Locally Advanced and Metastatic Prostate Cancer Treated with Intermittent Androgen Monotherapy or Maximal Androgen Blockade: Results from a Randomised Phase 3 Study by the South European Uroncological Group

BACKGROUND: Few randomised studies have compared antiandrogen intermittent hormonal therapy (IHT) with continuous maximal androgen blockade (MAB) therapy for advanced prostate cancer (PCa). OBJECTIVE: To determine whether overall survival (OS) on IHT (cyproterone acetate; CPA) is noninferior to OS on continuous MAB. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This phase 3 randomised trial compared IHT and continuous MAB in patients with locally advanced or metastatic PCa. INTERVENTION: During induction, patients received CPA 200 mg/d for 2 wk and then monthly depot injections of a luteinising hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH; triptoreline 11.25 mg) analogue plus CPA 200 mg/d. Patients whose prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was <4 ng/ml after 3 mo of induction treatment were randomised to the IHT arm (stopped treatment and restarted on CPA 300 mg/d monotherapy if PSA rose to ≥20 ng/ml or they were symptomatic) or the continuous arm (CPA 200 mg/d plus monthly LHRH analogue). OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Primary outcome measurement was OS. Secondary outcomes included cause-specific survival, time to subjective or objective progression, and quality of life. Time off therapy in the intermittent arm was recorded. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: We recruited 1045 patients, of which 918 responded to induction therapy and were randomised (462 to IHT and 456 to continuous MAB). OS was similar between groups (p=0.25), and noninferiority of IHT was demonstrated (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.76-1.07). There was a trend for an interaction between PSA and treatment (p=0.05), favouring IHT over continuous therapy in patients with PSA ≤1 ng/ml (HR: 0.79; 95% CI, 0.61-1.02). Men treated with IHT reported better sexual function. Among the 462 patients on IHT, 50% and 28% of patients were off therapy for ≥2.5 yr or >5 yr, respectively, after randomisation. The main limitation is that the length of time for the trial to mature means that other therapies are now available. A second limitation is that T3 patients may now profit from watchful waiting instead of androgen-deprivation therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Noninferiority of IHT in terms of survival and its association with better sexual activity than continuous therapy suggest that IHT should be considered for use in routine clinical practice.

Carcinoma da Próstata. Análise Retrospectiva de 370 casos

Os AA estudaram retrospectivamente os processos clínicos de 370 doentes com carcinoma da próstata, com o intuito de dar uma ideia da problemática desta doença em Portugal. Ressalvando o facto de a análise incidir sobre casos tratados por vários urologistas e não haver assim uniformidade nos critérios, são apresentadas sucessivamente as manifestações clínicas, métodos de diagnóstico presumível e definitivo e a terapêutica instituída. Apontam ainda a mortalidade, no país, nos últimos anos, por carcinoma da próstata e por tumores malignos em geral e apresentam uma tabela em que aquela é comparada com a de outros países.

Alterações Hidro-Electrolíticas Induzidas por Ressecção Prostática Transuretral

A ressecção prostática transuretral (RTU) foi incriminada como causa de hiponatrémias graves por absorção macissa do soluto de irrigação (SI) vesical. Observámos 41 doentes submetidos a RTU, usando como SI Sorbitol Manitol (Grupo A), e 6 doentes usando água destilada (Grupo B). Um Grupo C, era constituído por 6 doentes operados por motivos não urológicos com intervenções com duração e anestesia semelhantes à RTU. Os três grupos foram estudados segundo um mesmo protocolo com colheitas de sangue antes (tempo 1), imediatamente após (tempo II) e 1 hora depois da intervenção(tempo III). A natrémia diminuiu significativamente nos 3 grupos do tempo 1 para o tempo II, em média 3,4mEq 1 com Manitol Sorbitol, 2,3mEq 1 com água destilada, e 4,4mEq 1 no grupo C. A osmolalidade não se alterou significativamente ao longo dos três tempos de colheita, o gap osmolar subiu do tempo 1 para o tempo II apenas no grupo A com Sorbitol Manitol. Em resumo, descidas moderadas no sódio sérico sem relevância clínica, e sem hipotonicidade, são frequentes post-RTU, mas não deverão ser superiores à restante cirurgia sem irrigação vesical.

Hiperplasia Difusa do Timo Após Quimioterapia a Doença de Hodgkin

Os autores descrevem um caso de um doente de 23 anos com linfoma de 1-Iodgkin de celularidade mista num estádio II-B que após quimioterapia desenvolveu uma massa mediastínica, cuja histologia revelou tratar-se de uma hiperplasia do timo.

Prostate Cancer: The Role of Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging has been increasingly used for detection, localization and staging of prostate cancer over the last years. It combines high-resolution T2 Weighted-Imaging and at least two functional techniques, which include Dynamic Contrast–Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Diffusion-Weighted Imaging, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Spectroscopy. Although the combined use of a pelvic phased-array and an Endorectal Coil is considered the state-of-the-art for Magnetic Resonance Imaging evaluation of prostate cancer, Endorectal Coil is only absolute mandatory for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Spectroscopy at 1.5 T. Sensitivity and specificity levels in cancer detection and localization have been improving with functional technique implementation, compared to T2 Weighted-Imaging alone. It has been particularly useful to evaluate patients with abnormal PSA and negative biopsy. Moreover, the information added by the functional techniques may correlate to cancer aggressiveness and therefore be useful to select patients for focal radiotherapy, prostate sparing surgery, focal ablative therapy and active surveillance. However, more studies are needed to compare the functional techniques and understand the advantages and disadvantages of each one. This article reviews the basic principles of prostatic mp-Magnetic Resonance Imaging, emphasizing its role on detection, staging and active surveillance of prostate cancer.

Post-Treated Prostate Cancer: Normal Findings and Signs of Local Relapse on Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging

The use of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mp-MRI) for prostate cancer has increased over recent years, mainly for detection, staging, and active surveillance. However, suspicion of recurrence in the set of biochemical failure is becoming a significant reason for clinicians to request mp-MRI. Radiologists should be able to recognize the normal post-treatment MRI findings. Fibrosis and atrophic remnant seminal vesicles after prostatectomy are often found and must be differentiated from local relapse. Moreover, brachytherapy, external beam radiotherapy, cryosurgery, and hormonal therapy tend to diffusely decrease the signal intensity of the peripheral zone on T2-weighted images (T2WI) due to the loss of water content, consequently mimicking tumor and hemorrhage. The combination of T2WI and functional studies like diffusion-weighted imaging and dynamic contrast-enhanced improves the identification of local relapse. Tumor recurrence tends to restrict on diffusion images and avidly enhances after contrast administration either within or outside the gland. The authors provide a pictorial review of the normal findings and the signs of local tumor relapse after radical prostatectomy, external beam radiotherapy, brachytherapy, cryosurgery, and hormonal therapy.