Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between metabolic syndrome and the prostatic volume. Materials and Methods: From January 1997 to December 2006, 555 male out-patients who visited our health care center were investigated and they underwent transrectal ultrasonogram of the prostate. The patients were divided into two groups; group A met the criteria for metabolic syndrome (128 patients) and group B did not meet the criteria (427 patients). The authors compared the age, the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and the prostate volume between these two groups. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in age and PSA between the two groups. The prostate volume was significantly larger in group A (39.5±17.3cc) than in group B (31.7±9.6cc). Conclusions:The results of this study proved that metabolic syndrome and the prostate volume are related. Therefore, proper clinical management of metabolic syndrome should accompany the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Introduction: This study was conducted to investigate the relationships between the effect of sunitinib and immature microvessels which are not covered by pericytes. Materials and Methods: This study involved 29 patients with clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who took sunitinib after radical nephrectomy or biopsy due to metastatic RCC. Associations among clinicopathological factors, responses to sunitinib, and patient survival were reviewed. CD31 was used to stain endothelial cells, and anti-α-smooth muscle actin was used to stain pericytes. Immature vessels were defined as vessels that were positive only for CD31 staining. A high pericyte coverage was defined as a rate of pericyte coverage above 40%. Results: Partial responses, disease stabilization, and disease progression constituted 51.7, 10.4, and 37.9% of cases, respectively. Nine cases had a low pericyte coverage (31.0%). In the high-pericyte-coverage group, the number of metastatic sites was smaller (p = 0.003). The overall response rate to sunitinib was greater in the high-pericyte-coverage group than in the low-pericyte-coverage group (p = 0.027). The median overall survival and the median progression-free survival were not significantly different between the high- and low-pericyte-coverage groups. Conclusion: In the high-pericyte-coverage group, the overall response rates to sunitinib were higher, and the numbers of metastatic sites were smaller.

Purpose: Recent studies have reported the association of obesity and advanced stage prostate cancer. We researched the association between body mass index (BMI), which is widely used to diagnose obesity, and the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening test for prostate cancer. Meterials and Methods:The authors examined the association between BMI and PSA for 26,193 men who visited the health promotion center at our medical center from July 1998 to June 2004. The BMI (weight in kg/height in m 2 ) was calculated from the measured height and weight and this was categorized as follows: BMI＜18.5 (underweight), BMI 18.5-23.0 (normal weight), BMI 23.0-27.5 (overweight), BMI＞27.5 (obesity). We measured the mean PSA value of each BMI category. After adjust for age, we evaluated the PSA according to BMI by using error bars and 95% confidence intervals. Results: The patients' age distribution was from 20 to 90 years old and their mean age was 46.1. The mean PSA value increased in a linear fashion with an increase in the age category (p＜0.001), while it decreased in a linear fashion with an increase in the BMI category (p＜0.001). After adjusting for age, the mean PSA value also decreased in a linear fashion with an increase in the BMI category (p＜0.001). Conclusions:Men with an elevated BMI tend to have a lower value of PSA and to be misdiagnosed with prostate cancer. The PSA value should considered in relation to age and the BMI for the early detection of prostate cancer.

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