Israel Medical Association Journal

Background: Patients with high-risk prostate cancer are at higher risk of treatment failure, development of metastatic disease, and mortality. There is no consensus on the treatment of choice for these patients, and either radical prostatectomy (RP) or external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) is recommended. Surgery is less common as the initial treatment for high-risk patients, possibly reflecting the concerns regarding morbidity as well as oncological and functional outcomes. Another high-risk group includes patients with failure of previous EBRT or focal treatment. For these patients, salvage radical prostatectomy (SRP) can be offered.

Objectives: To describe our experience with surgery of high-risk patients and SRP.

Methods: This cohort included all high-risk patients undergoing RP or SRP at our institution between January 2012 and December 2019. We reviewed the electronic medical charts and collected pathological, functional, and oncological outcomes.

Results: Our cohort included 39 patients; average age was 67.8 years, and average follow-up duration was 40.9 months. The most common postoperative morbidity was transfusion of packed cells. There were no life-threatening events or postoperative mortality. Continence was preserved (zero to one pad) in 76% of the patients. Twenty-three patients (59%) had undetectable prostate specific antigen levels following the surgery, 11 (30%) were treated with either adjuvant or salvage EBRT, and 12 patients (31%) were found with no evidence of disease and no additional treatment was needed.

Conclusions: Radical prostatectomy and SRP are safe options for patients presenting with high-risk prostate cancer, with good functional and oncological outcomes.

Background: Radical cystectomy is a complicated surgery with significant risks. Complications of Clavien–Dindo grade 3–4 range from 25% to 40% while risk of mortality is 2%. Pelvic surgery or radiotherapy prior to radical cystectomy increases the challenges of this surgery.

Objectives: To assess whether radical cystectomy performed in patients with prior history of pelvic surgery or radiation was associated with increased frequency of Clavien–Dindo grade 3 or higher complications compared to patients without prior pelvic intervention.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated all patients who underwent radical cystectomy at our center over a 7-year period. All patients with pelvic radiation or surgery prior to radical cystectomy comprised group 1, while group 2 included the remaining patients.

Results: In our study, 65 patients required radical cystectomy at our institution during the study period. Group 1 was comprised of 17 patients and group 2 included 48 patients. Four patients from group 2 received orthotopic neobladder, while an ileal conduit procedure was performed in the remaining patients. Estimated blood loss and the amount of blood transfusions given was the only variable found to be statistically different between the two groups. One patient from group 1 had four pelvic interventions prior to surgery, and her cystectomy was aborted.

Conclusions: Radical cystectomy may be safely performed in patients with a history of pelvic radiotherapy or surgery, with complication rates similar to those of non-irradiated or operated pelvises.

Background: Almost 50% of patients with germ-cell tumors (GCT) are subfertile, and every step of the treatment may further impair fertility. As a result, sperm banking is often advised prior to radical orchiectomy. However, whether affected testes contribute to fertility is unclear.

Objectives: To determine whether maximal tumor diameter (MTD) is correlated with ipsilateral fertility (IF) in patients treated for GCT.

Methods: We reviewed medical charts for demographic and clinical data of patients with GCT who had undergone orchiectomy at our institution between 1999 and 2015. The extent of spermatogenesis was categorized into three groups: full spermatogenesis, hypospermatogenesis, and absence of spermatogenesis. The presence of mature spermatozoa in the epididymis tail was also assessed. We defined IF as the combination of full spermatogenesis in more than 100 tubules and the presence of mature spermatozoa in the epididymis tail. Mann–Whitney was applied to determine the correlation between MTD and IF.

Results: Of 57 patients, IF was present in 28 (49%). Mean patient age was 32.8 years in patients with positive IF and 33.4 years those with negative IF. Seminoma was diagnosed in 46.4% of patients with positive IF and in 65.5% of patients with negative IF. Full spermatogenesis was observed in 33 patients (57.8%). In 48 (82.7%), mature epididymal spermatozoa were found. No correlation was found between MTD and IF.

Conclusions: IF is present in almost half of the patients undergoing radical orchiectomy. Because IF cannot be predicted by MTD, routine pre-orchiectomy sperm banking is suggested.

Objectives: To define preoperative predictors for MPC in prostatectomy specimens and to examine the accuracy of such prediction.

Methods: Data collected on 1526 consecutive radical prostatectomy patients operated in a single center between 2003 and 2008 included: age, body mass index, preoperative prostate-specific antigen level, biopsy Gleason score, clinical stage, percentage of positive biopsy cores, and maximal core length (MCL) involvement. MPC was defined as < 5% of prostate volume involvement with organ-confined Gleason score ≤ 6. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to define independent predictors of minimal disease. Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis was used to define cutoff values for the predictors and measure the accuracy of prediction.

Results: MPC was found in 241 patients (15.8%). Clinical stage, biopsy Gleason`s score, percent of positive biopsy cores, and maximal involved core length were associated with minimal disease (OR 0.42, 0.1, 0.92, and 0.9, respectively). Independent predictors of MPC included: biopsy Gleason score, percent of positive cores and MCL (OR 0.21, 095 and 0.95, respectively). CART showed that when the MCL exceeded 11.5%, the likelihood of MPC was 3.8%. ;Conversely, when applying the most favorable preoperative conditions (Gleason ≤ 6, < 20% positive cores, MCL ≤ 11.5%) the chance of minimal disease was 41%.

Conclusions: Biopsy Gleason score, the percent of positive cores and MCL are independently associated with MPC. While preoperative prediction of significant prostate cancer was accurate, clinical prediction of MPC was incorrect 59% of the time. Caution is necessary when implementing clinical data as selection criteria for active surveillance. 

 Background: Hemorrhagic radiation cystitis (HRC) is a significant clinical problem that occurs after pelvic radiation therapy and is often refractory.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) for HRC.

Methods: Daily 90 minute sessions of HBO at 2 ATM 100% oxygen were given to 32 HRC patients with American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) grades 3-4 hematuria.

Results: The median age was 72.5 (48–88 years). The median time interval between radiation therapy and HBO was 4 years (1–26 years). The patients received a median of 30 HBO sessions (3–53). Hematuria resolved in 27 patients (84%) and persisted in 5. Cystectomy was required in two, and ileal-conduit and bilateral percutaneous nephrostomies were performed in one and two patients, respectively. With a median follow-up of 12 months (5–74 months), the hematuria cleared completely in 16 patients (59%) and mild hematuria requiring no further treatment recurred in 10 others. Another patient with ASTRO grade 4 hematuria needed bladder irrigation and blood transfusions. Complications included eardrum perforation in four patients and transient vertigo and mild hemoptysis in one case each. None of them required HBO discontinuation.

Conclusions: HBO controlled bleeding in 84% of the patients. A durable freedom from significant hematuria was achieved in 96% of the patients. HBO seems to be an effective and safe modality in patients with HRC.

Objectives: To determine the side effects associated with ureteral stents and their impact on sexual function and quality of life.

Methods: Symptom questionnaires were administered to 135 consecutive patients with unilateral ureteral stents. The questionnaire addressed irritative voiding symptoms, flank pain, hematuria, fever, loss of labor days, anxiety, sleep impairment, decreased libido, erectile dysfunction, dyspareunia, painful ejaculation, and a subjective overall impact on quality of life. The items were graded from 1 (minimal or no symptoms) to 5 (maximal symptoms). The patients were seen and questionnaires filled at 2 weekly intervals following stent insertion until stent extraction. Following removal of the stent, stent patency, impaction and migration rates were determined. Admissions to hospital and ancillary procedures to retreive stents were noted.

Results: The findings presented refer to questionnaire items scoring 3 or more. Dysuria, urinary frequency and urgency were reported by 40%, 50% and 55% of the patients, respectively. Flank pain, gross hematuria or fever was reported by 32%, 42% and 15% respectively. Among working patients, 45% lost at least 2 labor days during the first 14 days, and 32% were still absent from work by day 30. A total of 435 labor days were lost in the first month. Anxiety and sleep disturbance were reported by 24% and 20% respectively, and 45% of patients reported impairment in their quality of life. Decreased libido was reported by 45%, and sexual dysfunction by 42% of men and 86% of women. Stent removal necessitated ureteroscpoy in 14 patients (10.5%), due to upward migration in 11 (8.2%) and incrustration and impaction in 3. Spontaneous stent expulsion occurred in one patient. Forty-six (34%) stents were obstructed at the time of removal. Obstructed stents were associated with a longer mean dwell time as compared to the whole population, 75 versus 62 days respectively (P = 0.04).

Conclusions: Ureteral stents are associated with frequent side effects and significantly impact on patient quality of life. Our findings should be considered when deciding on ureteral stent insertion and dwell time.

Background: Cystoscopy, the principal means of diagnosis and surveillance of bladder tumors, is invasive and associated with unpleasant side effects

Objectives: To determine the early complications of rigid cystoscopy and the impact on patients' quality of life and sexual performance.

Methods: One hundred consecutive patients undergoing diagnostic rigid cystoscopy filled in questionnaires including anxiety and pain levels (0–5 visual analogue scale), adverse events, short-form health survey, International Prostate Symptom Score, and functional sexual performance. Questionnaires were administered before, immediately after, and 1, 2 days, 2 and 4 weeks following cystoscopy.

Results: The pre-cystoscopy anxiety level was 2.01. The average pain during the examination was 1.41. SF-36[1] score was not affected by cystoscopy. The subjective impact on patients' quality of life was 0.51. The mean IPSS[2] increased following cystoscopy (6.75 vs. 5.43, P = 0.001) and returned to baseline 2 weeks later. A decline in libido was reported by 55.6% (25/45) and 50% (3/6) of the sexually active men and women, respectively. Cystoscopy was associated with a decreased Erectile Dysfunction Intensity Score, from 15.6 to 9.26 during the first 2 weeks (P = 0.04). The overall complication rate was 15% and included urethrorrhagia and dysuria. None of the patients had fever or urinary retention and none was hospitalized. The complication rate was higher in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (24% vs. 9.7%, P = 0.001).

Conclusions: Rigid cystoscopy is well tolerated by most patients and has only a minor impact on quality of life. However, cystoscopy transiently impairs sexual performance and libido. The early complications are mild and correlate with a diagnosis of BPH[3].

Background: Cryosurgery is a minimally invasive treat­ment option for prostate cancer.

Objectives: To report on the first series of cryosurgical ablation for prostate cancer performed in Israel.

Methods: Cryosurgical ablation of the prostate was undertaken in 2 patients aged 53-72 diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the prostate. The procedures were performed percutaneously and were monitored by real-time trans-rectal ultrasound. The CRYOHIT machine applying Argon gas was used with standard or ultra-thin cryoprobes. The average follow-up was 12.8 months postsurgery (range 1- 24 months).

Results: No rectal or urethral injuries occurred and all patients were discharged from hospital within 24-48 hours. The duration of suprapubic drainage was 14 days in 10 patients and prolonged in 2. Early complications included penoscrotal edema in four patients, perineal hematoma in three, hemorrhoids in two and epidydimitis in one. Long-term complications included extensive prostatic sloughing in one patient and a perineal fistula in another, both of whom required prolonged suprapubic drainage. Minimal stress incontinence was noted in two patients for the first 8 weeks after surgery. None of the patients has yet regained spontaneous potency. A prostate-specific antigen nadir of less than 0.5 ng/ml was achieved in eight patients and an undetectable PSA level below 0.1 ng/ml in five patients.

Conclusion: Cryoablation for prostate cancer is safe and feasible, and the preliminary results are encouraging. Further study is needed to elucidate the efficacy of the procedure.