Noradrenergic Mechanisms Controlling Urethral Smooth and Striated Muscle Function in Urethral Continence Reflex in Rats

Adrenoceptors in the Lower Urinary Tract

Adrenoceptors importantly contribute to the physiological regulation of lower urinary tract (LUT) function and have become a target of several clinically successful treatments for major LUT diseases. In the bladder dome, β-adrenoceptor subtypes are found in multiple cell types and mediate relaxation of detrusor smooth muscle, perhaps partly indirectly by acting on afferent nerves and cells of the mucosa. β₃-adrenoceptor agonists such as mirabegron and vibegron are used to treat overactive bladder syndrome. In the bladder trigone and urethra, α₁-adrenoceptors cause contraction and thereby physiologically contribute to bladder outlet resistance. α₁-adrenoceptors in the prostate also cause contraction and pathophysiologically elevate bladder outlet resistance leading to voiding dysfunction in benign prostatic hyperplasia. α₁-adrenoceptor antagonist such as tamsulosin is widely used as a first-line option to treat LUT symptoms in men, but it remains unclear to which extent and how smooth muscle relaxation contributes to symptom relief.

Role of adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy following radical cystectomy in locally advanced muscle-invasive bladder cancer: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials

Purpose

We purposed to assess the effects of adjuvant chemotherapy (ACH) on survival outcomes in patients with locally advanced muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) who are treated with radical cystectomy (RC).

Materials and Methods

Literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane library databases for all articles that were published until February 2018. Systematic review and meta-analysis were performed by pooling the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared patients with locally advanced MIBC who received ACH after RC to those who underwent cystectomy alone. Endpoints were progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).

Results

Four RCTs with a total of 490 patients were selected for the analysis. These four trials included patients with locally advanced MIBC. Pooled HRs for PFS and OS across the studies were 0.48 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39–0.60; p<0.00001) and 0.63 (95% CI, 0.48–0.83; p=0.0009), respectively. Absolute increases in PFS and OS for locally advanced MIBC were 17% and 10%, respectively (i.e., equivalent to numbers needed to treat of 5.9 and 10).

Conclusions

ACH following RC may improve the survival outcomes of locally advanced MIBC patients. Beneficial effect of ACH might be more marked in patients with locally advanced MIBC when comparing the previously reported meta-analysis with all MIBC patients.