[Current Status of Prostate Cancer and Its Relation to Home Medical Care].

Because ofboth the indolent and aggressive nature ofprostate cancers, it is not easy to select the best treatment for patients receiving home medical care who already have many diseases. Since the growth ofprostate cancer is generally slow and all treatments adversely affect the quality of life to some degree, conservative treatment may well be the best option for these patients with prostate cancer. However, it is also true that we often encounter home medical care patients with a locally advanced cancer who had symptoms such as difficulty to urine, macrohematuria and/or lumbago. Such patients need to be diagnosed soon and treated with mainly hormonal therapy after consultation with the specialist. Thus, after a careful evaluation ofthe nature ofthe cancer and comorbidity, we need to provide the best option ofdiagnosis and treatment for home medical care patients to maintain their quality of life.

Prognostic significance of the presence of tertiary Gleason grade 5 in robot-assisted radical prostatectomy specimens in Japanese patients with clinically localized prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to study the prognostic significance of tertiary Gleason grade (TGG) 5 in patients with clinically localized prostate cancer treated with robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). METHODS: A total of 600 Japanese patients who underwent RARP for clinical stage T1-3N0M0 prostate cancer were evaluated. TGG5 was evaluated according to the International Society of Urological Pathology criterion. Cox hazard regression was used to evaluate the prognostic significance of prostate-specific antigen and pathological features in RARP specimens. RESULTS: Of the 600 RARP specimens, 92 (15%) had TGG5. TGG5 component was found in 30 (10%) of 287 cases with Gleason score (GS) 3 + 4, 55 (37%) of 149 cases with GS 4 + 3 and 7 (17%) of 40 cases with GS 4 + 4. There were no significant differences in pathological stage and surgical margin status between GS 3 + 4 with and without TGG5, as well as between GS 4 + 4 with and without TGG5. Of the 600 patients, 92 (15%) patients had biochemical recurrence (BCR) after surgery, with a median follow-up period of 42 (3-104) months. There were no differences in 5-year BCR-free survival rates between patients with GS 3 + 4 with and without TGG5 (92 vs. 100%, P = 0.16), as well as between patients with GS 4 + 3 with and without TGG5 (79 vs. 71%, P = 0.30). Similarly, there were no differences in 3-year BCRFS rates between patients with GS 4 + 4 with and without TGG5 (80 vs. 71%, P = 0.38). CONCLUSIONS: In our population, the presence of TGG5 in RARP specimens had no strong impact on pathological and prognostic outcomes.

Salvage radiation therapy for prostate cancer patients after prostatectomy.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify risk factors to predict a biochemical recurrence (BCR) in patients treated with salvage radiation therapy (SRT) after radical prostatectomy (RP). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 122 Japanese patients who received SRT for BCR after RP. Using uni- and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models, we identified the predictive factors of BCR after SRT. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 61.3 months, 45.9% of the patients showed BCR after SRT, with 61.5 and 41.8% of non-BCR rates at the second and fifth years. Univariate proportional hazards analysis demonstrated that extraprostatic disease (P = 0.029), seminal vesicle invasion (P = 0.005), microvascular invasion (P = 0.001), postoperative Gleason score (P = 0.008) and pre-SRT prostate-specific antigen (PSA) (P = 0.005) were significantly associated with BCR after SRT. However, only the presence of microvascular invasion and a higher pre-SRT PSA were significant predictors in the multivariate analysis. The non-BCR rate in the second year after SRT for 15 patients with microvascular invasion and pre-SRT PSA > 1.2 ng/ml was only 21% compared to 72.5% of 72 patients with negative microvascular invasion and a pre-SRT PSA of <1.2 ng/ml (P = 0.000031). CONCLUSIONS: While SRT is the most important secondary treatment option for patients with BCR after RP, the effectiveness of SRT may not be uniform. The combination of risk factors such as microvascular invasion in RP specimens and pre-SRT PSA may provide a better way to stratify the risk of BCR after SRT.

Peri-operative efficacy and long-term survival benefit of robotic-assisted radical cystectomy in septuagenarian patients compared with younger patients: a nationwide multi-institutional study in Japan.

BACKGROUND: To determine the peri-operative safety and oncological value of robotic-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) for older and younger patients in an initial Japanese RARC series. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the demographics, complications, peri-operative and oncological outcomes of 253 consecutive patients with bladder cancer who underwent RARC at 34 institutions in Japan between April 2009 and March 2017. The patients were assigned to groups according to ages at surgery of < 70 (younger; n = 125) and ≥ 70 (older; n = 128) years. RESULTS: Mean Charlson comorbidity index (p = 0.045) and the incidence of a history of previous abdominal surgery (p = 0.002) were significantly higher, whereas a history of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (p = 0.028) and neobladder (p < 0.001) were significantly lower in the older group. Mean total operative time was significantly shorter (p = 0.019) and mean estimated blood loss (p = 0.013) was significantly lower in the older group. Post-operative Grade ≥ II complications were comparable at 0-30, 31-90 and 91 days after surgery despite urinary tract associations. Rates of positive surgical margins and mean numbers of removed lymph nodes were comparable between the two groups. Although 5-year overall survival rates were significantly lower (p = 0.03) for older patients, 5-year cancer-specific (p = 0.10) and recurrence-free survival rates were comparable (p = 0.20) between the groups. CONCLUSION: Using RARC potentially allows the application of less invasive procedures and cancer control for septuagenarian patients that are equivalent to those for younger patients.

Automatic classification of prostate cancer Gleason scores from multiparametric magnetic resonance images.

Noninvasive, radiological image-based detection and stratification of Gleason patterns can impact clinical outcomes, treatment selection, and the determination of disease status at diagnosis without subjecting patients to surgical biopsies. We present machine learning-based automatic classification of prostate cancer aggressiveness by combining apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and T2-weighted (T2-w) MRI-based texture features. Our approach achieved reasonably accurate classification of Gleason scores (GS) 6(3 + 3) vs. ≥7 and 7(3 + 4) vs. 7(4 + 3) despite the presence of highly unbalanced samples by using two different sample augmentation techniques followed by feature selection-based classification. Our method distinguished between GS 6(3 + 3) and ≥7 cancers with 93% accuracy for cancers occurring in both peripheral (PZ) and transition (TZ) zones and 92% for cancers occurring in the PZ alone. Our approach distinguished the GS 7(3 + 4) from GS 7(4 + 3) with 92% accuracy for cancers occurring in both the PZ and TZ and with 93% for cancers occurring in the PZ alone. In comparison, a classifier using only the ADC mean achieved a top accuracy of 58% for distinguishing GS 6(3 + 3) vs. GS ≥7 for cancers occurring in PZ and TZ and 63% for cancers occurring in PZ alone. The same classifier achieved an accuracy of 59% for distinguishing GS 7(3 + 4) from GS 7(4 + 3) occurring in the PZ and TZ and 60% for cancers occurring in PZ alone. Separate analysis of the cancers occurring in TZ alone was not performed owing to the limited number of samples. Our results suggest that texture features derived from ADC and T2-w MRI together with sample augmentation can help to obtain reasonably accurate classification of Gleason patterns.

Prostate-specific antigen screening impacts on biochemical recurrence in patients with clinically localized prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the impact of prostate-specific antigen screening on surgical outcomes of prostate cancer. METHODS: Patients who underwent radical prostatectomy were divided into two groups according to prostate-specific antigen testing opportunity (group 1, prostate-specific antigen screening; group 2, non-prostate-specific antigen screening). Perioperative clinical characteristics were compared using the Wilcoxon rank-sum and χ2 -tests. Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify independent predictors of postoperative biochemical recurrence-free survival. RESULTS: In total, 798 patients (63.2%) and 464 patients (36.8%) were categorized into groups 1 and 2, respectively. Group 2 patients were more likely to have a higher prostate-specific antigen level and age at diagnosis and larger prostate volume. Clinical T stage, percentage of positive cores and pathological Gleason score did not differ between the groups. The 5-year biochemical recurrence-free survival rate was 83.9% for group 1 and 71.0% for group 2 (P < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, prostate-specific antigen testing opportunity (hazard ratio 2.530; P < 0.001) was an independent predictive factor for biochemical recurrence after surgery, as well as pathological T stage, pathological Gleason score, positive surgical margin and lymphovascular invasion. Additional analyses showed that prostate-specific antigen screening had a greater impact on biochemical recurrence in a younger patients, patients with a high prostate-specific antigen level, large prostate volume and D'Amico high risk, and patients meeting the exclusion criteria of the Prostate Cancer Research International Active Surveillance study. CONCLUSIONS: Detection by screening results in favorable outcomes after surgery. Prostate-specific antigen screening might contribute to reducing biochemical recurrence in patients with localized prostate cancer.

No clinical significance of the time interval between biopsy and robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy for patients with clinically localized prostate cancer on biochemical recurrence: a propensity score matching analysis.

PURPOSE: To investigate the impact of the time interval (TI) between prostate biopsy and robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) on the risk of biochemical recurrence (BCR). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 793 consecutive patients who were treated with RARP at our institution. Patients were divided into three groups, according to TI, to compare BCR-free survival (BCRFS) rates: Group 1 (n = 196), TI < 3 months; Group 2 (n = 513), 3 ≤ TI < 6 months; Group 3 (n = 84), TI ≥ 6 months. Eighty-three patients with TI ≥ 6 months were matched with an equal number of patients with TI < 6 months based on propensity scores by using four preoperative factors: prostate-specific antigen (PSA), primary (pGS) and secondary (sGS) Gleason score and positive prostate biopsy. RESULTS: The 5-year BCRFS rates for TI Groups 1, 2, and 3 were 76%, 80.7% and 82.6% (P = 0.99), respectively. The multivariate analysis revealed that PSA, pGS, sGS and a positive prostate biopsy were independent preoperative risk factors for BCR. The propensity adjusted 5-year BCRFS for patients with TI ≥ 6 months was 84.0%. This was not worse than that of patients with TI < 6 months (71.0%, P = 0.18). CONCLUSIONS: In our cohorts, a delay in the time from biopsy to RARP did not significantly affect recurrence. Therefore, hasty treatment decisions are unnecessary for at least 6 months after diagnosis of early prostate cancer.

Clinical significance of preoperative renal function and gross hematuria for intravesical recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the predictive values of perioperative factors and to develop a nomogram for intravesical recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy in patients with upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 144 patients who underwent radical nephroureterectomy from 1996 to 2014 was carried out. The actuarial probabilities of the intravesical recurrence-free survival rate were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Prognostic indicators for intravesical recurrence were identified using competing-risks regression analyses. RESULTS: Intravesical recurrence occurred in 63 patients during the follow-up period. The intravesical recurrence-free survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 65.7%, 50.6% and 47.1%, respectively. In univariate analysis, the presence of gross hematuria (P = 0.028) and the preoperative serum creatinine level (P = 0.033) were significantly associated with intravesical recurrence. In multivariate analysis, the presence of gross hematuria (subdistribution hazard ratio 2.03, 95% CI 1.145-3.496; P = 0.013) and the preoperative serum creatinine level (subdistribution hazard ratio 3.15, 95% CI 1.161-3.534; P = 0.021) were independent predictors for intravesical recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy. Accordingly, a nomogram based on the model was developed. The concordance index of this model was 0.632. CONCLUSION: The presence of gross hematuria and preoperative serum creatinine levels seem to be independent predictors for intravesical recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy. Our nomogram developed based on these factors might aid in appropriate patient selection for clinical trials of novel therapeutic interventions, including administration of intravesical chemotherapy.

Sarcopenia as a Novel Preoperative Prognostic Predictor for Survival in Patients with Bladder Cancer Undergoing Radical Cystectomy.

PURPOSE: To investigate the prognostic significance of sarcopenia on long-term outcomes in patients with bladder cancer after radical cystectomy (RC). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 136 patients undergoing RC for urothelial carcinoma at our institution. Prognostic impact of the preoperative clinical, laboratory, and radiologic parameters were evaluated by Cox proportional hazard model analyses, and a nomogram was developed to predict cancer-specific survival (CSS) after RC. RESULTS: The mean follow-up was 46.7 months. Patients with sarcopenia had a significantly shorter CSS than those without sarcopenia. On univariate Cox analysis, clinical T stage, histology of transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) specimen, pretreatment hemoglobin, pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), pretreatment serum C-reactive protein level, pretreatment serum albumin level, presence of hydronephrosis, and presence of sarcopenia were associated with significantly worse CSS. On multivariate Cox stepwise analysis, sarcopenia (hazard rate [HR] = 2.3, p = 0.015), clinical T stage (cT4: HR = 5.3; p = 0.0096), presence of hydronephrosis (HR = 2.0; p = 0.033), histology of TURBT specimen (HR = 2.2, p = 0.044), and NLR (HR = 1.3; p = 0.0048) were significant independent predictors of an unfavorable prognosis Based on the results of the multivariate analysis, we developed a nomogram to predict 1-, 3-, and 5-year CSS after RC. CONCLUSIONS: Sarcopenia, clinical T stage, presence of hydronephrosis, histology of TURBT specimen, and NLR are novel preoperative prognostic factors even after adjustment for other known preoperative predictors in patients undergoing RC for bladder cancer.

Assessment of Prostate Cancer Aggressiveness by Use of the Combination of Quantitative DWI and Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate whether the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value from DWI and the forward volume transfer constant (K(trans)) value from dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI independently predict prostate cancer aggressiveness, and to determine whether the combination of both parameters performs better than either parameter alone in assessing tumor aggressiveness before treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 158 men with histopathologically confirmed prostate cancer who underwent 3-T MRI before undergoing prostatectomy in 2011. Whole-mount step-section pathologic maps identified 195 prostate cancer foci that were 0.5 mL or larger; these foci were then volumetrically assessed to calculate the per-tumor ADC and K(trans) values. Associations between MRI and histopathologic parameters were assessed using Spearman correlation coefficients, univariate and multivariable logistic regression, and AUCs. RESULTS: The median ADC and K(trans) values showed moderate correlation only for tumors for which the Gleason score (GS) was 4 + 4 or higher (ρ = 0.547; p = 0.042). The tumor ADC value was statistically significantly associated with all dichotomized GSs (p < 0.005), including a GS of 3 + 3 versus a GS of 3 + 4 or higher (AUC, 0.693; p = 0.001). The tumor K(trans) value differed statistically significantly only between tumors with a GS of 3 + 3 and those with a primary Gleason grade of 4 (p ≤ 0.015), and it made a statistically significant contribution only in differentiating tumors with a GS of 4 + 3 or higher (AUC, 0.711; p < 0.001) and those with a GS of 4 + 4 or higher (AUC, 0.788; p < 0.001) from lower-grade tumors. Combining ADC and K(trans) values improved diagnostic performance in characterizing tumors with a GS of 4 + 3 or higher and those with a GS of 4 + 4 or higher (AUC, 0.739 and 0.856, respectively; p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Although the ADC value helped to differentiate between all GSs, the K(trans) value was only a benefit in characterizing more aggressive tumors. Combining these parameters improves their performance in identifying patients with aggressive tumors who may require radical treatment.

Impact of a preoperatively estimated prostate volume using transrectal ultrasonography on surgical and oncological outcomes in a single surgeon's experience with robot-assisted radical prostatectomy.

BACKGROUND: To assess the impact of preoperatively estimated prostate volume (PV) using transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) on surgical and oncological outcomes in robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). METHODS: We analyzed the experience of a single surgeon at our hospital who performed 436 RARPs without neoadjuvant hormone therapy between August 2006 and December 2013. Patients were divided into three groups according to their preoperative PV calculated using TRUS (PV ≤ 20 cm(3): group 1, n = 61; 20 < PV < 50 cm(3): group 2, n = 303; PV ≥ 50 cm(3): group 3, n = 72). RESULTS: Blood loss was significantly higher in group 3 than in group 1 and group 2. In stage pT2 patients, the rate of positive surgical margin (PSM) was significantly lower in group 3 than in group 1. In addition, perioperative complications significantly increased with increasing PV, while the extraprostatic extension (EPE) rate significantly decreased with increasing PV. The preoperative biopsy Gleason score, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) density, and clinical T2 stage were inversely correlated with increasing PV. Biochemical recurrence-free survival after RARP was significantly lower in group 1 than in groups 2 and 3. CONCLUSIONS: A large prostate size was significantly associated with increased blood loss and a higher rate of perioperative complications. A small prostate size was associated with a higher PSM rate, PSA density, Gleason score, EPE rate, and biochemical recurrence rate. These results suggest that RARP was technically challenging in patients with large prostates, whereas small prostates were associated with unfavorable oncological outcomes.

Clinical role of pathological downgrading after radical prostatectomy in patients with biopsy confirmed Gleason score 3 + 4 prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To identify preoperative factors predicting Gleason score downgrading after radical prostatectomy (RP) in patients with biopsy Gleason score 3+4 prostate cancer and to determine if prediction of downgrading can identify potential candidates for active surveillance (AS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We identified 1317 patients with biopsy Gleason score 3+4 prostate cancers who underwent RP at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center between 2005 and 2013. Several preoperative and biopsy characteristics were evaluated by forward selection regression, and selected predictors of downgrading were analysed by multivariable logistic regression. Decision curve analysis was used to evaluate the clinical utility of the multivariate model. RESULTS: Gleason score was downgraded after RP in 115 patients (9%). We developed a multivariable model using age, prostate-specific antigen density, percentage of positive cores with Gleason pattern 4 cancer out of all cores taken, and maximum percentage of cancer involvement within a positive core with Gleason pattern 4 cancer. The area under the curve for this model was 0.75 after 10-fold cross validation. However, decision curve analysis revealed that the model was not clinically helpful in identifying patients who will downgrade at RP for the purpose of reassigning them to AS. CONCLUSION: While patients with pathological Gleason score 3 + 3 with tertiary Gleason pattern ≤4 at RP in patients with biopsy Gleason score 3 + 4 prostate cancer may be potential candidates for AS, decision curve analysis showed limited utility of our model to identify such men. Future study is needed to identify new predictors to help identify potential candidates for AS among patients with biopsy confirmed Gleason score 3 + 4 prostate cancer.

Haralick texture analysis of prostate MRI: utility for differentiating non-cancerous prostate from prostate cancer and differentiating prostate cancers with different Gleason scores.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate Haralick texture analysis of prostate MRI for cancer detection and differentiating Gleason scores (GS). METHODS: One hundred and forty-seven patients underwent T2- weighted (T2WI) and diffusion-weighted prostate MRI. Cancers ≥0.5 ml and non-cancerous peripheral (PZ) and transition (TZ) zone tissue were identified on T2WI and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps, using whole-mount pathology as reference. Texture features (Energy, Entropy, Correlation, Homogeneity, Inertia) were extracted and analysed using generalized estimating equations. RESULTS: PZ cancers (n = 143) showed higher Entropy and Inertia and lower Energy, Correlation and Homogeneity compared to non-cancerous tissue on T2WI and ADC maps (p-values: <.0001-0.008). In TZ cancers (n = 43) we observed significant differences for all five texture features on the ADC map (all p-values: <.0001) and for Correlation (p = 0.041) and Inertia (p = 0.001) on T2WI. On ADC maps, GS was associated with higher Entropy (GS 6 vs. 7: p = 0.0225; 6 vs. >7: p = 0.0069) and lower Energy (GS 6 vs. 7: p = 0.0116, 6 vs. >7: p = 0.0039). ADC map Energy (p = 0.0102) and Entropy (p = 0.0019) were significantly different in GS ≤3 + 4 versus ≥4 + 3 cancers; ADC map Entropy remained significant after controlling for the median ADC (p = 0.0291). CONCLUSION: Several Haralick-based texture features appear useful for prostate cancer detection and GS assessment. KEY POINTS: • Several Haralick texture features may differentiate non-cancerous and cancerous prostate tissue. • Tumour Energy and Entropy on ADC maps correlate with Gleason score. • T2w-image-derived texture features are not associated with the Gleason score.

Prediction of renal function after nephroureterectomy in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: The estimated glomerular filtration rate is significantly decreased after nephroureterectomy. Deteriorating renal function likely affects the eligibility for cisplatin-based chemotherapy in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma. The present study was undertaken to identify preoperative factors for the prediction of postoperative renal function and develop a prediction model. METHODS: Between June 1996 and January 2014, 110 patients who underwent radical nephroureterectomy at our institution were analyzed in this study. The estimated glomerular filtration rate was calculated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease study equation. Univariate linear regression analyses were performed to investigate the correlation between postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate and preoperative variables. A stepwise multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate. RESULTS: Comparison of preoperative and postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate for each patient showed a median difference of 13.1 ml/min/1.73 m(2). The postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate was significantly lower than the preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (P < 0.001). On univariate analysis, age and preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate were significantly correlated with postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate. On multivariate analysis, age, preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate and the presence of hydronephrosis were independent predictive factors of postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate. The predicted postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate, which was calculated using these independent factors, showed a significant correlation with the observed postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (correlation coefficient = 0.7533). CONCLUSIONS: Age, preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate and the presence of hydronephrosis were independent predictors of postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma treated with radical nephroureterectomy. The predicted postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate based on these factors may be useful for choosing alternative management strategies such as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma.

Multiparametric 3T MRI for the prediction of pathological downgrading after radical prostatectomy in patients with biopsy-proven Gleason score 3 + 4 prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic performance of pre-treatment 3-Tesla (3T) multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) for predicting Gleason score (GS) downgrading after radical prostatectomy (RP) in patients with GS 3 + 4 prostate cancer (PCa) on biopsy. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 304 patients with biopsy-proven GS 3 + 4 PCa who underwent mpMRI before RP. On T2-weighted imaging and three mpMRI combinations (T2-weighted imaging + diffusion-weighted imaging [DWI], T2-weighted imaging + dynamic contrast-enhanced-MRI [DCE-MRI], and T2-weighted imaging + DWI + DCE-MRI), two radiologists (R1/R2) scored the presence of a dominant tumour using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = definitely absent to 5 = definitely present). Diagnostic performance in identifying downgrading was evaluated via areas under the curves (AUCs). Predictive accuracies of multivariate models were calculated. RESULTS: In predicting downgrading, T2-weighted imaging + DWI (AUC = 0.89/0.85 for R1/R2) performed significantly better than T2-weighted imaging alone (AUC = 0.72/0.73; p < 0.001/p = 0.02 for R1/R2), while T2-weighted imaging + DWI + DCE-MRI (AUC = 0.89/0.84 for R1/R2) performed no better than T2-weighted imaging + DWI (p = 0.48/p > 0.99 for R1/R2). On multivariate analysis, the clinical + mpMRI model incorporating T2-weighted imaging + DWI (AUC = 0.92/0.88 for R1/R2) predicted downgrading significantly better than the clinical model (AUC = 0.73; p < 0.001 for R1/R2). CONCLUSION: mpMRI improves the ability to identify a subgroup of patients with Gleason 3 + 4 PCa on biopsy who are candidates for active surveillance. DCE-MRI (compared to T2 + DWI) offered no additional benefit to the prediction of downgrading. KEY POINTS: Diagnostic performance of T2-weighted-imaging + DWI was better than T2-weighted-imaging alone. Diagnostic performance of T2-weighted-imaging + DWI was similar to T2-weighted-imaging + DWI + DCE-MRI. Combining clinical and T2-weighted-imaging + DWI features best predicted GS downgrading. mpMRI might prevent overtreatment by increasing eligibility for PCa active surveillance.

Prognostic implication of infiltrative growth pattern and establishment of novel risk stratification model for survival in patients with upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To investigate the prognostic significance of infiltrative growth pattern (INF) and to develop a novel risk stratification model for disease-specific survival (DSS) in patients with upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). METHODS: This study included 113 patients with UTUC treated with radical nephroureterectomy. Pathological features, including INF, were compared with DSS. INF was classified into 3 patterns (INFa, INFb, and INFc). The prognostic factors of DSS were evaluated with univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard model analyses. A risk stratification model based on the relative risks of DSS was then established. RESULT: Univariate analysis revealed that patients with high-grade tumor, pathological T stage ≥T3, a non-expanding infiltration pattern (INF ≥b), sessile-type carcinoma, the presence of lymphovascular invasion and positive lymph node involvement showed significantly lower survival rates than their respective counterparts. In the multivariate analysis, high grade tumor, positive lymph node involvement and INF ≥b were independent predictors for DSS (p < 0.05). The patients were stratified into 3 risk groups. The 5-year DSS rates were 94.4 % in the low-risk group, 67.5 % in the intermediate-risk group and 20.5 % in the high-risk group. CONCLUSION: In addition to lymph node involvement and pathological tumor grade, INF is a novel independent prognostic factor in patients with UTUC treated with radical nephroureterectomy. Our risk stratification model developed using these 3 factors may help clinicians identify patients with a poor prognosis who might be good candidates for clinical trials of innovative therapies.

Clinical variables for predicting metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients who might not benefit from cytoreductive nephrectomy: neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and performance status.

BACKGROUND: Cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN) plays an important role in the multimodal treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, certain patients experience rapid progression of the carcinoma following CN. This study aimed to investigate the value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in the selection of patients for CN. METHODS: Records corresponding to 73 patients with metastatic RCC were retrospectively reviewed. Forty-eight patients underwent CN, and their overall survival (OS) and preoperative variables were analyzed. The OS of patients who did not undergo CN was used as a reference. RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed that symptomatic tumors, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG-PS) ≥ 1, hemoglobin level <12 g/dl, neutrophil count ≥ 5500/µL, C-reactive protein level ≥ 2.0 mg/dl, and NLR ≥ 4.0 were significantly associated with poor outcomes in patients who underwent cytoreductive nephrectomy. The median OS of patients with NLR ≥ 4.0 was 10.2 months, which was significantly shorter than that of patients with NLR <4.0 (36.5 months) (P = 0.0020). Multivariate analysis showed that NLR and ECOG-PS were independent predictors of OS in patients treated with CN. The OS of CN patients with NLR ≥ 4.0 and ECOG-PS ≥1 was similar to that of patients who did not undergo CN (8.4 vs. 6.1 months, P = 0.939). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative NLR elevation is significantly associated with poor outcomes in patients with metastatic RCC who underwent CN. Patients with NLR ≥4.0 and ECOG-PS ≥ 1 might not benefit from immediate CN after initial diagnosis.

Factors predicting incisional surgical site infection in patients undergoing open radical cystectomy for bladder cancer.

BACKGROUND: The risk factors of incisional surgical site infection (iSSI) after open radical cystectomy (ORC) have not been fully investigated. The aim of the present study is to examine factors correlated with iSSI development after ORC with intestinal urinary diversion. METHODS: A total of 178 patients who had undergone ORC with intestinal urinary diversion between 2003 and 2012 at our institution were included in this retrospective study. Correlations between different perioperative factors and iSSI development were determined using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: iSSI was observed in 53 patients (29.8 %). In the univariate analysis, age, diabetes mellitus, thickness of subcutaneous fat (TSF), and allogeneic transfusion were significant predictors of iSSI development. Although subcutaneous closed-suction drainage (SCSD) was not a significant factor in univariate analysis, SCSD, age, and TSF were all finally identified as independent predictors of iSSI development (P = 0.020, P < 0.001, and P = 0.022, respectively). Further analyses demonstrated that SCSD was frequently used in patients with relatively thick subcutaneous fat tissue and that SCSD significantly decreased iSSI development in these patients. CONCLUSIONS: Advanced patient age, thick subcutaneous fat tissue, and the absence of SCSD were significantly associated with iSSI development in bladder cancer patients who underwent ORC with intestinal urinary diversion. SCSD may be a useful procedure for iSSI prevention, especially in patients with relatively thick subcutaneous fat tissue.

Preoperative prognostic factors for biochemical recurrence after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy in Japan.

PURPOSE: We investigated oncological outcomes in Japanese patients who underwent robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 389 patients who underwent RARP at a single institution with a follow-up period of at least 1 year. Preoperative findings were compared with biochemical recurrence (BCR). Predictors of BCR-free survival (BCRFS) were evaluated by univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard model analyses, and a risk stratification model based on the relative risks of BCR was established. RESULTS: Fifty incidences of BCR were noted during a median follow-up period of 28.7 months (range, 12.1-80.0 months). The BCRFS rate for the entire cohort at the median follow-up time was 85.9 %; the 1-, 3-, and 5-year estimates were 91.0, 85.1, and 81.1 %, respectively. From univariate analyses, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), PSA density, biopsy Gleason score, and percent positive core were significantly associated with BCR. Multivariate analysis showed that PSA [hazard ratio (HR), 2.75; p = 0.001], percent positive core (HR, 2.22; p = 0.001), and biopsy Gleason score (HR, 2.61; p = 0.007) were independent predictors of BCR. CONCLUSION: This study at a single Japanese center demonstrates that RARP provides a satisfactory BCRFS rate. This report provides a framework with which to estimate oncological outcomes in patients who underwent RARP for localized prostate cancer. Our results support the increased use of RARP for the treatment of localized prostate cancer in Japan.

Clinical significance of preoperative peripheral blood neutrophil count in patients with non-metastatic upper urinary tract carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Preoperative elevation of markers of systemic inflammation is associated with a poor outcome in several cancers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of preoperative systemic inflammatory markers in patients with non-metastatic upper urinary tract cancer (UUTC). METHODS: The records of 84 patients with non-metastatic UUTC who had undergone nephroureterectomy were reviewed, and the associations between preoperative clinical variables and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Clinical tumor stage, neutrophil count, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio were significantly associated with RFS in univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis showed that clinical T stage (hazard ratio [HR], 3.009; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 1.149-9.321; p = 0.024) and neutrophil count (HR, 3.521; 95 % CI, 1.423-9.108; p = 0.007) were independent predictors of RFS. The 3-year RFS in patients with a neutrophil count <4,000/µL was significantly higher than that in patients with a neutrophil count ≥ 4,000/µL (82.9 vs. 51.0 %, p = 0.004). Based on clinical T stage (T2 or less vs. T3 or greater) and neutrophil count (<4,000 vs. ≥ 4,000/µL), patients were stratified into 3 groups: low, intermediate, and high risk groups. RFS rates were significantly different between the 3 groups (p = 0.0005). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative neutrophil count was an independent predictor of RFS in patients with non-metastatic UUTC. Stratification of patients based on neutrophil count and clinical T stage may be valuable for preoperative patient counseling and identifying patients with poor prognosis who may be candidates for neoadjuvant chemotherapy.