Cryotherapy versus high-intensity focused ultrasound for treating prostate cancer: Oncological and functional results

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE

The increasingly early diagnosis of prostate cancer requires a search for therapeutic alternatives with good oncological results that in turn facilitate a good long-term quality of life. This review analyses 2 minimally invasive therapies for treating localised prostate cancer in terms of oncological and functional results, as well as the complications resulting from the therapies.

ACQUISITION OF EVIDENCE

A systematic literature review was conducted of the treatment of localised prostate cancer with 2 ablative techniques as the primary therapy: cryosurgery or cryotherapy and high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). We included patients who underwent procedures that included the entire gland, with hemiablation or focal therapy, which were indicated for low to intermediate-risk prostate cancer according to the D'Amico criteria. We excluded patients with high-risk prostate cancer and those who underwent any prior treatment for prostate cancer.

SYNTHESIS OF THE EVIDENCE

After conducting the literature search and excluding the studies that did not meet the protocol criteria, we reviewed a total of 14 studies, with a total of 350 patients treated using cryotherapy and 1107 treated with HIFU. All studies were either prospective or retrospective and were not randomised. The patients' mean age was younger than 75 years. Overall, the rate of disease recurrence in the patients treated with cryotherapy varied between 13.2% and 26%, while the rate for those treated with HIFU varied between 7.3% and 67.9%. The overall demonstrated continence at 12 months was 97.6-100% for cryotherapy and 96-100% for HIFU. In terms of sexual potency rates, cryotherapy showed complete potency at 12 months for 86-100% of the patients treated with focal cryotherapy and slightly lower rates for hemiablation (76.9-100%) and total therapy (39%). HIFU showed potency rates of 89%, 52-80% and 33-78% for focal therapy, hemiablation and total therapy, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Both techniques have comparable functional results, although the somewhat poorer oncological results for HIFU reflect a steeper learning curve, which could lead to its use in centres with high volumes of patients.

Long-term outcome of a phase II study of weekly docetaxel with a short course of estramustine and enoxaparine in hormone-resistant prostate cancer patients

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to define the toxicity and activity of weekly docetaxel administered with a short course of estramustine and enoxaparine in patients with hormone-resistant prostate cancer (HRPC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Twenty-four patients were treated with the next regimen: weekly docetaxel 36 mg/m(2) iv for three consecutive weeks every 28 days, and estramustine 280 mg three times a day for three consecutive days beginning the day before docetaxel (days 1-3, 8-10 and 15-17). In order to prevent thromboembolic events, 40 mg of subcutaneous enoxaparine was administered daily sc on the same days as estramustine. Primary endpoints were: toxicity, especially the presence of thromboembolic events, PSA response rate and response in measurable disease. Secondary endpoints were: time to PSA progression and overall survival.

RESULTS

Nineteen of 24 patients (79.1%, 95% CI 71-87%) had a PSA response = or >50%. Four of the eleven patients with measurable disease had a partial response. The median time to PSA progression was 7 months (CI 95%: 6.5-9) and the median survival was 19 months (IC 95%: 11-24). Toxicity was manageable with no treatment- related mortality. Only two patients had grade 4 neutropenia. Two patients had thrombotic events, one deep venous thrombosis and one stroke. The main grade 3 non-haematologic toxicity was diarrhoea and asthenia, both in 25% of patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Weekly docetaxel with a short course of estramustine and enoxaparine is active and tolerable in HRPC patients. The observed incidence of thrombosis was lower than previously reported but the association of enoxaparine was not enough to completely prevent the thromboembolic events.

[Renal synchronous tumor: association of renal adenocarcinoma and transitional tumor of renal pelvis, in the same kidney, an exceptional discovery]

The renal cell tumour supposes 1% of the adult's tumors, while the transitional carcinoma has an incidence of 7%. The simultaneous appearance of a carcinoma of renal cells, and a transitional tumour of pelvis in the same kidney, they suppose an exceptional fact not existing but of 30 cases published in the world, presenting an approximate incidence of 0.14% of the pathology renal tumoral. We present a new case of this unusual association that supposes the 4 case indexed in the literature in Spanish.

[Benign retroperitoneal schwannoma. Incidental diagnostic in patient with hematuria of the percusionist]

The incidence of retroperitoneal primitive tumour varies from the 0.3 to 3%. The sarcomas suppose the group but it frequents of retroperitoneal tumour, being the Schwannoma an unusual tumour with an incidence from 1% to 50% of the retroperitoneal primary tumours. The schwannoma also denominated neurinoma or neurolenoma, it is a derived tumour of the cells of Schwann of the outlying nerves. It is characterized by their clinical and radiological inespecify, being the diagnose pathological, with intense positive inmunohistoquimics to the protein S-100. The election treatment is the surgical remove, with wide margins; not being described cases of malignización neither of metastasis at distance, but if the recurrence existence at probably secondary local level to incomplete resection.

[Primary testicular lymphoma. Report of a new case and review of the literature]

Primary testicular lymphoma is an uncommon testicular tumour that accounts for no more than 9% of all testicular tumours in those series with higher incidence; testicular lymphoma as haematopoietic tumours are also rare accounting for just 1% of all lymphomas; but due to their highly malignant histopathology they may become highly aggressive tumours. Patient age at presentation is over 60 years old which makes it the most frequent tumour for this age group. There is no standard protocol to treat this malignancy due to lack of extensive series. We contribute one case and make a literature review discussing the current therapeutic trends for this disease.

[Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the kidney. Report of a new case and review of the bibliography]

We report a new case of sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma, in a male of 67 years old, with locoregional recidive four months after first surgery, with two episodes of retroperitoneal hemorrhage after second surgery. The objective of this work is to contribute a new case and of doing one revision.

[Repetition of ultrasonography-guided prostatic biopsy for the detection of cancer. Study of a series of 192 re-biopsied patients]

PURPOSE

We reviewed the result of transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided needle biopsies to find the re-biopsy criteria, emphasizing on the Focal Glandular Atypia (FGA) histological changes.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

192 cases were selected, from a total of 1957 patients older than 50, re-biopsied because of high PSA levels and/or abnormal DRE, or because of the histological findings on initial biopsies (high grade PIN and/or FGA). The results are related to the serum PSA levels and DRE characteristics.

RESULTS

A 38.83% global positivity for cancer was obtained and 27.08% for re-biopsy. When the first biopsy was negative, the positivity of the re-biopsies was 19.37%; if it was negative for cancer but had high grade PIN and/or FGA changes, the positivity was 65.62%, being higher in FGA changes than in the PIN cases (68.00% vs. 57.14%). The abnormal DRE raised the positivity rate from 17.82% to, 35.75%.

CONCLUSIONS

The positivity was especially related to abnormal DRE and/or PSA > or = 10 ng/ml. The tumor rate detected at second and third or successive biopsies was similar (19.28% vs 21.74%). The FGA changes (3.47% globally) had a cancer predictive value of 65.62%. We recommend re-biopsy in all patients with FGA changes.