Does combination therapy with tamsulosin and trospium chloride improve lower urinary tract symptoms after SEEDS brachytherapy for prostate cancer compared with tamsulosin alone? : A prospective, randomized, controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the efficacy of combination therapy with an alpha-blocker and an anticholinergic to monotherapy with an alpha blocker on lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) following brachytherapy in prostate cancer patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 124 patients that had been clinically diagnosed with localized prostate cancer and underwent prostate brachytherapy were enrolled in the present study. Patients were randomized and allocated to two groups, including 60 to the combination group (tamsulosin 0.2 mg/day and trospium chloride 20 mg twice daily) and 64 to the monotherapy group (tamsulosin 0.2 mg/day). Treatment began 1 day after brachytherapy and continued for 6 months. LUTS were compared between the two groups using the total International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), storage and voiding IPSS subscores, quality of life (QoL) scores, maximum flow rate (Qmax), and postvoid residual (PVR) urine volume at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after implantation.

RESULTS

In all, 111 patients were ultimately analyzed in the study. Compared with pretreatment scores, a significant increase in total IPSS was found at 1, 3, and 6 months in both groups, but no statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups. The combination therapy group showed a greater decrease in the IPSS storage score compared with the monotherapy group at 1, 3, and 6 months (p = 0.031, 0.030 and 0.042, respectively). Patients receiving tamsulosin plus trospium chloride also showed significant improvements in QoL at 1 and 3 months compared with tamsulosin alone (P = 0.039, P = 0.047). Between the two groups, there was no significant difference in IPSS voiding score, Qmax, and PVR from baseline to each point of the study period.

CONCLUSIONS

Combination therapy with tamsulosin and trospium chloride helped to improve IPSS storage symptoms and Qol scores in prostate brachytherapy patients with LUTS compared with tamsulosin monotherapy.