Presence and severity of lower urinary tract symptoms are inversely correlated with the risk of prostate cancer on prostate biopsy

BACKGROUND

The assessment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) is common part of urological investigation. Furthermore, patients bother of prostate cancer (PCa) when they are affected of LUTS. This study was aimed to determine whether the presence and severity of LUTS, as assessed by the International Prostate Symptoms Score (IPSS), could help to identify patients at higher risk of prostate cancer (PCa) on prostate biopsy (PBx). In this effort, an initial PCa predictive model was calculated and IPSS was subsequently added. The diagnostic accuracy of both models was compared.

METHODS

The analysis of prospectively collected data of patients scheduled for PBx at four academic hospitals between January 2012 and June 2015 was performed. Univariate and multivariate analysis assessed the correlation between the IPSS and the risk of being diagnosed with PCa; Receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) analysis evaluated the predictive models including or not the IPSS.

RESULTS

Of the 1366 enrolled patients, 706 (52%) were diagnosed with PCa. Patients with PCa had a significantly lower IPSS (10.6±7.4 vs. 12.7±8.1) than those with benign diagnosis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), prostate volume and IPSS were the most significant predictors of PBx outcome, (OR 1.61, P=0.001; OR 1.20, P=0.001; OR 0.97, P=0.001; OR 0.74, P=0.004; respectively). ROC curve analysis showed that the addition of IPSS to the predictive model based on age, PSA, DRE and prostate volume significantly improved the model diagnostic accuracy (AUC: 0.776 vs. 0.652; P=0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Presence and severity of LUTS are inversely correlated with the risk of being diagnosed with PCa at PBx. Incorporating the IPSS into predictive models may reduce the risk of unnecessary PBxs.

Short-term administration of prulifloxacin in patients with nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer: an effective option for the prevention of bacillus Calmette-Guérin-induced toxicity?

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether the new fluoroquinolone prulifloxacin might improve tolerance to Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) intravesical therapy in patients with bladder cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A series of 72 patients with intermediate- or high-risk nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer were enrolled in this prospective, randomized, open-label, controlled clinical trial performed at a single tertiary care institution. After complete transurethral resection, patients were randomized to receive induction treatment with BCG and three capsules of prulifloxacin 600 mg or no prophylactic treatment (control group). Adverse events (AEs) were self-recorded by the patients after each instillation and classified by the investigator according to a classification grid considering account duration and intensity. Cystoscopy findings at 3 and 6 months were also recorded.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in baseline symptoms between the groups. Overall, there was a significant decrease in the percentage of patients with at least one AE between instillations in prulifloxacin-treated group. The proportion of patients with moderate to severe AEs after the fourth instillation was significantly less in the prulifloxacin-treated group. There was a significant effect of prulifloxacin on the need for anti-tuberculosis treatment. More patients in the control group stopped or delayed the full induction course of BCG instillations (34% vs 19%, P=0.04). Recurrence rates were not affected by prulifloxacin treatment.

CONCLUSION

Prulifloxacin reduces the incidence of moderate to severe AEs from BCG intravesical therapy in patients with nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer, improving compliance to the induction BCG course. These preliminary findings warrant further clinical research.