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Because ofboth the indolent and aggressive nature ofprostate cancers, it is not easy to select the best treatment for patients receiving home medical care who already have many diseases. Since the growth ofprostate cancer is generally slow and all treatments adversely affect the quality of life to some degree, conservative treatment may well be the best option for these patients with prostate cancer. However, it is also true that we often encounter home medical care patients with a locally advanced cancer who had symptoms such as difficulty to urine, macrohematuria and/or lumbago. Such patients need to be diagnosed soon and treated with mainly hormonal therapy after consultation with the specialist. Thus, after a careful evaluation ofthe nature ofthe cancer and comorbidity, we need to provide the best option ofdiagnosis and treatment for home medical care patients to maintain their quality of life.

Background The aim of this study was to study the prognostic significance of tertiary Gleason grade (TGG) 5 in patients with clinically localized prostate cancer treated with robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). Methods A total of 600 Japanese patients who underwent RARP for clinical stage T1-3N0M0 prostate cancer were evaluated. TGG5 was evaluated according to the International Society of Urological Pathology criterion. Cox hazard regression was used to evaluate the prognostic significance of prostate-specific antigen and pathological features in RARP specimens. Results Of the 600 RARP specimens, 92 (15%) had TGG5. TGG5 component was found in 30 (10%) of 287 cases with Gleason score (GS) 3 + 4, 55 (37%) of 149 cases with GS 4 + 3 and 7 (17%) of 40 cases with GS 4 + 4. There were no significant differences in pathological stage and surgical margin status between GS 3 + 4 with and without TGG5, as well as between GS 4 + 4 with and without TGG5. Of the 600 patients, 92 (15%) patients had biochemical recurrence (BCR) after surgery, with a median follow-up period of 42 (3-104) months. There were no differences in 5-year BCR-free survival rates between patients with GS 3 + 4 with and without TGG5 (92 vs. 100%, P = 0.16), as well as between patients with GS 4 + 3 with and without TGG5 (79 vs. 71%, P = 0.30). Similarly, there were no differences in 3-year BCRFS rates between patients with GS 4 + 4 with and without TGG5 (80 vs. 71%, P = 0.38). Conclusions In our population, the presence of TGG5 in RARP specimens had no strong impact on pathological and prognostic outcomes.

OBJECTIVE To clarify the impact of prostate-specific antigen screening on surgical outcomes of prostate cancer. METHODS Patients who underwent radical prostatectomy were divided into two groups according to prostate-specific antigen testing opportunity (group 1, prostate-specific antigen screening; group 2, non-prostate-specific antigen screening). Perioperative clinical characteristics were compared using the Wilcoxon rank-sum and χ2 -tests. Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify independent predictors of postoperative biochemical recurrence-free survival. RESULTS In total, 798 patients (63.2%) and 464 patients (36.8%) were categorized into groups 1 and 2, respectively. Group 2 patients were more likely to have a higher prostate-specific antigen level and age at diagnosis and larger prostate volume. Clinical T stage, percentage of positive cores and pathological Gleason score did not differ between the groups. The 5-year biochemical recurrence-free survival rate was 83.9% for group 1 and 71.0% for group 2 (P

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES:Approximately 30% of men who undergo radical prostatectomy (RP) experience biochemical recurrence (BCR) within 5 years. However, since androgen deprivation therapy (ADT)...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES:In non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), clinical management is often based on risk classification with limited subjective tools. Recent development in artificial ...

Background Neutropenia is a major adverse event of docetaxel-based chemotherapy. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the incidence of neutropenia and to develop a nomogram for predicting Grade 4 neutropenia during the first cycle of docetaxel-based chemotherapy in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Patients and Methods This study included 112 patients with CRPC treated with docetaxel-based systemic chemotherapy. We evaluated the incidence and risk factors for Grade 4 neutropenia in the first cycle of chemotherapy. Results Sixty-two of 112 patients (55.4%) developed Grade 4 neutropenia in the first cycle of docetaxel-based chemotherapy. There were significant differences in age, baseline white blood cell count, and baseline neutrophil count between patients with non-Grade 4 neutropenia and those with Grade 4 neutropenia in univariate analyses. The serum prostate-specific antigen level, hemoglobin level, creatinine, albumin, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, metastatic sites, extent of disease, and history of external beam radiotherapy to the prostate were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age (odds ratio [OR], 1.08; P = .019) and baseline neutrophil counts (OR, 0.79; P = .045) were significant independent risk factors for severe neutropenia. A nomogram and a calibration plot on the basis of these results were developed from a multivariate logistic regression analysis to predict the probability of Grade 4 neutropenia. Conclusion Age and baseline neutrophil counts were significant independent risk factors for Grade 4 neutropenia. The nomogram to predict it provides useful information for the management of patients with CRPC treated with docetaxel chemotherapy.

Objectives To investigate the predictive values of perioperative factors and to develop a nomogram for intravesical recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy in patients with upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma. Methods A retrospective analysis of 144 patients who underwent radical nephroureterectomy from 1996 to 2014 was carried out. The actuarial probabilities of the intravesical recurrence-free survival rate were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Prognostic indicators for intravesical recurrence were identified using competing-risks regression analyses. Results Intravesical recurrence occurred in 63 patients during the follow-up period. The intravesical recurrence-free survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 65.7%, 50.6% and 47.1%, respectively. In univariate analysis, the presence of gross hematuria (P = 0.028) and the preoperative serum creatinine level (P = 0.033) were significantly associated with intravesical recurrence. In multivariate analysis, the presence of gross hematuria (subdistribution hazard ratio 2.03, 95% CI 1.145–3.496; P = 0.013) and the preoperative serum creatinine level (subdistribution hazard ratio 3.15, 95% CI 1.161–3.534; P = 0.021) were independent predictors for intravesical recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy. Accordingly, a nomogram based on the model was developed. The concordance index of this model was 0.632. Conclusion The presence of gross hematuria and preoperative serum creatinine levels seem to be independent predictors for intravesical recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy. Our nomogram developed based on these factors might aid in appropriate patient selection for clinical trials of novel therapeutic interventions, including administration of intravesical chemotherapy.

To investigate the prognostic significance of sarcopenia on long-term outcomes in patients with bladder cancer after radical cystectomy (RC). We retrospectively reviewed 136 patients undergoing RC for urothelial carcinoma at our institution. Prognostic impact of the preoperative clinical, laboratory, and radiologic parameters were evaluated by Cox proportional hazard model analyses, and a nomogram was developed to predict cancer-specific survival (CSS) after RC. The mean follow-up was 46.7 months. Patients with sarcopenia had a significantly shorter CSS than those without sarcopenia. On univariate Cox analysis, clinical T stage, histology of transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) specimen, pretreatment hemoglobin, pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), pretreatment serum C-reactive protein level, pretreatment serum albumin level, presence of hydronephrosis, and presence of sarcopenia were associated with significantly worse CSS. On multivariate Cox stepwise analysis, sarcopenia (hazard rate [HR] = 2.3, p = 0.015), clinical T stage (cT4: HR = 5.3; p = 0.0096), presence of hydronephrosis (HR = 2.0; p = 0.033), histology of TURBT specimen (HR = 2.2, p = 0.044), and NLR (HR = 1.3; p = 0.0048) were significant independent predictors of an unfavorable prognosis Based on the results of the multivariate analysis, we developed a nomogram to predict 1-, 3-, and 5-year CSS after RC. Sarcopenia, clinical T stage, presence of hydronephrosis, histology of TURBT specimen, and NLR are novel preoperative prognostic factors even after adjustment for other known preoperative predictors in patients undergoing RC for bladder cancer.

The objective of this study was to investigate whether the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value from DWI and the forward volume transfer constant (K(trans)) value from dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI independently predict prostate cancer aggressiveness, and to determine whether the combination of both parameters performs better than either parameter alone in assessing tumor aggressiveness before treatment.This retrospective study included 158 men with histopathologically confirmed prostate cancer who underwent 3-T MRI before undergoing prostatectomy in 2011. Whole-mount step-section pathologic maps identified 195 prostate cancer foci that were 0.5 mL or larger; these foci were then volumetrically assessed to calculate the per-tumor ADC and K(trans) values. Associations between MRI and histopathologic parameters were assessed using Spearman correlation coefficients, univariate and multivariable logistic regression, and AUCs.The median ADC and K(trans) values showed moderate correlation only for tumors for which the Gleason score (GS) was 4 + 4 or higher (ρ = 0.547; p = 0.042). The tumor ADC value was statistically significantly associated with all dichotomized GSs (p0.005), including a GS of 3 + 3 versus a GS of 3 + 4 or higher (AUC, 0.693; p = 0.001). The tumor K(trans) value differed statistically significantly only between tumors with a GS of 3 + 3 and those with a primary Gleason grade of 4 (p ≤ 0.015), and it made a statistically significant contribution only in differentiating tumors with a GS of 4 + 3 or higher (AUC, 0.711; p0.001) and those with a GS of 4 + 4 or higher (AUC, 0.788; p0.001) from lower-grade tumors. Combining ADC and K(trans) values improved diagnostic performance in characterizing tumors with a GS of 4 + 3 or higher and those with a GS of 4 + 4 or higher (AUC, 0.739 and 0.856, respectively; p0.01).Although the ADC value helped to differentiate between all GSs, the K(trans) value was only a benefit in characterizing more aggressive tumors. Combining these parameters improves their performance in identifying patients with aggressive tumors who may require radical treatment.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to identify risk factors to predict a biochemical recurrence (BCR) in patients treated with salvage radiation therapy (SRT) after radical prostatectomy (RP). METHODS We retrospectively reviewed 122 Japanese patients who received SRT for BCR after RP. Using uni- and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models, we identified the predictive factors of BCR after SRT. RESULTS With a median follow-up of 61.3 months, 45.9% of the patients showed BCR after SRT, with 61.5 and 41.8% of non-BCR rates at the second and fifth years. Univariate proportional hazards analysis demonstrated that extraprostatic disease (P = 0.029), seminal vesicle invasion (P = 0.005), microvascular invasion (P = 0.001), postoperative Gleason score (P = 0.008) and pre-SRT prostate-specific antigen (PSA) (P = 0.005) were significantly associated with BCR after SRT. However, only the presence of microvascular invasion and a higher pre-SRT PSA were significant predictors in the multivariate analysis. The non-BCR rate in the second year after SRT for 15 patients with microvascular invasion and pre-SRT PSA > 1.2 ng/ml was only 21% compared to 72.5% of 72 patients with negative microvascular invasion and a pre-SRT PSA of

To determine the peri-operative safety and oncological value of robotic-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) for older and younger patients in an initial Japanese RARC series. We retrospectively analyzed the demographics, complications, peri-operative and oncological outcomes of 253 consecutive patients with bladder cancer who underwent RARC at 34 institutions in Japan between April 2009 and March 2017. The patients were assigned to groups according to ages at surgery of

To assess the impact of preoperatively estimated prostate volume (PV) using transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) on surgical and oncological outcomes in robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP).We analyzed the experience of a single surgeon at our hospital who performed 436 RARPs without neoadjuvant hormone therapy between August 2006 and December 2013. Patients were divided into three groups according to their preoperative PV calculated using TRUS (PV ≤ 20 cm(3): group 1, n = 61; 20 PV 50 cm(3): group 2, n = 303; PV ≥ 50 cm(3): group 3, n = 72).Blood loss was significantly higher in group 3 than in group 1 and group 2. In stage pT2 patients, the rate of positive surgical margin (PSM) was significantly lower in group 3 than in group 1. In addition, perioperative complications significantly increased with increasing PV, while the extraprostatic extension (EPE) rate significantly decreased with increasing PV. The preoperative biopsy Gleason score, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) density, and clinical T2 stage were inversely correlated with increasing PV. Biochemical recurrence-free survival after RARP was significantly lower in group 1 than in groups 2 and 3.A large prostate size was significantly associated with increased blood loss and a higher rate of perioperative complications. A small prostate size was associated with a higher PSM rate, PSA density, Gleason score, EPE rate, and biochemical recurrence rate. These results suggest that RARP was technically challenging in patients with large prostates, whereas small prostates were associated with unfavorable oncological outcomes.

To investigate Haralick texture analysis of prostate MRI for cancer detection and differentiating Gleason scores (GS).One hundred and forty-seven patients underwent T2- weighted (T2WI) and diffusion-weighted prostate MRI. Cancers ≥0.5 ml and non-cancerous peripheral (PZ) and transition (TZ) zone tissue were identified on T2WI and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps, using whole-mount pathology as reference. Texture features (Energy, Entropy, Correlation, Homogeneity, Inertia) were extracted and analysed using generalized estimating equations.PZ cancers (n = 143) showed higher Entropy and Inertia and lower Energy, Correlation and Homogeneity compared to non-cancerous tissue on T2WI and ADC maps (p-values:.0001-0.008). In TZ cancers (n = 43) we observed significant differences for all five texture features on the ADC map (all p-values:.0001) and for Correlation (p = 0.041) and Inertia (p = 0.001) on T2WI. On ADC maps, GS was associated with higher Entropy (GS 6 vs. 7: p = 0.0225; 6 vs.7: p = 0.0069) and lower Energy (GS 6 vs. 7: p = 0.0116, 6 vs.7: p = 0.0039). ADC map Energy (p = 0.0102) and Entropy (p = 0.0019) were significantly different in GS ≤3 + 4 versus ≥4 + 3 cancers; ADC map Entropy remained significant after controlling for the median ADC (p = 0.0291).Several Haralick-based texture features appear useful for prostate cancer detection and GS assessment.• Several Haralick texture features may differentiate non-cancerous and cancerous prostate tissue. • Tumour Energy and Entropy on ADC maps correlate with Gleason score. • T2w-image-derived texture features are not associated with the Gleason score.

Urinary incontinence is one of the most bothersome adversities after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). The aim of this study was to investigate the urinary continence recovery and the effect of various surgical techniques.We previously reported that posterior rhabdosphincter reconstruction and nerve-sparing were independent predictors of urinary continence recovery 1 month after catheter removal in 199 patients who underwent RARP. Retrospectively, we further reviewed those 199 patients for urinary continence recovery at 3 months or later after RARP. The relationships of urinary continence with perioperative findings, including surgical procedures, were evaluated at 3 to 12 months after RARP. The Fisher exact test and Mann-Whitney rank sum test were used for evaluating variables between the groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the association between urinary continence and perioperative factors.On univariate analyses, surgeon experience, lateral bladder neck preservation (BNP), anterior reconstruction, and posterior reconstruction were significantly associated with urinary continence recovery 3 months after RARP, but only lateral BNP was independently associated with urinary continence recovery in a multivariate analysis. Similarly, on univariate analyses, surgeon experience, lateral BNP, and posterior reconstruction were significantly associated with continence recovery at 6 months or later after surgery. However, multivariate analyses showed that only lateral BNP was significantly associated with urinary continence recovery 6 months or later after surgery.Although the lateral BNP technique did not affect immediate urinary continence recovery, this procedure was significantly associated with continence recovery 3 months or later after RARP.

Purpose To investigate the impact of the time interval (TI) between prostate biopsy and robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) on the risk of biochemical recurrence (BCR). Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 793 consecutive patients who were treated with RARP at our institution. Patients were divided into three groups, according to TI, to compare BCR-free survival (BCRFS) rates: Group 1 (n = 196), TI < 3 months; Group 2 (n = 513), 3 ≤ TI < 6 months; Group 3 (n = 84), TI ≥ 6 months. Eighty-three patients with TI ≥ 6 months were matched with an equal number of patients with TI < 6 months based on propensity scores by using four preoperative factors: prostate-specific antigen (PSA), primary (pGS) and secondary (sGS) Gleason score and positive prostate biopsy. Results The 5-year BCRFS rates for TI Groups 1, 2, and 3 were 76%, 80.7% and 82.6% (P = 0.99), respectively. The multivariate analysis revealed that PSA, pGS, sGS and a positive prostate biopsy were independent preoperative risk factors for BCR. The propensity adjusted 5-year BCRFS for patients with TI ≥ 6 months was 84.0%. This was not worse than that of patients with TI < 6 months (71.0%, P = 0.18). Conclusions In our cohorts, a delay in the time from biopsy to RARP did not significantly affect recurrence. Therefore, hasty treatment decisions are unnecessary for at least 6 months after diagnosis of early prostate cancer.

in theACTand13.7months in thenon-ACTgroup (p1⁄40.78).ACTremained an insignificant predictor for RFS after adjusting for pT, pN and margin status (HR: 0.89, 95%CI: 0.48-1.68]). CSS was 23 and 22 months in the respective groups (p1⁄40.65) and remained insignificant after adjusting for pathologic confounders (HR: 0.67, [95%CI: 0.34-1.28]). The eight patients who received cisplatin-based chemotherapy in both neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings had the highest median RFS of 23.2 months. CONCLUSIONS: AC in this retrospective cohort of pT3-4 and/or pN+ did identify a subset with better median RFS. However, the choice of AC regimens, and incorporation of newer drugs, particularly beyond useof conventional cytotoxic drugs, in both adjuvant and neoadjuvant contexts is a key direction for improving outcomes in this high risk patient group.

Noninvasive, radiological image-based detection and stratification of Gleason patterns can impact clinical outcomes, treatment selection, and the determination of disease status at diagnosis without subjecting patients to surgical biopsies. We present machine learning-based automatic classification of prostate cancer aggressiveness by combining apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and T2-weighted (T2-w) MRI-based texture features. Our approach achieved reasonably accurate classification of Gleason scores (GS) 6(3 + 3) vs. ≥7 and 7(3 + 4) vs. 7(4 + 3) despite the presence of highly unbalanced samples by using two different sample augmentation techniques followed by feature selection-based classification. Our method distinguished between GS 6(3 + 3) and ≥7 cancers with 93% accuracy for cancers occurring in both peripheral (PZ) and transition (TZ) zones and 92% for cancers occurring in the PZ alone. Our approach distinguished the GS 7(3 + 4) from GS 7(4 + 3) with 92% accuracy for cancers occurring in both the PZ and TZ and with 93% for cancers occurring in the PZ alone. In comparison, a classifier using only the ADC mean achieved a top accuracy of 58% for distinguishing GS 6(3 + 3) vs. GS ≥7 for cancers occurring in PZ and TZ and 63% for cancers occurring in PZ alone. The same classifier achieved an accuracy of 59% for distinguishing GS 7(3 + 4) from GS 7(4 + 3) occurring in the PZ and TZ and 60% for cancers occurring in PZ alone. Separate analysis of the cancers occurring in TZ alone was not performed owing to the limited number of samples. Our results suggest that texture features derived from ADC and T2-w MRI together with sample augmentation can help to obtain reasonably accurate classification of Gleason patterns.

To evaluate the recommendations for multiparametric prostate MRI (mp-MRI) interpretation introduced in the recently updated Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System version 2 (PI-RADSv2), and investigate the impact of pathologic tumour volume on prostate cancer (PCa) detectability on mpMRI. This was an institutional review board (IRB)-approved, retrospective study of 150 PCa patients who underwent mp-MRI before prostatectomy; 169 tumours ≥0.5-mL (any Gleason Score [GS]) and 37 tumours

OBJECTIVE The estimated glomerular filtration rate is significantly decreased after nephroureterectomy. Deteriorating renal function likely affects the eligibility for cisplatin-based chemotherapy in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma. The present study was undertaken to identify preoperative factors for the prediction of postoperative renal function and develop a prediction model. METHODS Between June 1996 and January 2014, 110 patients who underwent radical nephroureterectomy at our institution were analyzed in this study. The estimated glomerular filtration rate was calculated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease study equation. Univariate linear regression analyses were performed to investigate the correlation between postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate and preoperative variables. A stepwise multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate. RESULTS Comparison of preoperative and postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate for each patient showed a median difference of 13.1 ml/min/1.73 m(2). The postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate was significantly lower than the preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (P < 0.001). On univariate analysis, age and preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate were significantly correlated with postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate. On multivariate analysis, age, preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate and the presence of hydronephrosis were independent predictive factors of postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate. The predicted postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate, which was calculated using these independent factors, showed a significant correlation with the observed postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (correlation coefficient = 0.7533). CONCLUSIONS Age, preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate and the presence of hydronephrosis were independent predictors of postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma treated with radical nephroureterectomy. The predicted postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate based on these factors may be useful for choosing alternative management strategies such as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: It is one of our major concerns to investigate the clinical implication of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) in transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) specimens (TUR-LVI) in clinical decision making in patients with bladder cancer. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) may improve LVI detection in small TUR specimens. We aimed to investigate the clinical significance of TUR-LVI for bladder cancer staging and compare the clinical values of IHC-detected LVI (IHC-LVI) with HE-detected LVI (HE-LVI). METHODS: This study included 157 non-metastatic bladder cancer patients treated with radical cystectomy (RC) at our institution. A single pathologist with expertise in genitourinary malignancies evaluated all TURBT specimens and assessed the venous, lymphatic and lymphovascular invasions in HE and IHC stained specimens. Two IHC markers for lymphatic channels (D2-40) and endothelial cells (CD31) were used to clarify lymphatic (ly) and venous (v) invasions in IHC studies. The univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify preoperative factors correlated with extra-vesical disease ( pT3) at RC., RESULTS: Sixty-nine patients (44%) were diagnosed with pT3 disease on RC specimens. HE-LVI was detected in 38 (24%) patients while IHC-LVI in 57 (36%). Twenty-six (46%) of the 57 patients with positive IHC-LVI was determined negative for HE-LVI, while 7 (18%) of the 38 patients with positive HE-LVI was determined negative by IHC. In univariate analyses, clinical T (cT) stage, tumor multifocality, hydronephrosis, and HE-LVI were significantly associated with pT3 disease, but v and ly by both HE and IHC staining and IHC-LVI were not. In multivariate analyses, cT stage (p

Introduction: This retrospective study was undertaken to evaluate the combined effect of immediate intravesical chemotherapy and subsequent bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) therapy.Methods: The study population consisted of 207 intermediate- or high-risk patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer who underwent an induction course of BCG between 1993 and 2007. We introduced single immediate instillation of 50 mg epirubicin for all cases in 2004, and thus earlier cases could be considered as historical controls. The primary endpoint was recurrence-free survival (RFS). For cumulative analysis, we systematically reviewed studies indexed in databases. Including ours, the records of 856 patients from a total of 7 studies, including ours, were finally analyzed.Results: In our cohort, the 5-year RFS in patients who received the combination therapy was 66.2%, compared to 55.2% in the BCG alone group (p = 0.149). Multivariate analysis on tumour recurrence showed that patients with the combination therapy had a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.74 (p = 0.189). A subsequent literature review revealed that RFS rates in the combination groups were higher than those in the corresponding BCG alone groups in 4/7 studies (p = 0.02–0.15), and lower in 1 study (p = 0.51). We identified 5 studies which examined a HR for combination therapy, and performed a cumulative analysis. Adding a single chemo-instillation prior to BCG resulted in a significant reduction in tumour recurrence (summary HR 0.69, p = 0.010).Conclusions: Our analysis suggested that the combination of single chemo-instillation with subsequent BCG therapy exhibited an additive effect against potential tumour recurrence.

Purpose: To develop a machine learning-based automatic classification of Gleason Score (GS) 3+4=7 versus 4+3=7 prostate cancers (PCa) from multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) combined with first and second order texture features. Methods: 140 PCa were delineated in the peripheral and transition zones from patients undergoing mpMRI 6 months pre-prostatectomy. Lesions were contoured on T2-weighted MRI and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps by correlating the images with step-section pathology maps of the excised prostates. 114 tumors had a GS (3+4) and 26 had a GS (4+3). First order (mean, standard deviation, skewness, kurtosis) and second order texture features (energy, entropy, correlation, homogeneity, contrast) were analyzed. Due to large tumor class imbalance, we employed two different sample augmentation techniques: Gibbs and SMOTE oversampling. The samples in each class were oversampled to 200 samples. We evaluated the performance of three different classifiers, t-test support vector machine (t-test SVM), recursive feature elimination SVM (RFE-SVM), and adaptive boosting (AdaBoost), using 10-fold crossvalidation. Results: RFE-SVM achieved the best classification performance (accuracy: 97%; Youden Index: 0.93) when trained using samples generated by the SMOTE method, followed by t-test SVM (78%,0.56) and AdaBoost (73%,0.46). When trained using samples generated from Gibbs oversampling, the performance of the classifiers were: RFE-SVM (90%,0.80), t-test SVM(71%,0.41), and AdaBoost (76%,0.52). In comparison, the classification performance of the same methods without sample augmentation was RFE-SVM (83%,0.11), t-test SVM(81%,0.00), and AdaBoost(79%,0.41). Classification with only mean ADC and mean T2 resulted at best in an accuracy of (67%,0.34) using Gibbs sampling. Conclusion: We developed a fully automated method for classifying GS of PCa from multi-parametric images using texture features combined with sample augmentation. Our method enables to boost classifier performance despite highly unbalanced datasets. Furthermore, our results show that texture features enable the classifiers to achieve a much higher accuracy in comparison to not using any of them.