Human papillomavirus infection is not related with prostatitis-related symptoms: results from a case-control study.

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and prostatitis-related symptoms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All young heterosexual patients with prostatitis-related symptoms attending the same Center from January 2005 to December 2010 were eligible for this case-control study. Sexually active asymptomatic men were considered as the control group. All subjects underwent clinical examination, Meares-Stamey test and DNA-HPV test. Patients with prostatitis-related symptoms and asymptomatic men were compared in terms of HPV prevalence. Moreover, multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to determine the association between HPV infection and prostatitis-related symptoms. RESULTS: Overall, 814 out of 2,938 patients (27.7%) and 292 out of 1,081 controls (27.0%) proved positive to HPV. The HPV genotype distribution was as follows: HR-HPV 478 (43.3%), PHR-HPV 77 (6.9%), LR-HPV 187 (16.9%) and PNG-HPV 364 (32.9%). The most common HPV genotypes were: 6, 11, 16, 26, 51, 53 and 81. No difference was found between the two groups in terms of HPV infection (OR 1.03; 95% CI 0.88-1.22; p = 0.66). We noted a statistically significant increase in HPV infection over the period 2005 to 2010 (p < 0.001) in both groups. Moreover, we found a statistically significant increase in HPV 16 frequency from 2005 to 2010 (p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights that prostatitis-like symptoms are unrelated to HPV infection. Secondary, we highlight the high prevalence of asymptomatic HPV infection among young heterosexual men.

Human papillomavirus infection is not related with prostatitis-related symptoms: results from a case-control study

PurposeTo investigate the relationship between human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and prostatitis-related symptoms.Materials and MethodsAll young heterosexual patients with prostatitis-related symptoms attending the same Center from January 2005 to December 2010 were eligible for this case-control study. Sexually active asymptomatic men were considered as the control group. All subjects underwent clinical examination, Meares-Stamey test and DNA-HPV test. Patients with prostatitis-related symptoms and asymptomatic men were compared in terms of HPV prevalence. Moreover, multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to determine the association between HPV infection and prostatitis-related symptoms.ResultsOverall, 814 out of 2,938 patients (27.7%) and 292 out of 1,081 controls (27.0%) proved positive to HPV. The HPV genotype distribution was as follows: HR-HPV 478 (43.3%), PHR-HPV 77 (6.9%), LR-HPV 187 (16.9%) and PNG-HPV 364 (32.9%). The most common HPV genotypes were: 6, 11, 16, 26, 51, 53 and 81. No difference was found between the two groups in terms of HPV infection (OR 1.03; 95% CI 0.88-1.22; p = 0.66). We noted a statistically significant increase in HPV infection over the period 2005 to 2010 (p < 0.001) in both groups. Moreover, we found a statistically significant increase in HPV 16 frequency from 2005 to 2010 (p = 0.002).ConclusionsThis study highlights that prostatitis-like symptoms are unrelated to HPV infection. Secondary, we highlight the high prevalence of asymptomatic HPV infection among young heterosexual men.

Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography may aid the diagnosis of aggressive primary prostate cancer: A case series study.

Recent evidence has shown that positive results may be observed for fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in undifferentiated, biologically aggressive and metastatic tumors. The present study describes a case series of six patients with normal prostate-specific antigen (PSA) serum levels who underwent FDG-PET due to other causes. Positive PET results were observed at the prostate and the patients were subsequently diagnosed with high-risk prostate cancer. Clinical, anamnestic, laboratory and instrumental data were collected from six asymptomatic patients with total serum PSA levels of <4 ng/ml who had undergone FDG-PET due to other causes. The FDG-PET and prostate biopsy were positive for prostate cancer. All the patients were treated with radical intent. The median age was 66 years (range, 52-72 years), the median total PSA value was 2.4 ng/ml (range, 1.5-3.9 ng/ml) and the body mass index was 26.4 (range, 21.8-30.2). Three of the six patients underwent FDG-PET due to a clinical suspicion of multiple myeloma, while three patients were examined for other oncological diseases. The pathological analysis at the prostate biopsy revealed three patients with a Gleason score of 6, two with a score of 7 (4+3) and one with a score of 8 (4+4). Five of the six patients were treated by radical prostatectomy and one by radiotherapy. The pathological analysis revealed one patient of pT2a stage, three of pT2c and one of pT3b. No patients demonstrated lymph node invasion. The definitive Gleason score was 3+3 in one patient, 4+3 in one patient, 4+4 in two patients and 5+3 in one patient. Following a median follow-up time of six months (range, 1-12 months), five of the six patients underwent FDG-PET again, which revealed negative results. At the end of this study, these patients were alive without evidence of disease. By contrast, one patient demonstrated positive FDG-PET results. In conclusion, FDG-PET has been used to characterize prostate cancers in patients with apparently normal PSA levels.

Microwave-induced thermoablation with Amica-probe is a safe and reproducible method to treat solid renal masses: results from a phase I study.

Microwave thermal ablation (MWTA) could be considered in the future for treating small solid renal masses. The aim of the present study was to determine both the tolerability of the new Amica-probe applicator-induced MWTA used in vivo on patients with solid renal masses and the effects of heating on renal tumors and normal renal parenchyma. Fourteen patients with renal masses eligible for open radical nephrectomy were enrolled in this phase I study. All patients underwent MWTA of renal masses during the open surgery procedure before clamping of renal vascular pedicle. The effects of MWTA on patients' coagulation and tumor/renal vasculature were investigated. The histological effects of MWTA on the tumor and intralesional vital tumor cell skipping were also evaluated. The MWTA-induced lesion diameters were measured to calculate both the overall ablation volume and the lesion sphericity index (SI). The Clavien-Dindo classification was used. In all patients the RENAL score was 9.4 (8-12) and the Charlson comorbidity index was 4.8 (3-7). MWTA-induced lesion size was 44.14 mm (±22.59). Mean SI was 1.08 (±0.2). No significant differences among coagulation clinical parameters were found. No local bleeding after MWTA treatment was reported. According to the Clavien-Dindo classification, there were two grade II perioperative complications due to the tumor extent but not related with the MWTA treatment. No residual vital tumor cells inside the MWTA-induced lesions were found. Telephone interview at 27.4 (±4.2) months mean follow-up did not find any long-term adverse events due to previous MWTA treatment. Amica-Probe applicator-induced MWTA is a safe and reproducible method to treat solid renal masses.

Gemcitabine plus cisplatin in adjuvant regimen for bladder cancer. Toxicity evaluation.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the toxicity of gemcitabine and cisplatin combination therapy in adjuvant regimen after radical cystectomy for muscle invasive bladder cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty patients underwent radical cystectomy for pT2b-pT4 N0-N2 transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder. They had not received prior systemic chemotherapy and were scheduled to receive gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m(2) on days 1, 8, and 15 and cisplatin 70 mg/m(2) on day 1 of a 28-day cycle, for 4 cycles. All toxicities were evaluated by World Health Organization toxicity criteria. RESULTS: No toxic deaths occurred. All patients experienced transitory alopecia. 12/40 (30%) patients did not experience any toxicity except for alopecia. 23/40 (57.5%) had hematologic toxicity; 1/40 (2.5%) thrombocytopenia grade 4, and 3/40 (7.5%) granulocytopenia grade 3. All nonhematologic toxicities (21/40, 52.5%), including neurotoxicity, constipation and diarrhea, nausea and vomiting were less than grade 3. CONCLUSIONS: Gemcitabine plus cisplatin is a well-tolerated combination therapy with a good clinical safety profile, ethically justifiable in adjuvant regimen for bladder cancer.