Parameters, such as Q(max) or PVR, obtained from the noninvasive urodynamics were most widely correlated with symptoms and QOL. Despite a large group with strict selection of men with LUTS possibly relating to BPO being studied, only weak association between the symptoms or QOL and objective parameters including urodynamics was confirmed.

These results suggested that RhoA/ROCK-mediated Ca2+ sensitization is likely involved in the contraction of the human prostate. The antagonisms of this pathway may thus be useful as an alternative target in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Background To evaluate the association of clinical outcomes with posttreatment changes in the relative eosinophil count (REC) and neutrophil-to-eosinophil ratio (NER) in patients with advanced urothelial cancer (UC) treated with pembrolizumab. Materials and Methods We retrospectively analyzed 105 patients with advanced UC who received pembrolizumab after the failure of platinum-based chemotherapy. The REC and NER before and three weeks after pembrolizumab were recorded. A receiver operating characteristic curve was used to determine the optimal cut-off values for analyzing the risk. Results There were no significant differences in the overall survival (OS) between the REC ≥4.8% and <4.8% groups and the NER ≥13.7 and <13.7 groups before pembrolizumab (p=0.997 and 0.669, respectively). However, a significant difference in the OS was confirmed between the increased and decreased REC groups and between the decreased and increased NER groups at 3 weeks after pembrolizumab (p<0.001 and 0.002, respectively). Multivariate analyses revealed that an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status ≥2 (P=0.003), albumin <3.7 g/dl (p=0.002), LDH >246 U/L (p=0.011), disease site ≥3 organs (p=0.019), decreased posttreatment REC (3 weeks later) (p=0.002) and increased posttreatment NER (3 weeks later) (p=0.022) were independent prognostic factors for a worse OS. Conclusion An increased REC and decreased NER after pembrolizumab may be significant early predictive markers of improved clinical outcomes in patients with advanced UC receiving pembrolizumab.

This multi-institutional study aimed to identify prognostic factors for cabazitaxel treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). This study included 74 Japanese patients with CRPC who were treated with cabazitaxel between 2014 and 2017. Associations between clinicopathological factors including serum markers and progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were investigated. On multivariate analysis, high Gleason score [≥9 vs. ≤7; hazard ratio (HR), 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.00 (1.01–4.34); P = 0.047], presence of pain [HR, 95% CI: 2.02 (1.14–3.58); P = 0.016], and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level [HR, 95% CI: 47.31 (3.79–577.49); P = 0.0019] were significantly associated with PFS. Similarly, number of docetaxel cycles [HR, 95% CI: 0.050 (0.0037–0.45); P = 0.0057], performance status [≥2 vs. 0; HR, 95% CI: 5.07 (1.57–16.24); P < 0.0001], and LDH level [HR, 95% CI: 2946 (50–420994); P = 0.0001] were significantly associated with OS. This study showed that LDH level is robustly prognostic for both PFS and OS in cabazitaxel chemotherapy for CRPC.

Background/Aim: Nivolumab monotherapy for advanced/metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) shows a survival benefit. The purpose of this study was to evaluate tumor responses to nivolumab in various metastatic and primary sites in patients with RCC. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 68 patients who underwent nivolumab monotherapy after one or more regimens of targeted therapy for advanced/metastatic RCC. The sitespecific response was evaluated and progression-free survival was estimated. Results: The site-specific overall response rates (ORRs) were as follows: lung (36%), bone (5%), lymph node (33%), liver (50%), adrenal gland (29%), pancreas (33%), and brain (0%). The ORR of bone metastasis was significantly worse in comparison to lung and liver metastases (p=0.017, 0.008). The site-specific median progression-free survival times were as follows: lung (5.1 months), bone (not reached), lymph node (not reached), and liver (17.5 months). Conclusion: Responses to nivolumab may vary depending on metastasized organs.In 2018, more than 400,000 new cases of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are diagnosed and 175,000 patients die from the disease worldwide (1). It is reported that 30% of newly diagnosed RCC cases present with metastases, and up to 30% of patients with locally limited RCC relapse after curative treatment (1). For the treatment of unresectable advanced/metastatic RCC, systemic therapies including targeted therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are administered. Since the development of targeted therapies in the 2000s, the prognosis of advanced/metastatic RCC has improved significantly (2). Recently, nivolumab [an anti-programmed death 1 (PD-1) antibody] after treatment with targeted therapies, and first-line therapy with nivolumab plus ipilimumab [an anti-cytotoxic Tlymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) antibody] were reported to achieve superior overall survival (OS) in comparison to targeted therapy (3,4).Although ICIs achieve a good response and long-term survival benefit, the overall response rate (ORR) to nivolumab monotherapy is only 25% (3). It is necessary to clarify the characteristics of patients in whom ICIs can be expected to be effective, as <50% of patients benefit from ICIs. Some predictors [e.g., the International Metastatic RCC Database Consortium (IMDC) criteria ( 5)], of the effects of targeted therapy have been reported; however, their applicability to ICIs is unknown.In melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma, responses to ICIs are reported to vary depending on the tumor site (6-8). The impact on the response to ICIs was mainly attributed to the tumor microenvironment (9), which includes tissue-resident immune cells, fibroblasts, endothelial cells and neurons, together with blood-derived cells that are recruited to the tumor site upon cancer progression (10). The tumor microenvironment differs between the primary organ and sites of metastasis, and there are differences among sites of metastasis (9, 11). These differences are expected to...