Publications by authors named "Laura Elst"

We describe the novel use of dynamic sentinel node biopsy (DSNB) in five patients with primary urethral squamous cell carcinoma (U-SCC) and no evidence of inguinal node disease across two centers in North America and Europe between 03/2021 and 06/2024. Each of these referral centers sees over 75 cases of penile cancer per year and approximately 10 cases of U-SCC per year. Patients underwent DSNB concomitant to surgical resection of the primary tumor (n=3), or in a deferred manner (n=2), six weeks after primary surgery.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction And Objective: Imiquimod (IQ) is an immunomodulator used in the management of penile intraepithelial neoplasia (PeIN) lesions. However, IQ treatment may be associated with bothersome side effects (SEs). To date, studies reporting on this morbidity and evaluating predictors of response to IQ are scarce and included small cohorts.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Objectives: Penile cancer (PeCa) remains a challenge due to its rarity and the lack of prospective studies, leading to treatment challenges and controversies. Guidelines offer recommendations, but discrepancies with clinical practice persist. This study analyzed treatment practices among specialists managing high-risk PeCa in European reference centers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The article reviews the current knowledge on penile intraepithelial neoplasia (PeIN) and discusses the potential of imiquimod (IQ) as a treatment option, noting that it may have a complete response rate of up to 63% but may also cause significant side effects.
  • - In analyzing available literature, it identifies a gap in research regarding the optimal treatment schedule for PeIN and highlights that ongoing studies in similar conditions suggest a possible regimen of three times a week for up to 16 weeks.
  • - The conclusions emphasize a lack of existing data on both the effectiveness of IQ for PeIN and the immune microenvironment associated with it, calling for more research to better understand PeIN and identify factors that could predict
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Surgery is the cornerstone of treatment for penile squamous cell carcinoma. Following surgical excision, reconstructive surgery is beneficial to restore aesthetics, functionality, and overall quality of life of these patients. In this mini-review, we discuss the use of skin grafts, perineal urethrostomy, phalloplasty, and vascularised flaps as reconstructive options following penile cancer treatment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Objective: TP53 loss-of-function (TP53LOF) mutations might be a driver of poor prognosis and chemoresistance in both human papillomavirus (HPV)-independent (HPV-) and HPV-associated (HPV+) penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC). Here, we aim to describe transcriptomic differences in the PSCC microenvironment stratified by TP53LOF and HPV status.

Methods: We used single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and T-cell receptor sequencing to obtain a comprehensive atlas of the cellular architecture of PSCC.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To evaluate clinical characteristics associated with survival in patients with metastases to the penis.

Methods: After approval by the IRB, records of collaborating centres in Leuven, London, Rostock, Amsterdam and Tampa were screened for men presenting with metastatic disease to penis. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify covariables associated with survival.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) is characterised by stepwise lymphatic dissemination. Skip metastases (SkMs) are rare metastases in the corpus cavernosum or spongiosum without continuity to the primary tumour or its resection site.

Objective: To assess the distinct pattern of spread in SkM patients and the effect of SkM on prognosis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Penile cancer (PeCa) represents a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge given the low patient volume, which may result in inadequate physician expertise and poor guideline adherence. Since 2015, we have developed a specific care pathway for PeCa in our tertiary referral center.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a dedicated PeCa care pathway on patient management, the adequacy of pathological reporting, and oncological outcomes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Penile cancer is characterized by an early lymphatic dissemination. In intermediate and high-risk primary tumors without palpable inguinal lymph nodes, there is a 6-30% risk of micro-metastatic disease. Invasive lymph node staging in these patients is performed using dynamic sentinel lymph node biopsy (DSNB).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Organ-sparing surgery (OSS) is endorsed by the European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines as the preferred treatment for distal primary penile cancer. The recommendation states that OSS should be used whenever possible, without exactly defining what constitutes "possible". This recommendation is based on findings showing that this approach has no detrimental impact on survival.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection globally, which causes nearly all cervix carcinomas and contributes to oropharyngeal, penile, vulva, vagina, and anal cancers. Despite the role of HPV in several preneoplastic and cancerous lesions in men, male vaccine coverage is low. This article aims to provide insights into the pathophysiology of HPV-related penile cancer and penile intraepithelial neoplasia (PeIN).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Systemic treatments for penile squamous cell carcinoma (pSCC) are toxic and inefficient. Patient-based preclinical models are essential to study novel treatments.

Objective: To establish a library of patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDX) models of human papillomavirus-positive (HPV) and -negative (HPV) pSCC and characterize these at the genomic and histological levels.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The number of cancers in men caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) is on the rise.
  • There is a need for gender-neutral HPV vaccination to address this growing concern.
  • Targeted strategies for detecting and treating these specific cancers are also necessary.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: fopen(/var/lib/php/sessions/ci_sessionp1ld6km7emas71rg4mtjtj03la0e68os): Failed to open stream: No space left on device

Filename: drivers/Session_files_driver.php

Line Number: 177

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 316
Function: require_once

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: session_start(): Failed to read session data: user (path: /var/lib/php/sessions)

Filename: Session/Session.php

Line Number: 137

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 316
Function: require_once