Lessons learned after one year of COVID-19 from a urologist and radiotherapist view: A German survey on prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Introduction: Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, COVID-19 has changed the medical landscape. International recommendations for localized prostate cancer (PCa) include deferred treatment and adjusted therapeutic routines.

Materials And Methods: To longitudinally evaluate changes in PCa treatment strategies in urological and radiotherapy departments in Germany, a link to a survey was sent to 134 institutions covering two representative baseline weeks prior to the pandemic and 13 weeks from March 2020 to February 2021.

Oncological validation of bone turnover markers c-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (1CTP) and peptides n-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (P1NP) in patients with prostate cancer and bone metastases.

Background: Bone formation markers c-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (1CTP) and peptides n-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (P1NP) were reported to be increased in patients with prostate cancer (PC) and bone metastases. The objective of the presented study was to investigate the utility of serum 1CTP and P1NP values in the diagnosis of bone metastases and in predicting oncological outcome in patients with PC.

Methods: In total, serum samples of 186 patients were included retrospectively including 53 (28.

[Recent developments in the treatment of metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC)].

Despite major developments in the therapy of advanced prostate cancer over the past decade, there was still an unmet medical need for efficacious and safe therapies suitable for a wide patient population of patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive disease.Since its label extension for the treatment of metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) at the beginning of 2020, apalutamide in combination with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has filled this gap 1. The novel androgen receptor inhibitor showed good efficacy and safety in comparison with placebo in the pivotal study TITAN while maintaining quality of life - the study included patients irrespective of risk, disease volume, or time of diagnosis 2.

Receptor Activator of NF Kappa B (RANK) Expression Indicates Favorable Prognosis in Patients with Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer.

Background: Receptor activator of NF kappa B (RANK) and its ligand have an essential role in T-cell regulation and the development of bone metastases. The role of RANK expression in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is unknown.

Objective: To assess the relevance of RANK expression in patients with MIBC.

Early urinary continence recovery following retzius-sparing robotic-assistant radical prostatectomy with suprapubic catheter: a short-term follow-up outcome.

Objective: To evaluate the recovery of early urinary continence in patients with prostate cancer using a suprapubic catheter during Retzius-sparing robotic-assistant laparoscopic prostatectomy.

Patients And Methods: From January 2018 to January 2019, 223 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer who underwent Retzius-sparing robotic-assistant laparoscopic prostatectomy in Diakonie Klinikum Stuttgart were involved in our study. From January 2018 to June 2018, patients (112 cases) only had an indwelling urinary catheter during Retzius-sparing robotic-assistant laparoscopic prostatectomy, while from July 2018 to January 2019, patients (111 cases) were offered an extra suprapubic catheter during operation.

[Apalutamide in patients with high-risk M0CRPC: data from the pivotal SPARTAN study and initial experience from a compassionate use program].

Non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate carcinoma (M0CRPC) is associated with an increased risk of progression and mortality, especially if the prostate-specific antigen doubling time is short (PSADT ≤ 10 months). The risk of progression and mortality increases even further if the disease progresses to the metastatic stage (mCRPC). The androgen receptor inhibitors apalutamide, darolutamide and enzalutamide, each in combination with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), are available for the treatment of patients with high-risk M0CRPC.

PROPOSe: A Real-life Prospective Study of Proclarix, a Novel Blood-based Test to Support Challenging Biopsy Decision-making in Prostate Cancer.

Background: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-based detection of prostate cancer (PCa) often leads to negative biopsy results or detection of clinically insignificant PCa, more frequently in the PSA range of 2-10 ng/ml, in men with increased prostate volume and normal digital rectal examination (DRE).

Objective: This study evaluated the accuracy of Proclarix, a novel blood-based diagnostic test, to help in biopsy decision-making in this challenging patient population.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Ten clinical sites prospectively enrolled 457 men presenting for prostate biopsy with PSA between 2 and 10 ng/ml, normal DRE, and prostate volume ≥35 cm.

[Advanced prostate cancer: sequence of androgen receptor-targeted substances and chemotherapy determines long-term survival].

The treatment of advanced prostate cancer is changing. New study data and the resulting new therapeutic options have led to increasingly differentiated treatment decisions. Despite the changing therapy landscape, taxane-based chemotherapy-being a life-prolonging treatment-remains an indispensable therapeutic component for chemotherapy-fit patients in the metastatic setting.

Morbidity and mortality after robot-assisted radical cystectomy with intracorporeal urinary diversion in octogenarians: results from the European Association of Urology Robotic Urology Section Scientific Working Group.

Objectives: To evaluate the postoperative complication and mortality rate following laparoscopic radical cystectomy (RARC) with intracorporeal urinary diversion (ICUD) in octogenarians.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis comparing postoperative complication and mortality rates depending on age in a consecutive series of 1890 patients who underwent RARC with ICUD for bladder cancer between 2004 and 2018 in 10 European centres. Outcomes of patients aged <80 years and those aged ≥80 years were compared with regard to postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo grading) and mortality rate.

To defer or not to defer? A German longitudinal multicentric assessment of clinical practice in urology during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: After the outbreak of COVID-19 unprecedented changes in the healthcare systems worldwide were necessary resulting in a reduction of urological capacities with postponements of consultations and surgeries.

Material And Methods: An email was sent to 66 urological hospitals with focus on robotic surgery (RS) including a link to a questionnaire (e.g.

Transurethral en bloc submucosal hydrodissection vs conventional resection for resection of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (HYBRIDBLUE): a randomised, multicentre trial.

Objective: To determine whether transurethral en bloc submucosal hydrodissection of bladder tumours (TUEB) improves the quality of the resection compared to conventional transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT) in patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).

Patients And Methods: A randomised, multicentre trial (HYBRIDBLUE) was conducted with a superiority design. Six German academic centres participated between September 2012 and August 2015.

Apalutamid: Eine neue Option für die Therapie des Hochrisiko-M0CRPC.

Das Auftreten von Metastasen stellt beim nicht-metastasierten kastrationsresistenten Prostatakarzinom (M0CRPC) einen Wendepunkt in der Erkrankung dar. Apalutamid, ein neuer Androgenrezeptorinhibitor (ARI), verlängerte in der SPARTAN-Studie beim Hochrisiko-M0CRPC im Vergleich zu Placebo das metastasenfreie Überleben (MFS) signifikant. Ähnliches ergab die PROSPER-Studie für Enzalutamid.

Non-Whole-Gland High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound vs Whole-Gland High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound for Management of Localized Prostate Cancer: 1-Year Oncological and Functional Outcomes.

Objective: The aim of the study was to compare the oncological and functional outcomes in localized prostate cancer patients who received non-whole-gland high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) with those in patients who received whole-gland HIFU therapy.

Patients And Methods: Eighty-six patients from September 2012 to January 2017 in our center were retrospectively analyzed. Oncological outcomes included histological absence of prostate cancer, biochemical disease-free survival (BDFS) as well as the absence of lesions suspected for harboring prostate cancer in multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI).

A modified clinicopathological tumor staging system for survival prediction of patients with penile cancer.

Background: The 8th American Joint Committee on Cancer tumor-node-metastasis (AJCC-TNM) staging system is based on a few retrospective single-center studies. We aimed to test the prognostic validity of the staging system and to determine whether a modified clinicopathological tumor staging system that includes lymphovascular embolization could increase the accuracy of prognostic prediction for patients with stage T2-3 penile cancer.

Methods: A training cohort of 411 patients who were treated at 2 centers in China and Brazil between 2000 and 2015 were staged according to the 8th AJCC-TNM staging system.

Cryobiopsy in the Upper Urinary Tract: Preclinical Evaluation of a Novel Device.

Objective: To develop a novel device for cryobiopsy of the upper urinary tract (UUT) and to evaluate its feasibility in a standardized preclinical setting.

Materials And Methods: Flexible cryoprobes (diameter 0.9 mm; cooling agent CO2) were developed and used to extract biopsies in porcine UUTs.

Systemic Alterations of Wnt Inhibitors in Patients with Prostate Cancer and Bone Metastases.

Purpose: Dickkopf-1 (DKK-1) and sclerostin seem to inhibit osteoblast activity by blocking the Wnt pathway, which leads to progression of metastatic prostate cancer (PC). However, it is unknown whether serum levels of these proteins are altered in PC patients with or without metastasis. The aim of this study was to assess DKK-1 and sclerostin serum levels in PC patients, including patients with bone metastases.

Performance of Urinary Markers for Detection of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma: Is Upper Tract Urine More Accurate than Urine from the Bladder?

Objectives: To assess the performance of urine markers determined in urine samples from the bladder compared to samples collected from the upper urinary tract (UUT) for diagnosis of UUT urothelial carcinoma (UC).

Patients And Methods: The study comprised 758 urine samples either collected from the bladder ( = 373) or UUT ( = 385). All patients underwent urethrocystoscopy and UUT imaging or ureterorenoscopy.

A Novel Fluorescence-Labeled Curcumin Conjugate: Synthesis, Evaluation and Imaging on Human Cell Lines.

Curcumin, as the main ingredient of the curcuma spice, has increasingly become the target of scientific research. The turmeric root where the spice is obtained from has been widely used in the traditional medicine. Moreover, scientific studies have found that curcumin has anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-angiogenic effects as well as antibacterial properties.

Impact of variant microscopic interpretation of the uCyt+ immunocytological urine test for the detection of bladder cancer.

Background: Urinary marker tests for bladder cancer (BC) detection and surveillance represent a desirable approach to diagnosis and follow-up. The SCIMEDX uCyt+ assay detects antigens expressed by BC cells (mucin glycoprotein and carcinoembryonic antigen) using green and red fluorescence and is interpreted according to specific manufacturer's recommendations. In the present study, we evaluated divergent approaches of numeric and morphological analysis of uCyt+ to generate a rationale for alternative test interpretation strategies.

Prediction of Postoperative Risks in Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy Using RENAL, Mayo Adhesive Probability and Renal Pelvic Score.

Aim: To evaluate the Mayo Adhesive Probability (MAP) score, renal pelvis score, and RENAL nephrometry score for the prediction of surgical outcome in patients with renal masses undergoing laparoscopic partial nephrectomy at a single center.

Patients And Methods: A total of 280 patients who underwent laparoscopic partial nephrectomy were identified retrospectively. Thirty-eight patients were excluded because of a lack of preoperative imaging.

Comparison of different concepts for interpretation of chromosomal aberrations in urothelial cells detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization.

Purpose: Urine fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has become a broadly used marker for noninvasive detection of bladder cancer (BC). However, it has been discussed whether the interpretation algorithm proposed by the manufacturer could be improved. Aim of the present study was to compare alternative evaluation strategies of FISH for detection of BC.