Are prostatic calculi independent predictive factors of lower urinary tract symptoms？

We determined the correlation between prostatic calculi and lower urinary tract symptoms （LUTS）,as well as the predisposing factors of prostatic calculi. Of the 1 527 patients who presented at our clinic for LUTS,802underwent complete evaluations,including transrectal ultrasonography,voided bladder-3 specimen and international prostatic symptoms score （IPSS）. A total of 335 patients with prostatic calculi and 467 patients without prostatic calculi were divided into calculi and no calculi groups,respectively. Predictive factors of severe LUTS and prostatic calculi were determined using uni/multivariate analysis. The overall IPSS score was 15.7±9.2 and 14.1±9.1 in the calculi and no calculi group,respectively （P = 0.013）. The maximum flow rate was 12.1±6.9 and 14.2±8.2 mL s~（-1） in the calculi and no calculi group,respectively （P = 0.003）. On univariate analysis for predicting factors of severe LUTS,differences on age （P = 0.042）,prostatic calculi （P = 0.048） and prostatitis （P = 0.018） were statistically significant. However,on multivariate analysis,no factor was significant. On multivariate analysis for predisposing factors of prostatic calculi,differences on age （P〈0.001） and prostate volume （P = 0.001） were significant. To our knowledge,patients who have prostatic calculi complain of more severe LUTS. However,prostatic calculi are not an independent predictive factor of severe LUTS. Therefore,men with prostatic calculi have more severe LUTS not only because of prostatic calculi but also because of age and other factors. In addition,old age and large prostate volume are independent predisposing factors for prostatic calculi.     

The influence of prostate volume on cancer detection in the Chinese population

In western populations, prostate volume （PV） has been proven to be one of the strongest predictors of detecting prostate cancer （PCa） in biopsies. We performed this study in a biopsy cohort, to evaluate associations among the prostate volume, prostate-specific antigen （PSA） and PCa detection in the Chinese population. Between the years, 2007-13, 1486 men underwent prostate biopsy at Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. The study population was divided into two groups for analysis according to total PSA （tPSA） range （4 ng m1-1 〈tPSA 〈20 ng m1-1 and tPSA 〉20 ng ml-1）. PV, age, tPSA, digital rectal examination （DRE） and transrectal ultrasound （TRUS） results were also included in the analysis. Although the positive biopsy rates decreased in both tPSA range groups, the downtrend was more pronounced in the 4 ng ml-2 〈tPSA 〈20 ng m1-1 group; therefore, we focused on 853 men in this group with increasing PV. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, only DRE was found to be associated with PCa in four PV groups （P 〈 0.05） and tPSA did not show a good predictive ability when PV exceeded 50 ml （P 〉 0.05）. Further, it may suggest that with increasing PV, the cancer detection rate decreased in men with different tPSA, DRE and TRUS nodule statuses （all P values for trends were 〈0.001）. Our study indicates that in tPSA ranging from 4 to 20 ng ml-1, the use of PV ranges of 0-35 ml, 35-50 ml and 〉50 ml might be taken into consideration for the biopsy decision-making in the Chinese population.     

Prostate-specific antigen half-life： a new predictor of progression- free survival and overall survival in Chinese prostate cancer patients

We investigated the potential value of prostate-specific antigen half-life （PSAHL） and decreasing velocity （PSAVd） to predict progression-free survival （PFS） and overall survival （OS） in Chinese patients with prostate cancer. A total of 153 patients treated with hormonal therapy were included in the study. Of these, 78 patients progressed to hormone- refractory prostate cancer （HRPC） and 24 patients died by the end of follow-up. PSAHL was defined as the time during which prostate-specific antigen （PSA） concentration became half of the initial value during the first hormonal therapy. PSAVd reflected the decreasing velocity of PSA during the first hormonal therapy. PFS was defined as the interval from the beginning of hormonal therapy to HRPC. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to evaluate whether PSAHL and PSAVd were significantly associated with PFS and OS. The median PSAHL and PSAVd were 0.50 months and 33.8 ng mL^-1 per month. The median PFS and OS were 22.7 months （95% confidence interval [CI], 22.0-29.6 months） and 43.5 months （95% CI, 37.9-48.4 months）, respectively. On univariate and multivariate analysis, long PSAHL （〉 0.5 months）, metastatic disease, high biopsy Gleason scores （〉 8） and high nadir PSA （〉 0.4 ng mL^-1） were all found to be significantly associated with short PFS. Long PSAHL, high nadir PSA and short PSA doubling time （PSADT 〈 2.0 months） were significantly associated with short OS. There were no significant relationships between PSAVd and either PFS or OS. Thus, PSAHL is a promising new independent predictor of survival. Patients with long PSAHL were identified as those at high risk for a relatively short PFS and OS.     

The Xu＇s chart for prostate biopsy： a visual presentation of the added value of biomarkers to prostate-specific antigen for estimating detection rates of prostate cancer

Elevated serum prostate-specific antigen （PSA） level is the primaryindication for prostate biopsy for detection of prostate cancer （PCa） in the modern era. The detection rate of PCa from biopsy is typically below 30%, especially among patients with PSA levels at 4-10 ng ml-1. In the past several years, additional biomarkers, such as Prostate Health Index, PCA3 and genetic risk score （GRS） derived from multiple PCa risk-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms （SNPs） have been shown to provide added value to PSA in discriminating prostate biopsy outcomes. However,     

超声造影检查在经会阴前列腺穿刺活检中的应用价值

Objective To investigate the clinical significance of contrast-enhanced transrectal ultrasound(CE-TRUS) in the perineal prostate biopsy. Methods A total of 116 patients was undergone prostate biopsy through the perineum under the direction of tansrectal ultrasound. Prostate biopsy standard was based on 2007 CUA revised guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of urological diseases.Color Doppler ultrasonography was used to check the prostate and to learn the prostate focal lesion,size, number and echo color Doppler flow characteristics. Of the 116 cases, 43 patients was undergone contrast-enhanced transrectal ultrasound. Results The biopsy results confirmed the diagnosis of prostate cancer was 64 cases, Benign prostatic hyperplasia was 52 cases. Of 43 cases who undergone contrast-enhanced transrectal ultrasound, Prostate cancer and Benign prostatic hyperplasia were 25 and 18 cases, respectively. CE-TRUS group and TRUS group showed no statistical difference between two groups. Analyzed the cases with PSA≤30 ng/ml, CE-TRUS group had a higher positive rate of biopsy (P=0.046). Conclusion TRUS guided transperineal biopsy of prostate might be an method for the diagnosis of prostate cancer with a higher accuracy rate. CE-TRUS can improve the biopsy positive rate of prostate cancer.     

超声造影检查在经会阴前列腺穿刺活检中的应用价值

Objective To investigate the clinical significance of contrast-enhanced transrectal ultrasound(CE-TRUS) in the perineal prostate biopsy. Methods A total of 116 patients was undergone prostate biopsy through the perineum under the direction of tansrectal ultrasound. Prostate biopsy standard was based on 2007 CUA revised guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of urological diseases.Color Doppler ultrasonography was used to check the prostate and to learn the prostate focal lesion,size, number and echo color Doppler flow characteristics. Of the 116 cases, 43 patients was undergone contrast-enhanced transrectal ultrasound. Results The biopsy results confirmed the diagnosis of prostate cancer was 64 cases, Benign prostatic hyperplasia was 52 cases. Of 43 cases who undergone contrast-enhanced transrectal ultrasound, Prostate cancer and Benign prostatic hyperplasia were 25 and 18 cases, respectively. CE-TRUS group and TRUS group showed no statistical difference between two groups. Analyzed the cases with PSA≤30 ng/ml, CE-TRUS group had a higher positive rate of biopsy (P=0.046). Conclusion TRUS guided transperineal biopsy of prostate might be an method for the diagnosis of prostate cancer with a higher accuracy rate. CE-TRUS can improve the biopsy positive rate of prostate cancer.     

Does needle calibre affect pain and complication rates in patients undergoing transperineal prostate biopsy？ A prospective,randomized trial

Transperineal prostate biopsy is a procedure that can be used to obtain histological samples from the prostate. To improve both the quality of the biopsy core samples and prostate cancer detection, we are currently performing a prospective, randomized trial comparing prostate biopsy samples obtained using an 18 G-needle to those obtained using a 16 G-needle. The aim of this preliminary study was to evaluate pain and complication rates in both groups in order to assess whether performing a prostate biopsy with a larger calibre needle is a feasible procedure. One hundred and eighty-seven patients undergoing transperineal prostate biopsy were prospectively evaluated and divided into two groups. The first group （94 patients, Group A） received a transperineal prostate biopsy using a 16 G-needle and the second group （93 patients, Group B） underwent transperineal prostate biopsy with an 18 G-needle. Anaesthesia was obtained with a single perineal injection at the prostatic apex in all subjects. A visual analogue scale （VAS） and facial expression scale （FES） were used to assess pain during multiple steps of the procedure in each group. A detailed questionnaire was used to obtain information about drug use because it could potentially influence the pain and complications that patients experienced. Two weeks after the procedure, early and late complications were evaluated. Statistical analysis was carried out using non-parametric tests. Prostate Specific Antigen （PSA） and drug use were similar at baseline between the two groups. Pain during prostate biopsy, which was measured with both the VAS and FES instruments, did not differ significantly between the 18- and 16 G-needle groups, and no significant differences were found in early or late complication rates between the groups. Transperineal prostate biopsy with a 16 G-needle is a feasible Further studies with larger patient populations are required to prostate cancer detection rates. procedure in terms of pain and complication rates. assess whether or not this procedure can improve     

Transurethral resection of the prostate is an independent risk factor for biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer

Biochemical recurrence(BCR)is important for measuring the oncological outcomes of patients who undergo radical prostatectomy(RP).Whether transurethral resection of the prostate(TURP)has negative postoperative effects on oncological outcomes remains controversial.The primary aim of our retrospective study was to determine whether a history of TURP could affect the postoperative BCR rate.We retrospectively reviewed patients with prostate cancer(PCa)who had undergone RP between January 2009 and October 2017.Clinical data on age,prostate volume,serum prostate-specific antigen levels(PSA),biopsy Gleason score(GS),metastasis stage(TNM),D’Amico classification,and American Society of Anesthesiologists(ASA)classification were collected.Statistical analyses including Cox proportional hazard models and sensitivity analyses which included propensity score matching,were performed,and the inverse-probability-of-treatment-weighted estimator and standardized mortality ratio-weighted estimator were determined.We included 1083 patients,of which 118 had a history of TURP.Before matching,the non-TURP group differed from the TURP group with respect to GS(P=0.047),prostate volume(mean:45.19 vs 36.00 ml,P<0.001),and PSA level(mean:29.41 vs 15.11 ng ml?1,P=0.001).After adjusting for age,PSA level,T stage,N stage,M stage,and GS,the TURP group showed higher risk of BCR(hazard ratio[HR]:2.27,95%confidence interval[CI]:1.13–3.94,P=0.004).After matching(ratio 1:4),patients who underwent TURP were still more likely to develop BCR according to the adjusted propensity score(HR:2.00,95%CI:1.05–3.79,P=0.034).Among patients with PCa,those with a history of TURP were more likely to develop BCR after RP.     

Establishment of two new predictive models for prostate cancer to determine whether to require prostate biopsy when the PSA level is in the diagnostic gray zone (4–10 ng ml^?1)

Our goal was to establish two new predictive models of prostate cancer to determine whether to require a prostate biopsy when the prostate-specific antigen level is in the diagnostic gray zone.A retrospective analysis of 197 patients undergoing prostate biopsy with prostate-specific antigens between 4 and 10 ng ml^?1 was conducted.Of these,47 patients were confirmed to have cancer,while the remaining 150 patients were diagnosed with benign prostate disease after examining biopsy pathology.Two multivariate logistic regression models were established including age,prostate volumes,free/total prostate-specific antigen ratio,and prostate-specific antigen density using SPSS 19.0 to obtain the predicted probability and Logit P,and then,two receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were drawn to obtain the best cutoff value for prostate biopsy:one for the group of all the prostate cancers and one for the group of clinically significant prostate cancers.The best cutoff value for prostate biopsy was 0.25 from the multivariate logistic regression ROC curve model of all the prostate cancers,which gave a sensitivity of 75.4%and a specificity of 75.8%.The best cutoff value for prostate biopsy was 0.20 from the multivariate logistic regression model of clinically significant prostate cancers,which gave a sensitivity of 76.7%and a specificity of 80.1%.We identified the best cutoff values for prostate biopsy(0.25 for all prostate cancers and 0.20 for clinically significant prostate cancers)to determine whether to require prostate biopsy when the PSA level is in the diagnostic gray zone.     

Prognostic role of C-reactive protein in prostate ：ancer： a systematic review and meta-analysis

Several studies have reported that C-reactive protein （CRP）, an inflammation biomarker, may be associated with the prognosis of prostate cancer （PCa）. The objective of this systematic review is to summarize the predictive role of CRP for survival in PCa as reported in previous studies. Related studies were identified, and evaluated for quality through multiple search strategies. Data was collected from studies comparing overall and cancer-specific survival （CSS） in patients with elevated CRP levels and those having lower levels. However, for progression-free survival （PFS）, data were collected according to the log of CRP. The hazard ratio （HR） and its 95% confidence interval （Cl） were used to assess the strength of associations. A total of nine studies （n = 1,497） were evaluated in this meta-analysis （five for overall survival （OS）, four for CSS and two for PFS）. For OS and PFS, the pooled HR of CRP was statistically significant at 1.51 （95% Cl, 1.28-1.79） and 1.50 （95% Cl, 1.25-1.81）, respectively. For CSS, the pooled HR was 1.91 （95% CI, 1.36-2.69） with higher CRP expression in PCa, which strongly indicates poorer survival in PCa. This study demonstrates that CRP may have a critical prognostic value in patients with prostatic cancer.     

Incidental prostate cancer in radical cystoprostatectomy specimens

Aim： To investigate the rates of prostate cancer （PCa） in radical cystoprostatectomy （RCP） specimens for bladder cancer in mainland China. To determine the follow-up outcome of patients with two concurrent cancers and identify whether prostate-specific antigen （PSA） is a useful tool for the detection of PCa prior to surgery. Methods： From January 2002 to January 2007, 264 male patients with bladder cancer underwent RCP at our center. All patients underwent digital rectal examination （DRE） and B ultrasound. Serum PSA levels were tested in 168 patients. None of the patients had any evidence of PCa before RCP. Entire prostates were embedded and sectioned at 5 mm intervals. Results： Incidental PCa was observed in 37 of 264 （14.0%） RCP specimens. Of these, 12 （32.4%） were clinically significant according to an accepted definition. The PSA levels were not significantly different between patients with PCa and those without PCa, nor between patients with significant PCa and those with insignificant PCa. Thirty-four patients with incidental PCa were followed up. During a mean follow-up period of 26 months, two patients with PSA 〉 4 ng/mL underwent castration. None of the patients died of PCa. Conclusion： The incidence of PCa in RCP specimens in mainland China is lower than that in most developed countries. PSA cannot identify asymptomatic PCa prior to RCP. In line with published reports, incidental PCa does not impact the prognosis of bladder cancer patients undergoing RCE     

Serum measurements of testosterone, insulin-like growth factor 1, and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 in the diagnosis of prostate cancer among Korean men

Aim： To investigate the relationships of serum testosterone, insulin-like growth factor （IGF）- 1 and IGF-binding protein （IGFBP）-3 levels with prostate cancer risk and also with known prognostic parameters of prostate cancer in Korean men who received radical retropubic prostatectomy （RRP） for clinically-localized prostate cancer. Methods： Serum levels of total testosterone, free testosterone, IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 were determined in 592 patients who subsequently received prostate biopsy. Results were compared between patients who eventually received RRP for prostate cancer （n = 159） and those who were not diagnosed with prostate cancer from biopsy （control group, n = 433）. Among the prostate cancer only patients, serum hormonal levels obtained were analyzed in relation to serum prostate specific antigen （PSA）, pathological T stage and pathological Gleason score. Results： Prostate cancer patients and the control group demon- strated no significant differences regarding serum levels of total testosterone, free testosterone, IGF-I and IGFBP-3 across the different age groups. Among the cancer only patients, no significant associations were observed for serum levels of total testosterone, free testosterone, IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels with pathological T stage, pathological Oleason score and preoperative PSA. Conclusion： Our data indicate that simple quantifications of serum testosterone and IGF-1 along with IGFBP-3 levels might not provide useful clinical information in the diagnosis of clinically localized prostate cancer in Korean men. Also, our results suggest that serum levels of testosterone, IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 might not be significantly associated with known prognostic factors of clinically localized prostate cancer in Korean men. （Asian J Androl 2008 Mar; 10： 207-213）     

Individualized prostate biopsy strategy for Chinese patients with different prostate-specific antigen levels

Aim： To evaluate the best individualized prostate biopsy strategies for Chinese patients with suspected prostate cancer. Methods： The present study included 221 Chinese patients who underwent transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsies for the first time. All patients underwent the same 10-core biopsy protocol. In addition to the Hodge sextant technique, four more biopsies were obtained from the base and middle regions of bilateral peripheral zones. The differences between 10-core and sextant strategies in cancer detection among patients with different prostate specific anitgen （PSA） levels were evaluated. The relationship between PSA level, number of positive biopsy cores and organ-confined cancer rate in prostate cancer patients was also analyzed. Results： The overall prostate cancer detection rate was 40.7% in the 221 patients. The 10-core strategy increased cancer detection by 6.67% （6/90） in our patients （P 〈 0.05）. The increased cancer detection rates decreased significantly when the patient PSA level increased from 0-20 ng/mL to 20.1-50 ng/mL and 〉 50 ng/mL （P 〈 0.01）. The number of positive biopsy cores in prostate cancer patients increased significantly with increasing patient PSA level （P 〈 0.01）. The rate of organ-confined prostate cancer decreased significantly with increasing patient PSA level （P 〈 0.01）. Conclusion： The extended 10- core strategy is recommended for Chinese patients with PSA 〈 20 ng/mL and the sextant strategy is recommended for those with PSA〉 50 ng/mL. For patients with PSA ranging from 20.1 ng/mL to 50 ng/mL, the 10-core strategy should be applied in patients with life expectancy 〉 10 years and the sextant strategy should be applied in those with life expectancy 〈 10 years. （Asian J Androl 2008 Mar; 10： 325-331）     

Efficacy of maximal androgen blockade versus castration alone in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer： a retrospective clinical experience from a Chinese medical centre

In this retrospective study, we evaluated and compared the efficacy and toxicities of maximal androgen blockade （MAB） versus castration alone in Chinese patients with advanced prostate cancer. From 1996 to 2004, 608 patients with advanced prostate cancer were included in the study. Patients were retrospectively divided into two groups according to different therapeutic regimens. Of the 608 patients, 300 patients were treated with MAB （castration plus nonsteroidal antiandrogens） and the remaining 308 were treated with castration alone. The 2- and 5-year overall survival rates of these patients were 73.7% and 56%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that, in patients with metastatic prostate cancer, MAB was associated with not only the improvement of progression-free survival （PFS） （increased by 10 months） but also a 20.6% reduction in mortality risk compared with castration alone. In contrast, the efficacy of MAB was not superior to castration alone for patients with nonmetastatic prostate cancer. Interestingly, among patients with MAB, those using bicalutamide had a longer PFS than those using flutamide; this was especially so in patients with metastatic prostate cancer. Almost all of the toxicities due to the hormone therapy were mild to moderate and manageable. To conclude, in China, hormone therapies, including MAB and castration alone, have been standard treatments for advanced prostate cancer. For patients with nonmetastatic prostate cancer, castration alone might be adequately practical and efficient. In patients with metastatic prostate cancer, however, MAB has superior efficacy over castration alone. It is clear that MAB should be considered the first-line standard treatment for patients with metastatic prostate cancer.     

Prevalence of incidental prostate cancer in patients undergoing radical cystoprostatectomy： data from China and other Asian countries

The purpose of this study is to investigate the frequency of prostate cancer （Pca） discovered incidentally in radical cystoprostatectomy specimens in Asia and to determine the feasibility of prostate-sparing cystectomy （PSC） for Asian patients. Ninety-two male bladder cancer patients who underwent radical cystoprostatectomy at our center between January 2003 and January 2008 were included in this study. The mean age of patients was 67.1 years （range： 32-75 years）. Prostate-specific antigen （PSA） levels and digital rectal examination （DRE） results before surgery were obtained retrospectively. Prostates of all patients were embedded and sectioned at 5-mm intervals. The same pathologist examined the prostatic tissues from radical cystoprostatectomy specimens. Finally, a structured literature review was performed using MEDLINE and PUBMED to estimate the occurrence of incidental Pca in Asia. Of the 92 patients, 3 （3.3%） were found to have Pca; in one out of three （33.3%） patients the disease was clinically significant due to a Gleason grade 4 carcinoma. Eight articles were included in our review. The overall incidence of Pca discovered incidentally in radical cystoprostatectomy specimens in Asia was 9.9% （64/642）. When age was restricted to 〈 60 years, only 7 out of 222 （3.2%） patients were found to have synchronous Pca, and none of the cases was clinically significant. The occurrence of Pca in radical cystoprostatectorny specimens in Asia is much lower than that in Western countries. PSC might be feasible for Asian patients under a strict preoperative selection.     

Genetic variations of the ADIPOQ gene and risk of prostate cancer in Chinese Han men

Adiponectin secreted by adipose tissue has been implicated in prostate carcinogenesis. Genetic variations in ADIPOQare thought to influence the activity of adiponectin, thus relating to cancer occurrence. In this hospital-based case-control study of 917 prostate cancer （PCa） cases and 1036 cancer-free controls, we evaluated the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms in ADIPOQ with risk of PCa and adiponectin levels in Chinese Han men. Variants of ADIPOQ were genotyped by Taqman polymerase chain reaction method. The plasma adiponectin concentrations were measured by enzyme.linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） in a subset of cases and controls. We found that the ADIPOQ rs3774262 variant AA genotype was associated with both decreased PCa risk [adjusted odds ratio （OR）： 0.66, 95% confidence interval （CI） =0.48-0.92] and increased plasma adiponectin levels （P= 0.036 and 0,043）, with significant difference by tumor grade, clinical stage, and aggressiveness. A significant interaction between ADIPOQ rs3774262 and body mass index was observed in modifying the risk of PCa （P=6.7 × 10-3）. ADIPOQ rs266729 and rs182052 were not related to PCa risk or plasma adiponectin levels. Our data support that ADIPOQ rs3774262 may affect PCa risk in combination with plasma adiponectin levels in Chinese Han men. It may contribute to the molecular basis for the association between obesity and PCa.     

Androgen receptor expression in clinically localized prostate cancer： immunohistochemistry study and literature review

Aim： To evaluate androgen receptor （AR） expression in clinically localized prostate cancer （PCa）. Methods： Specimens were studied from 232 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy for clinically localized prostatic adenocarcinoma without neoadjuvant hormonal therapy or chemotherapy at our institution between November 2001 and June 2005. Immunohistochemical study was performed using an anti-human AR monoclonal antibody AR441. The mean AR density in the hot spots of different histological areas within the same sections were compared and the correlation of malignant epithelial AR density with clinicopathological parameters such as Gleason score, tumor, nodes and metastases （TNM） stage and pre-treatment prostate-specific antigen （PSA） value was assessed. Results： AR immunoreactivity was almost exclusively nuclear and was observed in tumor cells, non-neoplastic glandular epithelial cells and a proportion of peritumoral and interglandular stromal cells. Mean percentage of AR-positive epithelial cells was significantly higher in cancer tissues than that in normal prostate tissues （mean e SD, 90.0% ± 9.3% vs. 85.3% ±9.7%, P 〈 0.001）. The histological score yielded similar results. The percentage ofAR immunoreactive prostatic cancer nuclei and histological score were not correlated with existing parameters such as Gleason score, tumor, nodes and metastases stage and pre-treatment PSA value in this surgically treated cohort. Conclusion： The results of the present study suggest that there may be limited clinical use for determining AR expression （if evaluated in hot spots） in men with localized PCa.     

The PCA3 test for guiding repeat biopsy of prostate cancer and its cut-off score： a systematic review and meta-analysis

The specificity of prostate-specific antigen （PSA） for early intervention in repeat biopsy is unsatisfactory. Prostate cancer antigen 3 （PCA3） may be more accurate in outcome prediction than other methods for the early detection of prostate cancer （PCa）. However, the results were inconsistent in repeated biopsies. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the role of PCA3 in outcome prediction. A systematic bibliographic search was conducted for articles published before April 2013, using PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, Embase and other databases from health technology assessment agencies. The quality of the studies was assessed on the basis of QUADAS criteria. Eleven studies of diagnostic tests with moderate to high quality were selected. A meta-analysis was carried out to synthesize the results. The results of the meta-analyses were heterogeneous among studies. We performed a subgroup analysis （with or without inclusion of high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia （HGPIN） and atypical small acinar proliferation （ASAP））. Using a PCA3 cutoff of 20 or 35, in the two sub-groups, the global sensitivity values were 0.93 or 0.80 and 0.79 or 0.75, specificities were 0.65 or 0.44 and 0.78 or 0.70, positive likelihood ratios were 1.86 or 1.58 and 2.49 or 1.78, negative likelihood ratios were 0.81 or 0.43 and 0.91 or 0.82 and diagnostic odd ratios （ORs） were 5.73 or 3.45 and 7.13 or 4.11, respectively. The areas under the curve （AUCs） of the summary receiver operating characteristic curve were 0.85 or 0.72 and 0.81 or 0.69, respectively. PCA3 can be used for repeat biopsy of the prostate to improve accuracy of PCa detection. Unnecessary biopsies can be avoided by using a PCa cutoff score of 20.     

Correlations between age, Charlson score and outcome in clinical unilateral T3a prostate cancer

According to the European Association of Urology （EAU） guidelines, a life expectancy of〉 10 years is considered an important factor in the treatment of prostate cancer. The Charlson score is used to predict mortality based on comorbidities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between age, Charlson score and outcome in patients with cT3a prostate cancer. Between 1987 and 2004, 200 patients, who were with clinical T3a prostate cancer and who underwent radical prostatectomy （RP）, were previously detected by digital rectal examination （DRE）. Patients were categorized into two age groups （〈 65 and≥65 years old）. Patients were also divided into two groups according to Charlson score （ = 0 and ≥ 1）. Both age and Charlson score were analyzed regarding their predictive power of patients＇ outcomes. The mean follow-up period was 70.6 months, and the mean age of patients was 63.3 years. In all, 106 patients were 〈 65 years old and 94 patients were ≥65 years old. Age was a significant predictor of overall survival （OS）. A Charlson score of 0 was found in 110 patients, and of ≥ 1 in 90 patients. Charlson score was not a significant predictor of biochemical progression-free survival （BPFS）, clinical progression-free survival （CPFS） or OS. Cox multivariate analysis showed that margin status was a significant independent factor in BPFS, and cancer volume was a significant independent factor in CPFS. Charlson score does not influence the outcome in patients with clinical locally advanced prostate cancer. Age may influence OS. RP can be performed in motivated healthy older patients. However, the patients need to be counseled regarding possible surgery-related side effects, such as urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction, which are age- and comorbidity-dependent.     

Androgen receptors expressed by prostatic stromal cells obtained from younger versus older males exhibit opposite roles in prostate cancer progression

Aging is a major risk factor for prostate cancer （PCa）, and prostatic stromal cells may also promote PCa progression. Accordingly, stromal cells do not equally promote PCa in older males and younger males. Therefore, it is also possible that the expression of androgen receptors （ARs） by prostatic stromal cells in older versus younger males plays different roles in PCa progression. Using a gene knockdown technique and coculture system, we found that the knockdown of the AR in prostatic stromal cells obtained from younger males could promote the invasiveness and metastasis of cocultured PC3/LNCaP cells in vitro. By contrast, the invasiveness and metastasis of LNCaP cells was inhibited when cocultured with prostatic stromal cells from older males that when AR expression was knocked down. Moreover, after targeting AR expression with small hairpin RNA （shRNA）, matrix metalloproteinase （MMP） expression in stromal cells was observed to increase in the younger group, but decreased or remained unchanged in the older group. One exception, however, was observed with MMP9. In vivo, after knocking down AR expression in prostatic stromal cells, the incidence of metastatic lymph nodes was observed to increase in the younger age group, but decreased in the older age group. Together, these data suggest that the AR in prostatic stromal cells played opposite roles in PCa metastasis for older versus younger males. Therefore, collectively, the function of the AR in prostatic stromal cells appears to change with age, and this may account for the increased incidence of PCa in older males.