Blind Biobanking of the Prostatectomy Specimen: Critical Evaluation of the Existing Techniques and Development of the New 4-Level Tissue Extraction Model With High Sampling Efficacy

BACKGROUND

Fresh tissue is mandatory to perform high-quality translation studies. Several models for tissue extraction from prostatectomy specimens without guidance by frozen sections are already introduced. However, little is known about the sampling efficacy of these models, which should provide representative tissue in adequate volumes, account for multifocality and heterogeneity of tumor, not violate the routine final pathological examination, and perform quickly without frozen section-based histological control. The aim of the study was to evaluate the sampling efficacy of the existing tissue extraction models without guidance by frozen sections ("blind") and to develop an optimized model for tissue extraction.

METHODS

Five hundred thirty-three electronic maps of the tumor distribution in prostates from a single-center cohort of the patients subjected to radical prostatectomy were used for analysis. Six available models were evaluated in silico for their sampling efficacy. Additionally, a novel model achieving the best sampling efficacy was developed.

RESULTS

The available models showed high efficacies for sampling "any part" from the tumor (up to 100%), but were uniformly low in efficacy to sample all tumor foci from the specimens (with the best technique sampling only 51.6% of the all tumor foci). The novel 4-level extraction model achieved a sampling efficacy of 93.1% for all tumor foci.

CONCLUSIONS

The existing "blind" tissue extraction models from prostatectomy specimens without frozen sections control are suitable to target tumor tissues but these tissues do not represent the whole tumor. The novel 4-level model provides the highest sampling efficacy and a promising potential for integration into routine. Prostate 77: 396-405, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Dynamic changes of alkaline phosphatase are strongly associated with PSA-decline and predict best clinical benefit earlier than PSA-changes under therapy with abiraterone acetate in bone metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer

BACKGROUND

Significant progress in treatment of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) has been made. Biomarkers to tailor therapy are scarce. To facilitate decision-making we evaluated dynamic changes of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and prostate specific antigen (PSA) under therapy with Abiraterone.

METHODS

Men with bone mCRPC (bmCRPC) on Abiraterone 12/2009-01/2014 were analyzed. Dynamic ALP-, LDH- and PSA-changes were analyzed as predictors of best clinical benefit and overall survival (OS) with logistic-regression, Cox-regression and Kaplan-Meier-analysis.

RESULTS

Thirty-nine pre- and 45 post-chemotherapy patients with a median follow up of 14.0 months were analyzed. ALP-Bouncing can be observed very early during therapy with Abiraterone. ALP-Bouncing is defined as rapidly rising ALP-levels independent of baseline ALP during the first 2-4 weeks of Abiraterone-therapy with subsequent equally marked decline to pretreatment levels or better within 8 weeks of therapy, preceding potentially delayed PSA-decline. In univariate analysis failure of PSA-reduction ≥ 50% and failure of ALP-Bouncing were the strongest predictors of progressive disease (p = 0.003 and 0.021). Rising ALP at 12 weeks, no PSA-reduction ≥ 50% and no ALP-Bouncing were strongest predictors of poor OS, (all p < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier-analysis showed worse OS for rising ALP at 12 weeks, no PSA-reduction ≥ 50% and no ALP-Bouncing (p < 0.001). In subgroup-analysis of oligosymptomatic patients all parameters remained significant predictors of poor OS, with no PSA-reduction ≥ 50% and rising ALP at 12 weeks being the strongest (p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis PSA-reduction ≥ 50% remained an independent predictor of OS for the whole cohort and for the oligosymptomatic subgroup (both p = 0.014). No patient with ALP-Bouncing had PD for best clinical benefit. Patients with rising ALP at 12 weeks had no further benefit of Abiraterone.

CONCLUSIONS

Dynamic changes of ALP, LDH and PSA during Abiraterone-therapy are associated with best clinical benefit and OS in bmCRPC. ALP-Bouncing occurring earlier than PSA-changes as well as prior to equivocal imaging results and rising ALP at 12 weeks under Abiraterone may help to decide whether to discontinue Abiraterone. An external validation of these findings on a prospective cohort is planned.

Inclusion of corrected calcium and creatinine levels in a novel nomogram for prediction of pathologically localized prostate cancer

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Background: The role of routine parameters in the prediction of organ-confined Prostate Cancer (oPCa) remains unclear. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 246 patients with PCa diagnosed on biopsy, who underwent radical prostatectomy with extended lymph node dissection. None of these patients received a neoadjuvant therapy. Gleason score (xGLS), percent of positive cores involved by PCa (pCores), results of transrectal evaluation (TRUS, DRE), prostate volume (PVol), albumin-corrected Calcium (Ca), Hemoglobin (Hb), Creatinine (Crea), PSA, and age at RPE were considered. Postoperative variables including Gleason score (pGLS), TNM stages were evaluated. These patients were divided according to disease advancement into pathologically localized (pT2) and advanced PCa (pT3/4 or pN1). A L2 penalized regression model including all preoperative parameters was evaluated to design a nomogram for oPCa prediction. Furthermore, the internal validation of the nomogram was performed using bootstrapping and cross-validations. The precision and accuracy of the novel nomogram were evaluated by using AUC, F-Score, Brier-Score and the classification accuracy (CA). Results: The lowest probability for pathologically localized PCa was found in patients having the following features: PSA > 20 ng/ml, detection of PCa in all cores, high Ca [1.21 fold over upper normal limit (ULN)] and Crea levels (2.27 fold over ULN), xGls > 7 and normal PVol. A nomogram for oPCa was developed including the following parameter: Crea, Ca, PSA, xGls, PVol, TRUS, pCores. The sensitivity and the specificity of the nomogram for prediction of pathologically localized PCa were 92.2% and 35.9%, respectively. AUC of 0.811, CA of 80.1%, F-Score 0.879, a precision of 84.0%. and Brier-Score of 0.2599 were calculated. The predicted probability of the novel nomogram was associated with higher accuracy for prediction of oPCa compared to those of Partin table and Kattan nomogram. Conclusions: Serum creatinine and corrected calcium are indpendent predictors of oPCa. The novel nomogram can predict oPCa with high precision and accuracy. However, an external validation of the novel nomogram is needed.

The expression profiles of miRNAs in the progression of prostate cancer from high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia to metastatic diseases

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Background: The epigenetic regulation by miRNA plays an important role in tumor progression of prostate cancer (PCa). Methods: The expression data of 1054 miRNAs from TCGA were applied to identify relevant miRNAs associated with tumor progression (i.e. miR-210, miR-375, miR-378, miR-345, miR-143 miR-183 and miR-98). miRNA were isolated by miRNeasy FFPE kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) from paraffin-embedded tissues of prostate specimens with PCa, HGPIN and normal tissues. Early-stage PCa was defined as PCa with pT2 tumor stage, Gleason score < = 7a (3+4) and PSA level < 10 ng/ml. PCa with pT3/4 or Gleason > 7a was defined as advanced PCa. PCa with pN1 were considered as metastatic diseases. Additionally, 3 cases with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) were considered. Quantitative miRNA expression data were acquired and analyzed using a real-time TaqMan-based PCR. ANOVA analyses were performed to evaluate the expression of miRNAs between HGPIN, Normal and PCa tissues. The small nuclear U6 RNA was used as an endogenous control Results: ANOVA analysis revealed a significant variation in expression of all miRNAs among groups. The expression level of miR-183 and miR-375 increased with the tumor progression. miR-143, miR-375-3p were inversely correlated with the tumor progression. miR-210 and miR-183 were significantly overexpressed in metastatic diseases compared to non-metastatic diseases (FDR < 0.01), whereas the expression level of miR-378-3p was lower in metastatic diseases than in organ-confined PCa. The expression of miR-98 was lower in PCa compared to normal tissues. In silico analysis, the down-regulation of miR-98 and miR-345-5p seems to activate the HIF-1 signaling pathway initiating the up-regulation of miR-210 that interact with genes related to cell cycle, RNA transcription, homologous recombination and non-homologous end-joining. Conclusions: Our data reveal epigenetic regulations of miRNA, which are associated with transition from normal tissues to HGIPN, from HGPIN to early-stage PCa, and early-stage PCa to advanced PCa. Advanced PCa represents the first stage of metastatic diseases.

The role of fPSA, [-2]proPSA and the Prostate Health Index for the early prediction of outcome in patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer on therapy with abirateroneacetate

241

Background: Abiraterone acetate (AA) prolongs overall survival (OS) in pre- and post-chemotherapy setting in patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Biomarkers to predict response to therapy are limited. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) are commonly used as response-indicators but are often misleading during early therapy. Assays for circulating tumor cells, which can be surrogate for poor survival, are not routinely available at most places. In this retrospective study we evaluated the role of the PSA-derivatives free PSA (fPSA), [-2]proPSA (p2PSA) and the prostate health index (PHI) in addition to PSA as indicators of response during early AA-therapy. Methods: Twenty-five men with mCRPC receiving AA between March 2012 and July 2015 at the University Hospital of Muenster were included and analyzed. The PSA response rate (RR) was monitored according to PCWG2-criteria. Dynamic PSA-, fPSA-, p2PSA- and PHI-changes at 8-12 weeks under therapy were analyzed as predictors of progression free survival (PFS) and OS using Kaplan-Meier-analysis (KMA) and uni- and multivariate cox-regression analysis (UVA and MVA). Results: Twenty men were chemotherapy naïve, 5 pretreated with docetaxel. The PSA RR was 44%. In patients with < or ≥ 12 months of PFS the relative change of median PSA and fPSA at 8-12 weeks compared to baseline differed significantly (p = 0.022 and 0.030). For men with ≤ or > 15 months of OS there was a trend for a difference in relative change of median fPSA (p = 0.058). In KMA declining fPSA at 8-12 weeks was associated with a median OS of 32 months compared to 21 months in men with rising fPSA. In UVA rising PSA and fPSA were non-significant predictors of poor OS (Hazard ratio (HR) = 1.3 and 2.5 (p = 0.717 and 0.159)). In MVA PSA and fPSA were independent predictors of poor survival (HR 6.7 and 12.8 (p = 0.050 and 0.012)). Conclusions: fPSA is easily available and cheap. When added to PSA information, change of fPSA at 8-12 weeks of AA therapy may be a promising therapy control marker to help physicians to make decisions weather to stop or to continue AA therapy in men with mCRPC.

Enhanced overexpression of hypoxia-related miRNA-210 in primary tumor of metastatic prostate cancer

166

Background: miR-210 is a known transcriptional target of the hypoxia-responsive HIF-1α signaling pathway. However, the association between the expression of miR-210 and the tumor progression in prostate cancer (PCa) remains unclear. Methods: We isolated miRNA by miRNeasy FFPE kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) from paraffin-embedded tissues of 87 prostate specimens with adenocarcinoma of the prostate cancer in different tumor stages, with high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) and normal tissues. Organ-confined PCa was defined as PCa with pT2 tumor stage, Gleason score ≤ 7a and PSA level < 10 ng/ml. PCa with pT3/4 or Gleason > 7a was defined as advanced PCa. PCa with pN1 were considered as metastatic diseases. Additionally, 3 cases with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) were considered. Quantitative miR-210 expression data were acquired and analyzed using a real-time TaqMan-based PCR with the ABI Prism 7900HT (Life Technologies, Darmstadt, Germany). ANOVA and post hoc analysis according to Turkey were performed using SPSS 22 (IBM, Armonk, USA). For silico analysis, Diana tools were applied to determine target genes of miR-210 and related functions and pathways. All the statistical tests were two-sided, and the level of statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. The small nuclear U6 RNA was used as an endogenous control. Results: ANOVA revealed significant differences in expression levels of miR-210 according to the tumor progression. Interestingly, organ-confined PCa showed the lowest expression level of miR-210 in our analysis. No sig. differences in miR-210 expression between normal tissues, HGPIN and organ-confined PCa and between advanced PCa, metastatic diseases and CRPC were observed. However, miR-210 expression was significantly higher in metastatic diseases and CRPC in comparison to organ-confined PCa. The silico analysis showed that genes regulated by miR-210 were associated with homologous recombination, non-homologous end-joining, the cell cycle regulation and synthesis of DNA. Conclusions: We observed an enhanced overexpression of hypoxia-related miRNA-210 in primary tumor of metastatic prostate cancer and CRPC in comparison to organ-confined PCa.

miRNA expression profiles in high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia

45

Background: High-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) is widely believed to be a precursor of prostate cancer (PCa). However, little is known about the expression of miRNAs variations in HGPIN compared to normal tissues and PCa. Methods: The expression data of 1054 miRNAs from TCGA were applied to identify relevant miRNAs associated with tumor progression (i.e., miR-98-5p, miR-183-5p, 345-5p, miR-143 miR-210-3p and miR-378-3p). miRNA were isolated by miRNeasy FFPE kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) from paraffin-embedded tissues (FFPE) of prostate specimens with PCa, HGPIN and normal tissues. Early-stage PCa was defined as PCa with pT2 tumor stage, Gleason score <=7a (3+4) and PSA level <10 ng/ml. Quantitative miRNA expression data were acquired and analyzed using a real-time TaqMan-based PCR with the ABI Prism 7900HT (Life Technologies, Darmstadt, Germany). ANOVA analysis were performed to evaluate the expression of miRNAs between HGPIN, Normal and PCa tissues. All statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (IBM, Armonk, USA). P values were adjusted using the false discovery rate for multiple comparisons. The small nuclear U6 RNA was used as an endogenous control. Results: The expression of miR-143-3p, miR-210-3p and miR-345-5p and miR-98-5-p were varied between normal tissue, HGPIN and early-stage PCa. Interestingly, decrease in expression of miR-143.-3p, miR-98-5p and miR-210-3p was associated with tumor development (Normal tissues > HGPIN > early-stage PCa) (FDR<0.001). Furthermore, overexpression of miR-345-5p was observed in normal tissues compared to HGPIN and early-stage PCa, which both showed similar expression level of miR-345-5p. No significant differences in expression of miR-375, miR-183-5p and miR-378-3p were observed between HGPIN and PCa. These miRNAs were interacted with genes related to HIF-1 signaling pathway, p53 signaling pathway, androgen receptor signaling pathway, intrinsic apoptotic signaling pathway, RNA transcription, homologous recombination and non-homologous end-joining. Conclusions: HGPIN shows an altered expression of miRNAs interact with genes related to hypoxia, androgen receptor signaling pathway, cell cycle and epigenetic regulation.

Analysis of topographical distribution of prostate cancer and related pathological findings in prostatectomy specimens using cMDX document architecture

INTRODUCTION

Understanding the topographical distribution of prostate cancer (PCa) foci is necessary to optimize the biopsy strategy. This study was done to develop a technical approach that facilitates the analysis of the topographical distribution of PCa foci and related pathological findings (i.e., Gleason score and foci dimensions) in prostatectomy specimens.

MATERIAL & METHODS

The topographical distribution of PCa foci and related pathologic evaluations were documented using the cMDX documentation system. The project was performed in three steps. First, we analyzed the document architecture of cMDX, including textual and graphical information. Second, we developed a data model supporting the topographic analysis of PCa foci and related pathologic parameters. Finally, we retrospectively evaluated the analysis model in 168 consecutive prostatectomy specimens of men diagnosed with PCa who underwent total prostate removal. The distribution of PCa foci were analyzed and visualized in a heat map. The color depth of the heat map was reduced to 6 colors representing the PCa foci frequencies, using an image posterization effect. We randomly defined 9 regions in which the frequency of PCa foci and related pathologic findings were estimated.

RESULTS

Evaluation of the spatial distribution of tumor foci according to Gleason score was enabled by using a filter function for the score, as defined by the user. PCa foci with Gleason score (Gls) 6 were identified in 67.3% of the patients, of which 55 (48.2%) also had PCa foci with Gls between 7 and 10. Of 1173 PCa foci, 557 had Gls 6, whereas 616 PCa foci had Gls>6. PCa foci with Gls 6 were mostly concentrated in the posterior part of the peripheral zone of the prostate, whereas PCa foci with Gls>6 extended toward the basal and anterior parts of the prostate. The mean size of PCa foci with Gls 6 was significantly lower than that of PCa with Gls>6 (P<0.0001).

CONCLUSION

The cMDX-based technical approach facilitates analysis of the topographical distribution of PCa foci and related pathologic findings in prostatectomy specimens.

Age-stratified cut-off points for the nocturnal penile tumescence measurement using Nocturnal Electrobioimpedance Volumetric Assessment (NEVA(®) ) in sexually active healthy men

The current nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) measurement is based on standard cut-off levels defined regardless of age. This study was conducted to provide age-stratified cut-off points for NPT measurement. Forty sexually active healthy men between 20 and 60 years old were enrolled and divided equally into four groups defined by age (20-29, 30-39, 40-49 and 50-60 years.). None of the candidates had sexual dysfunction or sleep disturbance or used supportive medication to enhance sexual function. Erectile function was evaluated by using the 5-item version of the international index of erectile function (IIEF-5). NPT was observed using the nocturnal electrobioimpedance volumetric assessment (NEVA(®) ). The NPT values of healthy men aged 20-60 years varied from 268.7% to 202.3%. The NPT differed significantly between age groups (P < 0.0009); however, no significant differences between men aged 30-39 and 40-49 (P = 0.593) were observed. Age was weakly associated with IIEF-5 scores (P = 0.004), whereas a strong and negative correlation between age and NPT (P < 0.0001) was found. IEF-5 scores were not significantly associated with NPT (P = 0.95). Therefore, the standard values for NPT testing should be considered in the evaluation of the nocturnal penile activity of men of all ages.

Does postoperative radiation therapy impact survival in non-metastatic sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma? A SEER-based study

INTRODUCTION

The effect of adjuvant radiation therapy on survival in sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma (sRCC) with no evidence of distant metastasis remains unclear.

METHODS

Subjects diagnosed with non-metastatic sRCC were identified using the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) (2004-2012) database and divided into groups based on their surgical treatment (ST): no surgery or radiation therapy (NSR); partial nephrectomy (PNE); radical nephrectomy with ureterectomy and bladder cuff resection (RNE + UE + BLAD); and radical nephrectomy (RNE). Certain radical nephrectomy cases also received adjuvant external-beam radiation therapy (RNE + RAD). The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate overall survival (OS). A multivariable competing risks regression analysis was used to calculate disease-specific survival (DSS) probability and to determine factors associated with cause-specific mortality (CSM).

RESULTS

A total of 408 patients were included in this study. The 5-year OS and predicted DSS were significantly higher in the patients who underwent STs (i.e., PNE, RNE + UE + BLAD, RNE, and RNE + RAD) (20.1-54.0 and 20.1-59.9 %, respectively) than in the NSR group (9.0 and 11.6 %, respectively) (P < 0.001). ST was independently associated with a decreased CSM (P < 0.0001). No significant differences in OS or the 1-, 3-, or 5-year DSS probabilities between the RNE and RNE + RAD groups were observed. RNE + RAD was not significantly associated with a decrease in 1-year CSM [subhazard ratio (SHR) 0.95; 95 % CI 0.23-3.96; P = 0.947].

CONCLUSIONS

Adjuvant external-beam radiation therapy did not increase OS in non-metastatic sRCC patients.

Preoperative Serum Prostate-Specific Antigen Levels Vary According to the Topographical Distribution of Prostate Cancer in Prostatectomy Specimens

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether the spatial distribution of prostate cancer (PCa) influences the concentration of prostate-specific antigen (PSA).

METHODS

An observational prospective study was performed in 775 consecutive men with preoperative PSA levels ≤20 ng/mL who underwent radical prostatectomy for organ-confined PCa. We evaluated prostate specimens using a cMDX-based map model of the prostate and determined the prostate volume, number of cancer foci, relative tumor volume, Gleason score, zone of origin, localization, and pathologic stage after stratification according to PSA levels categorized into 3 groups: <4 ng/mL, 4-10 ng/mL, and 10.1-20 ng/mL. The distribution of 5254 PCa foci was analyzed after stratification according to PSA levels and visualized on heat maps. A logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the odds ratios of PSA levels for the presence of PCa in 16 regions.

RESULTS

PCa with PSA <4 ng/mL was predominantly localized to the apical part and the peripheral zone of the prostate. PCa with a PSA level 10.1-20 ng/mL (16.4% of cases) was observed more frequently in the anterior part and the base of the prostate than PCa with a PSA level <4 or 4-10 ng/mL (6% and 10%, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Preoperative PSA levels vary according to the spatial distribution of PCa in radical prostatectomy specimens. The probability of anterior PCa is increased with higher PSA serum levels. Regions of interest harboring the PCa can be defined according to preoperative PSA and prostate volume. These findings are useful to optimize the focal therapy or to adjust the radiation fields.

Treatment of Incidental Prostate Cancer by Active Surveillance: Results of the HAROW Study

Objective: To report on a cohort of patients with incidental prostate cancer (IPC) that was treated by an active surveillance (AS) protocol in the HAROW study. Materials and Methods: The HAROW study is an observational study on the management of localized prostate cancer in Germany. Treating urologists were reporting clinical parameters, information on therapy and clinical course of disease at 6-month intervals. Results: In total, 3,169 patients were enrolled. In 224 patients were found an IPC and 104 (46%) of them were put on an AS protocol. The mean follow-up was 26.5 months. Tumor progression was noted in 16 patients. In 11 patients, AS was replaced by a definite intervention. In univariate and multivariate analyses, only PSA density correlated with progression. Conclusion: This is the first prospective description of an IPC patient cohort on AS as part of an outcomes research study. AS was selected as a therapeutic strategy in nearly half of the patients (46%). Only a minor proportion (16%) displayed progression. Of the clinical parameters, only PSA density correlated with progression.

The impact of spatial distribution patterns of tumor foci on biochemical recurrence in prostate cancer

130

Background: The influence of spatial distribution patterns of organ-confined Prostate Cancer (PCa) on the biochemical recurrence (BCR) remains unclear. Therefore, we conducted a study investigating the association between distribution patterns and BCR-free rate in organ-confined PCa. Methods: The anatomical distribution of PCa in 743 men with pT1-pT3N0 and without neoadjuvant therapy was analyzed to determine 20 groups with similar distribution patterns of PCa. Then, 245 men with pT2N0R0 were considered for prognostic evaluation. Spatial distribution patterns of PCa were evaluated using a cMDX-based map model of the prostate. A comparison analysis including 552,049 compare operations was performed to assist the similarity levels of the distribution patterns. K-mean cluster analysis was applied to determine 20 groups with similar distribution patterns. A decision tree-Analysis was performed to divide these groups according to BCR. BCR-free survival was compared. Predictors of progression were investigated using a Cox proportional hazards model. Results: BCR was occurred in 8.2% men with pT2N0R0 PCa. In decision tree analysis, certain PCa distribution patterns revealed no BCR at a median follow-up of 60 mo. (IQR: 42.3-77.0) In univariate and multivariate analysis, the prostate volume, the distribution patterns were an independent predictor for BCR in univariate and multivariate, whereas tumor stage, Gleason score, PSA, relative tumor volume were not. When patients with pT2R0 were stratified according to PCa distribution patterns, the presence of BCR-negative PCa distribution patterns was significantly associated with no risk of BCR by comparison to BCR-associated PCa distribution patterns (P=0.001). Conclusions: PCa distribution patterns provide a prognostic value for BCR. Distribution patterns of PCa can be applied to create more meaningfully predictive pathological T2 sub-divisions than current pT2 prostate cancer sub-stages.

Dynamic changes of alkaline phosphatase as surrogate for best clinical benefit and overall survival during very early abiraterone therapy compared to PSA-changes in bone metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer

260

Background: Significant progress in treatment of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) has been made. Biomarkers to tailor therapy are scarce. To facilitate decision-making we evaluated dynamic changes of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and prostate specific antigen (PSA) under Abiraterone acetate (AA). ALP-Bouncing can be observed during very early AA-therapy. Methods: Men with bone mCRPC (bmCRPC) on AA 12/2009-01/2014 were analyzed. Dynamic ALP-, LDH- and PSA-changes were analyzed as predictors of best clinical benefit (BCB) and overall survival (OS) with logistic-regression, Cox-regression and Kaplan-Meier-analysis. Results: 39 pre- and 45 post-chemotherapy patients with median follow up of 14.0 months were analyzed. In univariate analysis failure of PSA-reduction ≥50% (PSA-red≥50%) and failure of ALP-Bouncing were the strongest predictors of progressive disease (p=0.003 and 0.021). Rising ALP at 12 weeks (ALP12), no PSA-red≥50% and no ALP-Bouncing were strongest predictors of poor OS, (all p<0.001). Kaplan-Meier-analysis showed worse OS for ALP12, no PSA-red≥50% and no ALP-Bouncing (p<0.001). In subgroup-analysis of oligosymptomatic patients all parameters remained significant predictors of poor OS, no PSA-red≥50% and ALP12 being the strongest (p<0.001). In multivariate analysis PSA-red≥50% remained independent predictor of OS for the whole cohort and for the oligosymptomatic subgroup (p=0.014). No patient with ALP-Bouncing had PD for BCB. Patients with ALP12 had no further benefit of AA. Conclusions: Dynamic changes of ALP, LDH and PSA during AA-therapy are associated with BCB and OS in bmCRPC. ALP-Bouncing occurring earlier than PSA-changes and rising ALP12 under AA may help to decide whether to discontinue AA.

[Prediction of overactive bladder treatment outcome by using long-term urodynamics]

In Germany, overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome affects around 6.5 million people over the age of 40. The primary treatment consists of anticholinergics or beta-3-receptor agonists. After an anticholinergic treatment period of around 4 months, compliance is around 40%, which is probably due a larger proportion of nonresponders. One condition of an efficient medication treatment is the presence of detrusor overactivity (DO). However, the detection rate of DO during standard urodynamics is very low. The primary goal in the future is to target OAB treatment by detection of DO. Using the Wille Capsule (WiCa) in an in vitro model, DO could be detected over a time period of 72 h, which would ensure a higher compliance to the OAB treatment in a positive way.

Preoperative prostate-specific antigen isoform p2PSA ≤ 22.5 pg/ml predicts advanced prostate cancer in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy

BACKGROUND

The prediction value of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) isoform [-2]proPSA (p2PSA) for detecting advanced prostate cancer (PCa) remains unclear. Our objective was to evaluate the additional clinical utility of p2PSA compared with total PSA (tPSA), free PSA (fPSA), and preoperative Gleason score (Gls) in predicting locally advanced PCa (pT3/T4) with high-accuracy discrimination. The aim was to develop a novel classification based on p2PSA and preoperative Gls for predicting advanced PCa.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In 208 consecutive men diagnosed with clinically localized PCa who underwent radical prostatectomy, we determined the predictive and discriminatory accuracy of serum tPSA, fPSA, percentage of fPSA to tPSA, p2PSA, p2PSA density, percentage of p2PSA to fPSA, and the Prostate Health Index. The cutoff level of p2PSA with best accuracy was estimated. The novel classification was developed by analyzing the interaction between p2PSA and Gls in predicting pathologic outcomes using a chi-square automatic interaction detection analysis. Decision curve analysis was applied to test the clinical consequences of using the novel classification.

RESULTS

On univariate analyses, p2PSA, p2PSA density, percentage of p2PSA to fPSA, and Prostate Health Index were accurate but were not independent predictors by multivariate analysis. The p2PSA cutoff level of 22.5 pg/ml showed the best accuracy level for predicting and discriminating advanced diseases (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.725, sensitivity = 51.4%, specificity = 81.8%). By chi-square automatic interaction detection, univariate and multivariate analysis, a p2PSA level > 22.5 pg/ml was significantly associated with an increased frequency and risk of advanced disease. In patients with a p2PSA level ≤ 22.5 pg/ml, 91.8% of Gleason sum 6 PCa was organ confined. The combination of p2PSA and Gls enhanced slightly but significantly the predictive and discriminatory accuracy for advanced disease (0.6%-3.6%).

CONCLUSIONS

The p2PSA cutoff level of 22.5 pg/ml can accurately discriminate between organ-confined and advanced PCa. The additional use of p2PSA enhanced slightly the predictive accuracy for advanced PCa (pT3/pT4) and has limited additional predictive value in identifying aggressive PCa (Gls > 7a).

Catheterless long-term ambulatory urodynamic measurement using a novel three-device system

Aims

Long-term urodynamics are required because bladder-emptying disorders are often not clearly revealed by conventional urodynamics. Patients with severe clinical overactive bladder symptoms, for instance, often show normal results. This may be due to the short evaluation time and psychological factors that complicate conventional urodynamics. This study aimed to develop an ambulatory three-component urodynamic measurement system that is easy to operate, registers urodynamic parameters for several days, and has no negative impact on the patient.

Methods

We developed an intravesical capsule combined with a hand-held device to register voiding desire and micturition, and an alarm pad device that detects urine loss. Recently, the intravesical capsule and its proven function were detailed in the literature. Here, we present detailed in vitro results using a female bladder model. The flexible capsule was C-shaped to minimize the risk of expulsion from the bladder during micturition. Results of biocompatibility evaluation of the intravesical capsule, which is called Wille Capsule (WiCa) are described.

Results

The WiCa with an oval nose and a maximum outer diameter of 5.5 mm was easily inserted through a 25-French cystoscope. Removing the WiCa by grasping the nose using the female model with bladder was easily conducted. Expulsion of the WiCa during voiding was avoided through a novel C-shaped device design. Based on in vitro cytotoxicity studies, the capsule is a promising and safe device.

Conclusion

Our novel system is an innovative minimally-invasive tool for accurate long-term urodynamic measurement, and does not require inserting a transurethral catheter.

Is there an urban-rural-gradient in patients with urinary incontinence?

INTRODUCTION

The objective of this study was to determine whether the responses to the same questionnaire differ between women living in a large city and women living in a rural area.

METHODS

We evaluated the medical records of 88 patients living in the large city of Cologne and of 86 patients living in Brühl and its surrounding rural regions. The responses on the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF) of 88 patients who suffer from urinary incontinence and live in a large city were compared to the responses 86 patients who live the rural region of Brühl. In addition, ages, frequency of micturition, use of pads, prior and desired treatment were compared. Limitations of this study include its retrospective study design and the absence of sociodemographic data. Furthermore, the use of a pad test could objectify the extent of incontinence.

RESULTS

On average, patients from Cologne used of 6.2 pads and patients from Brühl used 3 pads. Patients from the large city scored 14 out of 21 points on the ICIQ-SF, and women from Brühl scored 11 out of 21 points. This difference was significant. Patients from Cologne had received medicinal treatment or physical therapy significantly more often.

CONCLUSION

The results suggest that urinary incontinence is perceived as a greater impairment by patients residing in (large) cities compared to patients residing in rural areas. An urban-rural gradient in patients with urinary incontinence can be described.