Effects of surgery versus radiotherapy in patients with localized prostate cancer in terms of urinary, bowel, and sexual domains

BACKGROUND

The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with localized prostate cancer (LPCa) after treatment mainly surgery and radiotherapy (RT) has received increasing attention. The aim of this study is to compare the HRQoL of LPCa after surgery and RT.

METHODS

Web of Science, Embase, PubMed and Cochrane databases were searched after January 2000 to observe the HRQoL scores after surgery and RT at different treatment time points.

RESULTS

A total of 28 studies were included in this study, and the results showed that LPCa received surgery had better bowel scores than RT at ≤3 (weighted mean differences [WMD] = 4.18; p = 0.03), 3-6 (WMD = 4.16; p < 0.001), 6-12 (WMD = 2.99; p = 0.004), 24-60 (WMD = 1.87; p = 0.06), and ≥60 (WMD = 4.54; p = 0.02) months. However, LPCa received RT had higher urinary scores at ≤3 (WMD = -7.39; p = 0.02), 3-6 (WMD = -6.03; p = 0.02), 6-12 (WMD = -4.90; p < 0.001), 24-60 (WMD = -3.96; p < 0.001), ≥60 (WMD = -2.95; p < 0.001) months and had better sexual scores at ≤3 (WMD = -13.58; p = 0.09), 3-6 (WMD = -12.32; p = 0.06), 6-12 (WMD = -12.03; p = 0.002), 24-60 (WMD = -11.29; p < 0.001), and ≥60 (WMD = -3.10; p = 0.46) months than surgery. The scores difference between surgery and RT decreased over time.

CONCLUSION

Overall, for LPCa, surgery was associated with better HRQoL in the bowel domain, whereas RT was associated with better HRQoL in the urinary and sexual domains, with the difference between surgery and RT narrowing over time.

Effect of progressive resistance training on post prostatectomy stress urinary incontinence: A randomized controlled study

Purpose. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of progressive resistance training on post prostatectomy stress urinary incontinence. Materials and Methods. Sixty male patients who complaint from post prostatectomy stress urinary incontinence were participated in this study, their ages were ranged from 40 to 75 years and they were randomly assigned into two equal groups. Group (A) (Study group): This group included 30 patients who had post prostatectomy stress urinary incontinence and they received progressive resistance training in addition to interferential current stimulation and routine medical treatment three sessions per week for 12 weeks. Group (B) (Control group): This group included 30 patients who had post prostatectomy stress urinary incontinence and they received interferential current stimulation and routine medical treatment three sessions per week for 12 weeks. Pre- and post-treatment assessment using DANTIC UD 5000/5500 Urodynamic investigation system & Severity index scale were done for all patients. Results. The obtained results of the present study indicated significant difference of all measured variables when comparing between pre and post- treatment values of the groups (A and B) and revealed significant difference when comparing between post- treatment values of the groups (A and B) in favor of group (A). Conclusion. Progressive resistance training had an effect on reducing post prostatectomy stress urinary incontinence and there was significant difference when comparing between post-treatment values of the groups (A and B) in favor of group (A).

Contemporary trends in radical prostatectomy and predictors of recovery of urinary continence in men aged over 70 years: comparisons between cohorts aged over 70 and less than 70 years

We evaluated contemporary trends in radical prostatectomy (RP) in men aged >70 years and investigated associations of selected variables with recovery of urinary continence (UC) in two age groups: >70 and ≤ 70 years. A retrospective cohort of 2301 eligible patients attending our institution from 2004 to 2015 was reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups based on age at surgery (>70 years [n = 610] vs 7 0 years [n = 1691]) and four groups by year of surgery. Over the study period, the proportion of patients aged >70 years gradually increased up to 30.0%, and the rate of robot-assisted RP and neurovascular bundle (NVB) saving increased continually to 80.0% and 67.4% of older patients, respectively. Although the rate of recovery of UC within 12 months (3 months) in patients aged >70 years was lower than that in those aged ≤ 70 years (81.5% [52.6%] vs 88.6% [60.9%], respectively; both P < 0.001), the gap between age groups in the rate of recovery within 12 months narrowed from the second quarter of the study period. Among younger patients, age, robot-assisted RP, prostate volume, membranous urethral length (MUL), and NVB saving were predictors of recovery of UC within 3 or 12 months. In contrast, only age and MUL were predictors of recovery of UC within 3 and 12 months in patients aged >70 years. Therefore, unlike younger patients, only variables (age and MUL), possibly associated with the inherent function of the urinary sphincter, were predictors of recovery of UC in patients aged >70 years.

Prevalence and severity levels of post-radical prostatectomy incontinence: different assessment instruments

OBJECTIVES

to analyze urinary incontinence prevalence and severity in prostatectomized men assessed by three different instruments.

METHODS

a cross-sectional study was conducted with 152 men. The pad test, pad used, and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire - Short Form (self-report) were considered. Data were analyzed using Spearman's correlation, Kappa index, considering a significance level of 0.05.

RESULTS

urinary incontinence prevalence was 41.4%, 46.7% and 80.3% according to pad used, pad test and self-report. Positive correlations and moderate to poor agreement were found between the instruments. As for severity, most participants had mild incontinence. The largest number of cases of mild and severe incontinence was identified by self-report.

CONCLUSIONS

the self-report showed higher values for prevalence of mild and severe severity levels. Through the identified differences, we propose that the objective assessment (pad used and pad test) be associated with individuals' perception (self-report) to better estimate prevalence and severity.

Early continence recovery after preservation of maximal urethral length until the level of verumontanum during radical prostatectomy: primary oncological and functional outcomes after 1 year of follow-up

PURPOSE

To investigate the effect of preventing maximal urethral length until the level of verumontanum during radical prostatectomy on both oncologic and functional outcomes.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We recruited 329 patients, and they underwent an open radical prostatectomy by a single surgeon. The study cohort was randomized in 2 groups. A standard radical prostatectomy was performed in group A patients, while in group B the urethra was preserved until the level of verumontanum.

RESULTS

There was no statistically significant difference between the study groups in terms of positive surgical margins or biochemical relapse. Regarding the functional results, the incidence of incontinence, urgency, and nocturia at 1st month, statistically significant higher rates were seen in group A. In addition, there was a statistically significant difference in the number of pads/day in favor of group B at the 1st, 3rd, and 6th months after surgery. However, this difference was eliminated at 12 months postoperatively. Similar results were seen with the scores of the ICIQ-SF and IIQ-SF questionnaires.

CONCLUSIONS

Without compromising the oncological outcome, our surgical modificated technique showed earlier recovery of continence in the first 6 months, having though the same rates of continence at 12 months.

Development and validation of nomograms to predict the recovery of urinary continence after radical prostatectomy: comparisons between immediate, early, and late continence

PURPOSE

Few studies have been conducted on the serial evaluation of predictors for recovery of urinary continence (RC) after radical prostatectomy (RP) among same cohort. We developed and validated nomograms to predict immediate (≤1), early (≤3), and late (≤12 months) RC from a contemporary series and compared each nomogram with regard to the significance of predictors for RC.

METHODS

Among consecutive men who received robot-assisted or open retropubic RP between 2004 and 2011, 872 (74.7 %) and 296 (25.3 %) were randomly assigned to subcohorts for the development of nomograms and for the split-sample external validation. The final multivariate model was selected based on the stepwise procedure, and the regression coefficient-based nomograms were developed based on final models.

RESULTS

Age at surgery, membranous urethral length (MUL), and robot-assisted RP were significant for RC at 1, 3, and 12 months. Saving the neurovascular bundle (NVB) and prostate volume were significant only for RC at 12 months. Odds ratios for age and MUL were constant over time, whereas the odds ratio for robot-assisted surgery decreased over time. Each developed nomogram was reasonably well fitted to the ideal line of the calibration plot. The split-sample external validation of nomograms indicated 63, 65, 71 % accuracy for each RC time point.

CONCLUSIONS

We developed nomograms for RC at each time point after RP and validated adequately. Saving the NVB and prostate volume may affect only late RC after RP. In contrast, age, MUL, and robot-assisted surgery seem to be consistently associated with immediate, early, and late RC.

Optimizing radical prostatectomy for the early recovery of urinary continence

Radical prostatectomy remains the gold-standard treatment for clinically localized prostate cancer. Although cancer control is the primary goal, secondary outcomes such as continence recovery are of great importance to patients. Thus, it is a challenge for prostate cancer surgeons to optimize continence outcomes without compromising oncologic results. Many high-volume surgeons have demonstrated excellent long-term continence rates in their patients, but early continence is variable and less than ideal even in expert hands. A plethora of individual technical maneuvers exist to optimize early recovery of continence, but as yet there is no composite technique that incorporates the relevant anatomic principles of minimizing damage to the urinary sphincters and their nerves, maximizing functional urethral length, creating a secure and watertight vesicourethral anastomosis, providing circumferential fascioligamentous support to the anastomosis and external sphincter, and ameliorating postoperative bladder descent. Our ten-step approach to collating these individual maneuvers into a unified technique could be used by surgeons to obtain the best possible early recovery of urinary control for their patients, without risking their oncologic outcomes.

Anatomical retro-apical technique of synchronous (posterior and anterior) urethral transection: a novel approach for ameliorating apical margin positivity during robotic radical prostatectomy

OBJECTIVE

To describe a novel synchronous approach to apical dissection during robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) which augments circumferential visual appreciation of the prostatic apex and membranous urethra anatomy, and assess its effect on apical margin positivity.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Positive surgical margins (PSM) during RP predispose to earlier biochemical recurrence, and occur most frequently at the prostatic apex. Conventional apical transection after early ligation of the dorsal venous complex (DVC) remains suboptimal, as this approach obscures visualization of the intersection between prostatic apex and membranous urethra, leading to inadvertent apical capsulotomy and eventual margin positivity. A synchronous urethral transection commenced via a retro-apical approach was adopted in 209 consecutive patients undergoing RARP by one surgeon (A.T.) between April to September 2009. The apical margin rates for this group were compared with those of 1665 previous patients who received conventional urethral transection via an anterior approach after DVC ligation. Outcomes were adjusted for differences in clinicopathological variables. All RP specimens were processed according to institutional protocols, and examined by dedicated genitourinary pathologists. The location of PSMs was identified as apex, posterior, posterolateral, bladder neck, anterior, base, or multifocal.

RESULTS

Patients receiving synchronous urethral transection had significantly lower apical PSM rates than the control group (1.4% vs 4.4%, P = 0.04). This marked improvement in the retro-apical group occurred despite a significantly higher incidence of aggressive cancer (≥ pT3a) documented on final specimen pathology (16% vs 10%, P = 0.027).Technical difficulty was encountered in three of 209 study patients, in whom urethral transection had to be completed using the classic anterior approach.

CONCLUSION

Improved circumferential visualization of the prostatic apex, membranous urethra and their anatomical intersection facilitates precise dissection of the apex and its surrounding neural scaffold, and optimizes membranous urethral preservation. This has significantly ameliorated apical PSM rates in patients undergoing RARP, despite having to deal with more aggressive cancer on final specimen pathology.