With the increase in the incidence of cancer in China and the aging of the population, prostate cancer and prostatic diseases are increasingly attracting the attention of urologists, and even the public. China’s urology is constantly evolving, especially in recent years. More and more excellent work in prostate research from China got published in high-impact journals like Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases. Prostate cancer and prostatic diseases affect people globally. Data from Chinese population are very important for urologists worldwide to understand these diseases deeply. In the future, prostate research from China will certainly attract more attention on the international stage.

Editor-in-chief, Prof. Stephen J. Freedland and the editorial team are making great efforts to spread the influence of Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases globally, especially in China. As a Chinese urologist, I am honored to be an editor of Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases. We all hope to fasten connection between Chinese urologists with peers all around the world. On 8th–9th Dec 2018, the 8th Shanghai Genitourinary Oncology International Symposium will be held. As chair of this symposium, I am happy to announce that editorial team of Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases will be well welcomed to present “Best of China 2018 Issue” in Shanghai. This is a fantastic opportunity to promote collaboration and introduce China’s achievements in prostate research to the world. I am pleased to present a collection of articles written by China’s scholars in Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases lately as a Virtual Issue.

This year’s Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases “Best of China” issue composes of five papers written by Chinese urologists.

  1. 1.

    Preoperative prostate health index predicts poor pathologic outcomes of radical prostatectomy in patients with biopsy-detected low-risk patients prostate cancer: results from a Chinese prospective cohort [1]. This article summarized the value of preoperative prostate health index (PHI) in predicting poor pathologic features in biopsy-detected low-risk Chinese prostate cancer patients, and indicated future usage of PHI in selecting Chinese cases suitable for active surveillance.

  2. 2.

    Adaptation and external validation of the European randomized study of screening for prostate cancer risk calculator for the Chinese population [2]. This paper recalibrated and validated European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) risk calculator in Chinese population, developing a useful tool to predict prostate cancer risk for Chinese men. In future, the risk calculator tailored for Chinese men might be used for risk stratification before prostate biopsy and should replace purely PSA-based decision.

  3. 3.

    A meta-analysis of cardiovascular events in intermittent androgen-deprivation therapy versus continuous androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer patients [3]. In this systematic review, authors observed that continuous androgen deprivation therapy (CADT) is inferior to intermittent androgen deprivation therapy (IADT) for the treatment of prostate cancer with respect to cardiovascular-related mortality. However, they also clarified that the incidence of cardiovascular events in patients with prostate cancer receiving CADT versus IADT was similar.

  4. 4.

    Pretreatment plasma fibrinogen as an independent prognostic indicator of prostate cancer patients treated with androgen deprivation therapy [4]. Authors found that pretreatment plasma fibrinogen was an independent prognostic indicator for Chinese prostate cancer patients who received ADT. Maybe adding fibrinogen to traditional prognostic model may improve its predictive accuracy in Chinese prostate cancer patients.

  5. 5.

    Berbamine inhibited the growth of prostate cancer cells in vivo and in vitro via triggering intrinsic pathway of apoptosis [5]. Researchers discovered that Berbamine could inhibit prostate cancer progression via activating intrinsic apoptosis pathway, which offered an opportunity to develop new managing strategy for prostate cancer.

Articles in this collection are worth reading and I do hope that these papers will not only provide interest and knowledge, but give peers in urology some enlightenment as well. May our efforts lead to success in exchanging ideas, promoting collaboration, and fastening connection between China’s scholars with peers around the world.