Transrectal microwave hyperthermia for patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia

Identification, pharmacologic considerations, and management of prostatitis

BACKGROUND

Prostatitis is a collection of signs and symptoms that occur as a result of inflammation or swelling of the prostate gland. There are many different causes for prostatitis, including infection; occasionally no clear etiology for the inflammation is found. Effective treatment often depends on identification of the cause, but a microbiologic organism is not always detectable, especially in cases of chronic prostatitis.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this article was to review identification and treatment options for prostatitis, including pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions.

METHODS

Relevant information was identified through a search of MEDLINE (1966-June 2010), International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970-June 2010), and EMBASE (1947-June 2010). Randomized, controlled trials that examined prostate cancer, benign prostatic hypertrophy, or procedures related to the prostate (ie, biopsies) were excluded.

RESULTS

A working classification system for prostatitis was developed in 1999, but there are few randomized controlled trials that distinguish between the various treatment options. Bacterial prostatitis can be acute or chronic but always requires some degree of antimicrobial therapy. Pharmacologic features of fluoroquinolones make them the preferred agents for most patients. These antibiotics can become trapped in a chronically inflamed prostate due to pH differences between prostatic tissue and serum. Many fluoroquinolones have penetration ratios (prostate level:serum level) of up to 4:1. A study in European men (N = 117) who received levofloxacin 500 mg/d with a diagnosis of chronic bacterial prostatitis demonstrated clinical success rates of 92% (95% CI 84.8%-96.5%), 77.4% (95% CI, 68.2-84.9%), 66.0% (95% CI, 56.2%-75.0%), and 61.9% (95% CI, 51.9%-71.2%) at 5-12 days, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after treatment. Additionally, there have been numerous randomized, placebo-controlled trials in patients with chronic prostatitis that have studied α-blockers, steroid inhibitors, anti-inflammatory agents, and bioflavonoids. Treatment responses to α-blockers appear to be greater with longer durations of therapy in α-blocker-naïve patients (National Institutes of Health-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index [NIH-CPSI] score reduction of at least 3.6 points after 6 weeks of tamsulosin therapy [P = 0.04] and up to 14.3 and 9.9 point NIH-CPSI score reductions with 14 weeks of terazosin and 24 weeks of alfuzosin therapy, respectively [P = 0.01 for both]). Combination therapy with an α-blocker, an anti-inflammatory, and a muscle relaxant does not appear to offer significant advantages over monotherapy (12.7 vs 12.4 point reduction in NIH-CPSI scores) and a stepwise approach to therapy involving antibiotics followed by bioflavonoids and then α-blockers appears to effectively reduce symptoms for up to 1 year in patients with chronic prostatitis (mean NIH-CPSI point reduction of 9.5 points compared with baseline, P < 0.0001). Patients who have had multiple unsuccessful treatment regimens may benefit from direct stimulation of the pelvic muscles through electromagnetic or electroacupuncture therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Prostatitis can resemble various other medical conditions but proper classification and an understanding of the pharmacologic features and expectations of the medications used to treat it can help identify effective treatment strategies. Fluoroquinolones are the preferred agents for treating bacterial causes of prostatitis and have demonstrated efficacy in some cases of chronic prostatitis when an organism has not been identified. However, the use of agents with anti-inflammatory or antiadrenergic properties may be necessary in combination with or after trying antimicrobial agents.

Histological changes of minimally invasive procedures for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer: clinical implications

PURPOSE

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is near universal in aging men, creating tremendous costs in morbidity and surgical treatment. In the last decade numerous nonsurgical minimally invasive methods have emerged for ablation of prostatic tissue.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We reviewed the recently published English language literature on minimally invasive techniques for treating BPH and cancer with an emphasis on histopathological findings.

RESULTS

We compared the spectrum of contemporary minimally invasive treatments for BPH and cancer, with an emphasis on histopathological results. Clinical results were summarized briefly for each treatment method. These procedures ablate tissue by thermal, cryogenic, chemical or enzymatic injury. The 5-year results for some techniques were promising, although long-term durability is still uncertain, and other methods were in preclinical or early clinical stages. Invariably the treated tissue was devitalized with a thin border of granulation tissue and fibrosis. These procedures have applications for BPH and prostate cancer, although some studies are limited to only 1 disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Minimally invasive procedures show promise of a durable replacement for surgical resection.

Transurethral microwave thermotherapy for the treatment of prostatitis

The lethal action of microwaves on various microorganisms is well established and has been exploited in various clinical settings. Transurethral microwave thermotherapy (TUMT) has become a recognized modality for the treatment of prostatic diseases. Recently, it has been applied for the treatment of patients with nonbacterial prostatitis unresponsive to traditional therapeutic schemes. We review the current literature and present our recent encouraging experience with the in vitro bactericidal effect of microwaves on bacteria considered possible etiologic agents of prostatitis. Thus, we may consider the application of TUMT in patients with chronic bacterial prostatitis.