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Diabetic cystopathyView Articles

Volume 15, Number 1Review Articles

The Other Bladder Syndrome: Underactive Bladder

Management Review

Michael B ChancellorMinoru MiyazatoNaoki Yoshimura

Detrusor underactivity, or underactive bladder (UAB), is defined as a contraction of reduced strength and/or duration resulting in prolonged bladder emptying and/or a failure to achieve complete bladder emptying within a normal time span. UAB can be observed in many neurologic conditions and myogenic failure. Diabetic cystopathy is the most important and inevitable disease developing from UAB, and can occur silently and early in the disease course. Careful neurologic and urodynamic examinations are necessary for the diagnosis of UAB. Proper management is focused on prevention of upper tract damage, avoidance of overdistension, and reduction of residual urine. Scheduled voiding, double voiding, al-blockers, and intermittent self-catheterization are the typical conservative treatment options. Sacral nerve stimulation may be an effective treatment option for UAB. New concepts such as stem cell therapy and neurotrophic gene therapy are being explored. Other new agents for UAB that act on prostaglandin E2 and EP2 receptors are currently under development. The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries that have a pipeline in urology and women’s health may want to consider UAB as a potential target condition. Scientific counsel and review of the current pharmaceutical portfolio may uncover agents, including those in other therapeutic fields, that may benefit the management of UAB. [Rev Urol. 2013;15(1):11-22 doi: 10.3909/riu0558] © 2013 MedReviews®, LLC

Underactive bladderOveractive bladderDetrusor overactivityDiabetic cystopathy

DiethylstilbestrolView Articles

Volume 8, Supplement 2Review Articles

Hormonal Therapy for Prostate Cancer

16th International Prostate Cancer Update

Michael K Brawer

Updates on hormonal therapy in the treatment of prostate cancer are presented. The most common therapy is to reduce testosterone to castrate levels. A dosage of 1 mg diethylstilbestrol daily prolonged survival in patients with advanced prostate cancer. The leuteinizing hormone–releasing hormone agonists have essentially replaced surgical orchiectomy in the vast majority of clinical settings; however, a major problem with the leuteinizing hormone– releasing hormone agonists has been the surge and flare of testosterone levels. If hormonal therapy is initiated early, the risk of major complications is significantly decreased. Combined androgen blockade is better than monotherapy, although there is only a small clinical benefit. When androgen deprivation is used for a short time and the normal androgen milieu is re-established, the side effects and toxicity of androgen deprivation are decreased. The major complications of androgen deprivation include hot flushes, reduction of bone mineral density, osteoporosis, and anemia. Intermittent androgen blockade might have the same benefits of total androgen suppression with fewer side effects, increased duration of androgen dependence, and less cost. The 10 steps to take when advising patients about initiation of androgen deprivation therapy are reviewed. [Rev Urol. 2006;8(suppl 2):S35-S47]

Prostate cancerHormonal therapyAndrogen ablationDiethylstilbestrol

Volume 9, Number 1Review Articles

Recent Progress in the Treatment of Advanced Prostate Cancer With Intermittent Dose-Intense Calcitriol (DN-101)

Treatment Update

Michael K Brawer

Docetaxel is becoming standard therapy for androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC), and investigational agents are being added to docetaxel to assess potential additive effects and synergy. Although one of these agents, calcitriol, has repeatedly demonstrated antiproliferative properties against cancer of the prostate, breast, colon, and lung, the antineoplastic activity of calcitriol requires superphysiologic levels. Unfortunately, chronic exposure to superphysiologic levels of calcitriol causes hypercalcemia and resulting toxicity. Therefore, a host of analogues of calcitriol have been investigated for antineoplastic function, including intermittent dose-intense calcitriol, or DN-101. Because of encouraging results from phase II studies of DN-101 combined with docetaxel, the ASCENT (AIPC Study of Calcitriol Enhancement of Taxotere) phase II trial investigated docetaxel plus DN-101 versus docetaxel plus placebo in 250 men with metastatic AIPC and an abnormal baseline prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level. Although the ASCENT trial did not achieve its primary endpoint for increased PSA response, there was a significant trend in PSA response rate in the DN-101 arm. DN-101 in combination with docetaxel seems to improve overall survival and, interestingly, has a favorable safety profile compared with docetaxel alone. The DN-101/docetaxel combination is currently being studied in a much larger international trial, ASCENT-2. [Rev Urol. 2007;9(1):1-8]

Prostate cancerVitamin DCalcitriolDN-101Docetaxel