Publications by authors named "Firas Aljabery"

Purpose: To investigate the performance of dynamic 3D diuretic renal scintigraphy using a hybrid whole body CZT SPECT/CT for the evaluation of acute ureteric obstruction in patients with urinary stone disease.

Methods: 20 patients who presented to the Emergency Department with acute renal colic due to urinary stone disease confirmed by means of CT were prospectively included. Three observers evaluated and graded hydronephrosis, hydroureter, perirenal stranding, and thickening of the renal fascia from the CT as well as the renal scintigraphy curves from the dynamic SPECT study.

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Background And Objective: It has been suggested that urinary tract infections (UTIs) are associated with delayed diagnosis of bladder cancer (BC). Our aim was to investigate prediagnostic treatments related to UTI and the relation to BC diagnostic delay, reflected by advanced disease at diagnosis.

Methods: We used data from the BladderBaSe 2.

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Objective: Radical cystectomy (RC) for bladder cancer is associated with an inherent risk of complications and even postoperative mortality. The number of hospitals performing RC has decreased in Sweden over time, and since a formal regional centralization in 2017 cystectomy care is currently provided by nine hospitals.

Material And Methods: In the Swedish National Urinary Bladder Cancer Register (SNRUBC) 90-day complications after RC have been registered with high coverage since 2012.

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Objectives: To investigate the cumulative incidence proportion of disseminated or local Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) infections after adjuvant BCG instillations in patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).

Patients And Methods: We analysed the timing and occurrence of BCG infections and absolute and relative risk in relation to patient characteristics available in the Swedish nationwide database 'BladderBaSe 2.0'.

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Radical cystectomy (RC) for bladder cancer is a complex procedure with an inherent risk of complications and even postoperative mortality. Historically, RC was performed in 44 hospitals in Sweden, which gradually decreased over time, and since a formal regional centralisation of these operations in 2017, cystectomy care is currently provided by nine hospitals. In the Swedish national urinary bladder cancer register (SNRUBC), complications after RC has been registered with high coverage since 2012, with data presented in an interactive online data resource (RODRET).

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Article Synopsis
  • This study analyzes data from the Swedish National Registry of Urinary Bladder Cancer (SNRUBC) concerning the diagnosis and treatment of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) from 2015 to 2021, focusing on trends in incidence, treatment approaches, and patient outcomes.* -
  • A total of 2,124 patients (1,213 with renal pelvic cancer and 911 with ureteric cancer) were examined, finding stable incidence rates and treatment intentions, but long wait times for treatment remained unchanged despite the introduction of standardized care pathways.* -
  • The findings highlight a significant number of patients not receiving curative treatment and indicate the need for improved treatment timelines and practices, such as bladder cuff
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Purpose: Previous studies have indicated that patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer with non-O blood types have an increased risk of experiencing thromboembolic events (TEEs). This is finding is in relation to neoadjuvant-chemotherapy (NAC)-naïve patients.

Aim: to establish the risk of TEEs and any association with blood types among NAC patients as well as NAC-naïve patients.

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Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate health-related quality of life (HRQoL) before and 1 year after radical cystectomy in relation to age and gender.

Methods: This prospective study involves 112 men and 40 women with bladder cancer treated with radical cystectomy between 2015 and 2018. HRQoL was assessed preoperatively and 1 year post-surgery through Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Scale - General (FACT-G) and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Scale - Vanderbilt Cystectomy Index (FACT-VCI) questionnaires.

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Objective: To investigate the impact of grading in urothelial bladder cancer (UBC) stages Ta and T1, comparing the World Health Organization (WHO) grading classifications of 1973 (WHO73) and 2004 (WHO04) and a combination of these (WHO73/04).

Patients And Methods: All patients with primary Ta and T1 UBC in the Östergötland region, Sweden, between 1992 and 2007 were included. From 1992, we introduced a new programme for management and follow-up of UBC, including prospectively performed registration of all patients, a systematic description of the location and size of all tumours, primary resection and intravesical treatment in the case of recurrence.

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B cells are multifaceted immune cells responding robustly during immune surveillance against tumor antigens by presentation to T cells and switched immunoglobulin production. However, B cells are unstudied in prostate cancer (PCa). We used flow cytometry to analyze B-cell subpopulations in peripheral blood and lymph nodes from intermediate-high risk PCa patients.

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Introduction: We aimed to compare short term outcomes after robot assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) and open radical cystectomy (ORC) for urinary bladder cancer in a large population.

Materials And Methods: We included all patients without distant metastases who underwent either RARC or ORC with ileal conduit between 2011 and 2019 registered in the Bladder cancer data Base Sweden (BladderBaSe) 2.0.

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Background: Intravesical recurrence (IVR) after surgery for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is a clinical problem. We investigated if preoperative invasive diagnostic modalities (IDM) such as antegrade/retrograde uretero-pyelography and/or selective urine cytology/barbotage, and URS with or without concomitant biopsy are associated with IVR after radical surgery for UTUC. Risk of death from urothelial cancer and all causes was investigated as secondary outcomes.

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Purpose: To investigate the association between p53 expression in tumor cells and intratumoral macrophage infiltration in muscle-invasive urinary bladder cancer (MIBC) in relation to clinical and pathological variables and outcomes after radical cystectomy.

Methods: Tumor specimens of the primary tumor from patients treated with radical cystectomy for MIBC were immunostained with the M2-macrophage-specific marker CD163 and the cell cycle protein p53. The expression of these markers was analyzed in relation to patients´ and tumor characteristics and outcome.

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Article Synopsis
  • - BladderBaSe 2.0 is a comprehensive database created to study various aspects of bladder cancer, including treatment outcomes, survival rates, and economic impacts, encompassing over 53,000 bladder cancer patients and thousands with other related cancers.
  • - It includes data from patients diagnosed between 1997 and 2019, alongside a reference group of over 275,000 cancer-free individuals matched by age and sex, enabling robust comparative analysis.
  • - Ongoing research will focus on issues such as gender disparities in detection delays, the outcomes of surgical approaches, and future collaborations are encouraged for expanding the research scope.
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Background: A high pre-treatment De Ritis ratio, the aspartate transaminase/alanine aminotransferase ratio, has been suggested to be of prognostic value for mortality in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Our purpose was to evaluate if a high ratio was associated with mortality and downstaging. Methods: A total of 347 Swedish patients with clinically staged T2-T4aN0M0, with administered neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) or eligible for NAC and undergoing radical cystectomy (RC) 2009−2021, were retrospectively evaluated with a low ratio < 1.

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Background: Previous research has associated repeated transurethral procedures after a diagnosis of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with increased risk of death of causes other than bladder cancer.

Aim: We investigated the overall and disease-specific risk of death in patients with NMIBC compared to a background population sample.

Methods: We utilized the database BladderBaSe 2.

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Background: Urosepsis is a life-threatening condition that needs to be addressed without delay. Two critical issues in its management are: (1) Appropriate empirical antibiotic therapy, considering the patients general condition, comorbidity, and the pathogen expected; and (2) Timing of imaging to identify obstruction requiring decompression.

Objectives: To identify risk factors associated with 30-day mortality in patients with urosepsis.

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Background: Adverse events (AEs) during neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) are known but insufficiently reported. Clinical implications include affected cardiac, pulmonary, urinary, vascular and haematological organ systems. The main purpose was to evaluate the incidence and severity of AEs for ascertaining possible clinical significance.

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Thromboembolic events (TEE) are high-risk complications in patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and radical cystectomy (RC) for urothelial muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). The purpose of the study was to investigate any differences in TEE-incidence, comparing peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) versus a totally implanted port (PORT) as CVA (central venous access) during NAC. We identified 947 cystectomized MIBC-patients from four Swedish medical centers in 2009-2021.

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Objectives: To compare time intervals to diagnosis and treatment, tumor characteristics, and management in patients with primary urinary bladder cancer, diagnosed before and after the implementation of a standardized care pathway (SCP) in Sweden.

Materials And Methods: Data from the Swedish National Register of Urinary Bladder Cancer was studied before (2011-2015) and after (2016-2019) SCP. Data about time from referral to transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT), patients and tumor characteristics, and management were analyzed.

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Objective: To overview the updated Swedish National Guidelines on Urothelial Carcinoma 2021, with emphasis on non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC).

Methods: A narrative review of the updated version of the Swedish National Guidelines on Urothelial Carcinoma 2021 and highlighting new treatment recommendations, with comparison to the European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines and current literature.

Results: For NMIBC the new EAU 2021 risk group stratification has been introduced for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer to predict risk of progression and the web-based application has been translated to Swedish (https://nmibc.

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Purpose: To evaluate a method of transurethral visual response-staging in patients with urothelial muscle-invasive urinary bladder cancer (MIBC), undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and radical cystectomy (RC).

Methods: A prospective study at four Swedish cystectomy centers, cystoscopy was performed after final NAC-cycle for MIBC. Fifty-six participants underwent cystoscopy for visual staging of the tumor immediately pre-RC.

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Introduction And Objectives: Bladder cancer is primarily a disease of older age and little is known about the differences between patients diagnosed with bladder cancer at a younger versus older age. Our objectives were to compare bladder cancer specific survival in patients aged <50 versus those aged 50-70 at time of diagnosis.

Materials And Methods: The Swedish bladder cancer database provided data on patient demographics, clinical characteristics and treatments for this observational study.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates the recurrence and progression risk in two types of bladder cancer: Papillary urothelial neoplasm of low malignant potential (PUNLMP) and stage TaG1 non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), questioning existing WHO classification systems due to similar risk patterns.
  • - Researchers analyzed data from a national database, finding that 21% of PUNLMP patients had local recurrence after five years compared to 42% for TaG1, while progression rates were significantly lower for PUNLMP.
  • - The study concludes that the differences in recurrence risk between these two types suggest they should not be considered the same low-risk group, challenging recent ideas about simplifying management strategies for NMIBC.
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