Long-term treatment and prognostic factors of alpha 1-blockers for lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia: a pilot study comparing naftopidil and tamsulosin hydrochloride.

Objective: This study evaluated the 5-year failure rate of naftopidil (NAF) or tamsulosin hydrochloride (TAM) in lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH/LUTS) and compared the prognostic factor of two alpha(1)-blockers.

Material And Methods: A total of 131 patients with International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) >or= 8 or IPSS quality of life (IPSS-QOL) >or= 3 with BPH/LUTS receiving treatment with alpha(1)-blockers had been administered NAF or TAM, and failure rates were calculated for 5 years. Age, prostate volume (PV), acute urinary retention (AUR), overactive bladder (OAB), IPSS, IPSS-QOL and postvoiding residual volume (PVR) were evaluated as prognostic factors.

Factors associated with variation in utility scores among patients with prostate cancer.

Objective: We aimed to assess the effects of age, comorbidity, and disease-specific functions on utility scores derived from three methods on prostate cancer.

Methods: A total of 330 Japanese prostate cancer patients were asked to answer self-administered questionnaires. Community-weighted utility scores were derived from the EuroQoL-5D (EQ-5D) and the Short Form-36 (SF-36), while the patient's directly elicited utility score was derived from time trade-off technique.

Decision analyses in consideration of treatment strategies for patients with biochemical failure after curative therapy on clinically localized prostate cancer in the prostate-specific antigen era.

Background: The introduction of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing has not only shortened the time required to make diagnosis but changed the treatment strategies of localized prostate cancer. We conducted the decision analysis on its treatment focusing on patients with biochemical failure.

Methods: We developed a Markov model to calculate life expectancy (LE) and quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE) stratified by age, comorbidity and tumor characteristics in patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer or biochemical failure after curative therapy.

Naftopidil monotherapy vs naftopidil and an anticholinergic agent combined therapy for storage symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia: A prospective randomized controlled study.

Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of alpha1-adrenoceptor (alpha1-AR) antagonist monotherapy with combination therapy using alpha1-AR antagonist and anticholinergic agent for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with storage symptoms as the chief complaint.

Methods: In this prospective comparative study, either 25-75 mg/day of naftopidil monotherapy (monotherapy group) or combination therapy using 25-75 mg/day of naftopidil and an anticholinergic agent (10-20 mg/day of propiverine hydrochloride or 2-6 mg/day of oxybutynin hydrochloride; cotherapy group) were administered for 12 weeks to 101 BPH patients with storage symptoms.

Results: International prostate symptom score (IPSS) and quality of life (QOL) index improved significantly in both groups, with no marked differences between groups.

Hypoxia-inducible protein 2 (HIG2), a novel diagnostic marker for renal cell carcinoma and potential target for molecular therapy.

To identify molecules to serve as diagnostic markers for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and as targets for novel therapeutic drugs, we investigated genome-wide expression profiles of RCCs using a cDNA microarray. We subsequently confirmed that hypoxia-inducible protein-2 (HIG2) was expressed exclusively in RCCs and fetal kidney. Induction of HIG2 cDNA into COS7 cells led to secretion of the gene product into culture medium and resulted in enhancement of cell growth.

Small cell carcinoma of the prostate with hypercalcemia.

We present a case of small cell prostate carcinoma with hypercalcemia in a 75-year-old man. He was diagnosed as having stage T3bN1M0 adenocarcinoma of the prostate. His serum prostate-specific antigen level was reduced to below the normal range after a combination treatment of a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist and flutamide for prostate carcinoma.

Sarcomatoid carcinoma and carcinosarcoma of the urinary bladder.

Two cases, sarcomatoid carcinoma and carcinosarcoma, of the urinary bladder are reported. A 68-year-old man with sarcomatoid carcinoma underwent total cystectomy and was alive and had had no recurrence after 21 months. A 78-year-old woman with carcinosarcoma underwent total cystectomy, but she died from increasing multiple lung metastases 4 months after surgery.