To enhance the convenience and reduce the cost of prostate cancer (PC) screening, a one-step prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test was evaluated in a large population. The PSA SPOT test kit enables rapid detection of human PSA in serum or plasma at or above a cutoff level of 4 ng/mL to aid in the diagnosis of PC.PC screening using the PSA SPOT test was offered to male participants in educational public lectures that we conducted in various cities. Test results were reported to participants at the end of the lectures. Blood samples from 1429 men were evaluated. Two independent observers interpreted the tests at 15 and 30 min. The remaining serum samples were subsequently tested using a conventional quantitative assay.The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of the test were 79.9, 93.0, 65.4, 96.6, and 91.2%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the test changed with variations in the reading time. Quantitative assessment of the intensity of the band was correlated with the PSA value.PSA testing using this kit can be easily performed. The low cost and speed of the test make it a useful and convenient tool for primary PC screening.
We describe a 75-year-old man with undifferentiated prostate cancer that was treated with radiation therapy. He presented at a nearby general hospital with dysuria and pain upon micturition. He was diagnosed with undifferentiated prostate cancer by a needle biopsy and referred to our hospital for further examination and treatment. Enhanced computed tomography and magnetic resonance images showed prostate cancer and right obturator lymph node metastasis measuring 2.5 cm. Cystoscopy and colonoscopy revealed direct invasion of the urinary bladder and rectum. We constructed a vesical fistula and an artificial anus, and then treated the primary tumor and lymph node metastasis with radiation. Undifferentiated prostate cancer is extremely rare and to our knowledge only a few cases have been reported. We suggest that radiation might be effective for treating undifferentiated prostate cancer with or without local invasion and/or metastasis along with total body control.
We have found steroid pulse therapy to be effective and safe for local and systemic adverse reactions of BCG therapy. Two cases are reported. Case 1: A 57-year-old woman with initial recurrence of urinary bladder carcinoma was treated with transurethral resection. The histopathological findings were transitional cell carcinoma (TCC), G2 > G1, pT1a. To prevent a second recurrence, she was administered Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) instillation therapy: 80 mg of BCG, (Tokyo strain) suspended in 40 ml of normal saline, instilled into her bladder weekly. After the fifth week of instillation, she was found to have a cough, sputum, edema of the eyelids, congestion of palpebral conjunctive, severe pain on micturition and pollakisuria. Although she was administered antituberculus, antibiotics and antiallergic drugs, all sign and symptoms were aggravated. Blood, urine and sputum cultures remained negative for mycobacterium. She was later diagnosed as having hypersensitive reactions against BCG and treated with steroid pulse therapy. The signs and symptoms mentioned above were decreased immediately and disappeared after a week. Case 2: A 76-year-old man with initial recurrence of urinary bladder carcinoma was treated with transurethral resection. To prevent a second recurrence, he was instilled the BCG six (6) times. Although no adverse reaction was observed, urinary cytology remained positive (class V) and small papillary tumor was detected at the dome of the bladder. Transurethral biopsy was then performed. The histopathological findings showed TCC, G3, CIS on the dome of bladder. Then he was again administered the same BCG instillation therapy. After the fifth instillation, he complained of severe pain of micturition, pollakisuria and dysuria. Although he was administered antibiotics and antiinflammatory drugs, all signs and symptoms were aggravated. Urine culture remained negative for mycobacterium. He was diagnosed as having hypersensitive reactions against BCG and was treated with two times of steroid pulse therapy. The signs and symptoms mentioned above were decreased immediately and disappeared after the second steroid pulse therapy.
Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method and is considered potentially useful for detecting prostate cancer. We evaluated the clinical value of DWI with apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps in addition to T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) using 3 tesla (3 T) MRI. Thirty-three patients with elevated prostate specific antigen were evaluated by MRI with T2WI and DWI prior to transperineal template-guided mapping biopsy. The MRI findings were compared with the pathology of biopsy specimens in six parts of prostate : both sides of outer peripheral zones, inner peripheral zones, and transition zones. The sensitivities, specificities and accuracies were 42.1, 84.4 and 76.3％ in T2WI, 57.1, 84.7 and 80.8% in T2WI/DWI, and 87.5, 85.2 and 85.4% in DWI/ADC using 0.951×10 -3 mm2/s as cutoff ADC value. The hazard ratio of patients whose ADC values were under the cutoff was 25.86 by multivariate analysis. Mean ADC values were significantly different between cancer positive and negative cores (p＜0.001). The ADC value showed a negative correlation with increasing tumor length (p＝0.0047). Although further study with a large number of patients is necessary, DWI/ADC using 3 T MRI is a useful tool for detecting prostate cancer.
To assess our experience with salvage permanent perineal radioactive-seed implantation (SPPI) as a possible therapeutic option for recurrent prostate adenocarcinoma, as salvage therapies for recurrences after definitive external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for localized adenocarcinoma of the prostate are associated with significant morbidity and biochemical failure.We retrospectively analysed on patients who had SPPI for localized recurrent prostate adenocarcinoma from 1996 to 2007 after primary treatment with EBRT. Excluded were patients who had other primary treatment or had no follow-up. Primary outcomes were time to biochemical relapse-free survival, using the Phoenix definition of a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) nadir +2 ng/mL, and cancer-specific survival. Secondary outcomes were the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), the International Index of Erectile Function-5 score (IIEF-5), and complications based on Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (version 3).In all, 37 patients had SPPI during this period; after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 24 remained for analysis. At the time of salvage therapy, the median time to the diagnosis of local recurrence was 49 months, the median PSA level was 3.36 ng/mL, the median PSA doubling time was 20 months, and all patients were clinically re-staged at or=8 in three (not recorded in two). The median follow-up after SPPI was 30 months; the cancer-free survival was 96% (one death) and biochemical relapse-free survival was 88% (three patients). The PSA level was higher than the levels before SPPI at 3 months in all three failures, but lower in all 21 patients considered relapse-free. Complications included one urethral stricture, one grade 3 rectal haemorrhage and five grade 2 gross haematuria that resolved with conservative management. Insufficient data were available to assess the IPSS or IIEF-5 scores.With a short-term follow-up SPPI appears to provide excellent prostate cancer control with an acceptable rate of complications for patients with local recurrence of prostate cancer after EBRT. An extended follow-up is necessary to determine the long-term durability and safety of SPPI.
