George E. Brannen

Adjuvant Radiotherapy Following Radical Prostatectomy: Results and Complications

Between 1954 and 1978, 148 patients underwent radical perineal prostatectomy for adenocarcinoma clinically confined to the prostate gland. This report is based on 45 of these patients with microscopic extension of disease beyond the gland and a minimum 5-year followup. Of the patients 22 received adjuvant external beam radiation therapy and 23 did not. The groups were comparable with regard to significant prognostic variables. Patient selection was by surgeon preference. Local recurrences were seen in 1 of 22 patients (5 per cent) receiving adjuvant radiotherapy and 7 of 23 (30 per cent) undergoing an operation alone (p less than 0.05). Of 8 patients with local recurrence 7 died of the disease. Delayed radiotherapy of a local recurrence generally was not effective in controlling the disease. Of the 11 patients who died of prostatic cancer with a mean followup of 9.2 years 3 received adjuvant radiotherapy and 8 did not. Severe but nonfatal long-term complications were seen in 14 per cent of the irradiated patients and 6 per cent of those treated with an operation alone. Most of the complications occurred in the earlier years of the study in patients who received 60cobalt radiotherapy. When clinical stage B cancer of the prostate is found to be pathological stage C following radical perineal prostatectomy, adjuvant radiotherapy can decrease the incidence of subsequent local recurrence. The potential risk of adjuvant radiation therapy should be weighed and its use considered, particularly in patients whose tumor extends to the surgical margins or who have seminal vesicle invasion.

Total Prostatectomy for Localized Prostatic Cancer

Several treatment options currently are available for the patient with clinically localized carcinoma of the prostate and each has its proponents. Comparison of results between institutions becomes necessary to determine the relative value of these treatments, keeping in mind the absence of a suitable control group in any series. Such inter-institutional treatment comparisons are possible only if the patient compositions are similar in terms of age, grade and extent of disease. Comparisons of patients with stage B disease frequently are made because most urologists agree that these patients have palpable disease confined to the prostate and no evidence of metastasis. At our clinic willing patients with clinically localized adenocarcinoma of the prostate who have an expected 15-year survival are treated preferentially with total prostatectomy. We summarize our experience with total prostatectomy in 215 consecutive patients, including 213 who were available for followup. There were 16 patients with clinical stage A, 195 with clinical stage B and 2 with clinical stage C disease. Of these patients 207 underwent radical perineal prostatectomy and there were no operative deaths. Patients did not receive adjuvant hormonal therapy unless disease recurred. Of the 110 patients who have undergone the operation within the last 5 years 98 per cent are alive. Actual survival and survival free of disease, respectively, for the entire series were 55 and 48 per cent at 15 years, 75 and 67 per cent at 10 years, and 94 and 86 per cent at 5 years, compared to 55 and 48, 74 and 67, and 95 and 90 per cent, respectively, for the 195 patients with clinical stage B disease. We believe these results demonstrate that in terms of local control of the disease, over-all survival and survival free of disease total prostatectomy remains the optimal treatment for patients with clinically localized carcinoma of the prostate.

Kidney Stone Removal: Percutaneous Versus Surgical Lithotomy

Percutaneous removal of most urinary tract calculi may be performed as a 1-stage effort with techniques and skills developed recently in the specialties of urology and radiology. Ultrasonic fragmentation of most calculi was done to permit their extraction. Percutaneous ultrasonic lithotripsy was performed on 250 consecutive (a single exception) patients bearing stones that required removal. Targeted calculi were removed successfully from 97 per cent of these patients. One patient required surgical lithotomy. The previous 100 patients with stones underwent surgical lithotomy with 96 per cent success. Complications of percutaneous ultrasonic lithotripsy appeared equitable with those of surgical lithotomy. Of the patients who underwent percutaneous ultrasonic lithotripsy 6 (6 per cent) required extended hospital days or additional procedures for management of complications. None of these patients required a surgical incision. Anesthesia times were similar for both groups--average 159 plus or minus 4 (standard error) minutes for percutaneous ultrasonic lithotripsy and 193 plus or minus 8 minutes for surgical lithotomy. Hospital recovery days averaged 5.5 plus or minus 0.3 for percutaneous ultrasonic lithotripsy and 8.4 plus or minus 0.5 for surgical lithotomy (p less than 0.01). Associated costs averaged

Total Prostatectomy for Clinically Localized Prostatic Cancer: Long-term Results

7,203 plus or minus 55 for lithotripsy and

Endopyelotomy: Review of Results and Complications

8,849 plus or minus 660 for lithotomy (p less than 0.01). The number of narcotic administrations per patient (days 1 to 5 postoperatively) averaged 9.88 plus or minus 0.70 for lithotripsy and 16.82 plus or minus 0.78 for lithotomy (p less than 0.01). The average patient who underwent percutaneous ultrasonic lithotripsy felt capable of full activity 2.0 plus or minus 0.2 weeks following stone removal, whereas no patient who underwent previous surgical lithotomy recalls a recovery period of less than 3 weeks (p less than 0.01). We believe that most upper urinary tract calculi may be removed cost-effectively with a percutaneous approach. Compared to surgical lithotomy, percutaneous ultrasonic lithotripsy may result in rapid convalescence with diminished pain.

Long-term Fate of 90 Patients with Superficial Bladder Cancer Randomly Assigned to Receive or not to Receive Thiotepa

The fate of the first 52 patients with clinically localized prostate cancer who underwent total perineal prostatectomy at our clinic and have been followed for a minimum of 15 years is reviewed to evaluate the long-term impact of this operation on the disease. None of these patients received any adjuvant therapy. Nine patients (17 per cent) had recurrence and 5 (10 per cent) died of disease during this interval. The actual observed over-all survival at 15 years was 64 per cent, the actuarial survival was 67 per cent and the cause-specific survival was 90 per cent.

Morbidity of Radical Perineal Prostatectomy Following Transurethral Resection of the Prostate

Percutaneous endopyelotomy augmented by balloon dilation was performed on 27 of 40 patients for the treatment of symptomatic, primary ureteropelvic junction obstruction. Percutaneous ultrasonic lithotripsy was performed simultaneously on 12 of 27 patients (44%) for associated calculi. After endopyelotomy 24 of 27 patients became asymptomatic (clinical success rate 89%). Three clinically improved patients demonstrated only radiographic stability, while radiographic improvement was documented in 21 of 27 (radiographic success rate 78%). Adjuvant percutaneous ultrasonic lithotripsy was successful from the standpoint of stone removal in all patients and no increased morbidity could be identified. Of 27 patients 3 (11%) suffered major complications and are considered failures. Reasons for failure varied and are discussed. Included is a patient who at nephrostography and stent capping became septic and subsequently died. To decrease the risk of sepsis perioperative antibiotics to include at the time of nephrostomy tube capping are recommended. Angiography was performed in 19 of 40 patients to rule out an accessory crossing vessel at the ureteropelvic junction, and such a vessel was found in 6. From analysis of presenting excretory urograms (IVPs) we conclude that a crossing vessel cannot predictably be identified on an IVP.

Endopyelotomy for primary repair of ureteropelvic junction obstruction.

We assigned randomly 90 patients treated previously for superficial transitional cell carcinoma to conventional followup or prophylactic treatment. This followup study details the late incidence of recurrence (29 of 45 patients in the prophylactic group and 34 of 45 controls), the progression of tumor grade and stage, the deaths and causes (24 patients), and the influence of initial stage, grade, carcinoma in situ and positive cytology on the outcome of treatment.

Radiation Exposure to Patient and Urologist During Percutaneous Nephrostolithotomy

Radical prostatectomy in patients who have had prior transurethral resection of the prostate has been reported to result in significant morbidity. From 1974 to 1982, 30 patients who had had previous transurethral resection of the prostate underwent radical perineal prostatectomy for localized prostatic cancer. Operative time and blood loss were similar to a group of patients who had not had prior transurethral resection of the prostate. Over-all, 3 patients (10 per cent) had total incontinence and 3 (10 per cent) had stress incontinence requiring a pad or device. No patient undergoing radical prostatectomy less than 4 weeks or more than 4 months after transurethral resection of the prostate had postoperative incontinence. When radical perineal prostatectomy was performed between 4 weeks and 4 months after transurethral resection of the prostate the incidence of incontinence was 50 per cent. Five patients experienced prolonged perineal urinary drainage, all but 1 of whom healed spontaneously. Of the 6 patients with incontinence 3 had prolonged drainage. No patient had a rectal injury and there was no operative mortality. Two patients died without cancer and 1 has evidence of disease recurrence. We conclude that radical prostatectomy may be performed safely with acceptable morbidity following transurethral resection of the prostate and that if 4 weeks has elapsed since resection it might be advantageous to wait 4 months before performing radical surgery to lessen the risk of incontinence.

Mitomycin C intravesical therapy in noninvasive bladder cancer after failure on thiotepa.

A total of 12 patients underwent primary repair of ureteropelvic junction obstruction between November 1, 1985 and December 31, 1986. Ten patients underwent percutaneous incision of the ureteropelvic junction (endopyelotomy) as the initial effort to correct the obstruction. Two patients with ureteropelvic junction obstruction associated with an aberrant lower pole renal artery underwent dismembered pyeloplasty (Anderson-Hynes) via a flank incision. Of the 10 patients who underwent endopyelotomy 8 (80 per cent) have shown radiographic improvement. Radiographic stability of the obstructed ureteropelvic junction was demonstrated in the remaining 2 patients. No patient exhibited evidence of increased obstruction or decreased renal function. No patient required prolonged or rehospitalization for complications, and none required additional endoscopic or surgical procedures. All patients have remained clinically well after the initial release from the hospital.