Adjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors for urothelial carcinoma: systematic review and Meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: To compare disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and adverse events (AEs) among muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma (MIUC) patients receiving adjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) versus placebo/observation following radical surgery. METHODS: This was a systematic review/meta-analysis of all published phase 3 randomized controlled trials. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane were searched from inception until April 4, 2024. Pooled hazard ratios (HR) and relative risks (RR), plus confidence intervals (CI), were generated using frequentist random-effects modeling. RESULTS: Three trials were identified: IMvigor010, CheckMate 274, and AMBASSADOR. In the overall cohort, adjuvant ICIs significantly improved DFS by 23% (HR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.65-0.90). No DFS benefit was observed in patients with upper tract disease (HR = 1.19, 95% CI = 0.86-1.64). The highest magnitude of DFS benefit was observed among patients who had received prior neoadjuvant chemotherapy (HR = 0.69) and pathologic node-positive disease (HR = 0.75). A similar DFS benefit was observed irrespective of tumor PD-L1 status. Pooled OS demonstrated a 13% non-significant benefit (HR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.75-1.01). Grade ≥ 3 immune-mediated AEs occurred in 8.6% and 2.1% of ICI and placebo/observation patients, respectively (RR = 4.35, 95% CI = 1.02-18.5). AEs leading to treatment discontinuation occurred in 14.3% and 0.9% of patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: Adjuvant ICIs confer a DFS benefit following radical surgery for MIUC, particularly among node-positive patients and those who received prior neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The lack of benefit for upper tract disease suggests that alternate adjuvant approaches, including chemotherapy, should be considered for these patients. Tumor PD-L1 status is not a predictive biomarker, highlighting the need for biomarkers in this setting.

BioPrev-C - development and validation of a contemporary prostate cancer risk calculator.

Objectives: To develop a novel biopsy prostate cancer (PCa) prevention calculator (BioPrev-C) using data from a prospective cohort all undergoing mpMRI targeted and transperineal template saturation biopsy. Materials and methods: Data of all men who underwent prostate biopsy in our academic tertiary care center between 11/2016 and 10/2019 was prospectively collected. We developed a clinical prediction model for the detection of high-grade PCa (Gleason score ≥7) based on a multivariable logistic regression model incorporating age, PSA, prostate volume, digital rectal examination, family history, previous negative biopsy, 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor use and MRI PI-RADS score. BioPrev-C performance was externally validated in another prospective Swiss cohort and compared with two other PCa risk-calculators (SWOP-RC and PBCG-RC). Results: Of 391 men in the development cohort, 157 (40.2%) were diagnosed with high-grade PCa. Validation of the BioPrev C revealed good discrimination with an area under the curve for high-grade PCa of 0.88 (95% Confidence Interval 0.82-0.93), which was higher compared to the other two risk calculators (0.71 for PBCG and 0.84 for SWOP). The BioPrev-C revealed good calibration in the low-risk range (0 - 0.25) and moderate overestimation in the intermediate risk range (0.25 - 0.75). The PBCG-RC showed good calibration and the SWOP-RC constant underestimation of high-grade PCa over the whole prediction range. Decision curve analyses revealed a clinical net benefit for the BioPrev-C at a clinical meaningful threshold probability range (≥4%), whereas PBCG and SWOP calculators only showed clinical net benefit above a 30% threshold probability. Conclusion: BiopPrev-C is a novel contemporary risk calculator for the prediction of high-grade PCa. External validation of the BioPrev-C revealed relevant clinical benefit, which was superior compared to other well-known risk calculators. The BioPrev-C has the potential to significantly and safely reduce the number of men who should undergo a prostate biopsy.

Do Swiss urologists and Swiss internists screen themselves and their relatives for prostate cancer? A questionnaire study.

PURPOSE: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening for men at risk of prostate cancer is controversial. The current recommendation is to raise awareness of prostate cancer and offer PSA screening in accordance with shared decision- making. Whether the possibility of a PSA screen is discussed with the patient depends on the treating physician, but data on physicians' attitudes towards PSA screening are scarce. This study aimed to examine internists' and urologists' personal PSA screening activity as an indicator of their attitude towards PSA screening. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Members of the Swiss Society of Urology and the Swiss Society of General Internal Medicine were asked in 08/2020 to anonymously complete an online survey about personal PSA screening behaviour for themselves, their fathers, brothers and partners. Categorical and continuous variables were compared by chi-squared tests and t-tests, respectively. RESULTS: In total, 190/295 (response rate: 64%) urologists and 893/7400 (response rate: 12%) internists participated in the survey. Of the participants, 297/1083 (27.4%) were female. Male urologists >50 years of age screened themselves more often than male internists >50 years of age (89% vs 70%, p <0.05). Furthermore, urologists reported recommending screening statistically significantly more often than internists to their brother, father or partner regardless of their sex (men: 38.1% vs 18.5%; p <0.05; women: 81.8% vs 32.2%; p <0.05).   CONCLUSIONS: Most participating male physicians >50 years of age have screened themselves for prostate cancer. Furthermore, PSA screening of relatives was significantly associated with the urology specialty. The reasons physicians screen themselves substantially more often than the public and why male and female urologists as well as male internists perform PSA screening more frequently in their private environment than female internists should be further examined.

Limited Value of Bladder Wash Cytology During Follow-Up of Patients With Non-muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer.

Aims We aimed to assess the performance of bladder wash cytology (BWC) in daily clinical practice in a pure follow-up cohort of patients previously diagnosed with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Materials and methods We analyzed 2064 BWCs derived from 314 patients followed for NMIBC (2003-2016). Follow-up investigations were performed using cystoscopy (CS) in combination with BWC. Patients with suspicious CS and/or positive BWC underwent bladder biopsy or transurethral resection. BWC was considered positive if malignant or suspicious cells were reported. Sensitivity (Sn) and specificity (Sp) were calculated for the entire cohort and separately for low-grade (LG) and high-grade (HG) tumors, and carcinoma in situ (CIS) subgroups. Results A total of 95 recurrences were detected, of which only three were detected by BWC alone. Overall, Sn and Sp of BWC were 17.9% and 99.5%, respectively. For LG disease, these numbers were 14.0% and 100%, and for HG disease, these were 22.2% and 99.1%, respectively. For patients with CIS at initial diagnosis, Sn and Sp were 11.0% and 71.4%, respectively. For isolated primary CIS, Sn was 50.0%, and Sp was 98.2%. Conclusion Routine use of BWC in the follow-up for NMIBC is of limited value even in HG tumors. In the presence of isolated primary CIS, adjunct BWC might be justified.

Is Regular Radiographic Upper Urinary Tract Imaging for Surveillance of Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer Justified?

Patients with non-muscle invasive (NMI) urothelial bladder cancer (BC) are at increased risk for the development of a secondary upper-urinary-tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). We aimed to assess the usefulness of routine upper-tract imaging surveillance during NMIBC follow-up in a patient cohort of a tertiary academic center. All routine upper-tract-imaging scans using computerized tomography urography (CTU) between 2003 and 2016 were assessed for UTUC detection. A total of 315 patients were analyzed. Initial tumor stage was Ta in 207 patients (65.7%), T1 in 98 patients (31.1%) and pure CIS in 10 patients (3.2%). A total of 149 (47.3%) presented with low-grade (LG), and 166 (52.7%) with high-grade (HG) disease. Median follow-up was 48 months (IQR: 55). Four patients (1.2%) were diagnosed with UTUC during follow-up. All four patients presented with initial Ta HG BC. Two of the patients (50%) were diagnosed by routine upper tract imaging. The other two patients were diagnosed after development of symptoms. The 5- and 10-year UTUC-free survival was 98.5% (standard error (SE) 0.9) and 97.6% (SE 1.3), respectively. UTUCs were detected exclusively in patients with initial HG disease, indicating that upper-tract surveillance might only be necessary in these patients.

Modified immunoscore improves the prediction of progression-free survival in patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer: A digital pathology study.

Tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), known to be of prognostic value in various solid tumours, have been in the focus of research in the last years. TIL are often quantified via IMMUNOSCORE ® (IS), a scoring system based on TIL cell densities. Recent studies were able to replicate these findings for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), however data regarding non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) are scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the value of a modified Immunoscore (mIS) as a predictive marker for NMIBC prognosis using tissue-micro-arrays (TMAs). We analysed two TMAs containing 316 samples from 158 patients with NMIBC, stained for CD3, CD8, CD45RO and FOXP3. Stained TIL were captured by digital pathology, cumulated, averaged, and reported as density (stained cells per mm²). The mIS was then constructed based on density of all four immune-cell types. Clinical, pathological and follow-up data were collected retrospectively. Univariable and multivariable cox regression analysis was performed to assess the potential value of mIS as a predictor for progression free survival (PFS) and recurrence-free-survival (RFS). Patients within "European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer" (EORTC) risk groups were further substratified in high mIS and low mIS subgroups. Finally log-rank test was used to compare the different survival curves. The median age in our cohort was 68 years (Interquartile Range (IQR): 60 - 76), and 117 (74%) patients were male. A total of 26 patients (16.5%) were classified as EORTC low risk, 45 (28.5%) as intermediate risk and 87 (55.1%) as high risk. Patients in the EORTC high risk group with low mIS showed a shorter PFS in comparison to high mIS (HR 2.9, CI 0.79 - 11.0, p=0.082). In contrast, no predictive potential regarding PFS was observed in intermediate or low risk groups. Furthermore, mIS was not able to predict RFS in any EORTC risk group. mIS could be utilized to predict prognosis more accurately in high-risk patients with NMIBC by identifying those with higher or lower risk of progression. Therefore, mIS could be used to allocate these highrisk patients to more streamlined follow-up or more aggressive treatment strategies.

Long-Term Oncological Efficacy of Retroperitoneoscopic Radical Nephrectomy of Localized Renal Cell Cancer pT1-3 (≤12 cm).

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Uptake of re-resection in T1 bladder cancer: An interrupted population-based time series analysis among different groups of surgeons.

INTRODUCTION: A second transurethral resection of the bladder tumor (TURBT) within 2 - 6 weeks after initial TURBT is thought to have diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic benefits in T1 bladder cancer (BC). However, little is known about the real-world uptake of this guideline-endorsed intervention. We aimed (1) to measure re-resection rates over time, (2) to investigate if a guideline revision (April 2008) explicitly endorsing re-resection within 2 - 6 weeks in all T1 BC patients led to an increase in re-resection rates, and (3) to investigate the uptake among different groups of surgeons. METHODOLOGY: Province-wide BC pathology reports (January 2001 to December 2015; Ontario, Canada) were linked with health administrative data to (1) identify primary cases of T1 BC and to (2) ascertain whether these patients received re-resection. The resulting patients were then aggregated into quarterly time series and investigated by descriptive analysis, interventional autoregressive moving average (ARIMA) modeling, and Poisson regression analysis. RESULTS: A cohort of 7,373 patients was aggregated into a time series. We observed a linear increase in re-resection rates from 8.4% in 2001 to 28.3% in 2015. An actual effect of the guideline revision in April 2008 on re-resection rates could not be detected (P = 0.41). However, we observed a rather heterogeneous uptake behavior among different groups of surgeons. Specifically, female surgeons, more junior surgeons, high-volume surgeons, Canadian graduates, and surgeons without an academic affiliation were all independently more likely to re-resect their patients (all P-values < 0.05 in adjusted analysis). CONCLUSIONS: Re-resection rates in primary T1 BC increased between 2001 and 2015 in the province of Ontario regardless of the guideline revision in April 2008. Our study demonstrates that the uptake of this guideline-endorsed intervention varies among different groups of surgeons and therefore warrants further research to identify barriers to change that can be addressed by tailored interventions.

Factors Associated with Re-Resection in T1 Bladder Cancer: Identifying Patients Who Do Not Receive Guideline-Concordant Care at the Population Level.

PURPOSE: Prior research has shown that concordance with the guideline-endorsed recommendation to re-resect patients diagnosed with primary T1 bladder cancer (BC) is suboptimal. Therefore, the aim of this population-based study was to identify factors associated with re-resection in T1 BC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We linked province-wide BC pathology reports (January 2001 to December 2015) with health administrative data sources to derive an incident cohort of patients diagnosed with T1 BC in the province of Ontario, Canada. Re-resection was ascertained by a billing claim for transurethral resection within 2 to 8 weeks after the initial resection, accounting for system-related wait times. Multivariable logistic regression analysis accounting for the clustered nature of the data was used to identify various patient-level and surgeon-level factors associated with re-resection. P values <0.05 were considered statistically significant (2-sided). RESULTS: We identified 7,373 patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Overall, 1,678 patients (23%) underwent re-resection. Patients with a more aggressive tumor profile and individuals without sufficiently sampled muscularis propria as well as younger, healthier and socioeconomically advantaged patients were more likely to receive re-resection (all p <0.05). In addition, more senior, lower volume and male surgeons were less likely to perform re-resection for their patients (all p <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Only a minority of all patients received re-resection within 2 to 8 weeks after initial resection. To improve the access to care for potentially underserved patients, we suggest specific knowledge translation/exchange interventions that also include equity aspects besides further promotion of evidence-based instead of eminence-based medicine.

Detection of recurrences using serum miR-371a-3p during active surveillance in men with stage I testicular germ cell tumours.

BACKGROUND: MiR-371a-3p predicts the presence of a macroscopic non-teratomatous germ cell tumour (GCT). We hypothesised that miR-371a-3p can also detect recurrence during active surveillance (AS) of stage I GCT. METHODS: We prospectively collected serum samples of 33 men. Relative expression of serum miR-371a-3p levels was determined at each follow-up visit using real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Recurrence was detected using standard follow-up investigations in 10/33 patients (30%) after a median of 7 months. Directly after orchiectomy, miR-371a-3p levels were not elevated in any of the 15 patients with available post-orchiectomy samples. However, all ten recurring patients exhibited increasing miR-371a-3p levels during follow-up, while miR-371a-3p levels remained non-elevated in all but one patient without recurrence. MiR-371a-3p detected recurrences at a median of 2 months (range 0-5) earlier than standard follow-up investigations. CONCLUSIONS: MiR-371a-3p levels immediately post orchiectomy are not predictive for recurrences and unfortunately cannot support decision-making for AS vs. adjuvant treatment. However, miR-371a-3p detects recurrences reliably and earlier than standard follow-up investigations. If this can be confirmed in larger cohorts, monitoring miR-371a-3p could replace surveillance imaging in seminomatous GCT and reduce the amount of imaging in non-seminomatous GCT. Earlier detection of disease recurrence may also reduce the overall treatment burden.

Oncological benefit of re-resection for T1 bladder cancer: a comparative effectiveness study.

OBJECTIVES: To quantify the real-world survival benefit of re-resection vs no re-resection in patients diagnosed with T1 bladder cancer (BC) at the population level. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective population-wide observational cohort study based on pathology reports linked to health administrative data. We identified patients who were diagnosed with T1 BC in the province of Ontario (01/2001-12/2015) and used billing claims to ascertain whether they received re-resection within 2-10 weeks. The time-dependent effect of re-resection on survival outcomes was modelled by Cox proportional hazards regression (unadjusted and adjusted for numerous assumed patient- and surgeon-level confounding variables). Effect measures were presented as hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: We identified 7666 patients of which 2162 (28.7%) underwent re-resection after a median (interquartile range) time of 45 (35-56) days. Patients who received re-resection were less likely to die from any causes (HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.63-0.74, P < 0.001) and from BC (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.57-0.76, P < 0.001) during any time of follow-up. After adjusting for all assumed confounding variables, re-resection was still significantly associated with a lower overall mortality (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.81-0.95, P < 0.001), while the association with cancer-specific survival marginally lost its statistical significance (HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.75-1.02, P = 0.08). CONCLUSIONS: A second transurethral resection within 2-6 weeks after the initial resection (i.e. re-resection) is recommended for patients diagnosed with primary T1 BC as prior studies suggest therapeutic, diagnostic, and prognostic benefits. However, results on survival endpoints are sparse, conflicting, and often affected by various biases. To the best of our knowledge, the present population-wide study represents the largest cohort of patients diagnosed with T1 BC and provides real-world evidence supporting the utilisation of re-resection in this group of patients.

Benefit of a more extended pelvic lymph node dissection among patients undergoing radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer: A causal mediation analysis.

BACKGROUND: The therapeutic role of extended (ePLND) versus nonextended pelvic lymph node dissection (nePLND) to remove occult micrometastases in men undergoing radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer (PC) is conflicting. Therefore, our aim was to quantify the direct effect of ePLND versus nePLND (removal of occult micrometastases), which is not mediated through the detection of nodal disease and potential adjuvant therapy (indirect effect). METHODS: Retrospective, bi-center cohort study of consecutive patients undergoing radical prostatectomy and PLND for PC (January 2006 and December 2016). Patients were followed until April 2018 for the occurrence of either biochemical recurrence or secondary therapy (composite outcome). ePLND was compared to nePLND by unweighted and weighted survival analysis (total effect) as well as by causal mediation analysis (direct and indirect effect). RESULTS: Positive nodal disease was detected in 71 (7%) out of 1008 patients undergoing radical prostatectomy and PLND for PC (ePLND: 368 [36.5%]; nePLND: 640 [63.5%]). Survival analysis demonstrated results in favor of ePLND (unweighted hazard ratio: 0.77 [95% confidence interval: 0.59-1.01], p = .056; weighted hazard ratio: 0.75 [0.56-0.99], p = .044). The causal mediation analysis confirmed the total effect of 0.77 (0.71-0.82). After disentangling this total effect into an indirect effect (via detection of nodal disease and potential adjuvant therapy) and a direct effect (via removal of occult micrometastases), we identified an even more protective direct effect of 0.69 (0.63-0.75). CONCLUSIONS: Our results not only indicate the utility of ePLND but also that its impact is not restricted to a staging benefit and probably involves a therapeutic benefit mediated through the removal of occult micrometastases.

Defining oligometastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer and clinically significant outcomes: Implications on clinical trials?

PURPOSE: With the current movement toward treating oligometastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer (OMPC), we design a study with the objective of gathering opinions regarding what would be considered a clinically significant benefit from such treatments. METHODS: Data was collected from physicians of the Society of Urologic Oncology using a self-administered questionnaire using SurveyMonkey. The questionnaire was designed to obtain characteristics on clinical practice of the respondents, definitions used for OMPC and also what would be considered a clinically significant benefit according to the respondents. We present a descriptive analysis of the responses obtained. RESULTS: We obtained 119 responses (response rate of 12.6%) after sending the questionnaire twice with one month apart. Most of them being staff/faculty (89%) practicing in the United States of America (84.87%). Most of the responders referred that a significant proportion of their practice comes from PC patients. Most defined OMPC <3 bone/lymph node metastasis seen with conventional imaging, only 26.9% of the responders used positron emission tomography. Regarding the clinical benefit of metastasis-oriented treatment, a curing rate >10% or an increase in 1 year of androgen deprivation therapy-free survival would make the treatment worthwhile. We present examples of sample size calculations for future clinical trials using these parameters as an expected "clinically-significant" benefit. CONCLUSION: This study shows that most clinicians still support the use of conventional imaging to define OMPC. Our findings show that a curing rate of a minimum of 11% and an androgen deprivation therapy-free survival at 1 year are considered clinically significant and this should be used for estimating the sample size in future clinical trials.

Effects of quality-based procedure hospital funding reform in Ontario, Canada: An interrupted time series study.

BACKGROUND: The Government of Ontario, Canada, announced hospital funding reforms in 2011, including Quality-based Procedures (QBPs) involving pre-set funds for managing patients with specific diagnoses/procedures. A key goal was to improve quality of care across the jurisdiction. METHODS: Interrupted time series evaluated the policy change, focusing on four QBPs (congestive heart failure, hip fracture surgery, pneumonia, prostate cancer surgery), on patients hospitalized 2010-2017. Outcomes included return to hospital or death within 30 days, acute length of stay (LOS), volume of admissions, and patient characteristics. RESULTS: At 2 years post-QBPs, the percentage of hip fracture patients who returned to hospital or died was 3.13% higher in absolute terms (95% CI: 0.37% to 5.89%) than if QBPs had not been introduced. There were no other statistically significant changes for return to hospital or death. For LOS, the only statistically significant change was an increase for prostate cancer surgery of 0.33 days (95% CI: 0.07 to 0.59). Volume increased for congestive heart failure admissions by 80 patients (95% CI: 2 to 159) and decreased for hip fracture surgery by 138 patients (95% CI: -183 to -93) but did not change for pneumonia or prostate cancer surgery. The percentage of patients who lived in the lowest neighborhood income quintile increased slightly for those diagnosed with congestive heart failure (1.89%; 95% CI: 0.51% to 3.27%) and decreased for those who underwent prostate cancer surgery (-2.08%; 95% CI: -3.74% to -0.43%). INTERPRETATION: This policy initiative involving a change to hospital funding for certain conditions was not associated with substantial, jurisdictional-level changes in access or quality.

Time-varying intensity of mechanical ventilation and mortality in patients with acute respiratory failure: a registry-based, prospective cohort study.

Background Mortality in acute respiratory failure remains high despite the use of lung-protective ventilation. Recent studies have shown an association between baseline ventilation parameters (driving pressure or mechanical power) and outcomes for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Strategies focused on limiting these parameters have been proposed to further improve outcomes. However, it remains unknown whether driving pressure and mechanical power should be limited over the entire duration of mechanical ventilation and in all patients with acute respiratory failure. We aimed to estimate the association between exposure to different intensities of mechanical ventilation over time and intensive care unit (ICU) mortality in patients with acute respiratory failure. METHODS: In this registry-based, prospective cohort study, we obtained data from the Toronto Intensive Care Observational Registry, which includes all patients receiving mechanical ventilation for 4 h or more in nine ICUs that are affiliated with the University of Toronto (Toronto, ON, Canada). We included all adult (≥18 years) patients who received invasive mechanical ventilation between April 11, 2014, and June 5, 2019. Patients were excluded if they received treatment with extracorporeal life support. The primary outcome was ICU mortality. Bayesian joint models were used to estimate the strength of associations, accounting for informative censoring due to death during follow-up. FINDINGS: Of 13 939 patients recorded in the registry, 13 408 (96·2%) were eligible for descriptive analysis. The primary analysis comprised 7876 (58·7%) patients with complete baseline characteristics, and a secondary analysis included all 13 408 patients after multiple imputation in the joint model analysis. 2409 (18·0%) of 13 408 patients died in the ICU. After adjustment for baseline characteristics, including age and severity of illness, a significant increase in the hazard of death was found to be associated with each daily increment in driving pressure (hazard ratio 1·064, 95% credible interval 1·057-1·071) or mechanical power (hazard ratio 1·060, 95% credible interval 1·053-1·066). These associations persisted over the duration of mechanical ventilation. INTERPRETATION: Cumulative exposure to higher intensities of mechanical ventilation was harmful, even for short durations. Limiting exposure to driving pressure or mechanical power should be evaluated in further studies as promising ventilation strategies to reduce mortality in patients with acute respiratory failure. FUNDING: Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Management of Active Surveillance-Eligible Prostate Cancer during Pretransplantation Workup of Patients with Kidney Failure: A Simulation Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The general rule that every active malignancy is an absolute contraindication for kidney transplantation is challenged by kidney failure patients diagnosed with active surveillance-eligible prostate cancer during pretransplantation workup. Interdisciplinary treatment teams therefore often face the challenge of balancing the benefits of early kidney transplantation and the risk of metastatic progression. Hence, we compared the quality-adjusted life expectancy of different management strategies in kidney failure patients diagnosed with active surveillance-eligible prostate cancer during pretransplantation workup. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: A discrete event simulation model was developed on the basis of a systematic literature search, clinical guidelines, and expert opinion. After model validation and calibration, we simulated four management strategies in a hypothetical cohort of 100,000 patients: Definitive treatment (surgery or radiation therapy) and listing after a waiting period of 2 years, definitive treatment and immediate listing, active surveillance and listing after a waiting period of 2 years, and active surveillance and immediate listing. Individual patient results (quality-adjusted life years; QALYs) were aggregated into strategy-specific means (± SEs). RESULTS: Active surveillance and immediate listing yielded the highest amount of quality-adjusted life expectancy (6.97 ± 0.01 QALYs) followed by definitive treatment and immediate listing (6.75 ± 0.01 QALYs). These two strategies involving immediate listing not only outperformed those incorporating a waiting period of 2 years (definitive treatment: 6.32 ± 0.01 QALYs; active surveillance: 6.59 ± 0.01 QALYs) but also yielded a higher proportion of successfully performed transplantations (72% and 74% versus 56% and 59%), with less time on hemodialysis on average (4.02 and 3.81 years versus 4.80 and 4.65 years). CONCLUSIONS: Among kidney failure patients diagnosed with active surveillance-eligible prostate cancer during pretransplantation workup, the active surveillance and immediate listing strategy outperformed the alternative management strategies from a quality of life expectancy perspective, followed by definitive treatment and immediate listing.

Utility of digital rectal examination in a population with prostate cancer treated with active surveillance.

INTRODUCTION: Digital rectal examination (DRE) is part of the clinical evaluation of men on active surveillance (AS). The purpose of the present study is to analyze the value of DRE as a predictor of upgrading in a population of men with prostate cancer (PCa) treated with AS. METHODS: We used the prostate biopsy (PBx) database from an academic center, including PBx from 2006-2018, and identified 2029 confirmatory biopsies (CxPBx) of men treated with AS, of which 726 men had both diagnostic (initial) and CxPBx information available. We did a descriptive analysis and evaluated sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of DRE for the detection of clinically significant PCa (csPCa). Multivariable regression analysis was done to identify predictors of csPCa. The primary outcome was to evaluate DRE as a predictor of the presence of csPCa at CxPBx. RESULTS: Among the 2029 patients with a CxPBx, 75% had PCa, and of these, 30.3% had upgrading to International Society of Urologic Pathologists (ISUP) grade ≥2. Thirteen percent of men had a suspicious DRE (done by their treating physician). Sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive values of DRE to detect csPCa were best with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) <4 ng/ml (27%, 88%, 31%, and 87%, respectively). A suspicious DRE at CxPBx, particularly if the DRE at diagnosis was negative, was a predictor of csPCa (odds ratio [OR] 2.34, p=0.038). The main limitation of our study is the retrospective design and the lack of magnetic resonance imaging. CONCLUSIONS: We believe DRE should still be used as part of AS and can predict the presence of csPCa, even with low PSA values. A suspicious nodule on DRE represents a higher risk of upgrading and should prompt further assessment.

Required efficacy for novel therapies in BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer: Do current recommendations really reflect clinically meaningful outcomes?

BACKGROUND: Single-arm trials are currently an accepted study design to investigate the efficacy of novel therapies (NT) in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) unresponsive to intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy as randomized controlled trials are either unfeasible (comparator: early radical cystectomy; ERC), or unethical (comparator: placebo). To guide the design of such single-arm trials, expert groups published recommendations for clinically meaningful outcomes. The aim of this study was to quantitatively verify the appropriateness of these recommendations. METHODS: We used a discrete event simulation framework in combination with a supercomputer to find the required efficacy at which a NT can compete with ERC when it comes to quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE). In total, 24 different efficacy thresholds (including the recommendations) were investigated. RESULTS: After ascertaining face validity with content experts, repeated verification, external validation, and calibration we considered our model valid. Both recommendations rarely showed an incremental benefit of the NT over ERC. In the most optimistic scenario, an increase in the IBCG recommendation by 10% and an increase in the FDA/AUA recommendation by 5% would yield results at which a NT could compete with ERC from a QALE perspective. CONCLUSIONS: This simulation study demonstrated that the current recommendations regarding clinically meaningful outcomes for single-arm trials evaluating the efficacy of NT in BCG-unresponsive NMIBC may be too low. Based on our quantitative approach, we propose increasing these thresholds to at least 45%-55% at 6 months and 35% at 18-24 months (complete response rates/recurrence-free survival) to promote the development of clinically truly meaningful NT.