Current Standard Technique for Modern Flexible Ureteroscopy: Tips and Tricks.

Background: Thanks to advancements in the endoscopic armamentarium, flexible ureteroscopy (fURS) has become a viable and attractive option for the treatment of renal stones because of its high stone-free rates (SFRs) and low morbidity.

Objective: To describe our surgical technique for fURS, step-by-step, for the treatment of renal stones and to assess its effectiveness and safety.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A retrospective analysis of 316 consecutive patients who underwent fURS for renal stones at our institution between March 2014 and September 2015 was performed.

Clinical use of [-2]proPSA (p2PSA) and its derivatives (%p2PSA and Prostate Health Index) for the detection of prostate cancer: a review of the literature.

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is recognized as an organ-specific marker with low specificity and sensitivity in discriminating prostate cancer (PCa) from other benign conditions, such as prostatic hyperplasia or chronic prostatitis. Thus, in the case of clinical suspicion, a PCa diagnosis cannot be made without a prostate biopsy. [-2]proPSA (p2PSA), a precursor of PSA, has been investigated as a new marker to accurately detect PCa.

Clinical performance of serum isoform [-2]proPSA (p2PSA), and its derivatives %p2PSA and the Prostate Health Index, in men aged <60 years: results from a multicentric European study.

Objectives: To test the hypothesis that [-2]proPSA (p2PSA) and its derivatives are more accurate than total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA), free prostate-specific antigen (fPSA) and fPSA as percentage of tPSA (%fPSA) in detecting prostate cancer (PCa) in men aged <60 years.

Patients And Methods: The analysis consisted of a nested case-control study from the PRO- PSA Multicentric European Study (PROMEtheuS) project. The primary outcomes were measures of sensibility, specificity and accuracy of serum p2PSA, p2PSA as percentage of fPSA (%p2PSA) and Beckman Coulter prostate health index (PHI) in men aged <60 years who had undergone a prostate biopsy.

Relationship of chronic histologic prostatic inflammation in biopsy specimens with serum isoform [-2]proPSA (p2PSA), %p2PSA, and prostate health index in men with a total prostate-specific antigen of 4-10 ng/ml and normal digital rectal examination.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between serum [-2]proPSA (p2PSA) and derivatives with chronic histologic prostatic inflammation (CHPI) in men undergoing prostate biopsy for suspected prostate cancer (PCa).

Methods: This nested case-control study resulted from an observational prospective trial for the definition of sensibility, specificity, and accuracy of p2PSA, %p2PSA, and Beckman Coulter Prostate Health Index (PHI), in men undergoing prostate biopsy, with a total prostate-specific antigen (PSA) of 4-10 ng/mL and normal digital rectal examination. CHPI was the outcome of interest and defined as the presence of moderate to large infiltration of lymphomononuclear cells with interstitial and/or glandular disruption in absence of PCa.

Complications and quality of life after template-assisted transperineal prostate biopsy in patients eligible for focal therapy.

Objective: To assess the complication rates and quality of life in patients eligible for focal therapy who underwent template-assisted transperineal prostate biopsy (TTPB).

Materials And Methods: Eighty-seven patients with low-risk prostate cancer (clinical stage T1c-T2a, prostate-specific antigen level ≤10 ng/mL, biopsy Gleason score ≤6), who were candidates for focal therapy, underwent TTPB. The study details are available from http://clinicaltrials.

Head-to-head comparison of prostate health index and urinary PCA3 for predicting cancer at initial or repeat biopsy.

Purpose: We performed a head-to-head comparison of the PHI (Prostate Health Index) and PCA3.

Materials And Methods: We evaluated PHI and PCA3 performance in 211 patients undergoing initial (116) or repeat (95) prostate biopsy. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was done using the AUC to test the accuracy of PHI and PCA3 for predicting prostate cancer in the overall population and in each setting.

Serum index test %[-2]proPSA and Prostate Health Index are more accurate than prostate specific antigen and %fPSA in predicting a positive repeat prostate biopsy.

Purpose: We tested the hypothesis that serum isoform [-2]proPSA derivatives %p2PSA and Prostate Health Index are accurate predictors of prostate cancer in men scheduled for repeat biopsy.

Materials And Methods: The study was an observational prospective evaluation of a clinical cohort of men with 1 or 2 previous negative prostate biopsies, with persistent suspicion of prostate cancer. They were enrolled in the study to determine the diagnostic accuracy of %p2PSA using the formula, (p2PSA pg/ml)/(free prostate specific antigen ng/ml × 1,000)]× 100, and Beckman-Coulter Prostate Health Index using the formula, (p2PSA/free prostate specific antigen) × √total prostate specific antigen), and to compare it with the accuracy of established prostate cancer serum tests (total prostate specific antigen, free prostate specific antigen and percent free prostate specific antigen).

Preoperative prostate-specific antigen isoform p2PSA and its derivatives, %p2PSA and prostate health index, predict pathologic outcomes in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer.

Background: Currently available predictive models fail to assist clinical decision making in prostate cancer (PCa) patients who are possible candidates for radical prostatectomy (RP). New biomarkers would be welcome.

Objective: Test the hypothesis that prostate-specific antigen (PSA) isoform p2PSA and its derivates, percentage of p2PSA to free PSA (%p2PSA) and the Prostate Health Index (PHI), predict PCa characteristics at final pathology after RP.