The impact of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte, platelet-to-lymphocyte and haemoglobin-to-platelet ratio on localised renal cell carcinoma oncologic outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are established markers of systemic inflammation. Moreover, anemia is a known adverse prognostic factor and reduced haemoglobin to platelet ratio (HPR) seems associate to poor outcomes in urothelial cancer. Aim of the current study was to explore the prognostic value of NLR, HPR and PLR in patients harboring localized RCC. Materials and Methods 184 patients undergoing partial and radical nephrectomy for renal mass in a single hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Uni- and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to assess associations between various risk factors, including NLR, PLR and HPR and locally advanced disease (≤pT2 vs.≥pT3) and tumor grade. Kaplan Meier curves and Cox regressions were constructed to assess the association of NLR, PLR and HPR to recurrence free survival (RFS), cancer specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS). To determine thresholds for variables, we considered the 75th percentile of our distribution of values, which was computed at 3.45 for NLR, 189 for PLR and 0.48 for HPR. A two-sided P<0.05 defined statistical significance. RESULTS: Patients with an elevated NLR (>3.45) were more likely to present with≥pT3 stage (p=0.046). RFS was significantly different according to NLR value, with patients having an NLR>3.45 experiencing significantly worst RFS (P=0.019); similarly, an increased PLR was significantly associated to a reduced RFS (P=0.012). Restricting the Cox regression to patients with locally advanced disease (≥pT3), NLR was even more associated to recurrence (HR 3.22; 95%CI: 1.06-9.81, P=0.039). Patients exhibiting an NLR>3.45 (p=0.03) or a PLR>189 (P=0.005) did have a significantly worse CSS, while a HPR<0.48 did not predict CSS (P=0.12) on Kaplan Meier curves. Finally, an increased NLR (P=0.047), increased PLR (P=0.0006) and decreased HPR (P=0.05) were all associated to a poor overall survival on univariate analysis. On multivariate analysis, only HPR remained significantly predictive of OS (HR 0.077; 95%CI: 0.02-0.37, P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this single-center study analyzing non-metastatic RCC, an increased NLR was significantly associated to a reduced RFS, CSS and OS on univariate analyses and to RFS on multivariate analysis. Larger prospective studies are needed to validate our findings. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

A systematic review of contemporary management of oligometastatic prostate cancer: fighting a challenge or tilting at windmills?

PURPOSE: Amongst the unanswered questions regarding prostate cancer (PCa), the optimal management of oligometastatic disease remains one of the major concerns of the scientific community. The very existence of this category is still subject to controversy. Aim of this systematic review is to summarize current available data on the most appropriate management of oligometastatic PCa. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: All relevant studies published in English up to November the 1st were identified through systematic searches in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Google Scholar and Ovid database. A search was performed including the combination of following words: (prostate cancer) and (metastatic) and [(oligo) or (PSMA) or (cytoreductive) or (stereotaxic radiotherapy) or (prostatectomy)]. 3335 articles were reviewed. After title screening and abstract reading, 118 papers were considered for full reading, leaving a total of 36 articles for the systematic review. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: There is still no consensus on the definition of oligometastatic disease, nor on the imaging modalities used for its detection. While retrospective studies suggest an added benefit with the treatment the primitive tumor by cytoreductive prostatectomy (55% survival rate vs 21%, p < 0.001), prospective studies do not validate the same outcome. Nonetheless, most studies have reported a reduction in local complications after cytoreductive prostatectomy (< 10%) compared to the best systemic treatment (25-30%). Concerning radiotherapy, an overall survival benefit for patients with a low metastatic burden was found in STAMPEDE (HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.52-0.90; p = 0.007) and suggested in subgroup analysis of the HORRAD trial. Regarding the impact of metastases-directed therapy (MDT), the STOMP and ORIOLE trials suggested that metastatic disease control might improve androgen deprivation therapy-free survival (in STOMP: 21 vs 13 months for MDT vs standard of care). Nonetheless, the impact of MDT on long-term oncologic results remains unclear. Finally, oligometastatic disease appears to be a biologically different entity compared to high-burden metastatic disease. New findings on exosomes appear to make them intriguing biomarkers in the early phases of oligometastatic PCa. CONCLUSION: Oligometastatic PCa is today a poorly understood disease. The implementation of new imaging techniques as whole-body MRI and PSMA PET/CT has increased exponentially the number of oligometastatic patients detected. Data of available trials suggest a benefit from cytoreductive prostatectomy to reduce local complication, though its impact on survival remains unknown. Radiotherapy may be beneficial for patients with low-burden metastatic PCa, while MDT may delay the need for androgen deprivation therapy. Results from ongoing trials data are eagerly awaited to draw reliable recommendations.

A multicentric study on accurate grading of prostate cancer with systematic and MRI/US fusion targeted biopsies: comparison with final histopathology after radical prostatectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy in histologic grading of MRI/US image fusion biopsy by comparing histopathology between systematic biopsies (SB), targeted biopsies (TB) and the combination of both (SB + TB) with the final histopathologic outcomes of radical prostatectomy specimens. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective, multicentric study of 443 patients who underwent SB and TB using MRI/US fusion technique (Urostation® and Trinity®) prior to radical prostatectomy between 2010 and 2017. Cochran's Q test and McNemar test were conducted as a post hoc test. Uni-multivariable analyses were performed on several clinic-pathological variables to analyze factors predicting histopathological concordance for targeted biopsies. RESULTS: Concordance in ISUP (International Society of Urological Pathology) grade between SB, TB and SB + TB with final histopathology was 49.4%, 51.2%, and 63.2% for overall prostate cancer and 41.2%, 48.3%, and 56.7% for significant prostate cancer (ISUP grade ≥ 2), respectively. Significant difference in terms of concordance, downgrading and upgrading was found between SB and TB (ISUP grade ≥ 2 only), SB and SB + TB, TB and SB + TB (overall ISUP grade and ISUP grade ≥ 2) (p < 0.001). Total number of cores and previous biopsies were significant independent predictive factors for concordance with TB technique. CONCLUSION: In this retrospective study, combination of SB and TB significantly increased concordance with final histopathology despite a limited additional number of cores needed.