Publications by authors named "Christian Stief"

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a promising modality for differentiating benign and malignant lesions in various organs, including the testis. Testicular tumors, common in young men, are often treated with radical orchiectomy, which can have significant consequences. This study aimed to analyze CEUS parameters and their association with malignant testicular tumors.

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Higher intraoperative opioid doses may be associated with worse long-term oncological outcomes after radical prostatectomy (RP) for prostate cancer. We aimed to evaluate the impact of higher doses of intraoperative opioids and type of anesthesia on biochemical recurrence (BCR) and mortality after RP in a high-volume tertiary center. All patients underwent RP at our center between 2015 and 2021.

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: Prostate cancer (PC) and its treatment are often associated with side effects such as fatigue, muscle loss, and diminished quality of life (QoL). Physical exercise, particularly resistance training (RT) and aerobic training (AT), has been suggested as a strategy to mitigate these effects. However, the comparative efficacy of RT, AT, and combined RT/AT on QoL, body composition, physical fitness, and laboratory markers in PC patients is still insufficiently understood.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and the rising interest in phytomedicines as alternatives to traditional medications, especially with limited efficacy of current treatments.
  • A survey conducted with 300 patients revealed that a significant portion (41%) of those on medication for LUTS were also using phytomedicines, which showed good tolerability despite lower efficacy ratings.
  • Patients expressed a desire for insurance coverage for phytomedicines, highlighting a shift toward individualized treatment options and the importance of patient empowerment in the decision-making process.
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Introduction: Ureteral access sheaths (UAS) are widely used in the endoscopic treatment of urolithiasis. In modern medicine, radiation exposure from diagnostics and therapy is increasing; however, the impact of UAS on procedure duration, fluoroscopy time, and radiation exposure is still uncertain.

Methods: This retrospective study included 1,026 patients who received ureterorenoscopic treatment for urolithiasis between 2016 and 2018 at a large academic center.

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Article Synopsis
  • * An informal review of various studies (candidate gene, GWAS, and Mendelian randomization) reveals links between BPH and genetic variants related to hormones and inflammation, though findings remain inconclusive and population-dependent.
  • * Conclusions point to challenges in targeting the identified genes with drugs due to potential side effects and the lack of specific analyses available, emphasizing that patient risk profiles for BPH need more quantitative evaluation.
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Radical cystectomy (RC) with the formation of an ileal orthotopic neobladder (ONB) may adversely affect long-term health-related quality of life (HRQOL). An advanced age at the time of ONB construction could further exacerbate the decline in HRQOL. This study aims to establish an evidence-based age threshold at the time of RC with ONB, beyond which a significant deterioration in HRQOL is observed.

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Objective: To investigate the prognostic value of baseline health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for patients with intermediate-risk localized prostate cancer (IR-PCa) undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP).

Methods: 4780 patients with IR-PCa according to NCCN risk stratification were identified from a prospectively maintained database. All patients were treated with RP and had prospectively assessed baseline HRQOL.

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Background: An increased intraoperative opioid dose seems to lead to worse outcomes in several types of cancer. We assessed the effect of intraoperatively administered opioids as well as the type of anesthesia on survival, recurrence rates and major perioperative outcomes in patients who underwent radical cystectomy (RC) for urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder.

Methods: We included patients who underwent open RC at our center between 2015 and 2022.

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  • This study focuses on the effects of therapy-related toxicities and the quality of life for prostate cancer patients receiving transperineal ultrasound (TPUS) guided radiotherapy.
  • Physicians assessed gastrointestinal (GI) and genitourinary (GU) toxicities, while patients reported their quality of life through specific questionnaires at various points during and after treatment.
  • Results showed low levels of toxicities and a significant improvement in quality of life, indicating that TPUS-guided radiotherapy is a well-tolerated treatment method for prostate cancer.
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Background And Objective: Major urological guidelines do not currently recommend robot-assisted surgery compared with laparoscopic or open surgery due to the lack of high-quality evidence. We aimed to provide real-world data on the evolution of robotic urology and to compare its perioperative outcomes with those of laparoscopic and open surgeries.

Methods: We used the GeRmAn Nationwide inpatient Data (GRAND), provided by the Research Data Center of the Federal Bureau of Statistics (2005-2021), and performed multiple patient-level analyses.

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The prostate biopsy is an essential tool for diagnosing prostate cancer (PCa). While transrectal biopsy (TR-Bx) continues to be considered the gold standard in Germany, the European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines increasingly recommend transperineal biopsy (TP-Bx) due to lower infection rates and higher tumor detection rates. This article provides an overview of the history and development of the perineal biopsy, compares TR-Bx and TP-Bx and discusses the need for antibiotic prophylaxis before TP-Bx.

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Objective: Bone metastases are very common in advanced prostate cancer and can sensitively be detected utilizing PSMA-PET/CT. Therefore, our goal was to evaluate the suitability of PSMA-PET/CT-guided metastasis-directed external beam radiotherapy (MDT) as treatment option for patients with biochemical recurrence and oligometastatic bone lesions.

Materials & Methods: We retrospectively examined 32 prostate cancer patients with biochemical recurrence and PSMA-positive oligometastatic disease limited to the bone (n = 1-3).

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Purpose: The aim of this study is to describe the anatomical and functional changes observed in multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) during follow-up after focal therapy (FT) for localized prostate cancer (PCa).

Materials And Methods: In this prospective study, we analyzed pre- and postoperatively acquired mpMRI of 10 patients after FT (7 days; 3, 6, 9, 12 months). 7/10 (70%) patients underwent vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy (VTP).

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Objectives: While the impact of treatment with 5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors (5-ARI) on the risk of cancer-related mortality in men with prostate cancer (PC) has been extensively studied, little is known about the impact of preoperative 5-ARI use on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) following radical prostatectomy (RP).

Methods: Within our prospectively maintained institutional database of 5899 patients treated with RP for PC (2008- 2021), 99 patients with preoperative 5-ARI therapy were identified. A 1:4 propensity-score matched analysis of 442 men (n = 90 5-ARI, n = 352 no 5-ARI) was conducted.

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The β-adrenoceptor agonist mirabegron is available for the treatment of storage symptoms of overactive bladder, including frequency, urgency, and incontinence. The off-target effects of mirabegron include binding to α-adrenoceptors, which are central in the treatment of voiding symptoms. Here, we examined the structure-function relationships in the binding of mirabegron to a cryo-electron microscopy structure of α.

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Background: The immunomodulatory imide drugs (IMiDs) thalidomide, lenalidomide and pomalidomide may exhibit therapeutic efficacy in the prostate. In lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), voiding and storage disorders may arise from benign prostate hyperplasia, or overactive bladder. While current therapeutic options target smooth muscle contraction or cell proliferation, side effects are mostly cardiovascular.

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Article Synopsis
  • Photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) improves bladder cancer detection during transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT), but its everyday implementation is not fully assessed.
  • An analysis of Germany's patient data from 2010 to 2021 revealed that PDD use increased two-fold, with PDD patients being younger and discharged earlier yet incurring about €500 more in costs.
  • PDD was associated with lower rates of transfusions, ICU admissions, and 30-day mortality compared to traditional white-light TURBT, though it also had slightly higher rates of bladder perforation and reoperations, indicating more research is needed before it becomes standard practice.
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Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapies have been established as the standard-of-care in various uro-oncological cancers. Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) are frequent, but their degree rarely leads to the discontinuation of immunotherapies. Unplanned permanent treatment discontinuation may negatively impact the outcomes of patients, but there are emerging data about a positive correlation between emergence of severe irAEs and therapeutic cancer responses.

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Introduction: Oncological outcomes in patients with nonclear cell renal cell carcinoma (non-ccRCC) treated with surgery for locoregional nodal disease (ND) remain incompletely characterized. The objective was to investigate the characteristics and outcomes of non-ccRCC patients treated with lymph node dissection (LND) and salvage-LND (S-LND).

Methods: A total of 1627 patients underwent nephrectomy for nonmetastatic non-ccRCC at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center between 2007 and 2023.

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Background: The aim of this study was to analyze four pre-operative physical frailty indicators from a geriatric assessment (GA) independently and combined in a physical frailty index, in their ability to predict postoperative 30 d-complications.

Materials And Methods: In this secondary analysis of data from the published PERATECS study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01278537), the predictive value of four physical frailty indicators from a defined GA battery was examined with univariable and multivariate logistic regression models in a sample of 493 onco-geriatric surgical patients.

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Background: Apart from antagonizing ß-adrenoceptors, carvedilol antagonizes vascular α-adrenoceptors and activates G protein-independent signaling. Even though it is a commonly used antihypertensive and α-adrenoceptors are essential for the treatment of voiding symptoms in benign prostatic hyperplasia, its actions in the human prostate are still unknown. Here, we examined carvedilol effects on contractions of human prostate tissues, and on stromal cell growth.

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