Damiano Vizziello

Long-term Outcomes of Salvage Lymph Node Dissection for Clinically Recurrent Prostate Cancer: Results of a Single-institution Series with a Minimum Follow-up of 5 Years

BACKGROUND Prostate cancer (PCa) patients with lymph node recurrence after radical prostatectomy (RP) are usually managed with androgen-deprivation therapy. Despite the absence of prospective randomized studies, salvage lymph node dissection (LND) has been proposed as an alternative treatment option. OBJECTIVE To examine long-term outcomes of salvage LND in patients with nodal recurrent PCa documented by 11C-choline positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scan. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Overall, 59 patients affected by biochemical recurrence (BCR) with 11C-choline PET/CT scan with pathologic activity treated between 2002 and 2008 were included. INTERVENTION Pelvic and/or retroperitoneal salvage LND. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSES Biochemical response (BR) was defined as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) <0.2 ng/ml at 40 d after surgery. BCR for those who achieved BR was defined as a PSA >0.2 ng/ml. Clinical recurrence (CR) was defined as a positive PET/CT scan after salvage LND in the presence of a rising PSA. Kaplan-Meier curves assessed time to BCR, CR, and cancer-specific mortality (CSM). Cox regression analyses were fitted to assess predictors of CR. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS Median follow-up after salvage LND was 81.1 mo. Overall, 35 patients (59.3%) achieved BR. The 8-yr BCR-free survival rate in patients with complete BR was 23%. Overall, the 8-yr CR- and CSM-free survival rates were 38% and 81%, respectively. In multivariable analyses evaluating preoperative variables, PSA at salvage LND represented the only predictor of CR (p=0.03). When postoperative variables were considered, BR and the presence of retroperitoneal lymph node metastases were significantly associated with the risk of CR (all p ≤ 0.04). Our study is limited by the lack of a control group. CONCLUSIONS Salvage LND may represent a therapeutic option for patients with BCR after RP and nodal pathologic uptake at 11C-choline PET/CT scan. Although most patients progressed to BCR after salvage LND, roughly 40% of them experienced CR-free survival. PATIENT SUMMARY Salvage lymph node dissection may represent a therapeutic option for selected patients with nodal recurrence after radical prostatectomy. Roughly 40% of men did not show any further clinical recurrence at long-term follow-up after surgery.

Impact of Adjuvant Radiotherapy on Survival of Patients With Node-Positive Prostate Cancer

PURPOSE The role of adjuvant radiotherapy (aRT) in treating patients with pN1 prostate cancer is controversial. We tested the hypothesis that the impact of aRT on cancer-specific mortality (CSM) in these individuals is related to tumor characteristics. METHODS We evaluated 1,107 patients with pN1 prostate cancer treated with radical prostatectomy and anatomically extended pelvic lymph node dissection between 1988 and 2010 at two tertiary care centers. All patients received adjuvant hormonal therapy with or without aRT. Regression tree analysis stratified patients into risk groups on the basis of their tumor characteristics and the corresponding CSM rate. Cox regression analysis tested the relationship between aRT and CSM rate, as well as overall mortality (OM) rate in each risk group separately. RESULTS Overall, 35% of patients received aRT. At multivariable analysis, aRT was associated with more favorable CSM rate (hazard ratio [HR], 0.37; P < .001). However, when patients were stratified into risk groups, only two groups of men benefited from aRT: (1) patients with positive lymph node (PLN) count ≤ 2, Gleason score 7 to 10, pT3b/pT4 stage, or positive surgical margins (HR, 0.30; P = .002); and (2) patients with PLN count of 3 to 4 (HR, 0.21; P = .02), regardless of other tumor characteristics. These results were confirmed when OM was examined as an end point. CONCLUSION The beneficial impact of aRT on survival in patients with pN1 prostate cancer is highly influenced by tumor characteristics. Men with low-volume nodal disease (≤ two PLNs) in the presence of intermediate- to high-grade, non-specimen-confined disease and those with intermediate-volume nodal disease (three to four PLNs) represent the ideal candidates for aRT after surgery.

How to optimize patient selection for robot-assisted radical prostatectomy: functional outcome analyses from a tertiary referral center.

INTRODUCTION The role of surgical approach on functional outcomes recovery in prostate cancer (PCa) patients treated with bilateral nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy (BNSRP) is still debated. In this study, we examine the association between the surgical approach and functional outcomes after BNSRP. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study included 609 patients treated with robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) or open radical prostatectomy (ORP) between June 2008 and January 2011. Erectile function recovery was defined as an International Index of Erectile Function-Erectile Function domain (IIEF-EF) score ≥22. Urinary continence recovery was defined as being completely pad-free over a 24-hour period. Patients were stratified according to their probability of postoperative erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence, according to previously published predictive models. Multivariable logistic regression tested the association between the surgical approach and functional outcomes recovery in the overall population after stratifying patients according to their risk of erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence. RESULTS Patients treated with RARP had higher 2-year erectile function (52.1% vs 67.8%; P<0.001) and urinary continence (72.0% vs 87.4%; P<0.001) recovery rates as compared to their ORP counterparts. After stratification according to the erectile dysfunction risk, RARP led to higher erectile function recovery rates in the low- and intermediate-risk erectile dysfunction groups (all P<0.001).This did not hold true, however, in patients at high risk of erectile dysfunction (P=0.5). Similarly, when patients were stratified according to their urinary incontinence risk, RARP was associated with a higher probability of urinary continence recovery in the very low, low, and intermediate risk groups only (all P<0.001). This did not hold true, however, in the group of men at high risk of postoperative urinary incontinence (P=0.8). CONCLUSIONS RARP leads to higher urinary continence and erectile function recovery rates compared with ORP. Not all patients benefit from this approach to the same extent, however. Accurate preoperative patient selection would result in substantial savings for the health care system.

Preoperative erectile function is the only predictor of the use of a high number of phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors after bilateral nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy

It is well known that the administration of phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors (PDE5-Is) may improve erectile function (EF) recovery after bilateral nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy (BNSRP). The aim of our study was to identify predictors of the use of a high number of PDE5-Is (one or more per week) after surgery among 184 patients taking proerectile medications on demand. At a mean follow-up of 22.7 months, 116 patients (63%) recovered EF. Overall, EF recovery rates at 1- and 2- year follow-up were 47.3% and 65.4%, respectively. Overall, 43 (23.4%) patients used one or more PDE5-Is per week. Preoperative EF was the only predictor of the use of one or more PDE5-Is per week after BNSRP. This held true even after adjusting our analyses for age at surgery, body mass index and EF at 1 month after surgery. Particularly, patients fully potent before surgery had roughly 2.1-fold higher probability of using one or more pills per week compared with their counterparts with some degree of preoperative erectile dysfunction (ED; odds ratio: 2.16; 95% confidence interval: 1.03–4.37). In conclusion, preoperative EF represents the only determinant of the use of a higher number of PDE5-Is after surgery. Patients with better preoperative EF might represent individuals more motivated to achieve satisfactory sexual function after surgery. These observations should provide physicians with better preoperative patient counseling and management of postoperative ED.

Thulium Laser Prostate Enucleation in Refractory Urinary Retention: Operative and Functional Outcomes in a Large Cohort of Patients

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the functional and operative results of thulium laser enucleation of the prostate (ThuLEP) in patients with indwelling catheters for refractory urinary retention. METHODS Patients with indwelling catheter, undergoing ThuLEP for benign prostate hyperplasia, were prospectively enrolled. Every episode of urinary retention was treated with urinary catheter positioning followed by at least 2 attempts of catheter removal. Patients were investigated with flowmetry and the self-administered International Prostate Symptom Score questionnaire at 30 and 90 days following ThuLEP. RESULTS Three hundred eighty-one patients underwent ThuLEP, and 99 of these had indwelling catheters, but only 93 (24%) were eligible according to the inclusion criteria. In 46 patients the bladder catheter was removed on the first postoperative day, in 31 patients on the second postoperative day, in 5 patients on the third postoperative day, in 6 patients on the fourth postoperative day, in 1 patient on the fifth postoperative day, and in 2 patients each on the sixth and seventh postoperative days. The average hospital stay was 2.3 (±1.7) days. No patients undergoing ThuLEP, at the 90-day follow-up, required further catheterization. Flowmetry showed significant improvement in all parameters, and the mean International Prostate Symptom Score dropped from 21.33 preoperatively to 3.2 (P = .004) at 90 days postoperatively. CONCLUSION This prospective study shows that ThuLEP is a safe and effective approach in refractory urinary retention patients. In our case series, no patients required postoperative intermittent catheterization. All functional outcomes investigated reported a statistical significant improvement.

Safety and feasibility of thullium laser transurethral resection of prostate for the treatment of benign prostatic enlargement in overweight patients

Objective We aimed to determine safety and feasibility of thulium laser transurethral vapoenucleation of prostate (ThuVEP) for treatment of obese patients affected by benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Methods We retrospectively analysed data of 452 patients with BPH who underwent ThuVEP from February 2012 to March 2016 in a single center. Patients were divided into three groups according to body mass index (BMI, kg/m2): Normal weight (18.5 ≤ BMI < 25; Group A), overweight (25 ≤ BMI < 30; Group B) and obese (BMI ≥ 30; Group C), for a total of 412 patients evaluable for this study. Preoperative total serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA), digital rectal examination of the prostate, transrectal ultrasound (TRUS), renal ultrasound, urine culture, uroflowmetry, International Prostate Symptoms Score (IPSS), and Quality of Life (QoL) score were analyzed. Post-operative complications, hospital stay and days of catheterization, questionnaires and uroflowmetry at 1 and 3 months after surgery were evaluated. Preoperative data, surgical outcomes, complication rate and clinical outcomes were compared between groups. Results The median age of patients was 69 years (Interquartile Range [IQR 10]). The preoperative median IPSS among groups was 19 (IQR 8.75), 20 (IQR 10), and 18 (IQR 10) respectively. At 1 and 3 months of follow-up, this value was 8 (IQR 7), 8 (IQR 4), 7 (IQR 5) and 5 (IQR 6.25), 5 (IQR 6), 6 (IQR 5), respectively (all p between groups > 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference among three groups as for hospital stay and days of catheterization (p > 0.05). Conclusion Our results showed that ThuVEP was safe and feasible even in overweight patients with substantially enlarged prostate.

Fascial Layers in Nerve Sparing Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy

Introduction: The identification of prostatic fascial layers is of paramount importance for oncologic and functional outcomes in patients with localized prostate cancer treated with robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy. We evaluated the relationship between the prostatic fascial layers and the nerve structures responsible for urinary continence and erection. Additionally, we examined how dissection of these structures might influence the degree of nerve sparing in the robotic era. Methods: We performed a systematic literature review of the MEDLINE®, Embase™ and Web of Science™ databases. The search strategy included the terms radical prostatectomy, neurovascular bundles, nerve sparing, anatomy, robot‐assisted prostatectomy and fascial layers. Results: The prostatic fasciae represent an important dissection plane. These anatomical structures are in close relationship with the neurovascular bundles and periprostatic nerve fibers, which spread widely from the posterolateral surface of the prostate to the anterolateral portion. During robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy 2 main fascial layers might be identified, including the endopelvic fascia and the prostatic fascia. Identification and preservation of these structures allows for maximizing the sparing of nerve fibers related to continence and erection. Robotic surgeons have proposed 3 dissection planes associated with a different degree of nerve sparing, including intrafascial, interfascial and extrafascial dissection. Conclusions: The visual magnification typical of robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy facilitates the identification of prostatic fasciae, allowing the surgeon to tailor the extent of dissection to patient clinical and disease characteristics.