Objective:We evaluated the efficacy of low dose tamsulosin after extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) in Japanese male patients with ureteral stone. Methods: One hundred and two Japanese male patients with ureteral stones who underwent ESWL were randomly divided into three groups. Group A (38 patients) was given tamsulosin (0.2 mg/day); group B (30 patients) was given choreito, a herbal medicine (7.5 g/day); and group C (34 patients) received no medication. Stone clearance was assessed at 1, 7, 14, and 28 days after ESWL using plain abdominal radiography and abdominal ultrasonography. After 28 days, stone delivery was checked every 2 weeks. Results: The stone-free rate was 84.21%, 90%, and 88.24% for groups A, B, and C, respectively (P = 0.3425). The mean expulsion time was 15.66 Ϯ 6.14 days in group A, 27.74 Ϯ 25.36 days in group B, and 35.47 Ϯ 53.70 days in group C. The expulsion time of group A was significantly shorter than that of groups B (P = 0.0116) and C (P = 0.0424). Conclusions:The addition of tamsulosin to conservative treatment appeared to be effective in shortening the stone expulsion time.

These results suggest that tumor foci within the same prostate represent independent tumors with differing clonal origin and that loss of 8p12-22 represents an important determinant of prostate cancer progression.

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening has led to a remarkable increase in prostate cancer cases undergoing operative therapy. Over half of patients with locally advanced cancer (^pT3) develop rising PSA levels (biochemical failure) within 10 years. It is very difficult to predict which patients will progress rapidly to advanced disease following biochemical failure (BF). Therefore, a more useful prognostic factor is needed to suggest the most appropriate therapies for each patient. To determine chromosomal aberrations, we examined 30 patients with stage pT2 or pT3 primary prostate adenocarcinomas and no metastases (pN0M0) by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). Laser capture microdissection (LCM) was used to gather cancer cells from frozen prostate specimens. Common chromosomal alterations included losses on 2q23-24, 4q26-28, 6q14-22, 8p12-22 and 13q21-31, as well as gains on 1p32-36, 6p21 and 17q21-22. Losses at 8p12-22 and 13q21-31 were observed more frequently in pT3 than pT2 tumors (Po0.05 and Po0.01, respectively). Losses at 8p12-22 were more frequent in tumors with BF (Po0.05), and those at 13q12-21 were more frequent in tumors with Gleason score (GS) 7 or more than lower GS (Po0.05). These findings suggest that losses of 8p12-22 and 13q21-31 are important determinants of prostate cancer progression.

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Introduction: Patients with liver metastases from prostate cancer show poor prognosis. We performed metastases-directed therapy using radiofrequency ablation of liver metastases in an attempt to improve the prognosis in a patient with metastatic prostate cancer. Case presentation: We present the case of a 66-year-old man who was treated for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Evaluation showed isolated liver metastases together with elevated serum prostate-specific antigen levels. We performed metastases-directed therapy using radiofrequency ablation of the liver tumor. The patient showed no recurrent liver metastases for 42 months and survived for 66 months after diagnosis of metastatic prostate cancer. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first report that describes radiofrequency ablation of liver metastases from prostate cancer. This procedure may be a useful therapeutic option for metastases-directed therapy in patients with liver metastases from prostate cancer.