Publications by authors named "Angelo Mottaran"

In recent years, several clinical trials focused on the potential role of immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in the adjuvant treatment of muscle-invasive urothelial cancer (UC). Heretofore, only the anti-programmed death protein 1 (anti-PD1) nivolumab received European Medical Agency (EMA) approval for cisplatin-unfit patients. In our work, we deeply analyzed the results of the three pivotal studies in view of the rapidly evolving therapeutic advanced UC's scenario.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the effectiveness and safety of various minimally invasive focal treatments (FT) for prostate cancer (PCa), as traditional treatments still dominate despite improved imaging techniques.
  • A literature review analyzed 22 recent articles to assess different types of FT, which include thermal methods like high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) as well as non-thermal methods such as irreversible electroporation (IRE).
  • While some FT options show promising functional outcomes, more comprehensive data is needed to robustly compare their oncological effectiveness against standard treatments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have become the cornerstone of treatment in renal cell carcinoma (RCC), for both metastatic disease and in an adjuvant setting. However, an adaptive resistance from cancer cells may arise during ICI treatment, therefore many studies are focusing on additional immune checkpoint inhibitor pathways. Promising targets of immunotherapeutic agents under investigation include T cell immunoglobulin and ITIM domain (TIGIT), immunoglobulin-like transcript 4 (ILT4), lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3), vaccines, T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing protein 3 (TIM-3), and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on a protein called PSMA found in prostate tissue, which helps doctors use a special scan (PSMA-PET) to check for prostate cancer (PCa).
  • Researchers looked at samples from 43 men with high-risk PCa who had these scans to understand how their biopsy results (samples taken from the prostate) matched up with the scan results.
  • They found that less than 20% of PSMA-negative areas in the biopsies showed better agreement in results, but overall, different scores showed only a moderate match between the biopsy and final pathology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) is a complex and index procedure that urologists need to learn how to perform safely. No validated performance metrics specifically developed for a RAPN training model (TM) exist. A Core Metrics Group specifically adapted human RAPN metrics to be used in a newly developed RAPN TM, explicitly defining phases, steps, errors, and critical errors.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: In the last years, robotic surgery was introduced in several different settings with good perioperative results. However, its role in the management of adrenal masses is still debated. In order to provide a contribution to this field, we described our step-by-step technique for robotic adrenalectomy (RA) and related modifications according to the type of adrenal mass treated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: In the emerging field of robotics, only few studies investigated the transition between different robotic platforms in terms of surgical outcomes. We aimed at assessing surgical outcomes of patients receiving robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) and robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) at a high-volume robotic center during the transition from Si to Xi Da Vinci surgical systems.

Methods: We analyzed data of 1884 patients undergoing RARP (n = 1437, 76%) and RAPN (n = 447, 24%) at OLV hospital (Aalst, Belgium) between 2011 and 2021.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: In the field of robotic surgery, there is a lack of comparative evidence on surgical and functional outcomes of different robotic platforms.

Objective: To assess the outcomes of patients receiving robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) at a high-volume robotic center with daVinci and HUGO robot-assisted surgery (RAS) surgical systems.

Design, Setting, And Participants: We analyzed the data of 542 patients undergoing RARP ± extended pelvic lymph node dissection at OLV hospital (Aalst, Belgium) between 2021 and 2023.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Robot-assisted simple prostatectomy (RASP) and holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) are both well-established, minimally invasive surgical treatment options for lower urinary tract symptoms caused by benign prostatic enlargement. We have reported the first comparative analysis of both techniques in patients with prostates of ≥200 cc. Between 2009 and 2020 a total of 53 patients with a prostate volume of ≥200 cc were surgically treated at OLV Hospital Aalst (Belgium): 31 underwent RASP and 22 underwent HoLEP.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Bladder neck dissection is one of the most delicate surgical steps of robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) [1, 2], and it may affect surgical margins rate and functional outcomes [3, 4]. Given the relationship between outcomes and surgical experience [5-7], it is crucial to implement a step-by-step approach for each surgical step of the procedure, especially in the most challenging part of the intervention. In this video compilation, we described the techniques for bladder neck dissection utilized at OLV Hospital (Aalst, Belgium).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Several barriers hinder the use of augmented reality (AR) in robotic renal surgery, such as visibility issues with instruments and alignment problems of 3D models.
  • A deep learning algorithm was developed to detect surgical instruments in real-time during procedures like partial nephrectomy and kidney transplantation, using data from over 65,000 labeled instruments.
  • The setup, tested across three hospitals and by four surgeons, improves AR surgery safety but requires further optimization for faster video processing and better handling of organ deformation in clinical settings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * A study involving 61 patients treated with robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) examined various technologies and techniques, including 3D reconstructions and fluorescence imaging, to minimize complications and preserve kidney function.
  • * Results showed a median warm ischemia time of 17 minutes and reported a low complication rate, with only 4.8% having positive surgical margins, indicating satisfactory outcomes for patients undergoing RAPN.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Selective clamping during robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) relies on detailed knowledge of a patient's kidney blood flow, which is obtained through imaging technology.
  • The study aimed to validate a custom algorithm that generates 3D models of kidney blood supply to enhance surgical planning for 25 patients treated at Ghent University Hospital between 2020 and 2022.
  • Results showed the algorithm was highly accurate in predicting the ischemic zones, with high ratings from urologists on its performance, though future studies are needed to fully assess its clinical benefits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Clinical data on robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) performed with the new Hugo robot-assisted surgery (RAS) system are scarce. We described surgical outcomes of 112 consecutive patients who underwent RARP ± extended pelvic lymph-node dissection (ePLND) at OLV Hospital (Aalst, Belgium) between February and November 2022. The median age was 65 yr (interquartile range [IQR] 60-70) and median preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was 7.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

RAPN training usually takes place in-vivo and methods vary across countries/institutions. No common system exists to objectively assess trainee capacity to perform RAPN at predetermined performance levels prior to in-vivo practice. The identification of objective performance metrics for RAPN training is a crucial starting point to improve training and surgical outcomes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

: The aim of this article is to present a single-surgeon, open retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) series for testicular cancer in a high-volume center. : We reviewed data from patients who underwent RPLND performed by an experienced surgeon at our institution between 2000 and 2019. We evaluated surgical and perioperative outcomes, complications, Recurrence-Free Survival (RFS), Overall Survival (OS), and Cancer-Specific Survival (CSS).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Renal cell carcinoma is among major causes of death in patients with Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) syndrome, and it usually presents with multiple and bilateral lesions that may require multiple renal surgeries. This, in turn, may compromise renal function, resulting in end-stage renal disease. To minimize renal function impairment in these patients, great importance is given to the preservation of functional parenchyma with the use of nephron-sparing techniques.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In candidates to robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) for locally advanced (iT3) prostate cancer on preoperative MRI, the performance of MRI for local staging is demonstrably suboptimal, and currently no prediction tools that might help surgeons in preoperative planning are available. We analyzed data of 685 patients with iT3 prostate cancer (PCa) who received RARP at five participating institutions between 2012 and 2020. Multivariable logistic regression model investigated predictors of pT2 disease among variables available before surgery (i.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) training usually takes place in vivo, and methods vary across countries/institutions. No common system exists to objectively assess trainee ability to perform RAPN at predetermined performance levels prior to in vivo practice. The identification of objective performance metrics for RAPN training is a crucial starting point to improve training and surgical outcomes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Robot-assisted simple prostatectomy (RASP) has demonstrated better peri-operative outcomes as compared to open simple prostatectomy. However, RASP is still limited by platform availability and cost-effectiveness issues. The new surgical robots increasing competition may spread the robotic approach also in non-oncological fields.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Robotic sacropexy (RSC) emerged in the last years as a valid alternative to the laparoscopic technique. However, the robotic approach is still limited by platform availability and concerns about cost-effectiveness. Recently, new robotic platforms joined the market, lowering the costs and offering the possibility to expand the robotic approach.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) renorrhaphy is used to achieve hemostatic control of the tumoral resection bed, with detrimental impact on renal function. Hemostatic agents are used to achieve rapid and optimal hemostasis. GATT-Patch is a new hemostatic sealant that has already demonstrated promising results.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF