Locally advanced and high risk prostate cancer: The best indication for initial radical prostatectomy?

Development of a novel five-gene immune-related risk model for the prognosis evaluation of prostate adenocarcinoma patients

The interaction between the immune cells and the host immune system with the tumor cells is significantly associated with the initiation and progression of prostate adenocarcinoma (PRAD), whereas the application of immune-related genes (IRGs) for the prognosis evaluation of PRAD patients is still lacking. In this study, we aimed to identify IRGs with prognostic values and to develop a clinically effective risk model. Wilcoxon rank-sum test and univariate Cox analysis were applied to identify the differentially expressed immune-related genes (DEIRGs) related to the survival of PRAD patients. The Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis was performed to identify the independent prognostic DEIRGs and to establish an immune risk score prognostic model. The reliability and veracity of the prognostic model were validated in PRAD patients from the internal cohort (The Cancer Genome Atlas, TCGA dataset) and the external cohort (International Cancer Genome Consortium, ICGC dataset), respectively. Six of the 193 identified DEIRGs were survival-associated in PRAD patients. Five prognostic DEIRGs (SLPI, NOX1, DES, BIRC5 and AMH) were selected to construct the immune-related prognostic model with optimal robustness. In the 2 independent cohorts we chose, PRAD patients could be effectively stratified according to our risk model. Patients with high risk scores had worse survival. Clinical correlation analysis proved that the risk score was associated with advanced clinicopathologic features. Multivariate analysis indicated that the risk model was an independent prognostic indicator. We also established a nomogram based on the risk score model for clinical application. Additionally, the risk score model was correlated with immune cell infiltration and reflected the status of the immune microenvironment. The prognostic value of the five immune-related genes used in the prognostic model was also validated. Our immune-related prognostic model was an effective tool that could not only serve as a predictor for prognosis, but also provide potential prognostic and therapeutic molecular biomarkers for optimizing personalized therapies in clinical practice.

A Review on the Current Treatment Paradigm in High-Risk Prostate Cancer

High-risk prostate cancer is traditionally treated with a combination of radiotherapy (RT) and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). However, recent advancements in systemic treatment and radiotherapy have widened the spectrum of treatment for this patient population. Use of image guidance and intensity modulation, as well as the incorporation of brachytherapy, has led to safe radiotherapy dose escalation with reduced risk of recurrence. Clinical trials have helped define the role of pelvic nodal radiotherapy, the role of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy, and the optimal duration and sequencing of ADT in combination with radiotherapy. Emerging evidence has redefined the role of surgery in this cohort. Contemporary clinical trials have identified new systemic therapy options in high-risk prostate cancer. Finally, new imaging modalities including multi-parametric MRI and molecular imaging and genomic classifiers have ushered a new era in patient selection, risk stratification, and treatment tailoring.

Calcium cytotoxicity sensitizes prostate cancer cells to standard-of-care treatments for locally advanced tumors

Therapy resistance is a major roadblock in oncology. Exacerbation of molecular dysfunctions typical of cancer cells have proven effective in twisting oncogenic mechanisms to lethal conditions, thus offering new therapeutic avenues for cancer treatment. Here, we demonstrate that selective agonists of Transient Receptor Potential cation channel subfamily M member 8 (TRPM8), a cation channel characteristic of the prostate epithelium frequently overexpressed in advanced stage III/IV prostate cancers (PCa), sensitize therapy refractory models of PCa to radio, chemo or hormonal treatment. Overall, our study demonstrates that pharmacological-induced Ca²⁺ cytotoxicity is an actionable strategy to sensitize cancer cells to standard therapies.

Quality of life among patients after cystoprostatectomy as the treatment for locally advanced prostate cancer with bladder invasion

PURPOSE

This study aimed to evaluate the changes of patients' quality of life (QoL) after cystoprostatectomy as a treatment for locally advanced prostate cancer (LAPC) with the bladder invasion and to determine risk factors for postoperative poor QoL.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between Jan 2012 and December 2015, 27 patients who received cystoprostatectomy for LAPC with the bladder invasion were retrospectively included. QoL was assessed with the functional assessment of cancer therapy-prostate (FACT-P) questionnaire scores. Determinants for postoperative poor QoL were investigated using univariate and multivariate regression analysis.

RESULTS

Three-year overall survival, biochemical progression-free survival, and clinical progress-free survival were 88.89%, 62.96% and 77.78%, respectively. Preoperative symptoms of hematuria, urinary frequency, and dysuria were well alleviated after cystoprostatectomy. Moreover, FACT-P questionnaire scores at 6 months and 1 year after cystoprostatectomy were significantly higher than preoperative scores. Univariate and multivariable analysis (p < .05) showed that postoperative complication was the independent risk factor for the loss of postoperative QoL.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients' QoL can be improved after cystoprostatectomy as the treatment for LAPC with the bladder invasion, which is associated with ameliorative urinary symptoms after the surgery. Besides, surgical complication is identified to be a risk factor for postoperative poor QoL.

A Pilot retrospective analysis of alpha-blockers on recurrence in men with localised prostate cancer treated with radiotherapy

While alpha-blockers are commonly used to reduce lower urinary tract symptoms in prostate cancer patients receiving radiotherapy, their impact on response to radiotherapy remains unknown. Therefore, this pilot study aimed to retrospectively determine if alpha-blockers use, influenced response to radiotherapy for localised prostate cancer. In total, 303 prostate cancer patients were included, consisting of 84 control (alpha-blocker naïve), 72 tamsulosin and 147 prazosin patients. The main outcomes measured were relapse rates (%), time to biochemical relapse (months) and PSA velocity (ng/mL/year). Recurrence free survival was calculated using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Prazosin significantly reduced biochemical relapse at both two and five-years (2.72%, 8.84%) compared to control (22.61%, 34.52%). Recurrence free survival was also significantly higher in the prazosin group. This remained after multivariable analysis (HR: 0.09, 95% CI: 0.04-0.26, p < 0.001). Patients receiving prazosin had a 3.9 times lower relative risk of biochemical relapse compared to control. Although not statistically significant, tamsulosin and prazosin extended recurrence free survival by 13.15 and 9.21 months respectively. We show for the first time that prazosin may reduce risk of prostate cancer recurrence and delay time to biochemical relapse and provides justification for prospective studies to examine its potential as an adjunct treatment option for localised prostate cancer.

Benefits and Risks of Primary Treatments for High-risk Localized and Locally Advanced Prostate Cancer: An International Multidisciplinary Systematic Review

CONTEXT

The optimal treatment for men with high-risk localized or locally advanced prostate cancer (PCa) remains unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To perform a systematic review of the existing literature on the effectiveness of the different primary treatment modalities for high-risk localized and locally advanced PCa. The primary oncological outcome is the development of distant metastases at ≥5 yr of follow-up. Secondary oncological outcomes are PCa-specific mortality, overall mortality, biochemical recurrence, and need for salvage treatment with ≥5 yr of follow-up. Nononcological outcomes are quality of life (QoL), functional outcomes, and treatment-related side effects reported.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

Medline, Medline In-Process, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Randomized Controlled Trials were searched. All comparative (randomized and nonrandomized) studies published between January 2000 and May 2019 with at least 50 participants in each arm were included. Studies reporting on high-risk localized PCa (International Society of Urologic Pathologists [ISUP] grade 4-5 [Gleason score {GS} 8-10] or prostate-specific antigen [PSA] >20 ng/ml or ≥ cT2c) and/or locally advanced PCa (any PSA, cT3-4 or cN+, any ISUP grade/GS) or where subanalyses were performed on either group were included. The following primary local treatments were mandated: radical prostatectomy (RP), external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) (≥64 Gy), brachytherapy (BT), or multimodality treatment combining any of the local treatments above (±any systemic treatment). Risk of bias (RoB) and confounding factors were assessed for each study. A narrative synthesis was performed.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

Overall, 90 studies met the inclusion criteria. RoB and confounding factors revealed high RoB for selection, performance, and detection bias, and low RoB for correction of initial PSA and biopsy GS. When comparing RP with EBRT, retrospective series suggested an advantage for RP, although with a low level of evidence. Both RT and RP should be seen as part of a multimodal treatment plan with possible addition of (postoperative) RT and/or androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), respectively. High levels of evidence exist for EBRT treatment, with several randomized clinical trials showing superior outcome for adding long-term ADT or BT to EBRT. No clear cutoff can be proposed for RT dose, but higher RT doses by means of dose escalation schemes result in an improved biochemical control. Twenty studies reported data on QoL, with RP resulting mainly in genitourinary toxicity and sexual dysfunction, and EBRT in bowel problems.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the results of this systematic review, both RP as part of multimodal treatment and EBRT + long-term ADT can be recommended as primary treatment in high-risk and locally advanced PCa. For high-risk PCa, EBRT + BT can also be offered despite more grade 3 toxicity. Interestingly, for selected patients, for example, those with higher comorbidity, a shorter duration of ADT might be an option. For locally advanced PCa, EBRT + BT shows promising result but still needs further validation. In this setting, it is important that patients are aware that the offered therapy will most likely be in the context a multimodality treatment plan. In particular, if radiation is used, the combination of local with systemic treatment provides the best outcome, provided the patient is fit enough to receive both. Until the results of the SPCG15 trial are known, the optimal local treatment remains a matter of debate. Patients should at all times be fully informed about all available options, and the likelihood of a multimodal approach including the potential side effects of both local and systemic treatment.

PATIENT SUMMARY

We reviewed the literature to see whether the evidence from clinical studies would tell us the best way of curing men with aggressive prostate cancer that had not spread to other parts of the body such as lymph glands or bones. Based on the results of this systematic review, there is good evidence that both surgery and radiation therapy are good treatment options, in terms of prolonging life and preserving quality of life, provided they are combined with other treatments. In the case of surgery this means including radiotherapy (RT), and in the case of RT this means either hormonal therapy or combined RT and brachytherapy.

Identification of Novel Prognosis and Prediction Markers in Advanced Prostate Cancer Tissues Based on Quantitative Proteomics

BACKGROUND/AIM

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most frequent cancer found in males worldwide, and its mortality rate is increasing every year. However, there are no known molecular markers for advanced or aggressive PCa, and there is an urgent clinical need for biomarkers that can be used for prognosis and prediction of PCa.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Mass spectrometry-based proteomics was used to identify new biomarkers in tissues obtained from patients with PCa who were diagnosed with T2, T3, or metastatic PCa in regional lymph nodes.

RESULTS

Among 1,904 proteins identified in the prostate tissues, 344 differentially expressed proteins were defined, of which 124 were up-regulated and 216 were down-regulated. Subsequently, based on the results of partial least squares discriminant analysis and Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses, we proposed that spermidine synthase (SRM), nucleolar and coiled-body phosphoprotein 1 (NOLC1), and prostacyclin synthase (PTGIS) represent new protein biomarkers for diagnosis of advanced PCa. These proteomics results were verified by immunoblot assays in metastatic PCa cell lines and by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in prostate specimens.

CONCLUSION

SRM was significantly increased depending on the cancer stage, confirming the possibility of using SRM as a biomarker for prognosis and prediction of advanced PCa.

Contemporary Distribution of High-Grade Prostate Cancer in the Circumstances of Opportunistic Testing

Screening has dramatically changed the distribution of the mean age, stage and grade of prostate cancer (PCa) at diagnosis. However, regional-level data that characterize contemporary PCa patients are limited. The aim of the study was to ascertain main clinical and pathological characteristics of PCa at the present time in the circumstances of opportunistic testing.

High-grade PCa according to age, serum prostate specific antigen (PSA), volume prostate, PSA density (PSAD), digital rectal examination (DRE) number of positive cores biopsies and the average percentage of cancer in biopsy at diagnosis has been retrospectively evaluated in 100 men with biopsyproven PCa, at Clinical Centre Kragujevac, from September 2016 until September 2017. PCa were stratified according to Gleason score (GS) into low/intermediate-grade (GS ≤ 7) and high-grade (GS ≥ 8). To identify the determinants associated with high-grade PCa, we performed univariate and multivariate logistic regression.

The most prevalent PCa were the low/intermediate-grade (65%), followed by high-grade (35%). The mean age of the patients was 71.5 (range: 56–88) years and median PSA was 14.6 (range: 1.4–935) ng/ml. There were significant differences in age, PSA, PSAD, DRE, number of positive biopsy and average percentage of cancer in biopsy between patients with or without high-grade GS. Logistic analysis demonstrated the PSAD and age have strong prognostic value of high-grade PCa.

In conclusion, our study has shown the worrying frequency of high-grade PCa in the circumstances of opportunistic testing. Older men and higher level of PSAD had a much higher probability of high-grade PCa.

The role of cystoprostatectomy in management of locally advanced prostate cancer: a systematic review

Background

The role of cystoprostatectomy for the treatment of locally advanced prostate cancer (LAPC) was evaluated by a comprehensive review of contemporary literatures.

Methods

A systematic search of English language literatures using PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane library, from 1990 to 2018, was performed. Two independent authors reviewed abstracts as well as full-text articles and extracted data from the selected manuscripts.

Results

After the literature research, seven articles with a total of 211 patients were identified. Both 120 cases who received cystoprostatectomy for the primary treatment of LAPC and 91 cases for the salvage surgery after local recurrence were finally included. Overall incidence of positive surgical margins ranged from 25 to 78%. The incidence of major complications caused by the surgery during the follow-up time was limited. It had been reported that among LAPC patients who received cystoprostatectomy combined with adjuvant therapies, 5-year cancer-specific survival rate and 5-year biochemical progression-free survival was up to 87.1% and 62.2%. Moreover, symptoms such as hematuria and other urination dysfunctions, as well as patients’ quality of life were significantly improved after cystoprostatectomy in LAPC patients with the bladder invasion.

Conclusions

Cystoprostatectomy can serve as an alternative to the surgical step of multimodal therapy for highly selected LAPC patients with the bladder invasion, which may improve patients’ symptoms and related quality of life. Therefore, cystoprostatectomy as an option for the treatment of LAPC with the bladder invasion may be feasible and safe with considerable survival outcomes.

Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors delay relapse and reduce Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) velocity in patients treated with radiotherapy for nonmetastatic prostate cancer: a pilot study

Introduction

A common treatment for localized prostate cancer (PCa) is radiotherapy; however, effectiveness is hampered because of toxicities and tumor resistance. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors have been identified as potential agents that could improve treatment outcomes and have demonstrated ability to increase the radiosensitivity of many human carcinomas. This retrospective human study aims to investigate the ability of COX-2 inhibitors, celecoxib, and meloxicam, to improve treatment outcomes after radiotherapy.

Methods

Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) data of eligible patients were obtained from Genesis Cancer Care, Southport, Australia. The primary outcome was the percentage of patients in each group that had reached biochemical relapse at two and five years after treatment. Secondary outcomes included time to biochemical relapse and PSA velocity.

Results

At two and five years after treatment, both the celecoxib (6.7%, 18.3%) and meloxicam (0.0%, 18.9%) showed lower relapse rates than the control (8.6%, 31.0%). Although not statistically significant, these results are clinically significant. In addition, the two treatment groups were found to increase the time to relapse, 46.20 months for celecoxib and 54.15 months for meloxicam, compared with the control group, 35.53 months. A similar trend was shown for PSA velocity with both treatment groups demonstrating lower PSA velocities compared with control.

Conclusions

This study provides further evidence to the potential for COX-2 inhibitors to address gaps in localizedz PCa treatment by demonstrating high clinical significance for the use of celecoxib and meloxicam. Further research should be conducted including larger retrospective studies and prospective studies to fully evaluate the benefits of COX-2 inhibitors in combination with radiotherapy for PCa.

Clinical Utility and Biologic Implications of Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog (PTEN) and ETS-related Gene (ERG) in Prostate Cancer

Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and ETS-related gene (ERG) mutations are commonly found in prostate cancer. Although mouse studies have demonstrated that PTEN and ERG cooperatively interact during tumorigenesis, human studies examining these genes have been inconclusive. A systematic PubMed search including original articles assessing the pathogenesis of PTEN and ERG in prostate cancer was performed. Studies examining ERG's prognostic significance have conflicting results. Studies examining PTEN and ERG simultaneously found these genes are likely to occur together, but cooperative tumorigenesis functions have not been conclusively established. PTEN mutations are associated with a range of prognostic features. However, the practical clinical utility of this information remains to be determined.