In a nutshell
This study examined if stem cell treatment is safe and effective in patients with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) after prostate surgery. This study concluded that stem cell treatment is safe and effective in patients with SUI after prostate surgery.
Some background
Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is the unintentional loss of urine due to stress put on the bladder. This stress can result from sneezing or exercising. This is a common side-effect of surgery to remove some or all of the prostate gland in patients with prostate cancer. During the surgery the urinary sphincter can get damaged, this normally acts to hold the urine in the bladder. SUI can lead to a decreased quality of life.
Medications are not always effective in treating SUI. Stem cell therapy is now being studied as a treatment for SUI. This involves injecting cells next to the urethra which can grow and help to replace the sphincter tissue that has been damaged. These stem cells can be taken from the patients own adipose (fat) tissue.
It is not known if stem cell treatment is safe and effective in treating patients with SUI after prostate surgery.
Methods & findings
13 patients who had prostate surgery were included in this study. Each patient had stem cells injected next to the urethra. These patients were followed up for an average of 69 months. The amount of urine collected by an incontinence pad over 24 hours was measured at different time points.
At follow-up, the average amount of urine leakage reduced from 260.7 g to 152.7 g in 24 hours. In 10 patients, their urinary incontinence progressively improved up to 12 months after treatment. The average amount of urine leakage each day was reduced by 57.7% (from 281.5 g to 119.0 g).
Symptoms did not improve in the other 3 patients. In these patients, the average amount of urine leakage each day increased from 191.1g to 273.9g. None of the patients experienced serious side effects or an increase in PSA (a marker for prostate cancer).
The bottom line
This study concluded that stem cell treatment is safe and effective in patients with SUI after prostate surgery.
The fine print
This was a small study, larger studies with more patients are required.
Published By :
International journal of urology: official journal of the Japanese Urological Association
Date :
Dec 17, 2018
