preoperatively, characteristics of patients in the thulium laser enucleation of the prostate group (n = 70) and the bipolar transurethral resection of the prostate group (n = 70) did not significantly differ. The thulium laser enucleation of the prostate group had a lower median decrease in hemoglobin (0.10 g/dL vs 0.69 g/dL, P < 0.0001) and shorter median catheterization (2 days vs 3 days, P < 0.0001) than the bipolar transurethral resection of the prostate group. Both groups had significantly improved International Prostate Symptom Score, International Prostate Symptom Score quality of life, Overactive Bladder Symptom Score, maximum flow rate and residual urine compared with preoperative values. In the thulium laser enucleation of the prostate group, erectile function was significantly impaired at 1 month post-treatment compared with pretreatment, but improved to baseline at 3 months; however, the transurethral resection of the prostate group did not recover. However, total energy (P = 0.001) and laser irradiation time (P = 0.025) were significantly different between the patients who had preserved erectile function and those who did not after the treatment in the thulium laser enucleation of the prostate group. CONCLUSIONS: Thulium laser enucleation of the prostate is superior to bipolar transurethral resection of the prostate in resection efficacy, hemostasis, catheterization time and preservation of erectile function. However, excessive laser irradiation time in thulium laser enucleation of the prostate has the possibility to delay improvement of overactive bladder symptoms and decrease sexual function.

Vitamin E succinate induced apoptosis and enhanced chemosensitivity to paclitaxel in human bladder cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.

There have been several studies on the antitumor activities of vitamin E succinate (alpha-TOS) as complementary and alternative medicine. In the present study, we investigated the cytotoxic effect of alpha-TOS and the enhancement of chemosensitivity to paclitaxel by alpha-TOS in bladder cancer. KU-19-19 and 5637 bladder cancer cell lines were cultured in alpha-TOS and/or paclitaxel in vitro. Cell viability, flow cytometric analysis, and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) activity were analyzed. For in vivo therapeutic experiments, pre-established KU-19-19 tumors were treated with alpha-TOS and/or paclitaxel. In KU-19-19 and 5637 cells, the combination treatment resulted in a significantly higher level of growth inhibition, and apoptosis was significantly induced by the combination treatment. NF-kappaB was activated by paclitaxel; however, the activation of NF-kappaB was inhibited by alpha-TOS. Also, the combination treatment significantly inhibited tumor growth in mice. In the immunostaining of the tumors, apoptosis was induced and proliferation was inhibited by the combination treatment. Combination treatment of alpha-TOS and paclitaxel showed promising anticancer effects in terms of inhibiting bladder cancer cell growth and viability in vitro and in vivo. One of the potential mechanisms by which the combination therapy has synergistic cytotoxic effects against bladder cancer may be that alpha-TOS inhibits NF-kappaB induced by chemotherapeutic agents.