Objectives:To assess the long-term outcomes of transrectal high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for patients with localized prostate cancer. Methods: From May 2003 to present, 137 consecutive patients with T1-2 prostate cancer were treated using the Sonablate 500 and then followed for more than 12 months after their last HIFU treatment. A prostate biopsy was routinely carried out at 6 months and serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was measured every 3 months after HIFU. Oncological outcomes as well as treatment-related complications were assessed. Disease-free survival (DFS) was judged using the Phoenix definition (PSA nadir + 2 ng/mL), negative histological findings and no local or distant metastasis. Results:The median follow up after HIFU was 36 months (range 12-84 months). No patients received adjuvant therapy during this period. The PSA nadir occurred at 2 months after HIFU and the median level was 0.07 ng/mL (0.01-2.01 ng/mL). Of the 133 patients who underwent prostate biopsy or transurethral resection of the prostate at 6 months or later after HIFU, six were positive for cancer cells (4.5%). There were no major postoperative complications, but urge incontinence (16 cases) and dysuria (33 cases) occurred after removal of the urethral catheter. The 5-year DFS rate was 78% based on these criteria, and 91%, 81% and 62% in the low-, intermediate-and high-risk group, respectively. Conclusions: HIFU represents an effective, repeatable and minimally invasive treatment. It is particularly effective for low-and intermediate-risk patients, and it should be considered as an option for localized prostate cancer.

Abstract:The case is reported of amelanotic malignant melanoma of the female urethra mimicking urethral caruncle. A 75-year-old woman complained of a mass of the external meatus. Urethral carunclectomy was performed , but histological diagnosis was amelanotic malignant melanoma. Finally, she underwent en block resection of urethra including bladder neck, uterus, adnexa, vagina, and vulva. As urinary diversion, she underwent a continent cathererizable stoma with an appendicovesicostomy, according to the method described by Mitrofanoff, and Y-V graft for reconstruction of the vulva.

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Abstract. Prostate cancer, one of the most common malignant tumors among men, is closely associated with obesity and, thus far, several studies have suggested the association between obesity and aggressive pathological characteristics in the United States. However, the effect of obesity on prostate cancer mortality is controversial, and it remains unclear whether obesity contributes to the aggressiveness of prostate cancer in Asian patients. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and the clinicopathological characteristics of prostate cancer in 2,003 Japanese patients who underwent radical prostatectomy. There was a significant association between higher BMI and higher Gleason score (GS). The multivariate analysis also revealed that BMI was an independent indicator for GS ≥8 at surgery. Moreover, among patients with lower prostate-specific antigen levels, biochemical recurrence-free survival was significantly worse in those with higher BMI. These results suggest that BMI may be a classifier for predicting adverse pathological findings and biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy in Japanese patients.

The combined radiotherapy treatment is safe and effective for use in the patients with localized prostate cancer. However, more comprehensive studies involving long-term follow-up and great numbers of the cases with localized prostate cancer treated by the combination of HDR-Ir 192 brachytherapy and external irradiation will be necessary to determine whether this therapy contributes to better prognosis.

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