Substaging of T1 tumors did not affect response to BCG in regard to recurrence or progression. Therefore, intravesical BCG is effective for stages T1a and T1b disease.
The response to definitive radiation therapy of localized carcinoma of the prostate by 125iodine implantation or external beam radiotherapy was monitored by examining specimens from biopsies performed after treatment. We analyzed 126 biopsy specimens obtained 18 months or more after treatment: 71 were obtained from 109 patients treated by 125iodine and 55 from 197 patients treated by external beam radiotherapy. Thereafter, the disease status of these patients was examined at minimum 3-year intervals. No significant statistical difference was found between the negative specimen rates of the 2 treatment modalities: 46 of 71 (65 per cent) after 125iodine implantation and 39 of 55 (71 per cent) after external beam radiotherapy were negative. To analyze the predictive value of biopsy results 103 patients whose prostatic examination results were normal at biopsy or who showed regression of tumor size and tumor induration after radiation were evaluated. The biopsy results from all patients were combined for analysis. Of 77 patients with negative biopsy specimens 16 (21 per cent) have had recurrent disease, compared to 17 of 26 (65 per cent) with positive biopsy specimens (p equals 0.00005). Of the 77 patients with negative biopsy specimens 7 (9 per cent) had local disease recurrence, compared to 12 of 26 (46 per cent) with a positive biopsy specimen (p equals 0.0001). The value of a positive specimen to predict failure remained significant with patients stratified by pre-treatment clinical stage and grade of the disease. Our results show that patients with positive specimens from the prostate who had been judged clinically by rectal examination to have responded to radiation therapy had a significantly increased incidence of local and distant failure compared to patients who had negative biopsy specimens.
Intravesical Pasteur strain bacillus Calmette-Guerin was used to treat 8 patients with mucosal transitional cell carcinoma of the prostatic urethra associated with superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. Complete initial response in the prostatic urethra was obtained in 7 of the 8 patients. Two patients had progression of disease during intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin therapy (1 in the prostate and 1 in the bladder) and they received further surgical therapy. Of the 6 complete responders 1 patient had invasive ureteral, vesical and prostatic tumor 15 months after bacillus Calmette-Guerin therapy, and he underwent nephroureterectomy and cystoprostatourethrectomy. Two patients required additional transurethral therapy for recurrent superficial tumors in the bladder but they have shown no evidence of recurrence in the prostatic urethra. Three patients have remained free of disease at 8 to 36 months. Before radical cystoprostatourethrectomy and urinary diversion are recommended, our study supports a course of bacillus Calmette-Guerin therapy as initial treatment for patients with superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder associated with mucosal involvement of the prostatic urethra.
Pasteur strain bacillus Calmette-Guerin was used to treat superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder in 28 patients. Patients selected for treatment had an incomplete resection, positive selected site biopsies and/or post-resection positive cytology findings. Complete response required negative histology and cytology findings at cystoscopic followup 4 to 8 weeks after completion of treatment. Of the patients 20 (71 per cent) demonstrated a complete response, including all 6 with carcinoma in situ. Results converted to negative in 16 of 17 patients with positive urine cytology findings and 4 with positive prostatic urethral biopsies. Of the responders 8 had received prior treatment with thiotepa. The treatment regimen of 120 mg. Pasteur strain bacillus Calmette-Guerin weekly for 6 weeks was well tolerated. It was necessary to limit the number of treatments to 5 because of local irritative effects in only 3 patients. No chronic bladder disability has been noted during followup of 3 to 30 months. This experience supports the efficacy of bacillus Calmette-Guerin as a cost-effective, well tolerated treatment modality for patients with superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.
Substaging of T1 tumors did not affect response to BCG in regard to recurrence or progression. Therefore, intravesical BCG is effective for stages T1a and T1b disease.
Between 1981 and 1989, 83 male patients with stages Ta, Tis and T1 transitional cell carcinoma were treated with bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG). Of 17 patients with carcinoma in situ of the prostatic urothelium 13 had identifiable prostatic ducts and periurethral ductal transitional cell carcinoma was identified in 7. At a median followup of 64 months (range 29 to 90) 12 of 17 patients (70%) had a complete response in the prostatic urethra. Among the 10 patients with mucosal carcinoma without ductal involvement 8 responded as did 4 of the 7 with mucosal and ductal involvement. A total of 9 patients had persistent tumor or recurrence in the bladder or prostate. Two men had recurrence in the prostatic urethra and, due to age and co-morbidity, both were treated by transurethral resection and fulguration. Cystectomy was performed in the remaining 7 patients. Three of 31 patients (10%) whose prostate urethral biopsies were negative before BCG therapy had a positive biopsy afterwards. After treatment with BCG, the actuarial curves for cancer specific, progression-free and overall survivals showed no statistical difference between male patients with an initially positive or initially negative prostatic urethral biopsy. BCG is a reliable agent for initial therapy of superficial prostatic transitional cell carcinoma. Careful followup can identify persistent tumor, recurrences or progression that identifies patients for whom cystectomy is appropriate.
Interstitial implantation with the 125iodine isotope has been used as definitive treatment in 115 patients with localized carcinoma of the prostate. The disease was staged surgically by bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy in all of the patients. Followup has been for a minimum of 1 year and 64 patients have been followed for a minimum of 5 years. There has been no operative mortality in this series. Mean patient age at implantation was 63 years. Potency has been maintained in 31 of 46 patients (78 per cent) followed for a minimum of 5 years and 15 of 26 (58 per cent) followed for a minimum of 7 years. At 5 years the actuarial survival free of disease by surgical stage was 100, 81, 49 and 41 per cent for patients with stages A2, B, C and D1 disease, respectively. All 7 patients with stage B1 nodules followed to 5 years are free of disease. The actuarial survival free of disease by grade at 5 years was 95 per cent for patients with well, 65 per cent with moderately and 34 per cent with poorly differentiated tumors. Local failure was defined as palpable evidence of prostatic enlargement or irregularity with biopsy confirmation of neoplasm. Patients with positive biopsy plus normal or stable prostatic examinations were not considered local failures, although such patients are at high risk for failure in the future. The actuarial probability of local failure at 5 years was 0, 13, 27 and 44 per cent for patients with surgical stages A2, B, C and D1 disease, respectively, and 5, 23 and 43 per cent for those with well, moderately and poorly differentiated tumors, respectively. Based on our experience, interstitial implantation with 125iodine isotope is reserved for patients with well or moderately differentiated stage B lesions. The ultimate success of this treatment modality awaits 10 and 15 years of followup.
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