Cytoreductive Nephrectomy in Select Primary Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients: A Comprehensive Nationwide Outcome Analysis.

(1) Background: The role of cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN) is controversial in patients with primary metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). (2) Methods: We evaluated the impact of CN, or no CN, followed by first-line targeted therapy (TT) in a nationwide unselected cohort of 437 consecutive patients with primary mRCC over a two-year period with a minimum of five years of follow-up. Data sources were national registries supplemented with manually extracted information from individual patient medical records. Cox proportional hazards estimated the hazard ratio (HR) of overall death and cancer-specific death after one and three years. (3) Results: 210 patients underwent CN and 227 did not. A total of 176 patients (40%) had CN followed by TT, 160 (37%) had TT alone, 34 (8%) underwent CN followed by observation, and 67 (15%) received no treatment. After adjustments in Model 2, patients treated with TT alone demonstrated a worsened overall survival (OS) compared to those treated with CN + TT, HR 0.63 (95% CI: 0.19-2.04). (4) Conclusions: In this nationwide study, CN was associated with enhanced outcomes in carefully selected patients with primary mRCC. Further randomized trials are warranted.

Lifestyle and Clinical Factors in a Nationwide Stage III and IV Renal Cell Carcinoma Study.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to investigate whether patient-related or clinical risk factors present at the diagnosis of advanced stage renal cell carcinoma (RCC) had an impact on the overall mortality, cancer-specific mortality, and recurrence risk in a national cohort. METHODS: Patients registered with stage III and IV RCC in the Danish Renal Cancer Database (DaRenCa) in 2014-2016 were included in the study and followed up until recurrence or death. We conducted a Cox Proportional Hazard Model to examine the association between several variables and the development of RCC. These variables included BMI, hypertension, smoking status, symptoms at diagnosis, performance status, multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussion, surgical margin, and primary metastasis. Separate analyses were performed for cc-RCC and non-ccRCC patients. RESULTS: In our cohort of 929 patients, 424 individuals died from RCC during the follow-up period, with a median follow-up time of 4.1 (95% CI: 0.8-5.0) years for ccRCC and 2.0 (95% CI: 0.1-5.0) years for non-ccRCC. A multivariate analysis demonstrated that a positive surgical margin (HR 1.53 and 1.43), synchronous metastasis (HR 2.06 and 3.23), and poor performance status (HR 4.73 and 5.27) were significantly associated with a decreased 5-year overall and cancer-specific survival, respectively. Furthermore, a positive surgical margin was associated with a higher risk of recurrence in ccRCC. MDT discussion was found to reduce mortality risk in non-ccRCC. CONCLUSION: Clinical- and disease-related variables have a greater impact on RCC mortality and recurrence than the selected lifestyle-related factors. The inclusion of MDT discussion in the diagnosis and management of advanced RCC should be further evaluated for its potential to improve patient outcomes.

Feasibility of minimally invasive, same-day injection of autologous adipose-derived stem cells in the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate feasibility and safety of a new minimally invasive same-day method of autologous adipose derived stem cell (ADSC) transplantation in men suffering from ED. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective case series of 10 men with an IIEF-EF domain score <17. The IIEF questionnaire was filled out at baseline and 1, 2 and 3 months after treatment. Side effects were assessed by investigations and interviews until 6 months after treatment. The myStem® X2 kit was used for preparation of ADSC: Adipose tissue was harvested from the patient himself under local anesthesia and immediately prepared and injected into the penis. Primary endpoints were feasibility and safety. Secondary outcomes included effects on ED and changes in the remaining IIEF domains. RESULTS: Ten men were included. Only one adverse event in the form of minor blue discoloration at the fat harvest site was registered. There were statistically significant improvements in IIEF-EF at one, two and three months after treatment compared to baseline with the median score increasing from 5.5 to 10.5, 10.5 and 10, respectively. Considering the individual patients, 3/10 men achieved an improvement equal to or greater than the minimal clinically important difference according to their baseline IIEF-EF score. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms the feasibility and safety of this minimally invasive, same-day delivery of ADSC. Due to the design and size on the study, conclusions should not be drawn regarding efficacy, but the method seems worthy of further study.

Cystoscopy Accuracy in Detecting Bladder Tumors: A Prospective Video-Confirmed Study.

BACKGROUND: Bladder cancer ranks as the 10th most common cancer globally. The diagnosis of bladder tumors typically involves cystoscopy. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of cystoscopy in detecting bladder tumors within a surveillance program following a bladder cancer diagnosis. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This study utilized recordings of cystoscopies conducted at the Department of Urology, Zealand University Hospital, between July 2021 and November 2022. Clinical observations were cross-referenced with pathological results or follow-up cystoscopies. Clinically negative cystoscopies were further scrutinized for potential overlooked tumors. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Sensitivity and specificity of cystoscopy were assessed through ROC curve analysis. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: A total of 565 cystoscopies were recorded, with 135 indicating clinical positivity. Among 181 cystoscopies with clinically negative results that underwent a follow-up cystoscopy, 17 patients (9.4%) were subsequently diagnosed with bladder cancer, with the lesions identified in the initial cystoscopy. The sensitivity and specificity of cystoscopy in these cases were 81% and 73%, respectively. CONCLUSION: This trial underscores the underdiagnosis and undertreatment of bladder tumors within the current surveillance program. Additionally, aggressive malignant lesions may be overlooked, heightening the risk of disease progression. Therefore, it is recommended that cystoscopies be complemented by other diagnostic methods to ensure accurate diagnosis and proper patient treatment. PATIENT SUMMARY: This study involved 316 patients who underwent video-recorded cystoscopies and subsequent follow-up. Of these patients, 181 initially exhibited no clinical signs of bladder cancer. However, upon reviewing the recorded cystoscopy, bladder cancer was identified in 17 patients (9.4%).

Intraoperative Mitomycin C Bladder Instillation During Radical Nephroureterectomy Is Feasible and Safe.

BACKGROUND: Bladder recurrence after radical treatment of upper urinary tract urothelial cancer (UTUC) is frequent, and patients are required to undergo surveillance cystoscopies following surgery. The use of intravesical adjuvant chemotherapy is an accepted method to prevent bladder recurrence, but the timing of this method is not standardized and the concept of intraoperative use is unexplored. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study is to examine the feasibility and safety of intraoperative intravesical mitomycin C (MMC) instillation using a closed-circuit system following bladder cuff excision and bladder closure. DESIGN SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: All patients who underwent radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for UTUC at the Department of Urology of Zealand University Hospital, Roskilde, Denmark from 2017 to 2020 were identified. Patient complications within 30 d and data regarding oncological outcome were registered. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANA LYSIS: Clavien-Dindo grade for complications and descriptive statistics were used. RESULTS: During the study period, 64 patients underwent RNU. Of these patients, 49 received bladder instillation of MMC during RNU. Complications were observed in 11 patients (21.4%), where four patients (8.2%) had Clavien-Dindo complication grade (CD) I, four patients (8.2%) had CD II, one patient (2%) had CD III, and one patient (2%) had CD IIIa. None of the complications were suspected to be related to MMC. Five of the 15 patients (33%) who did not receive MMC experienced complications. There were no significant differences in complication rates between patients who received MMC and those who did not. Study limitations include a small sample size and a single-center study. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative vesical instillation of MMC is feasible and was, in the present study, not associated with an increased complication rate. PATIENT SUMMARY: Bladder recurrence after radical treatment of upper urinary tract cancer is frequent. The present study findings indicate that intraoperative bladder irrigation with the chemotherapeutic mitomycin C during surgery does not lead to excessive complications and could be a method to reduce the risk of bladder recurrence.

The discovery of bacterial biofilm in patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer.

The carcinogenic effects of microorganisms have been discovered in multiple cancer types. In urology, the development of squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder due to the parasitic infection with Schistosoma Mansoni is widely accepted. The oncogenic potential of biofilms has been studied in colorectal cancer and experimental studies have shown that bacteria such as Escherichia coli drive the development of colorectal cancer. Notably, Escherichia coli is responsible for 80% of all urinary tract infections. Recent findings suggest an altered urinary microbiome in patients with bladder cancer compared to healthy subjects. In this case series, we demonstrate our findings of biofilm formation in human bladder cancer tissue. Tissue samples from ten patients that underwent routine Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor (TURBT) were obtained from the Danish National Biobank. Pathological tissue was examined for presence of bacterial aggregates by Fluorescence in situ Hybridization. In two of ten patients, analysis showed abundant bacterial aggregation on the surface epithelium. Both positive cases had pT2 urothelial bladder cancer. Our findings suggest that biofilm occurs in urothelial cancer tissue indicating an association between biofilm formation and bladder cancer.

Novel technique: direct access partial nephrectomy approach through a transperitoneal working space (Roskilde technique).

Objectives: To describe a direct access partial nephrectomy technique through a transperitoneal working space (Roskilde technique).Materials and methods: Prospective single-center descriptive study between April 2015 and January 2017. The surgical outcomes are evaluated according to the Trifecta criteria (negative margins, warm ischemia time < 20 min and a Clavien-Dindo complication score < 3).Surgical procedure: The same access to the transperitoneal cavity as in a Standard transperitoneal Partial Nephrectomy was used. A direct access was established by incision of the peritoneum directly onto the renal fascia. The renal vessels and tumor were identified and the tumor removed with standard technique. The perinephric fat and peritoneum were then closed with a running suture.Results: In total, 122 patients underwent the Roskilde technique. The mean age was 62.2 years, the median Padua score was 12 (IQR = 9-12) and the median tumor size was 32 mm (IQR = 12-90). The median operative time was 101 min (IQR = 90-125). The trifecta achievement criteria goal was achieved in 116/122 (95%), with a median warm ischemia time of 8 min (IQR = 0-12).Conclusions: The Roskilde technique is safe and feasible. It can be performed on complex renal masses, and it seems to result in short operative times and high Trifecta achievement.Trial registration: None.