Successful treatment with low-dose oral steroids for contracted bladder after intravesical instillation of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin.

Introduction: Contracted bladder is a rare adverse effect of intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin instillation, with an incidence of 0.2-3.3%. This report aimed to present a case of contracted bladder successfully treated with a low-dose oral steroid. Case presentation: A 78-year-old man underwent a third transurethral resection of a bladder tumor. The pathological diagnosis was urothelial carcinoma in situ. After the fifth instillation of the second-line induction therapy of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin, the patient discontinued treatment because of increased urinary frequency and a continuous mean voiding volume of 80 mL. The patient was diagnosed with a contracted bladder based on computed tomography findings and a urination chart. After initiating oral prednisolone (20 mg/day), the patient experienced significant recovery within 2 weeks for both urinary frequency and mean voiding volume of 226 mL. Conclusion: A patient with a contracted bladder after Bacillus Calmette-Guérin instillation was successfully treated with low-dose oral steroid therapy.

A multicenter, retrospective observational study investigating baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes in patients with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer treated with primary androgen deprivation therapy.

OBJECTIVE: This multicenter, retrospective, observational study investigated baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes in patients with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer who received primary androgen deprivation therapy, using Japan Study Group of Prostate Cancer registry data. METHODS: Among patients in the Japan Study Group of Prostate Cancer registry, those who initiated primary androgen deprivation therapy and were aged 20 years or older were enrolled in this study. The primary endpoint was time to disease progression, defined as time from primary androgen deprivation therapy initiation to either prostate-specific antigen or clinical progression. Secondary endpoints included prostate-specific antigen progression-free survival, prostate-specific antigen response (90% or greater reduction from baseline) and distribution of second-line treatment. RESULTS: Of the 2494 patients (goserelin, n = 564; leuprorelin, n = 1148; surgical castration, n = 161; degarelix, n = 621), those who received degarelix had higher prostate-specific antigen levels and Gleason scores and were at a more advanced clinical stage than those receiving goserelin or leuprorelin. The median time to disease progression (identical to the prostate-specific antigen progression-free survival result) was not reached for goserelin and leuprorelin, 52.7 months for surgical castration and 54.0 months for degarelix. Although baseline prostate-specific antigen values in the degarelix cohort were higher than those of the leuprorelin or goserelin cohorts, prostate-specific antigen responses were not different among the three cohorts. Regarding second-line treatment, the largest patient group received degarelix followed by leuprorelin (n = 195). CONCLUSIONS: This study clarified patient characteristics and long-term effectiveness of primary androgen deprivation therapy in real-world clinical practice. Japanese urologists appear to select appropriate primary androgen deprivation therapy based on patient background and tumour characteristics, with degarelix largely reserved for higher risk patients.

[A Case of Germ Cell Tumor in which Necrotic Tissue Revealed hCG-Positive in Surgical Specimen of Post-Chemotherapy Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection].

The patient was a 27-year-old male. In December 2020, he was diagnosed with a primary extragonadal germ cell tumor of the retroperitoneum with inferior vena caval (IVC) involvement. After 3 courses of bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatinum and 3 courses of paclitaxel, ifosfamide and cisplatin, the serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) level remained abnormally low. He was referred to our department after follow-up for 2 months. Since the hCG level continued to decrease during follow-up, we decided to perform marker-positive surgery. He underwent retroperitoneal lymph node dissection. We also resected a part of the IVC wall and tumor in the IVC. The serum hCG level was normalized at 5 days after surgery. Pathological examination revealed only necrotic tissue. Immunohistochemistry showed hCG positive in the necrotic tissue.

Improved survival of poor-risk non-seminomatous germ cell tumor patients: real-world data from a single institute in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: The International Germ Cell Cancer Collaborative Group Update Consortium showed the improved survival of patients with a non-seminomatous germ cell tumor. We updated the survival data of the non-seminomatous germ cell tumor patients treated at our hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed the outcomes of 138 patients treated in 1981-2018. We compared the survival of the patients treated in the early (1981-99) and later (2000-18) periods and determined the groups' progression-free survival and overall survival using the Kaplan-Meier method. We used a web-based application of the International Germ Cell Cancer Collaborative Group Update model to calculate each patient's predicted 3-year progression-free survival. RESULTS: The 5-year progression-free survival rates of the good, intermediate and poor prognosis groups were 91, 83 and 64%, and their 5-year overall survival rates were 97, 89 and 82%, respectively. There were no significant differences in the progression-free survival or overall survival of the good and intermediate prognosis groups by treatment year. The 5-year progression-free survival of the poor prognosis group was almost identical in both treatment year (60 and 65%, respectively). By contrast, the 5-year overall survival in the later period (85%) was higher than that in the early period (70%). The median-predicted 3-year progression-free survival rates of the good, intermediate and poor prognosis groups were 92, 83 and 51% (P < 0.01), respectively. The concordance index for the good, intermediate and poor prognosis groups were 0.56, 0.79 and 0.67, respectively. CONCLUSION: The survival of our poor prognosis non-seminomatous germ cell tumor patients improved over time. The 5-year overall survival of patients treated in 2000-18 reached 85%.

Association of Increased Age With Decreased Response to Intravesical Instillation of Bacille Calmette-Guérin in Patients With High-Risk Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer: Retrospective Multi-Institute Results From the Japanese Urological Oncology Research Group JUOG-UC-1901-BCG.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the therapeutic effect of Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) intravesical instillation in older and younger patients with high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The comparison was performed with propensity score matching (PSM) without terminating the death of the older patients using relatively large-scale retrospective data from multiple institutes in Japan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Overall, 3283 patients diagnosed with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer treated with intravesical BCG instillation during 2000-2018 in 31 institutes were examined; 1437 and 602 patients with high-grade T1 and Tis tumors were divided into those aged ≥75 and <75 years. Multivariate analysis using the Fine-Gray competing risks regression model before PSM and survival analysis using the cumulative incidence method after PSM were performed. RESULTS: In the pre-PSM series of high-grade T1 tumors, age ≥75 years was an independent prognostic factor for both recurrence and progression in multivariate analysis (P = .015 and P = .013). In the pre-PSM series with Tis tumor, no variables to predict recurrence and progression was found. In the post-PSM series of 870 high-grade T1 tumors, cumulative probability of recurrence after BCG intravesical instillation were significantly higher in patients aged ≥75 years than in those aged <75 years (P = .008). The frequency of discontinuation of BCG instillation in patients aged ≥75 years with high-grade T1 and Tis was not significantly different from those in patients aged <75 years (P = .564 and P = .869). CONCLUSION: The cumulative probability of recurrence after intravesical BCG instillation was significantly higher in older than in younger patients with high-grade T1 bladder cancer.

Efficacy of combined androgen blockade therapy in patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer stratified by tumor burden.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of combined androgen blockade with a first-generation anti-androgen on the prognoses of metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer patients stratified by tumor burden. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the cases of metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer patients who were treated with androgen deprivation therapy in 2008-2017 at 30 institutions in Japan. To compare the overall survival and progression-free survival rates of the patients treated with castration monotherapy and combined androgen blockade, we carried out a Cox proportional hazards regression analysis using both inverse probability of treatment weighting and instrumental variables methods. High-burden disease was defined as the presence of four or more bone metastases and/or visceral metastasis. RESULTS: Of 2048 patients, 702 (34.3%) and 1346 (65.7%) patients were classified as the low- and high-burden groups, respectively. In each group, >80% of the patients were treated with combined androgen blockade. Although there was no significant between-group difference in the overall survival according to the androgen deprivation therapy method, in the high-burden group the progression-free survival of the combined androgen blockade-treated patients was significantly better than that of patients treated with castration monotherapy: inverse probability of treatment weighting method, hazard ratio 0.49, 95% confidence interval 0.34-0.71; instrumental variables method, hazard ratio 0.80, 95% confidence interval 0.60-0.98. CONCLUSION: In the high-burden group, combined androgen blockade with a first-generation anti-androgen resulted in superior progression-free survival compared with castration monotherapy. For well-selected metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer patients, the use of combined androgen blockade might still have some suitable scenarios.

[Current Clinical Practice Pattern for Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer(CRPC)in Japan].

Although various agents are reported against castration-resistant prostate cancer(CRPC), little is known about their actual clinical use in Japan. In this study, 484 patients diagnosed with CRPC during androgen-deprivation therapy were selected from Japan's leading multicenter collaborative research real-world database. The treatment details and prognosis were analyzed. It was observed that the castration treatment represented by the use of LH-RH agonists and antagonists was continued in almost all cases even after CRPC diagnosis. First-line non-castration agents for the CRPC treatment including certain novel agents approved from 2010 onwards and conventional agents used before that were selected for use in 76.5% and 23.5% of cases, respectively, with the 1-year continuation rates being 57.7%, and 52.4%, respectively. The 1.5-year overall survival rate from CRPC was 63.7%(90.0% in the conventional agents' group and 58.8% in the novel agents' group). Previously, conventional agents were sometimes selected for the CRPC treatment; hence, they still seemed to play a role in clinical practice in Japan.

Rapid Response to Pembrolizumab in a Chemo-Refractory Testicular Germ Cell Cancer with Microsatellite Instability-High.

Testicular germ cell tumor (TGCT) is highly chemo-sensitive cancer; however, there is no established treatment for TGCT relapsed after multiple chemotherapy. Although pembrolizumab showed durable stable disease in some patients, no reliable biomarker for predicting response is available. High microsatellite instability (MSI) is rare in chemo-naïve TGCT. We report a TGCT patient with a rapid response to pembrolizumab. A 34-year-old Japanese male diagnosed with advanced TGCT underwent PCR-based testing of the primary site; it did not reveal MSI. He relapsed after four chemotherapy regimens: bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin; paclitaxel, ifosfamide and cisplatin; vinblastine, ifosfamide and cisplatin; and irinotecan+nedaplatin with a total of 20 treatment cycles. Chemotherapy was thus discontinued. Re-examination by a CT-guided needle biopsy for progressing retroperitoneal lymph node (RPLN) metastases showed MSI-high; pembrolizumab was initiated. After only two doses, the human chorionic gonadotropin level decreased from 6500 to <1.0 IU/L. PET-CT showed shrinkage of the RPLN metastases with diminished metabolism. The patient is currently free from disease progression for 6 months from the start of pembrolizumab. This is the first report of refractory TGCT with MSI-high responding to pembrolizumab. We emphasize the utility of a metastatic-site biopsy to check the MSI status for refractory TGCT even when primary site is MSI-negative.

Primary Androgen-Depletion Therapy Prevails Not Only for Metastatic but Also for Nonmetastatic Hormone-Naïve Prostate Cancer in Japan-Recent Trends and Efficacy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the real-world use of primary androgen-deprivation therapy(PADT; gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists[leuprorelin/goserelin]and antagonists[degarelix]/surgical castration), its clinical effectiveness, and the characteristics of Japanese patients with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer treated with PADT. METHODS: In this retrospective, observational study, patients using PADT(≥1 record)in the 2016-2018 Japan Study Group of Prostate Cancer registry were followed up from their initial date of PADT until October 2018. The primary endpoints included prostate-specific antigen( PSA)response rate(PSA<4 ng/mL)and duration of initial treatment. RESULTS: Of 1,895 patients, 47.7%, 24.4%, and 22.0% received leuprorelin, goserelin, and degarelix, respectively; 5.9% underwent surgical castration. The degarelix group had the highest median PSA at diagnosis(116.7 ng/mL)and proportion of patients with clinical Stage Ⅳ prostate cancer (72.9%)and Gleason score 9-10(59.7%). A concomitant antiandrogen was used in >80% and 70% of patients in the leuprorelin/goserelin and degarelix groups, respectively; bicalutamide was used most commonly(99.0%). Median duration of initial treatment was 20.8 months in the degarelix group and not yet reached in the leuprorelin/goserelin groups; continuation rates at 24 months were 44.6% and 81.6%/87.3%, respectively. The PSA response rate was the highest in the leuprorelin group(93.7%); median percentage change in PSA was comparable across all treatment groups(-99.1% to -99.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Real-world use of PADT in patients with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer is likely based on its specific therapeutic attributes and patient characteristics.

Primary aortoduodenal fistula in testicular cancer: A fatal complication associated with retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis.

A primary aortoduodenal fistula (PADF) has rarely been reported as a complication of testicular cancer. A 48-year-old Japanese male with relapsed retroperitoneal lymph node metastases received four courses of paclitaxel, ifosfamide, and cisplatin (TIP). On day 19 of the fourth cycle of TIP, he developed hematochezia and hypovolemic shock. Angiography confirmed the presence of a PADF, and we then deployed an endovascular stent graft in the aorta. Although the bleeding improved, the patient died of re-bleeding that developed 18 days later. It is important to recognize this severe complication in order to achieve its early diagnosis and optimal surgical intervention.

Long-term outcomes of androgen deprivation therapy in prostate cancer among Japanese men over 80 years old.

This study aimed to analyze the survival rate and to examine the risk of death from prostate cancer when accounting for competing risk of death, in men aged ≥80 y treated with primary androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Data of patients with prostate cancer who had received ADT were extracted from a nationwide community-based database established by the Japan Study Group for Prostate Cancer. Prognostic variables, including progression-free survival, cancer-specific survival, overall survival, and death rates were compared between men stratified by prostate cancer risk. Overall, 4760 patients older than 80 y were included. The proportion of low-, intermediate-, high-, or very high-risk, regional, and metastatic prostate cancer among super-elderly men was 9.5%, 14.6%, 48.8%, 9.0%, 3.2%, and 24.9%, respectively. Survival rates decreased with increasing risk stratification. The cumulative 5-y death rate by prostate cancer for low-, intermediate-, high-, or very high-risk, regional, and metastatic prostate cancer, was 0.92% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.2%-3.6%), 1.6% (95% CI: 0.8%-3.4%), 5.75% (95% CI: 4.25%-7.75%), 15.6% (95% CI: 11.6%-23.3%), 20.7% (95% CI: 13.1%-31.7%), and 36.9% (95% CI: 32.8%-41.4%), respectively. Our findings support that there is no need for immediate ADT for low- and intermediate-risk groups. Conversely, in high- or very high-risk, regional, and metastatic prostate cancer, more efforts for curative therapy and intensive therapy are needed in selected patients.

Dynamics of conditional survival and risk factors in androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer using a multi-institutional Japan-wide database.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to analyze the conditional survival and prognostic factors in androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer using the Japan Study Group of Prostate Cancer database. METHODS: Data on patients treated with primary androgen deprivation therapy between 2001 and 2003 from a nationwide database of the Japan Study Group of Prostate Cancer were used. The conditional 5-year progression-free rate, cancer-specific survival and overall survival, as well as the conditional mortality owing to prostate cancer and other causes were calculated as per subgroups. Prognostic factors for progression-free rate, cancer-specific survival and overall survival at each time after androgen deprivation therapy initiation were calculated using the Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: The conditional 5-year progression-free rate and cancer-specific survival, but not overall survival, gradually increased with time. The prognostic impact of stage IV characteristics (T4, N1 and M1) changed over time; however, the prognostic impact of the Gleason score remained unchanged. In the subgroup analysis, prostate-specific mortality risk reduced over time in patients with stage IV prostate cancer, whereas non-prostate cancer mortality increased over time in elderly patients. CONCLUSIONS: Information regarding conditional survival and mortality obtained in this study would provide a benchmark for physicians and cancer survivors.

Recent trend of androgen deprivation therapy in newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients: Comparing between high- and middle-income Asian countries.

The number of newly diagnosed prostate cancer cases varies across Asia, with higher mortality-to-incidence ratio reported in developing nations. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), alone or in combination, remains the mainstay of first-line treatment for advanced prostate cancer. Key findings of extensive research and randomized controlled trials have shaped current clinical practice and influenced clinical guideline recommendations. We describe here the recent trend of ADT in newly diagnosed prostate cancer for Asia focusing on Japan (high-income country) and Malaysia (middle-income country) based on the Asian Prostate Cancer (A-CaP) Study. The combination of radiotherapy and ADT or ADT alone was common in patients with intermediate-to-high risk localized and locally advanced disease. For metastatic prostate cancer, maximum androgen blockade (gonadotrophin-releasing hormone [GnRH] agonist/antagonist plus antiandrogen) was prevalent among the Japanese patients while primary ADT alone with GnRH agonist/antagonist was widely practiced in the Malaysian cohort. Upfront combined therapy (ADT plus docetaxel or androgen receptor pathway inhibitor) has significantly improved the outcomes of patients with metastatic castration-naïve prostate cancer. Its application, however, remains low in our cohorts due to patients' financial capacity and national health insurance coverage. Early detection remains the cornerstone in prostate cancer control to improve treatment outcome and patient survival.

Regional and facility disparities in androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer from a multi-institutional Japan-wide database.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the differences in prognosis of prostate cancer patients receiving primary androgen deprivation therapy by region and facility type using a Japan-wide database. METHODS: Data on patients treated with primary androgen deprivation therapy between 2001 and 2003 from a nationwide community-based database established by the Japan Study Group of Prostate Cancer were obtained. Clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic variables, including progression, cancer-specific survival and overall survival, were compared according to region and facility type where the patients were treated. RESULTS: Among 19 162 patients, 7102 (37.1%) and 12 060 (62.9%) men were in urban and rural areas, respectively, and 3556 (18.6%), 13 623 (71.1%) and 1983 (10.3%) patients were enrolled from academic centers, non-academic hospitals and urological clinics, respectively. The risks of progression, cancer-specific mortality and all-cause mortality were comparable between urban and rural areas in propensity-score matched analysis. Risks of progression, cancer-specific mortality and all-cause mortality in urological clinics were higher than those in academic centers in propensity-score matched analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that Japan facility type, but not geographical regions, might affect the prognosis of prostate cancer patients receiving primary androgen deprivation therapy.

Clinical features of multiply recurrent retroperitoneal liposarcoma: A single-center experience.

BACKGROUND: To elucidate the clinicopathological features of multiply recurrent retroperitoneal liposarcoma referred to a tertiary center. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 40 patients with pathologically proven primary retroperitoneal liposarcoma treated between January 2015 and June 2019. RESULTS: The initial pathology was well-differentiated liposarcoma (WDLS) in 23 patients, dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLS) in 15 patients, and myxoid liposarcoma in two patients. Before and after referral to our hospital, the patients underwent 142 surgeries (median number of surgeries: 3) for initial and recurrent tumors. Of these, 35 (87.5%) patients underwent surgeries for recurrent tumors. In 11 (47.8%) of the 23 patients with initial WDLS, pathological progression (PP) to DDLS was observed in recurrent tumors at the median interval of 7.8 years. In eight patients (72.7%), the PP occurred at the first recurrence. In contrast, all 15 patients with DDLS recurred as DDLS. Distant metastases developed in eight patients (34.8%) with WDLS and five patients (29.4%) with DDLS/myxoid subtype. All eight WDLS patients who developed metastasis were alive with disease at the median interval of 3.6 years, whereas four of the five patients with primary diagnosis of DDLS/myxoid subtype died at the median interval of 5.6 months from the development of metastasis. The 5-year overall survival of the patients with initial WDLS and those with DDLS/myxoid subtype were 100% and 67.4% (p = 0.0006), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The prognosis of the initial-WDLS patients was favorable despite multiple recurrences. In WDLS patients, if distant metastases develop, it is possible to remain alive with disease for years.

Modified J-CAPRA scoring system in predicting treatment outcomes of metastatic prostate cancer patients undergoing androgen deprivation therapy.

The J-CAPRA score is an assessment tool which stratifies risk and predicts outcome of primary androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) using prostate-specific antigen, Gleason score, and clinical TNM staging. Here, we aimed to assess the generalisability of this tool in multi-ethnic Asians. Performance of J-CAPRA was evaluated in 782 Malaysian and 16,946 Japanese patients undergoing ADT from the Malaysian Study Group of Prostate Cancer (M-CaP) and Japan Study Group of Prostate Cancer (J-CaP) databases, respectively. Using the original J-CAPRA, 69.6% metastatic (M1) cases without T and/or N staging were stratified as intermediate-risk disease in the M-CaP database. To address this, we first omitted clinical T and N stage variables, and calculated the score on a 0-8 scale in the modified J-CAPRA scoring system for M1 patients. Notably, treatment decisions of M1 cases were not directly affected by both T and N staging. The J-CAPRA score threshold was adjusted for intermediate (modified J-CAPRA score 3-5) and high-risk (modified J-CAPRA score ≥6) groups in M1 patients. Using J-CaP database, validation analysis showed that overall survival, prostate cancer-specific survival, and progression-free survival of modified intermediate and high-risk groups were comparable to those of original J-CAPRA (p > 0.05) with Cohen's coefficient of 0.65. Around 88% M1 cases from M-CaP database were reclassified into high-risk category. Modified J-CAPRA scoring system is instrumental in risk assessment and treatment outcome prediction for M1 patients without T and/or N staging.

Family history in primary hormone therapy for prostate cancer: Analysis from a community-based multi-institutional Japan-wide database.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the association between hormone therapy and outcomes in a cohort of prostate cancer patients with a family history of prostate cancer. METHODS: Data of patients with prostate cancer who had received hormone therapy were extracted from a nationwide community-based database established by the Japan Study Group for Prostate Cancer. Family history of prostate cancer was available for 13 346 of these patients, who thus comprised the study cohort. Prognostic variables, including progression-free survival, cancer-specific survival and overall survival, were compared between men with familial and men with sporadic prostate cancer. RESULTS: A positive family history was identified in 220 patients (1.6%). Patients with a positive family history were younger than those without; however, other clinicopathological characteristics and prognoses were comparable. In subgroup analysis, family history was identified as a possible favorable prognostic factor for overall survival among patients with a prostate-specific antigen level at diagnosis <100 ng/mL and those with low or intermediate Japan Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that familial prostate cancer has an early-onset feature or is diagnosed earlier than sporadic prostate cancer. However, the prognosis of individuals with familial prostate cancer undergoing hormone therapy is comparable to those with sporadic prostate cancer.

A single-institute experience of trimodal bladder-preserving therapy for histologic variants of urothelial carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: We retrospectively evaluated the clinical outcomes of patients with histologic variants of muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) treated with trimodal bladder-preserving therapy (TMT). METHODS: Among 148 patients with clinical T2-3N0M0 MIBC treated with TMT at Tsukuba University Hospital from 1990 to 2015, 11 patients (7.4%) had pathological components of variant urothelial carcinoma (UC). The complete response (CR), overall survival (OS), cause-specific survival (CSS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates were analyzed in these 11 patients. RESULTS: Among the 11 patients with variant UC, 7 (64%) had UC with squamous and/or glandular differentiation and 4 (36%) had sarcomatoid (n = 1), plasmacytoid (n = 1), signet ring cell (n = 1), or clear cell variant (n = 1). Median follow-up was 49.0 months. Nine (82%) out of 11 patients achieved CR and 2 (22%) out of the 9 developed recurrence. Among seven patients who had UC with squamous and/or glandular differentiation, two developed recurrence and one died of disease. In contrast, 2 (50%) out of four patients with other variants, which were sarcomatoid variant or signet ring cell, developed recurrence and died of disease. Overall, the 5-year OS, CSS, and PFS rates of variant UC were 75%, 75%, and 58%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: TMT might provide acceptable clinical outcomes for well-selected MIBC patients with histologic variants, especially for those with squamous and/or glandular differentiation. However, we need to pay special attention to other variants such as sarcomatoid variant or signet ring cell. TMT might be an alternative treatment option for patients with histologic variants, although further experiments will be needed to confirm this.

The resonance® metallic ureteral stent in the treatment of malignant ureteral obstruction: a prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: To study the outcomes and experiences of using metallic stents in treating patients with malignant ureteral obstruction (MUO), we examined the effects of metallic ureteral stenting using the Cook Resonance® stent in the treatment of MUO. METHODS: All patients who had a Resonance metallic stent inserted between April 2015 and March 2018 at one of multiple facilities were prospectively observed with a 1-year follow-up. The primary outcome was the patency rate of the metallic ureteral stent. The secondary outcomes included the complications (e.g., infection and fever). RESULTS: Although stent insertion was attempted in 50 patients, the stent could not be inserted as a ureteral stent in three patients due to severe ureteral stricture, and one ureteral cancer patient was excluded from the analysis. The remaining 46 patients' median age was 67 years (range 28-85 years) (16 males, 30 females). Twenty-four patients died during the study; their median survival time was 226 days. The median follow-up period for the censored patients was 355 days (range 16-372 days), and just seven patients were still alive without Resonance failure > 1 year later. The women's IPSS scores tended to be lower than those of the men. Regarding the OABSS score, although the women's total score tended to be low, the difference between the men's and women's scores was nonsignificant. The bacteria detected from urine culture after stent insertion were more gram-positive than gram-negative. CONCLUSION: Metallic ureteric stenting using the Resonance stent is safe and effective for treating MUO. Subjective symptoms were relatively less in the female patients.

Report of the third Asian Prostate Cancer study meeting.

The Asian Prostate Cancer (A-CaP) study is an Asia-wide initiative that was launched in December 2015 in Tokyo, Japan, with the objective of surveying information about patients who have received a histopathological diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa) and are undergoing treatment and clarifying distribution of staging, the actual status of treatment choices, and treatment outcomes. The study aims to clarify the clinical situation for PCa in Asia and use the outcomes for the purposes of international comparison. Following the first meeting in Tokyo in December 2015, the second A-CaP meeting was held in Seoul, Korea, in September 2016. This, the third A-CaP meeting, was held on October 14, 2017, in Chiang Mai, Thailand, with the participation of members and collaborators from 12 countries and regions. In the meeting, participating countries and regions presented the current status of data collection, and the A-CaP office presented a preliminary analysis of the registered cases received from each country and region. Participants discussed ongoing challenges relating to data input and collection, institutional, and legislative issues that may present barriers to data sharing, and the outlook for further patient registrations through to the end of the registration period in December 2018. In addition to A-CaP-specific discussions, a series of special lectures were also delivered on the situation for health insurance in the United States, the correlation between insurance coverage and PCa outcomes, and the outlook for robotic surgery in the Asia-Pacific region. Members also confirmed the principles of authorship in collaborative studies, with a view to publishing original articles based on A-CaP data in the future.