α-blocker monotherapy and α-blocker plus 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor combination treatment in benign prostatic hyperplasia; 10 years' long-term results.

Purpose: We compared the effects of alpha-adrenergic receptor blocker (α-blocker) monotherapy with those of combination therapy with α-blocker and 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor (5-ARI) on benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) progression for over 10 years.

Materials And Methods: A total of 620 patients with BPH who received α-blocker monotherapy (α-blocker group, n=368) or combination therapy (combination group, n=252) as their initial treatment were enrolled from January 1989 to June 2000. The incidences of acute urinary retention (AUR) and BPH-related surgery were compared between the two groups.

The effect of intraprostatic chronic inflammation on benign prostatic hyperplasia treatment.

Purpose: Asymptomatic chronic inflammation of the prostate is a common finding in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). We investigated how the chronic inflammation affects medical treatment for BPH.

Materials And Methods: One pathologist reviewed the chronic inflammation of 82 BPH patients who underwent transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS)-guided needle biopsy.

Correlation between Claudins Expression and Prognostic Factors in Prostate Cancer.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between the expression of claudins and prognostic factors in patients with prostate cancer.

Materials And Methods: The subjects of this study were 48 patients who had undergone surgery for prostate cancer. The Gleason score (6 or lower, 7 or higher), prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, T stage, biochemical recurrence, local recurrence, and distant metastasis were compared according to the expression of claudin-1 and claudin-5 in prostate cancer.