Patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) in the intermediate and high-risk groups must receive adjuvant treatment with intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) following transurethral resection (TUR), as it reduces the risk of recurrence and presumably the risk of progression as well. Optimization of BCG efficacy is achieved by administering maintenance therapy. However, since many immunological aspects of the mechanism of action of BCG in the bladder remain unknown, the implementation of the optimal dose, number of instillations, strains and adequate maintenance regimen over the last decades has been heterogeneous. Additionally, this has hindered the interpretation of efficacy in terms of oncologic outcomes. This, together with the shortages of BCG in recent years, have forced scientific societies to adapt their clinical practice guidelines and modify their protocols of adjuvant treatment with BCG. This includes changes to strains, doses, and maintenance during this period of time. This consensus document evaluates the current status of adjuvant BCG treatment and the implications of BCG supply availability in the treatment of patients with NMIBC. It also addresses the implementation of novel therapies that will improve cancer prognosis and the quality of life of patients with NMIBC in the future.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is an increasingly common pathology in the adult male. BPH increases after the age of 40-45 years, and its management consumes an enormous amount of resources. The UroLift® System is an approved technology designed to treat lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) secondary to BPH and is used to perform the prostatic urethral lift (PUL) procedure. Various urology specialists in Spain with experience in PUL have prepared this consensus document. Endorsed by the Spanish Urology Association, its information is based on the most recent findings. The main objective of this document is to disseminate the consensus recommendations among all professionals treating patients with LUTS/BPH. Both primary care physicians and urologists can assess and offer PUL as an effective, minimally invasive treatment.
Objective: To evaluate the effect of endoscopic surgery on sexual function in patients with upper urinary tract (UUT) lithiasis.
Material and methods: We conducted an observational, prospective, longitudinal study with a single cohort of cases undergoing ureteroscopy (URS), retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS), or endoscopic combined intrarenal surgery (ECIRS). Patients' sexual response was assessed with questionnaires in the 30 days prior to surgery, and at one and three months after surgery. The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-t) was used in male patients, and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) was used in female patients.
Results: Seventy patients - 34 men and 36 women - completed the study. Among men, the IIEF-t did not show significant difference between baseline scores (64.1 ± 7.50) and those obtained at 3 months (63.8 ± 9.51), with a non-significant decrease (p = 0.054) at the first month (61.4 ± 10.4). Subdomains did not worsen at 3 months, and desire (IIEF-SD) improved from 7.3 ± 1.9 to 8.0 ± 1.8. Among women, the FSFI-t did not change significantly after surgery: baseline score (27.3 ± 4.1), 1-month score (26.8 ± 3.7) and 3-month score (27.5 ± 4.2). No subdomain worsened at the third month.
Conclusion: Endoscopic surgery for UUT is a safe technique in both sexes with no negative effect on sexual function. There are no differences between the baseline IIEF-t and FSFI-t scores and those obtained at 3 months.
Introduction and objectives: The knowledge generated by scientific research is linked to the development of countries, as it provides the necessary resources to guarantee scientific progress and cost-effective healthcare. For this reason, our study analyzes the trends of scientific publication in urology in Latin America.
Methods: A bibliometric analysis was performed. Data collection was carried out using the SCOPUS search engine in April 2023, and the search terms were defined by the authors, including the most common diseases in the specialty of urology. A descriptive analysis of the different characteristics, trends and scientific collaborations was performed. The collaboration networks were plotted using VOSviewer.
Results: From 2000 to 2021, Latin American publications in urology amounted to 9135 in scientific journals. Brazil is the country with the greatest scientific production (51.2%) and Chile has the greatest scientific production per million inhabitants. Of the total number of scientific publications, 51.1% were related to prostate cancer, 88.8% were written in English (and 50.2% had non-open access). The country with greatest collaborative research with Latin America was the United States.
Conclusions: Scientific output in urology in Latin America has increased substantially over the last 20 years. The most published topic is prostate cancer, most papers are written in English, and the United States takes first place regarding scientific collaboration. However, the proportion of the world's science originated in Latin America is still low and depends on Brazil.
Patients undergoing radical cystectomy with urinary diversions (UD) are at increased risk of bone fractures compared to the general population. Although a loss of bone mineral density (BMD) has been described in patients with UD, we still do not know with certainty why these patients follow this tendency.
We performed a systematic review of the available literature to analyze the prevalence of osteoporosis and bone alterations in patients with ileal UD and the possible associated risk factors.
We systematically searched PubMed® and Cochrane Library for original articles published before December 2022 according to PRISMA guidelines.
A total of 394 publications were identified. We selected 12 studies that met the inclusion criteria with 496 patients included. Six of the twelve studies showed decreased BMD values. Prevalence of osteoporosis was specified in three articles, with values ranging from 0% to 36%. Risk factors such as age, sex, body mass index, metabolic acidosis and renal function appear to have an impact on bone tissue reduction, while type of UD, follow-up, 25-hydroxyvitamin D and parathormone had less evidence or contradictory data. The heterogeneity of the studies analyzed could led to interpretation bias.
UD are associated with multiple risk factors for osteoporosis and bone fractures. Identifying patients at highest risk and establishing diagnostic protocols in routine clinical practice are essential to reduce the risk of fractures and the resulting complications.