Is prostate-specific antigen percentage decrease predictive of clinical outcome after permanent iodine-125 interstitial brachytherapy for prostate cancer?

Objective: To determine the usefulness of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) percentage (vs. pretreatment value assumed as 100%) in prediction of biochemical relapse, after iodine-125 ((125)I) permanent brachytherapy for prostate cancer, to employ a parameter independent by the initial PSA amount and by the individual prostatic volume.

Methods And Materials: Our study included 133 patients, 102 still disease free (Group A) and 31 who experienced proven biochemical recurrence (Group B).

Intravesical gemcitabine in BCG-refractory T1G3 transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder: a pilot study.

Objective: The aim of this pilot study is to analyze the safety and short-term efficacy of gemcitabine (GEM) as salvage intravesical therapy in a very selected population of bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-resistant T1G3 patients.

Methods: 9 recurrent BCG-refractory pT1G3 patients, unsuitable for radical treatment, were treated with GEM, and compared with 10 pT1G3 patients previously treated with at least two courses of transurethral resection plus BGC, with further conservative endovesical BCG administration.

Results: Both intravesical administrations of GEM and BCG were generally well tolerated: no severe adverse events were reported.