Tomato product consumption and estimated lycopene intake are hypothesised to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. To define the impact of typical servings of commercially available tomato products on resultant plasma and prostate lycopene concentrations, men scheduled to undergo prostatectomy (n 33) were randomised either to a lycopene-restricted control group ( < 5 mg lycopene/d) or to a tomato soup (2–2¾ cups prepared/d), tomato sauce (142–198 g/d or 5–7 ounces/d) or vegetable juice (325–488 ml/d or 11–16·5 fluid ounces/d) intervention providing 25–35 mg lycopene/d. Plasma and prostate carotenoid concentrations were measured by HPLC. Tomato soup, sauce and juice consumption significantly increased plasma lycopene concentration from 0·68 (sem 0·1) to 1·13 (sem 0·09) μmol/l (66 %), 0·48 (sem 0·09) to 0·82 (sem 0·12) μmol/l (71 %) and 0·49 (sem 0·12) to 0·78 (sem 0·1) μmol/l (59 %), respectively, while the controls consuming the lycopene-restricted diet showed a decline in plasma lycopene concentration from 0·55 (sem 0·60) to 0·42 (sem 0·07) μmol/l ( − 24 %). The end-of-study prostate lycopene concentration was 0·16 (sem 0·02) nmol/g in the controls, but was 3·5-, 3·6- and 2·2-fold higher in tomato soup (P= 0·001), sauce (P= 0·001) and juice (P= 0·165) consumers, respectively. Prostate lycopene concentration was moderately correlated with post-intervention plasma lycopene concentrations (r 0·60, P =0·001), indicating that additional factors have an impact on tissue concentrations. While the primary geometric lycopene isomer in tomato products was all-trans (80–90 %), plasma and prostate isomers were 47 and 80 % cis, respectively, demonstrating a shift towards cis accumulation. Consumption of typical servings of processed tomato products results in differing plasma and prostate lycopene concentrations. Factors including meal composition and genetics deserve further evaluation to determine their impacts on lycopene absorption and biodistribution.

Objectives: When incorporating treatment effect estimates derived from a random-effect meta-analysis it is tempting to use the confidence bounds to determine the potential range of treatment effect. However, prediction intervals reflect the potential effect of a technology rather than the more narrowly defined average treatment effect. Using a case study of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy, this study investigates the impact on a cost-utility analysis of using clinical effectiveness derived from random-effects meta-analyses presented as confidence bounds and prediction intervals, respectively.

Methods: To determine the cost-utility of robot-assisted prostatectomy, an economic model was developed. The clinical effectiveness of robot-assisted surgery compared with open and conventional laparoscopic surgery was estimated using meta-analysis of peer-reviewed publications. Assuming treatment effect would vary across studies due to both sampling variability and differences between surgical teams, random-effects meta-analysis was used to pool effect estimates.

Results: Using the confidence bounds approach the mean and median ICER was €24,193 and €26,731/QALY (95%CI: €13,752 to €68,861/QALY), respectively. The prediction interval approach produced an equivalent mean and median ICER of €26,920 and €26,643/QALY (95%CI: -€135,244 to €239,166/QALY), respectively. Using prediction intervals, there is a probability of 0.042 that robot-assisted surgery will result in a net reduction in QALYs.

Conclusions: Using prediction intervals rather than confidence bounds does not affect the point estimate of the treatment effect. In meta-analyses with significant heterogeneity, the use of prediction intervals will produce wider ranges of treatment effect, and hence result in greater uncertainty, but a better reflection of the effect of the technology.

Purpose: To evaluate the role of retrograde urethrography in treatment planning for salvage external beam radiotherapy in patients with increasing prostate-specific antigen levels after radical prostatectomy.

Methods and Materials: From July 1988 to December 2002, 173 consecutive patients received external beam radiotherapy for increasing prostate-specific antigen levels after radical prostatectomy. All 173 simulation films were reviewed, and retrograde urethrography was performed in 148 patients (86%). The distance between the line connecting the lower poles of the ischial tuberosities and site of abrupt narrowing of contrast material was measured in all 148 patients. This distance was compared with that measured in 148 consecutive patients with intact prostates who had retrograde urethrography while undergoing treatment planning for definitive radiotherapy.

Results: The mean (median) distance from the line connecting the lower poles of the ischial tuberosities to the abrupt narrowing seen in the urethrogram in patients with increasing prostate-specific antigen levels was 1.54cm (1.50cm) compared with 1.73cm (1.80cm) in those with intact prostates (p = 0.0145).

Conclusion: Retrograde urethrography is important in treatment planning for salvage radiotherapy of the prostate bed after radical prostatectomy to adequately treat the apex of the prostate bed.

To evaluate the usefulness of the volumetric fluid balance for indicating and quantifying fluid absorption during transurethral resection of the prostate, 62 patients showing fluid absorption on ethanol monitoring (control method) were selected from a series of 410 operations. The volumetric fluid balance, which was measured as the difference between the input and output of irrigating fluid with and without a correction for the blood loss, proved to be an unreliable clinical tool for measuring the absorption. It indicated that fluid absorption occurred only in 40 or 18 of the 62 patients, depending on whether a correction for blood loss was made or not, the volume being only 59% and 71% (median), respectively, of that obtained by the control method. The absorption averaged 1 L in the patients in whom the volumetric measurements did not indicate absorption. The incidence of symptoms of the ‘transurethral resection syndrome’ increased with the absorbed fluid volume only when measured by the control method.