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Supportive Care in Cancer : Official... Dec 2022This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize the evidence on the effect of couple-based interventions on quality of life (QOL) among prostate cancer... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
PURPOSE
This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize the evidence on the effect of couple-based interventions on quality of life (QOL) among prostate cancer patients and their spouses.
METHOD
Six English databases and two Chinese databases were systematically searched to identify relevant RCTs that examined the effect of couple-based interventions on QOL. The data from the included studies were extracted by two independent reviewers using a standardized data extraction form. Methodological quality was assessed by using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. Meta-analysis was conducted among the suitable studies that the available data were sufficient.
RESULTS
One thousand ninety-five studies were identified, and 11 studies met the inclusion criteria for qualitative synthesis and 7 studied for meta-analysis. Couple-based interventions involve different formats of physical and psychosocial interventions. Physical exercise-based interventions were popular among couples, and these interventions had the highest level of adherence among all interventions examined herein. However, the meta-analysis of total QOL and physical and mental health revealed a non-significant effect on both prostate cancer patients and their spouses. More RCTs examining couple-based interventions may be needed in developing countries, especially in Asian countries.
CONCLUSION
Couple-based interventions had non-significant effect on improving the total QOL and physical and mental health of prostate cancer patients and their spouses. However, the current evidence is limited because the sample size of the studies is small. Thus, more studies with large sample sizes need to be included to detect the efficacy of couple-based interventions on prostate cancer patients and their spouses.
Topics: Male; Humans; Quality of Life; Spouses; Prostatic Neoplasms; Mental Health; Patients
PubMed: 36517615
DOI: 10.1007/s00520-022-07532-2 -
Current Urology Mar 2023The aim of the study is to investigate improvements in lower urinary tract symptoms in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) treated with prostatic Aquablation.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study is to investigate improvements in lower urinary tract symptoms in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) treated with prostatic Aquablation.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We performed a literature search of clinical trials using the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases and retrieved published works on Aquablation for the treatment of BPH up to August 2021. Unpublished works, case reports, conference proceedings, editorial comments, and letters were excluded. Risk of bias was assessed using the ROBINS-I tool. Raw means and mean differences were meta-analyzed to produce summary estimates for pre- versus post-International Prostate Symptom Scores, maximum flow rate, and male sexual health questionnaire value changes. An inverse-variance weighted random effects model was used.
RESULTS
Seven studies were included in this review (n = 551 patients) that evaluated various urological parameters. At 3 months, the International Prostate Symptom Scores raw mean difference from baseline was -16.475 (95% confidence interval [CI], -15.264 to -17.686; < 0.001), with improvements sustained for 12 months. Similarly, maximum flow rate improved by +1.96 (95% CI, 10.015 to 11.878; < 0.001) from pre to 3 months postoperatively. In addition, the male sexual health questionnaire change pooled effect size was -0.55 (95% CI, -1.621 to 0.531; 0.321) from preintervention to postintervention at 3 months. Meta-analyses of some outcomes showed large statistical heterogeneity or evidence of publication bias.
CONCLUSIONS
Aquablation seems to improve lower urinary tract symptoms in men with BPH while providing relatively preserved sexual function. Further research is required to confirm these preliminary results.
PubMed: 37692142
DOI: 10.1097/CU9.0000000000000122 -
The Prostate Jan 2024Preclinical studies have shown that the sympathetic nervous system is involved in the development of metastases, suggesting a potential antitumor effect of... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Preclinical studies have shown that the sympathetic nervous system is involved in the development of metastases, suggesting a potential antitumor effect of beta-blockers. These findings sparked a controversy over the past decade regarding the direction of the association between beta-blocker use and prostate cancer (PCa) mortality. To investigate this association, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis.
METHODS
The review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines to identify eligible studies. The primary outcome was PCa mortality in beta-blocker users versus nonusers, and overall survival was studied as a secondary endpoint. We assessed heterogeneity using the Cochrane Q test and quantified it using I values. In the case of heterogeneity (Cochrane Q test p < 0.05 and I > 50%), random-effect models were used to determine the association between beta-blockers use and survival outcomes.
RESULTS
Ten studies met our inclusion criteria and a total of 74,970 patients were included: 26,674 beta-blocker users and 48,326 nonusers. There was no statistically significant association between beta-blocker exposure and PCa mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 0.97; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.87-1.09; p = 0.61). However, significant heterogeneity was found. Meta-regression analysis to explain heterogeneity showed no effect of any of the variables assessed (country, percentage of beta-blocker users, type of beta-blocker [selective and nonselective], study period, PCa stage and follow-up duration; all p > 0.05). We found similar results when we restricted the analysis to studies that include only patients with advanced PCa (HR 0.92; 95% CI 0.80-1.06; p = 0.24). Similarly, we found no association with overall survival (HR 1.02; 95% CI 0.94-1.10; p = 0.64). Meta-regression analysis was also performed, but none of the variables assessed explained the observed heterogeneity (all p > 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
We found no association between beta-blockers use and overall survival or PCa mortality. This meta-analysis, which includes a considerable population and the most recent literature, provides important data for routine clinical care and patient counseling.
Topics: Male; Humans; Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; Prostatic Neoplasms; Prostate; Proportional Hazards Models; Regression Analysis
PubMed: 37710384
DOI: 10.1002/pros.24623 -
European Urology Focus Jul 2022Focal therapy has emerged as a promising option to treat well-selected men with localised prostate cancer while preserving healthy prostate tissue and key structures,... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
CONTEXT
Focal therapy has emerged as a promising option to treat well-selected men with localised prostate cancer while preserving healthy prostate tissue and key structures, such as the urethral sphincter and neurovascular bundles. However, how this tissue preservation may translate into improved outcomes, particularly into improved sexual outcomes, is still an active research field.
OBJECTIVE
We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature to summarise the existing evidence, in order to provide patients with updated data on what to expect after treatment and help identify gaps in current knowledge that may warrant future research.
EVIDENCE ACQUISITION
A systematic literature search was conducted on Medline, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science. The search strategy was defined using the "litsearchr" function in R based on a preliminary "naïve" search using the following terms on Medline: (("focal therapy" OR "focal treatment") AND ("prostate cancer") AND ("sexual function" OR "erectile function")). A total of 42 studies, comprising 3117 patients treated and 2352 with available sexual outcomes, were included in the qualitative data synthesis and 26 in a random-effect meta-analysis.
EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS
The five-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) was the most frequently used questionnaire (30/42 studies), with completion rates ranging from 24% to 100% at 18-24 mo. A decrease was noted at 3 mo (IIEF-5 decrease estimate -3.70 [95% confidence interval -4.43, -2.96]), with improvements at 6 mo (-2.18 [-2.91, -1.46]) and 12 mo (-2.14 [-2.96, -1.32]). Studies in which patients had an altered baseline sexual function were more likely to report a significant and durable postoperative decrease in erectile function scores. The patient-reported outcome questionnaires used were not designed for a diverse population. Functional outcomes were not the primary endpoint and have not been reported consistently in most studies considered.
CONCLUSIONS
Focal therapy led to changes in erectile function in most cases under the significance threshold of the patient-reported outcome questionnaires used. However, patients should be counselled according to their baseline erectile function. More research is warranted to detail aspects other than erectile function, such as ejaculation or orgasm. The early postoperative period appears key to study sexual changes after focal therapy, while only a moderate decrease is expected at 12 mo.
PATIENT SUMMARY
We reviewed the published literature detailing the sexual consequences of focal therapy for localised prostate cancer using patient-reported outcome questionnaires. Patients were likely to describe a significant decrease in their erectile function at 3 mo, with improvements noted at 6 and 12 mo. The results obtained may not be reproducible in a more diverse population, and further research is warranted to better study aspects other than erectile function, such as ejaculation or orgasm.
Topics: Erectile Dysfunction; Humans; Male; Penile Erection; Prostate; Prostatic Neoplasms; Sexual Behavior
PubMed: 34580049
DOI: 10.1016/j.euf.2021.09.009 -
Research and Reports in Urology 2022To compare efficacy and safety outcomes of GreenLight, Holmium and Thulium laser techniques with standard monopolar and bipolar transurethral resection of the... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
To compare efficacy and safety outcomes of GreenLight, Holmium and Thulium laser techniques with standard monopolar and bipolar transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) in high-risk patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) secondary to benign prostatic obstruction (BPO).
METHODS
We conducted a systematic literature review of studies in patients undergoing BPO surgeries who may be considered high-risk for standard TURP, with higher risk defined as follows: large prostates (≥80 mL) and/or taking antithrombotic agents and/or urinary retention and/or age >80 years and/or significant comorbidity. Outcomes summarised included bleeding complications, re-intervention rates, hospital length of stay, and standard measures of disease and symptom severity for all available timepoints.
RESULTS
A total of 276 studies of 32,722 patients reported relevant data. Studies were heterogeneous in methodology, population and outcomes reported. IPSS reduction, Qmax improvement and PVR were similar across all interventions. Mean values at baseline and after 12 months across interventions were 13.2-29 falling to 2.3-10.8 for IPSS, 0-19 mL/s increasing to 7.5-34.1 mL/s for Qmax and 41.4-954 mL falling to 5.1-138.3 mL for PVR. Laser treatments show some advantages compared with monopolar and bipolar TURP for some adverse events and safety parameters such as bleeding complications. Duration of hospital stay, reinterventions and recatheterisations were lower with GreenLight, HoLEP, Thulium lasers, and bipolar enucleation than TURP.
CONCLUSIONS
Laser therapies are effective and well-tolerated treatment options in high-risk patients with BPO compared with monopolar or bipolar TURP. The advantageous safety profile of laser treatments means that patients with a higher bleeding risk should be offered laser surgery preferentially to mTURP or bTURP.
PubMed: 35757198
DOI: 10.2147/RRU.S361956 -
Current Urology Reports Jan 2022To present the latest evidence related to interobserver agreement and accuracy; evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, and implications of use; and outline opportunities... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
To present the latest evidence related to interobserver agreement and accuracy; evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, and implications of use; and outline opportunities for improvement and future development of the Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System version 2.1 (PI-RADS v2.1) for detection of prostate cancer (PCa) on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI).
RECENT FINDINGS
Our review of currently available evidence suggests that recent improvements to the PI-RADS system with PI-RADS v2.1 slightly improved interobserver agreement, with generally high sensitivity and moderate specificity for the detection of clinically significant PCa. Recent evidence additionally demonstrates substantial improvement in diagnostic specificity with PI-RADS v2.1 compared with PI-RADS v2. However, results of studies examining the comparative performance of v2.1 are limited by small sample sizes and retrospective cohorts, potentially introducing selection bias. Some studies suggest a substantial improvement between v2.1 and v2, while others report no statistically significant difference. Additionally, in PI-RADS v2.1, the interpretation and reporting of certain findings remain subjective, particularly for category 2 lesions, and reader experience continues to vary significantly. These factors further contribute to a remaining degree of interobserver variability and findings of improved performance among more experienced readers. PI-RADS v2.1 appears to show at least minimal improvement in interobserver agreement, diagnostic performance, and both sensitivity and specificity, with greater improvements seen among more experienced readers. However, given the decrescent nature of these improvements and the limited power of all studies examined, the clinical impact of this progress may be marginal. Despite improvements in PI-RADS v2.1, practitioner experience in interpreting mpMRI of the prostate remains the most important factor in prostate cancer detection.
Topics: Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Observer Variation; Prostate; Prostatic Neoplasms; Reproducibility of Results; Retrospective Studies
PubMed: 35226257
DOI: 10.1007/s11934-022-01084-y -
European Urology Nov 2021The impact of surgeon and hospital volume on outcomes after radical prostatectomy (RP) for localised prostate cancer (PCa) remains unknown. (Review)
Review
A Systematic Review of the Impact of Surgeon and Hospital Caseload Volume on Oncological and Nononcological Outcomes After Radical Prostatectomy for Nonmetastatic Prostate Cancer.
CONTEXT
The impact of surgeon and hospital volume on outcomes after radical prostatectomy (RP) for localised prostate cancer (PCa) remains unknown.
OBJECTIVE
To perform a systematic review on the association between surgeon or hospital volume and oncological and nononcological outcomes following RP for PCa.
EVIDENCE ACQUISITION
Medline, Medline In-Process, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched. All comparative studies for nonmetastatic PCa patients treated with RP published between January 1990 and May 2020 were included. For inclusion, studies had to compare hospital or surgeon volume, defined as caseload per unit time. Main outcomes included oncological (including prostate-specific antigen persistence, positive surgical margin [PSM], biochemical recurrence, local and distant recurrence, and cancer-specific and overall survival) and nononcological (perioperative complications including need for blood transfusion, conversion to open procedure and within 90-d death, and continence and erectile function) outcomes. Risk of bias (RoB) and confounding assessments were undertaken. Both a narrative and a quantitative synthesis were planned if the data allowed.
EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS
Sixty retrospective comparative studies were included. Generally, increasing surgeon and hospital volumes were associated with lower rates of mortality, PSM, adjuvant or salvage therapies, and perioperative complications. Combining group size cut-offs as used in the included studies, the median threshold for hospital volume at which outcomes start to diverge is 86 (interquartile range [IQR] 35-100) cases per year. In addition, above this threshold, the higher the caseload, the better the outcomes, especially for PSM. RoB and confounding were high for most domains.
CONCLUSIONS
Higher surgeon and hospital volumes for RP are associated with lower rates of PSMs, adjuvant or salvage therapies, and perioperative complications. This association becomes apparent from a caseload of >86 (IQR 35-100) per year and may further improve hereafter. Both high- and low-volume centres should measure their outcomes, make them publicly available, and improve their quality of care if needed.
PATIENT SUMMARY
We reviewed the literature to determine whether the number of prostate cancer operations (radical prostatectomy) performed in a hospital affects the outcomes of surgery. We found that, overall, hospitals with a higher number of operations per year have better outcomes in terms of cancer recurrence and complications during or after hospitalisation. However, it must be noted that surgeons working in hospitals with lower annual operations can still achieve similar or even better outcomes. Therefore, making hospital's outcome data publicly available should be promoted internationally, so that patients can make an informed decision where they want to be treated.
Topics: Delivery of Health Care; Hospitals; Hospitals, High-Volume; Humans; Male; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Prostate; Prostatectomy; Prostatic Neoplasms; Surgeons; Treatment Outcome; Workload
PubMed: 33962808
DOI: 10.1016/j.eururo.2021.04.028 -
World Journal of Urology Mar 2022Transurethral endoscopic procedures using bipolar current, or laser energy are nowadays widely accepted and have replaced the traditional monopolar resection. A major... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE
Transurethral endoscopic procedures using bipolar current, or laser energy are nowadays widely accepted and have replaced the traditional monopolar resection. A major advantage of these techniques is the utilization of isotonic saline as irrigation solution, which minimizes side effects such as symptoms associated to classical transurethral resection syndrome (TUR-syndrome). Nonetheless, clinically significant IFA also occurs with saline and is determined by pressure gradients, systemic resistance and by the amount of irrigation fluid. We aimed to investigate the extend of IFA and symptoms due to volume overload during bipolar transurethral resection (bTUR) and laser procedures of the prostate.
METHODS
We performed a systematic literature search using PubMed, restricted to original English-written articles, including animal, artificial model, and human studies. Search terms were TUR, transurethral, laser, HoLEP, ThuLEP, greenlight, enucleation, fluid absorption, fluid uptake, and TUR-syndrome.
RESULTS
Mean and maximum IFA during bTURP ranges between 133 and 915 ml and 1019 ml and 2166 ml, respectively. Absorption during laser procedures can be significant with maximum values up to 4579 ml and mainly occurs during prostate vaporization techniques. Incidence of moderate to severe symptoms from iso-osmolar volume overload reaches 9%.
CONCLUSIONS
Irrigation fluid absorption during bTUR and laser surgery of the prostate is not negligible. Iso-osmolar overhydration with development of non-classical TUR-syndrome should be identified peri- and postoperatively and surgical teams should be aware of complications. Breath ethanol, venous pH, serum chloride, and bicarbonate could be markers for detecting dangerous events of IFA with saline.
Topics: Humans; Laser Therapy; Lasers; Male; Prostate; Prostatic Hyperplasia; Therapeutic Irrigation; Transurethral Resection of Prostate; Urologic Surgical Procedures
PubMed: 34191108
DOI: 10.1007/s00345-021-03769-4 -
Cancer Epidemiology Dec 2021Mycoplasmas are emerging sexually transmitted pathogens usually associated with male urinary tract infection, non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU), infertility, and prostate... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Mycoplasmas are emerging sexually transmitted pathogens usually associated with male urinary tract infection, non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU), infertility, and prostate cancer. In this study, we review the evidence linking mycoplasma infection and prostate cancer. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis based on PRISMA guidelines. Four electronic databases were reviewed through January 31, 2021. Studies were eligible for inclusion if odds ratio for prevalence or incidence of colonization and/or infection were provided or calculable. All included studies were evaluated independently by three reviewers. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for Case-Control Studies. Statistical analysis was done using Review Manager Version 5.4. A total of 183/744 (24.6 %) patients with prostate cancer compared to 87/495 (17.58 %) patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) tested positive for Mycoplasma spp., while 86/666 (12.91 %) and 11/388 (2.84 %) prostate cancer patients and BPH patients, respectively, had Ureaplasma spp. infections. This meta-analysis showed that prostate cancer patients had 2.24 times higher odds (p = 0.0005) of being colonized with any species of Mycoplasma spp. and 3.6 times increased odds (p = 0.008) of being colonized with any species of Ureaplasma spp. In conclusion, patients with prostate cancer were more likely to be colonized with Mycoplasma spp. or Ureaplasma spp. compared to patients with BPH, which highlights the potential association between chronic infection and cancer. However, more studies are needed to determine the specific role that mycoplasma plays in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer.
Topics: Humans; Male; Mycoplasma; Persistent Infection; Prostatic Neoplasms; Ureaplasma; Ureaplasma Infections
PubMed: 34517226
DOI: 10.1016/j.canep.2021.102021 -
Frontiers in Endocrinology 2023Second-generation androgen receptor inhibitors (ARIs) have been developed and approved for treating castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). There is a lack of... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Second-generation androgen receptor inhibitors (ARIs) have been developed and approved for treating castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). There is a lack of direct comparison of the therapeutic effects and adverse events between the conventional ARI (bicalutamide) and three second-generation ARIs (enzalutamide, apalutamide and darolutamide).
METHODS
Our network meta-analysis evaluated therapeutic effects and adverse events of the conventional ARI (bicalutamide) and the second-generation ARIs in treating CRPC. We systematically searched the Pubmed, Cochrane library and Embase databases for studies published until October 2022 and only randomized clinical trials (RCTs) were included. The progression-free survival, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) progression-free survival, overall survival (PFS/PSA-PFS/OS), PSA response rate and relative adverse events (AEs) of CRPC patients were collected and synthesized. We then performed subgroup analysis. The non-metastatic and metastatic CRPC (nm/mCRPC) observations were analyzed separately. Data analyses were performed using R software (4.2.1) based on Bayesian framework.
RESULTS
6,993 subjects from seven eligible RCTs were analyzed. Enzalutamide, apalutamide and darolutamide were more effective than bicalutamide in treating CRPC, and the performance of darolutamide was slightly worse than the other two second-generation ARIs. Similar adverse events rate were observed among the second-generation ARIs and bicalutamide. Apalutamide showed a slightly higher rate of Grade 3+ AEs, percentages of AE-related drug withdrawals and AE-related mortality. Patients receiving enzalutamide had significantly higher rate of hypertension and fatigue. In subgroup analysis, enzalutamide showed better therapeutic effects compared with bicalutamide in both nmCRPC and mCRPC groups. In nmCRPC group, enzalutamide and apalutamide had more benefits on PFS and PSA-PFS compared with darolutamide. We displayed the probability ranking map of PFS, PSA-PFS, OS, time to cytotoxic chemotherapy, PSA response rate and relative AE outcomes.
CONCLUSION
The current network meta-analysis indicated that the second-generation ARIs were superior to the conventional ARI, bicalutamide. The three second-generation ARIs showed incomplete equivalence on CRPC treatment. The darolutamide was slightly less effective compared with enzalutamide and apalutamide. The adverse events of apalutamide were worse than the others, but no statistical significance was observed among these vital AEs. All ARIs were generally well-tolerated. These results may provide reference to clinical decision and further direct comparison trials.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION
https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO, identifier CRD42022370842.
Topics: Male; Humans; Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant; Receptors, Androgen; Prostate-Specific Antigen; Network Meta-Analysis; Treatment Outcome; Androgen Receptor Antagonists
PubMed: 36843606
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1131033