Search

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the prognostic outcomes in mRCC patients receiving second‐line TKI following first‐line IO combination therapy. Methods: This study retrospectively included 243 mRCC patients receiving second‐line TKI after first‐line IO combination therapy: nivolumab plus ipilimumab (n = 189, IO–IO group) and either pembrolizumab plus axitinib or avelumab plus axitinib (n = 54, IO–TKI group). Oncological outcomes between the two groups were compared, and prognostication systems were developed for these patients. Results: In the IO–IO and IO–TKI groups, the objective response rates to second‐line TKI were 34.4% and 25.9% (p = 0.26), the median PFS periods were 9.7 and 7.1 months (p = 0.79), and the median OS periods after the introduction of second‐line TKI were 23.1 and 33.5 months (p = 0.93), respectively. Among the several factors examined, non‐CCRCC, high CRP, and low albumin levels were identified as independent predictors of both poor PFS and OS by multivariate analyses. It was possible to precisely classify the patients into 3 risk groups regarding both PFS and OS according to the positive numbers of the independent prognostic factors. Furthermore, the c‐indices of this study were superior to those of previous systems as follows: 0.75, 0.64, and 0.61 for PFS prediction and 0.76, 0.70, and 0.65 for OS prediction by the present, IMDC, and MSKCC systems, respectively. Conclusions: There were no significant differences in the prognostic outcomes after introducing second‐line TKI between the IO–IO and IO–TKI groups, and the histopathology, CRP and albumin levels had independent impacts on the prognosis in mRCC patients receiving second‐line TKI, irrespective of first‐line IO combination therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The objective of this study was to determine whether an increased number of transrectal biopsy cores improves the accuracy of the biopsy Gleason score. Materials and Methods: This study included a total of 225 patients who were diagnosed as having prostate cancer by transrectal needle biopsy and subsequently underwent radical prostatectomy (RP) without neoadjuvant therapy. The rate of grading concordance between biopsy and RP specimens was analyzed by dividing these patients into 2 groups as follows: group A, 107 patients who underwent transrectal biopsy sampling of 9 cores or less (median 8 cores), and group B, 118 patients who underwent biopsy sampling of 10 cores or more (median 12 cores). Results: Concordance between the biopsy and RP Gleason scores in group A (53.3%) was significantly lower than that in group B (69.5%). Upgrading of the biopsy Gleason score in group A (38.3%) was significantly more frequent than that in group B (21.2%). Furthermore, these findings tended to be more prominent as the biopsy Gleason score was lower. Multivariate analysis identified the number of biopsy cores and percent of positive biopsy cores as independent predictors of accurate Gleason grading regardless of other parameters examined in this study. Conclusion: These findings suggest that obtaining a greater number of biopsy cores contributes to improving the accuracy of the biopsy Gleason score for predicting the RP Gleason score; therefore, extended sampling of biopsy cores could provide optimal guidance to determine the therapeutic options in patients with prostate cancer. Copyright © 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The objective of this study was to characterize clinicopathological features of patients with biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy who did not exhibit a progressive rise in serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) during the follow-up period. Materials and Methods: We analyzed data from 162 consecutive patients who underwent radical prostatectomy for clinically organ-confined prostate cancer without neoadjuvant hormonal therapy and were followed postoperatively for at least 1 year. The serum PSA value was measured using an ultrasensitive PSA assay system (Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany), and biochemical recurrence was defined as a serum PSA of ≥0.1 ng/ml. Results: A total of 32 patients (19.8%) were diagnosed as having biochemical recurrence. Among these patients, we identified 10 (31.3%) with a serum PSA >0.1 ng/ml who had not shown PSA or clinical progression during a median follow-up of 34 months after radical prostatectomy. In these 10 patients, the median time to biochemical recurrence was 17 months, the median PSA velocity after biochemical recurrence was 0.034 ng/ml/year, and there was no patient whose serum PSA value became >0.4 ng/ml. There were no clinicopathological parameters except for PSA velocity that were significantly associated with the features of these 10 patients. Conclusion: Because of the presence of a subset of patients with biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy who will not show a progressive increase in serum PSA value, the indication for adjuvant therapy for such patients should be cautiously determined considering several factors, such as PSA kinetics. Copyright © 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The objective of this study was to determine whether the nadir value of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) measured by an ultrasensitive assay could be a useful predictor of biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy for clinically localized prostate cancer. Materials and Methods: This study included 127 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy for clinically localized prostate cancer without neoadjuvant hormonal therapy and were pathologically diagnosed as negative for lymph node metastasis. The serum PSA value was measured using an ultrasensitive PSA assay system (Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany), and the findings were analyzed with respect to several clinicopathological factors. In this series, biochemical recurrence was defined as PSA persistently >0.2 ng/ml. Results: Based on the nadir PSA value, we divided 127 patients into three groups as follows: group A (n = 99): ≤0.01 ng/ml; group B (n = 16): 0.01–0.05 ng/ml, and group C (n = 12): ≥0.05 ng/ml. The nadir PSA value was significantly associated with preoperative PSA value, but not other conventional clinicopathological prognostic parameters. During the observation period (median 31 months, range 6–75 months), biochemical recurrence occurred in 16 patients, that is, 1 in group A (6.3%), 4 in group B (25.0%), and 11 in group C (91.7%). Multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards regression model indicated that the nadir PSA value was an independent predictor for biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the nadir serum PSA value measured by an ultrasensitive assay could be a useful predictor of biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy for clinically localized prostate cancer, and that careful follow-up should be considered in cases demonstrating a nadir PSA value >0.01 ng/ml because of the significantly higher probability of biochemical recurrence in such cases. Copyright © 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The objective of this study was to review our experience with urinary reconstruction in patients undergoing surgical management for locally advanced pelvic cancer, and to evaluate the role of urologists in these procedures. Materials and Methods: This study included a total of 37 patients undergoing some type of urinary reconstruction due to invasion of the urological organs by locally advanced pelvic cancers, including 17 rectal cancers, 9 cervical cancers, 4 sigmoid cancers, 4 retroperitoneal sarcomas, 2 ovarian cancers and 1 appendiceal cancer. Among these 37, 18 were recurrent cancers following initial surgery for primary tumors. The clinical outcomes of these approaches were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Of the 37 patients, 9 underwent cystectomy (group A) with the following urinary diversions: ileal neobladder in 3, ileal conduit in 5 and colon conduit in 1, and 12 underwent partial cystectomy (group B), among whom 11 received additional urinary reconstruction as follows: bladder flap repair in 5, psoas hitch in 2, ileal ureter in 2, bladder augmentation in 1 and ureteroureterostomy in 1, while the remaining 16 (group C), in whom complete bladder preservation was possible, underwent the following types of urinary reconstruction: bladder flap repair in 6, psoas hitch in 3, en bloc removal of the rectum with prostate in 3, ileal ureter in 2, and ureteroureterostomy in 2. There were 10 early urological complications, including leakage of urine in 7 and acute pyelonephritis in 3. As a late urological complication, hydronephrosis was observed in 8 patients, but ureteral stent was not required in any of these 8. There were no significant differences in the incidence of postoperative complications, the status of surgical margin and the survival among groups A–C. Conclusion: Our experience with extended surgical management of non-urological pelvic cancer with reconstruction of the urinary tract suggests that the urological portion of this procedure can be performed with acceptable morbidity, and that the role of the urological surgeon during this procedure is potentially important. Copyright © 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]