Therapeutic Advances in Urology最新文献

Introduction: Transperineal laser ablation (TPLA) of the prostate is a new, minimally invasive technique for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with promising effectiveness and safety outcomes. This systematic review aims to provide an update of existing literature.

Methods: A literature review was performed in Pubmed/MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, and clinicaltrials.gov from January 2000 up to April 2023. Data extraction and risk of bias were performed independently by three authors.

Results: A total of 11 studies were included, among which 9 were observational, 1 randomized controlled trial, 1 animal study, while 2 of them were comparative (1 with prostatic artery embolization and 1 with transurethral resection of the prostate). Functional outcomes were improved in the majority of studies both for objective (maximum flow rate and post-void residual) and subjective outcomes (improvement of International Prostate Symptom Score and quality of life). Complication rates ranged between 1.9% and 2.3% for hematuria, 3.7% and 36.3% for dysuria, 1.9% and 19% for acute urinary retention, 0.6% and 9.1% for orchitis/urinary tract infections, and 0.6% and 4.8% for prostatic abscess formation. Regarding sexual function, >95% of patients retained their ejaculation while erectile function was maintained or improved.

Conclusion: TPLA of the prostate is an innovative, minimally invasive technique for managing patients with BPH. Existing studies indicate an effective technique in reducing International Prostate Symptom Score and quality of life scores, post-void residual reduction, and increase in Qmax, albeit the measured improvements in terms of Qmax are not equal to transurethral resection of the prostate. Although sexual function is maintained, the mean catheterization time is 7 days, and no long-term data are available for most patients.

Devices such as inflatable penile prostheses (IPP) can be used to achieve erectile rigidity after phalloplasty in assigned female at birth (AFAB) individuals. The approach to inserting an IPP in a neophallus is different and more challenging compared to that of an anatomical penis due to the absence of anatomical structures such as the corpora cavernosa, and the more tenuous blood supply of the neophallus and reconstructed urethra. In addition, the ideal surgical techniques and devices for use in the neophallus have not been defined. This review systematically summarises the literature on the insertion of IPP in the neophallus of individuals AFAB. In particular, the described techniques, types of devices used and peri-operative and patient-reported outcomes are emphasised. An initial search of the PubMed database was performed on 16 September 2022 and an updated search was performed on 26 May 2023. Overall, 185 articles were screened for eligibility and 15 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. Two studies reported outcomes on the zephyr surgical implant 475 FTM device and the others reported outcomes on the Boston Scientific AMS 600/700^TM CX 3-piece inflatable, AMS Ambicor^TM 2-piece inflatable, Coloplast Titan^® or Dynaflex devices. Overall, 1106 IPPs were analysed. The infection rate was 4.2%-50%, with most studies reporting an infection rate of <30%. Mechanical failure or dysfunction occurred in 1.4%-36.4%, explantation was required in 3.3%-41.6%, and implant revision or replacement was performed in 6%-70%. Overall, 51.4%-90.6% of patients were satisfied and 77%-100% were engaging in sexual intercourse. An IPP in a neophallus is an acceptable option to achieve rigidity for sexual intercourse. However, this challenging procedure has good reports of patient and partner satisfaction despite significant risks of complications.

Maintenance therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has changed the treatment paradigm of metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC). The JAVELIN Bladder 100 trial established avelumab, one of several ICIs in use today, as a life-prolonging maintenance therapy for patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma. Platinum-based chemotherapy is most often used in the first-line treatment of mUC, and while response rates approach about 50%, disease control is usually short-lived upon completion of the standard three to six cycles of chemotherapy. Much progress has been made in recent years in the second-line space and beyond with the use of ICIs, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in eligible patients at the time of disease progression post-platinum-based chemotherapy. However, many patients with progressive mUC after first-line chemotherapy suffer from rapid progression of disease, treatment toxicity with subsequent lines of therapy, and a limited life expectancy. Until the results of the JAVELIN Bladder 100 trial were presented in 2020, there were no maintenance strategies proven to be beneficial over best supportive care after disease control is achieved with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. To date, standard of care frontline treatment of metastatic urothelial cancer remains to be four to six cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy followed by maintenance avelumab. This review summarizes the current evidence available on maintenance therapies in mUC, as well as several highly anticipated clinical trials that we hope will result in further progress in the management of this aggressive cancer and improve patient outcomes.

While urolithiasis in children is rare, the global incidence is rising, and the volume of minimally invasive surgeries being performed reflects this. There have been many developments in the technology, which have supported the advancement of these interventions. However, innovation of this kind has also resulted in wide-ranging practice patterns and debate regarding how they should be best implemented. This is in addition to the extra challenges faced when treating stone disease in children where the patient population often has a higher number of comorbidities and for example, the need to avoid risk such as ionising exposure is higher. The overall result is a number of challenges and controversies surrounding many facets of paediatric stone surgery such as imaging choice, follow-up and different treatment options, for example, medical expulsive therapy, shockwave lithotripsy, ureteroscopy, and percutaneous nephrolithotomy. This article provides an overview of the current status of paediatric stone surgery and discussion on the key topics of debate.

Synthetic male sling (MS) is considered an effective surgical treatment to restore male stress urinary incontinence. The modern MS can be categorised into adjustable or non-adjustable types, while the surgical techniques can be divided into retropubic or transobturator approaches. This narrative review paper evaluates the contemporary MS devices in the current commercial market regarding clinical outcomes and refinements in surgical techniques. Scientific advances in device design and technology, coupled with further surgical refinements will enhance the clinical outcomes and improve the safety profile of MS surgery. The newer generation of modern MS not only provides direct compression of the bulbar urethra but also allows for proximal urethral relocation by realigning the mobile sphincter complex to provide further urethral sphincter complex coaptation. Strict patient selection, use of MS with proven clinical records, adherence to safe surgical principles and judicious postoperative care are critical to ensure a high continence rate, good patient satisfaction and low postoperative complications.

The malleable penile implant is often considered an inferior device to the three-piece inflatable penile prosthesis implant. Nonetheless, the malleable prosthesis has its unique advantages such as lower cost, easier to perform and fewer mechanical complications than inflatable prostheses. Furthermore, its role can be extended to patients with issues relating to poor manual hand dexterity, those undergoing a salvage for infection prosthesis and as an emergency surgical measure in patients presenting with acute ischaemic priapism. Over the past few decades, there have been numerous design and technological advancements to improve overall clinical efficacy, mechanical durability, axial rigidity and device concealability of malleable penile prostheses. The following article provides a narrative review of the six major contemporary malleable penile prosthesis devices in the commercial market, namely, the Coloplast Genesis prosthesis, the Boston Scientific Tactra prosthesis, the Zephyr ZSI 100 and 100 (female-to-male) FTM devices, the Rigi10 prosthesis, the TUBE malleable prosthesis and the Shah prosthesis and evaluates the published outcomes. Appropriate patient selection and strict counselling regarding what to expect with malleable prostheses coupled with adherence to safe surgical principles are paramount to ensure excellent clinical success and patient satisfaction rates.

Background: Tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and immunotherapy represent the backbone treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients. The aim of the present study was to describe mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and red cell distribution width (RDW) in mRCC patients treated with pazopanib or cabozantinib, and to explore their potential impact on oncological outcomes.

Materials and methods: We conducted a multicenter retrospective observational study in mRCC patients treated with pazopanib or cabozantinib between January 2012 and December 2020 in nine Italian centers. Descriptive statistics, univariate, and multivariate analyses were performed.

Objectives: The primary endpoints were the incidence and trend over time of anemia, macrocytosis (elevated MCV), and anisocytosis (elevated RDW). The secondary endpoints were the correlations of MCV and RDW with objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS).

Results: A total of 301 patients were enrolled; mean Hb value was 12.5 g/dl, a mean increase of 1 g/dl was observed at day 15 and maintained at 3 months. Most patients had baseline macrocytosis (MCV levels > 87 fl), with a significant mean increase after 3 months of treatment. At univariate analysis patients with macrocytosis had better ORR, longer PFS, and OS. About one third of patients had baseline anisocytosis (RDW > 16%), with a significant mean increase after 3 months of treatment. At univariate analysis, patients with RDW values ⩽ 16% had higher ORR, longer PFS, and OS. At multivariate analysis, baseline macrocytosis was significantly associated with better PFS in patients treated with pazopanib and baseline anisocytosis with shorter OS in all patients.

Conclusions: mRCC patients treated with pazopanib or cabozantinib may have baseline macrocytosis and anisocytosis. A significant increase of Hb, MCV, and RDW after TKIs start was observed. Baseline macrocytosis is positively correlated with PFS in patients treated with pazopanib and baseline anisocytosis affects survival of patients treated with TKIs.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men in the United States. The treatment paradigm for prostate cancer has evolved with the emergence of a variety of novel therapies which have improved survival; however, treatment-related toxicities are abundant and durable responses remain rare. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown modest activity in a small subset of patients with prostate cancer and have not had an impact on most men with advanced disease. The discovery of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) and the understanding of its specificity to prostate cancer has identified it as an ideal tumor-associated antigen and has revived the enthusiasm for immunotherapeutics in prostate cancer. T-cell immunotherapy in the form of bispecific T-cell engagers (BiTEs) and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy have shown exceptional success in treating various hematologic malignancies, and are now being tested in patients with prostate cancer with drug design centered on various target ligands including not just PSMA, but others as well including six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of the prostate 1 (STEAP1) and prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA). This summative review will focus on the data surrounding PSMA-targeting T-cell therapies. Early clinical studies with both classes of T-cell redirecting therapies have demonstrated antitumor activity; however, there are multiple challenges with this class of agents, including dose-limiting toxicity, 'on-target, off-tumor' immune-related toxicity, and difficulty in maintaining sustained immune responses within a complex and overtly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Reflecting on experiences from recent trials has been key toward understanding mechanisms of immune escape and limitations in developing these drugs in prostate cancer. Newer generation BiTE and CAR T-cell constructs, either alone or as part of combination therapy, are currently under investigation with modifications in drug design to overcome these barriers. Ongoing innovation in drug development will likely foster successful implementation of T-cell immunotherapy bringing transformational change to the treatment of prostate cancer.

Urosepsis is sepsis caused by urogenital tract infection and is one of the most common critical illnesses in urology. If urosepsis is not diagnosed early, it can rapidly progress and worsen, leading to increased mortality. In recent years, with the increase of urinary tract surgery, the incidence of urosepsis continues to rise, posing a serious threat to patients. Early diagnosis of urosepsis, timely and effective treatment can greatly reduce the mortality of patients. Biomarkers such as WBC, NLR, PCT, IL-6, CRP, lactate, and LncRNA all play specific roles in the early diagnosis or prognosis of urosepsis. In addition to the abnormal increase of WBC, we should be more alert to the rapid decline of WBC. NLR values were superior to WBC counts alone in predicting infection severity. Compared with several other biomarkers, PCT values can differentiate between bacterial and non-bacterial sepsis. IL-6 always has high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of sepsis, and CRP also has high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of urosepsis. Lactic acid is closely related to the prognosis of patients with urosepsis. LncRNAs may be potential biomarkers of urosepsis. This article summarizes the main biomarkers, hoping to provide a reference for the timely diagnosis and evaluation of urosepsis.

Radiomics and artificial intelligence (AI) may increase the differentiation of benign from malignant kidney lesions, differentiation of angiomyolipoma (AML) from renal cell carcinoma (RCC), differentiation of oncocytoma from RCC, differentiation of different subtypes of RCC, to predict Fuhrman grade, to predict gene mutation through molecular biomarkers and to predict treatment response in metastatic RCC undergoing immunotherapy. Neural networks analyze imaging data. Statistical, geometrical, textural features derived are giving quantitative data of contour, internal heterogeneity and gray zone features of lesions. A comprehensive literature review was performed, until July 2022. Studies investigating the diagnostic value of radiomics in differentiation of renal lesions, grade prediction, gene alterations, molecular biomarkers and ongoing clinical trials have been analyzed. The application of AI and radiomics could lead to improved sensitivity, specificity, accuracy in detecting and differentiating between renal lesions. Standardization of scanner protocols will improve preoperative differentiation between benign, low-risk cancers and clinically significant renal cancers and holds the premises to enhance the diagnostic ability of imaging tools to characterize renal lesions.