Suppressive Effects of Eviprostat, a Phytotherapeutic Agent, on Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Prostate Cancer Patients Treated with Brachytherapy.
Eviprostat is an anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory phytotherapeutic agent that is commonly used to treat lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in benign prostatic hyperplasia in Japan and Germany. Prostate cancer patients treated with brachytherapy generally have complaints of LUTS for several months postoperatively. We investigated the protective effects of Eviprostat against the development of LUTS in 37 patients, who had received (125) I prostate brachytherapy as monotherapy. These patients were divided into two groups, an Eviprostat-treated group (n = 18) and an untreated control (n = 19), whose background had no significant difference. The group treated with Eviprostat was prophylactically medicated from 3 weeks preoperatively until 3 months postoperatively. Symptom scores and quality of life for urination were evaluated according to the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC) on preoperative day 1, and postoperative months 1, 3 and 6. Both the scores of IPSS and the levels of quality of life in EPIC were significantly worse at 1 month postoperatively compared to the pretreatment baseline, and thereafter progressively improved in both groups. Eviprostat-treated patients showed significantly better recovery compared to Eviprostat-untreated control at 6 months postoperatively, with respect to urinary summary score, urinary function and urinary irritation/obstruction subscales in EPIC. Moreover, the feeling of incomplete emptying in IPSS and the urinary irritation/obstruction subscale in EPIC were significantly improved at 3 months postoperatively compared to the peak impairment at 1 month in the Eviprostat-treated group. It is possible that Eviprostat has the potential to ameliorate postoperative LUTS caused by brachytherapy.