Surgery (Austin & Northern Health) - Research Publications
Permanent URI for this collection
Search Results
1 - 10 of 10
-
ItemIntraductal carcinoma of the prostate can evade androgen deprivation, with emergence of castrate-tolerant cells(WILEY, 2018-06)OBJECTIVE: To determine the relevance of intraductal carcinoma of the prostate (IDC-P) in advanced prostate cancer by first examining whether IDC-P was originally present in patients who later developed advanced prostate cancer and then using patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) to investigate the response of IDC-P to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective pathology review of IDC-P in primary prostate biopsy or surgery specimens from 38 men who subsequently developed advanced prostate cancer. Overall survival was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. To demonstrate the response of IDC-P to ADT, we established PDXs from seven patients with familial and/or high-risk sporadic prostate cancer. After castration and testosterone restoration of host mice, we measured the volume and proliferation of IDC-P within PDX grafts. RESULTS: We found that IDC-P was a prominent feature in the primary prostate specimens, present in 63% of specimens and often co-existing with poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. Overall survival was similar in patients with or without IDC-P. In the PDXs from all seven patients, IDC-P was identified and present at a similar volume to adenocarcinoma. Residual IDC-P lesions persisted after host castration and, similar to castrate-tolerant adenocarcinoma, testosterone restoration led to tumour regeneration. CONCLUSION: The study showed that IDC-P is prevalent in aggressive prostate cancer and contains cells that can withstand androgen deprivation. Thus, IDC-P appears functionally relevant in advanced prostate cancer. The presence of IDC-P may be a trigger to develop innovative clinical management plans.
-
ItemImplementation rates of uro-oncology multidisciplinary meeting decisions(WILEY, 2017-11)OBJECTIVES: To assess implementation rates of the consensus plans made at the uro-oncology multidisciplinary meeting (MDM) of an Australian tertiary centre, and analyse obstacles to implementation. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of all patients discussed at the uro-oncology MDM at our institution between 1 January and 30 June 2015. Rates of referral for MDM discussion after a new histological diagnosis of malignancy, categorised by tumour type, were assessed. Patient records were interrogated to confirm MDM plan implementation, with the outcomes examined being completion of MDM plan within 3 months and factors preventing implementation. RESULTS: During the enrolment period, from 291 uro-oncological procedures, 240 yielded malignant histology of which 160 (67%) were discussed at the MDM. Overall, 202 patients, including 32 females, were discussed at the uro-oncology MDM. MDM consensus plans were implemented in 184 (91.1%) patients. Reasons for deviation from the MDM plan included delay in care, patient deterioration or comorbidities, patient preference, consultant decision, loss to follow-up, and change in patient scenario due to additional new information. CONCLUSION: The MDM is increasingly important in the care of uro-oncology patients, with about two-thirds of new diagnoses currently captured. There appear to be few barriers to the implementation of consensus plans, with nearly all patients undergoing the recommended management.
-
ItemTrends in the surgical treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia in a tertiary hospital(WILEY, 2018-01)BACKGROUND: To assess current treatment trends and perioperative outcomes of transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) in a tertiary institution. METHODS: We prospectively collected a database of all patients undergoing TURP and PVP for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) at a tertiary hospital between January 2011 and December 2013. Patient characteristics such as length of stay, readmission, anticoagulation status, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score and need for blood transfusion were recorded and analysed. RESULTS: In total, 560 cases were included: 204 (36.4%) underwent TURP and 356 (63.6%) PVP. Patients undergoing PVP had higher ASA scores (P < 0.001) and were more frequently on continuing anticoagulant therapy (P < 0.001). With regards to non-aspirin/asasantin coagulation therapy, 61 (17.1%) patients underwent PVP with their anticoagulants continued while no patients who received TURP continued anticoagulation. Blood transfusion percentages were similar at 1.0% for TURP and 1.7% for PVP but readmission proportions were higher after PVP (32 patients, 9.0%) compared to TURP (10 patients, 4.9%). These differences were attenuated when excluding patients continuing anticoagulation during the procedure. CONCLUSION: At our institution, the use of PVP has been increasing on a year-by-year basis. The results of the current study demonstrated that PVP is safe in patients with increased anaesthetic risk or on active anticoagulation when compared to traditional TURP. While this makes PVP an attractive alternative to TURP in high-risk anticoagulated patients, these patients may have complex post-discharge issues that should be addressed during the informed consent process.
-
Item
-
Item
-
ItemProspective analysis of hydrogel spacer for patients with prostate cancer undergoing radiotherapy(WILEY, 2018-09)OBJECTIVE: To report on the dosimetric benefits and late toxicity outcomes after injection of hydrogel spacer (HS) between the prostate and rectum for patients treated with prostate radiotherapy (RT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: In all, 76 patients with a clinical stage of T1-T3a prostate cancer underwent general anaesthesia for fiducial marker insertion plus injection of the HS into the perirectal space before intensity-modulated RT (IMRT) or volumetric-modulated arc RT (VMAT). HS safety, dosimetric benefits, and the immediate- to long-term effects of gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity were assessed. RESULTS: There were no postoperative complications reported. The mean (range) prostate size was 66.0 (25.0-187.0) mm. Rectal dose volume parameters were observed and the volume of rectum receiving 70 Gy (rV70 ), 75 Gy (rV75 ) and 78 Gy (rV78 ) was 7.8%, 3.6% and 0.4%, respectively. In all, 21% of patients (16/76) developed acute Grade 1 GI toxicities, but all were resolved completely by 3 months after treatment; whilst, 3% of patients (2/76) developed late Grade 1 GI toxicities. No patients had acute or late Grade ≥2 GI toxicities. CONCLUSION: Injection of HS resulted in a reduction of irradiated rectal dose volumes along with minimal GI toxicities, irrespective of prostate size.
-
ItemProstate cancer screening in Primary Health Care: the current state of affairs(SPRINGER INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING AG, 2015-02-13)This study aims to examine the current practice of General practitioners (GPs)/primary care physicians in opportunistic screening for prostate cancer (PC) by digital rectal examination(DRE) and Prostate Specific Antigen(PSA) testing and identify any difference in screening practice. Printed copies and/or electronic versions of a survey was distributed amongst 438 GPs throughout Australia in 2012. Statistical analyses (Wilcoxon rank-sum test, Fisher's exact test or Pearson chi-square test)were performed by outcomes and GP characteristics.There were a total of 149 responses received (34%), with similar gender distribution in rural and metropolitan settings. 74% GPs believed PSA testing was at least 'somewhat effective' in reducing PC mortality with annual PSA screening being conducted by more GPs in the metropolitan setting compared to the rural GPs (35% vs 18.4%), while 25% of rural GPs would not advocate routine PSA screening. When examining the concordance between DRE and PSA testing by gender of GP, the male GPs reported performing PSA testing more frequently than DRE in patients between ages 40 to 69 (p = 0.011). Urology Society guidelines (77.2%) and College of GPs (73.2%) recommendations for PC screening were thought to be at least 'somewhat useful'. Although reference ranges for PSA tests were felt to be useful, the majority (65.8%) found it easier to refer to an urologist due to the disagreements in guidelines. In conclusion, the current guidelines for PSA screening appear to cause more confusion due to their conflicting advice, leaving GPs to formulate their own practice methods, calling for an urgent need for uniform collaborative guidelines.
-
ItemLymph node yield in node-negative patients predicts cancer specific survival following radical cystectomy for transitional cell carcinoma(KOREAN UROLOGICAL ASSOC, 2017-11)PURPOSE: To determine the oncological implications of increased nodal dissection in node-negative bladder cancer during radical cystectomy in a contemporary Australian series. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a multicenter retrospective study, including more than 40 surgeons across 5 sites over a 10-year period. We identified 353 patients with primary bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy. Extent of lymphadenectomy was defined as follows; limited pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) (perivesical, pelvic, and obturator), standard PLND (internal and external iliac) and extended PLND (common iliac). Multivariable cox proportional hazards and logistic regression models were used to determine LNY effect on cancer-specific survival. RESULTS: Over the study period, the extent of dissection and lymph node yield increased considerably. In node-negative patients, lymph node yield (LNY) conferred a significantly improved cancer-specific survival. Compared to cases where LNY of 1 to 5 nodes were taken, the hazard ratio (HR) for 6 to 15 nodes harvested was 0.78 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.43-1.39) and for greater than 15 nodes the HR was 0.31 (95% CI, 0.17-0.57), adjusted for age, sex, T stage, margin status, and year of surgery. The predicted probability of cancer-specific death within 2 years of cystectomy was 16% (95% CI, 13%-19%) with 10 nodes harvested, falling to 5.5% (95% CI, 0%-12%) with 30 nodes taken. Increasing harvest in all PLND templates conferred a survival benefit. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the current study highlight the improved oncological outcomes with increased LNY, irrespective of the dissection template. Further prospective research is needed to aid LND data interpretation.
-
ItemA single institution analysis of low-dose-rate brachytherapy: 5-year reported survival and late toxicity outcomes(TERMEDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE LTD, 2018)PURPOSE: To report the 5-year biochemical relapse-free survival (BRFS), overall survival (OS), and long-term toxicity outcomes of patients treated with low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy as monotherapy for low- to intermediate-risk prostate cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between 2004 and 2011, 371 patients were treated with LDR brachytherapy as monotherapy. Of these, 102 patients (27%) underwent transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) prior to implantation. Follow-up was performed every 3 months for 12 months, then every 6 months over 4 years and included prostate specific antigen evaluation. The biochemical relapse-free survival (BRFS) was defined according to the Phoenix criteria. Acute and late toxicities were documented using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0. The BRFS and OS estimates were calculated using Kaplan-Meier plots. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate outcomes by pre-treatment clinical prognostic factors and radiation dosimetry. RESULTS: The median follow-up of all patients was 5.45 years. The 5-year BRFS and OS rates were 95% and 96%, respectively. The BRFS rates for patients with Gleason score (GS) > 7 and GS ≤ 6 were 96% and 91% respectively (p = 0.06). On univariate analysis, T1 and T2 staging, risk-group classification, and prostate volumes had no impact on survival at 5 years (p > 0.1). Late grade 2 and 3 genitourinary (GU) toxicities were observed in 10% and 5% of patients respectively. Additionally, patients with prior TURP had a greater incidence of late grade 2 or 3 urinary retention (p = 0.001). There were 14 deaths in total; however, none were attributed to prostate cancer. CONCLUSIONS: LDR brachytherapy is an effective treatment option in low- to intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients. We observed low biochemical relapse rates and minimal GU toxicities several years after treatment in patients with or without TURP. However, a small risk of urinary retention was observed in some patients.
-
ItemThe use of tissue fiducial markers in improving the accuracy of post-prostatectomy radiotherapy(KOREAN SOC THERAPEUTIC RADIOLOGY & ONCOLOGY, 2019-03)PURPOSE: The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the use of a radiopaque tissue fiducial marker (TFM) in the treatment of prostate cancer patients who undergo post-prostatectomy radiotherapy (PPRT). TFM safety, its role and benefit in quantifying the set-up uncertainties in patients undergoing PPRT image-guided radiotherapy were assessed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 45 consecutive PPRT patients underwent transperineal implantation of TFM at the level of vesicourethral anastomosis in the retrovesical tissue prior to intensity-modulated radiotherapy. Prostate bed motion was calculated by measuring the position of the TFM relative to the pelvic bony anatomy on daily cone-beam computed tomography. The stability and visibility of the TFM were assessed in the initial 10 patients. RESULTS: No postoperative complications were recorded. A total of 3,500 images were analysed. The calculated prostate bed motion for bony landmark matching relative to TFM were 2.25 mm in the left-right, 5.89 mm in the superior-inferior, and 6.59 mm in the anterior-posterior directions. A significant 36% reduction in the mean volume of rectum receiving 70 Gy (rV70) was achieved for a uniform planning target volume (PTV) margin of 7 mm compared with the Australian and New Zealand Faculty of Radiation Oncology Genito-Urinary Group recommended PTV margin of 10 mm. CONCLUSION: The use of TFM was safe and can potentially eliminate set-up errors associated with bony landmark matching, thereby allowing for tighter PTV margins and a consequent favourable reduction in dose delivered to the bladder and rectum, with potential improvements in toxicities.