Outcomes of treatment for localized prostate cancer in a single institution: comparison of radical prostatectomy and radiation therapy by propensity score matching analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the outcomes of radical prostatectomy (RP), intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), and low-dose-rate brachytherapy (BT) using propensity score matching analysis in patients with clinically localized prostate cancer. METHODS: A group of 2273 patients with clinically localized prostate cancer between January 2004 and December 2015 at the Yokohama City University hospital were identified. The records of 1817 of these patients, who were followed up for a minimum of 2 years, were reviewed; 462 were treated with RP, 319 with IMRT, and 1036 with BT. The patients were categorized according to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network risk classification criteria, and biochemical outcomes and overall survival rates were examined. Biochemical failure for RP was defined as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels > 0.2 ng/ml, and for IMRT and BT as nadir PSA level + 2 ng/ml. Propensity scores were calculated using multivariable logistic regression based on covariates, including the patient's age, preoperative PSA, Gleason score, number of positive cores, and clinical T stage. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 77 months for the RP, 54 months for IMRT, and 66 months for BT patients. After the propensity scores were adjusted, a total of 372 (186 each) and 598 (299 each) patients were categorized into RP vs IMRT and RP vs BT groups, respectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis did not show any statistically significant differences in terms of overall survival rate between these groups (RP vs IMRT: p = 0.220; RP vs BT: p = 0.429). IMRT was associated with improved biochemical failure-free survival compared to RP in all risk groups (high-risk: p < 0.001; intermediate-risk: p = 0.009; low-risk: p = 0.001), whereas significant differences were observed only in the intermediate-risk group (p = 0.003) within the RP vs BT group. CONCLUSION: The results of our propensity score analysis of mid-term localized prostate cancer treatment outcomes demonstrated no significant differences in the overall survival rate. Despite the difference in biochemical failure definition between surgery and radiotherapeutic approaches, the results of this study demonstrate improved biochemical control favoring IMRT and BT as compared to RP.

Changing the Timing of Enzalutamide Intake from Morning to before Sleep at Night Overcame Enzalutamide-Induced Dysgeusia.

Dysgeusia is an adverse effect caused by enzalutamide said to affect 1-5% of patients. The reported management strategies include a temporary drug holiday, the prescription of herbal medicine, and changing the timing of enzalutamide intake from morning to before sleep at night. Case 1: A 72-year-old man developed castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and was administered enzalutamide. After six weeks of enzalutamide installation, he showed taste alternation, and consequently his dysgeusia increased to grade 2; we therefore changed the medicine intake time from morning to night just before sleep without dose reduction. Four weeks after changing the timing, his dysgeusia had improved. Case 2: A 63-year-old man had developed bone metastatic CRPC, so the combination of Ra-223 and enzalutamide (160 mg/body) was introduced. His serum PSA level had gradually decreased, but dysgeusia appeared, so we changed the timing of enzalutamide intake from morning to night just before sleep without dose reduction. One month after changing the timing, his dysgeusia had improved. We herein report two cases of enzalutamide-induced dysgeusia successfully treated by changing the timing of drug intake from morning intake to just before sleep.

Predictors of poor response to secondary alternative antiandrogen therapy with flutamide in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVE: In Japan, flutamide had been commonly used as second-line alternative antiandrogen hormonal therapy for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer that relapses after initial hormone therapy before new androgen pathway inhibitors became available. In this study, we attempted to identify predictive factors for efficacy of alternative antiandrogen as second-line hormone therapy. METHODS: We identified consecutive 65 patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who were treated with alternative antiandrogen as second-line hormonal therapy (bicalutamide to flutamide). All patients were treated with combined androgen blockade initially. We analyzed correlations between progression-free survival of alternative antiandrogen and clinicopathological characteristics, including patients' ages, initial prostate-specific antigen levels, prostate-specific antigen levels at flutamide induction, Gleason scores, T stage, N stage, extent of disease grades on bone scan and previous duration of prostate cancer response to combined androgen blockade. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, T stage, N stage and previous duration of response to combined androgen blockade were correlated with shorter progression-free survival. We found four significant risk factors for shorter progression-free survival in multivariate analysis: initial prostate-specific antigen level, clinical N stage, extent of disease grades and previous duration of response to combined androgen blockade. CONCLUSIONS: Initial prostate-specific antigen, N stage, extent of disease grades on bone scan and previous duration of response to combined androgen blockade were the significant predictors for efficacy of alternative antiandrogen as second-line hormone therapy in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. These findings might support that decision-making of when to start the new androgen receptor pathway inhibitors.

Ten-year outcomes of I¹²5 low-dose-rate brachytherapy for clinically localized prostate cancer: a single-institution experience in Japan.

PURPOSE: To report 10-year outcomes of patients treated with I(125) low-dose-rate brachytherapy (BT) for clinically localized prostate cancer. METHODS: A group of 1,060 patients with clinically localized prostate cancer treated with I(125) BT between March 2004 and December 2013 at the Yokohama City University Hospital were identified. The records of 743 patients with a minimum of 2 years of follow-up were reviewed. Cohorts were categorized according to National Comprehensive Cancer Network risk classification, and biochemical outcomes plus overall survival were examined. Biochemical failure was defined as nadir prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level + 2 ng/mL. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards were used to determine predictors of biochemical failure. RESULTS: A total of 743 patients met the criteria with a median follow-up of 54.6 months (range 24-114 months). The median age was 70 years (range 48-83). The 5- and 7-year overall survival rates were 98.8 and 97.6 %, and the 5- and 7-year biochemical failure-free survival rates were 92.6 and 91.0 %, respectively. With regard to distant metastases and survival, the 5- and 7-year metastatic-free survival rates were 98.2 and 95.9 %, respectively. A multivariate analysis revealed that initial PSA (p = 0.005; HR 1.097, 95 % CI 1.028-1.170), age (p = 0.001; HR 0.931, 95 % CI 0.893-0.971), and T stage (T1c vs. T2a) (p = 0.002; HR2.417, 95 % CI 1.319-4.267) were independent predictors of biochemical failure. CONCLUSIONS: I(125) low-dose-rate BT resulted in excellent survival and morbidity outcomes for localized prostate cancer at a single institution. Further studies are needed to obtain long-term outcomes.

[Neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy with paclitaxel, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil for advanced penile cancer: a case report].

54-year-old male was introduced to our hospital in January 2012 for surgical treatment and chemotherapy. The pathological examination revealed well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the penis. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging indicated right inguinal and pelvic lymphadenopathy. We diagnosed the tumor to be unresectable radically and administered paclitaxel, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (TPF) as neoadjuvant chemotherapy. After 3 courses of chemotherapy, the size of lymphadenopathy had become small enough to allow curative surgical treatment. Partial penectomy and lymph node dissection were performed after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. For 12 months after this radical treatment, the patient has been healthy with no local resurrence and no distant metastatic lesion. TPF chemotherapy for unresectable nodal metastasis from squamous cell carcinoma of penis was suggested to be effective.

[A case of upper urinary tract metastases from sigmoid colon cancer].

We report a case of colorectal cancer with metastasis to the upper urinary tract. A 56-year-old man had left flank pain. Ultrasonography and computed tomographic (CT) examination demonstrated left hydronephroureter and a soft-tissue structure within the left ureter. Urinary cytology of the left ureter showed class IIIb. We diagnosed him with ureteral cancer and performed left nephroureterectomy. Microscopic examination demonstrated adenocarcinoma located in ureteral and pelvic wall, especially in blood vessels, with intact mucosa and similar to adenocarcinoma of colon cancer. Therefore metastatic upper urinary tract tumor was suspected. Barium enema and positron emission tomography-CT demonstrated sigmoid colon cancer. Biopsy specimen of colon cancer demonstrated adenocarcinoma, which was consistent with the ureteral tumor. Finally we diagnosed him with metastatic upper urinary tract tumor of sigmoid colon cancer.