Is there a clinical role for frozen section analysis during partial nephrectomy? A multicenter experience over 10 years.

Background: Frozen section analysis (FSA) is frequently performed during partial nephrectomy (PN). We investigate the utility of intraoperative FSA by evaluating its impact on final surgical margin (SM) status.

Methods: Between January 1995 and December 2005, a series of patients who were treated with open PN for renal cell carcinoma was prospectively analyzed.

Application and Uses of Electronic Noses for Clinical Diagnosis on Urine Samples: A Review.

The electronic nose is able to provide useful information through the analysis of the volatile organic compounds in body fluids, such as exhaled breath, urine and blood. This paper focuses on the review of electronic nose studies and applications in the specific field of medical diagnostics based on the analysis of the gaseous headspace of human urine, in order to provide a broad overview of the state of the art and thus enhance future developments in this field. The research in this field is rather recent and still in progress, and there are several aspects that need to be investigated more into depth, not only to develop and improve specific electronic noses for different diseases, but also with the aim to discover and analyse the connections between specific diseases and the body fluids odour.

An observational study of the use of beclomethasone dipropionate suppositories in the treatment of lower urinary tract inflammation in men.

Background: Nonbacterial prostatitis, together with chronic pelvic pain syndrome, accounts for 90-95 % of prostatitis cases. Anti-inflammatory medications are commonly used to reduce storage/inflammatory symptoms that can deteriorate quality of life. The purpose of this study was to observe the efficacy and safety of beclomethasone dipropionate rectal suppositories (Topster®) in inflammations of the lower urinary tract in men.

"En Bloc" Resection of Nonmuscle Invasive Bladder Cancer: A Prospective Single-center Study.

Objective: To describe our "en bloc" technique for nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), assess the quality of resection, and report the midterm oncological outcome.

Materials And Methods: This is an observational prospective longitudinal study, from June 2010 to February 2014, enrolling patients with clinically NMIBC, having tumors of ≤3 cm and ≤4 lesions who underwent electrical en bloc bladder resection. The primary study end point was recurrence-free survival.

Endorectal multiparametric 3-tesla magnetic resonance imaging associated with systematic cognitive biopsies does not increase prostate cancer detection rate: a randomized prospective trial.

Purpose: To investigate prostate cancer (PC) detection rate, employing endorectal multiparametric 3-tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) driving subsequent cognitive systematic prostatic biopsy (CSPB) versus a homogenous group of patients who did not undergo endorectal MRI.

Materials And Methods: A series of patients with a first negative biopsy were enrolled in the study. Patients were randomized into two groups: Group A: patients underwent MRI and subsequent CSPB; Group B: patients that did not undergo MRI.

Open partial nephrectomy: ancient art or currently available technique?

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for 3 % of adult solid tumors, with the highest incidence between 50 and 70 years of age. Nephron-sparing surgery was initially reserved to patients with small renal masses detected in anatomically or functionally solitary kidney or in the presence of multiple bilateral tumors or hereditary forms of RCC, which posed a high risk of developing a tumor in the contralateral kidney. Nowadays, partial nephrectomy (PN) has grown up to an established approach for the treatment of small renal masses.

Two-dimensional neovascular complexity is significantly higher in nontumor prostate tissue than in low-risk prostate cancer.

Purpose: Prostate cancer is the most frequent cancer in men in Europe. A major focus in urology is the identification of new biomarkers with improved accuracy in patients with low-risk prostate cancer. Here, we evaluated two-dimensional neovascular complexity in prostate tumor and nontumor biopsy cores by use of a computer-aided image analysis system and assessed the correlations between the results and selected clinical and pathological parameters of prostate carcinoma.

Olfactory system of highly trained dogs detects prostate cancer in urine samples.

Purpose: We established diagnostic accuracy in terms of the sensitivity and specificity with which a rigorously trained canine olfactory system could recognize specific volatile organic compounds of prostate cancer in urine samples.

Materials And Methods: Two 3-year-old female German Shepherd Explosion Detection Dogs were trained to identify prostate cancer specific volatile organic compounds in urine samples. They were tested on 362 patients with prostate cancer (range low risk to metastatic) and on 540 healthy controls with no nonneoplastic disease or nonprostatic tumor.

Senescent remodeling of the innate and adaptive immune system in the elderly men with prostate cancer.

Despite years of intensive investigation that has been made in understanding prostate cancer, it remains a major cause of death in men worldwide. Prostate cancer emerges from multiple alterations that induce changes in expression patterns of genes and proteins that function in networks controlling critical cellular events. Based on the exponential aging of the population and the increasing life expectancy in industrialized Western countries, prostate cancer in the elderly men is becoming a disease of increasing significance.

Mast cells as a potential prognostic marker in prostate cancer.

Despite years of intensive investigation that has been made in understanding prostate cancer, it remains one of the major men's health issues and the leading cause of death worldwide. It is now ascertained that prostate cancer emerges from multiple spontaneous and/or inherited alterations that induce changes in expression patterns of genes and proteins that function in complex networks controlling critical cellular events. It is now accepted that several innate and adaptive immune cells, including T- and B-lymphocytes, macrophages, natural killer cells, dendritic cells, neutrophils, eosinophils, and mast cells (MCs), infiltrate the prostate cancer.

Impact of Real-Time Elastography versus Systematic Prostate Biopsy Method on Cancer Detection Rate in Men with a Serum Prostate-Specific Antigen between 2.5 and 10 ng/mL.

The actual gold standard for the diagnosis of prostate cancer includes the serum prostate-specific antigen, the digital rectal examination, and the ultrasound-guided systematic prostate biopsy sampling. In the last years, the real-time elastography has been introduced as an imaging technique to increase the detection rate of prostate cancer and simultaneously reduce the number of biopsies sampled for a single patient. Here, we evaluated a consecutive series of 102 patients with negative digital-rectal examination and transrectal ultrasound, and prostate-specific antigen value ranging between 2.

Can a Gleason 6 or Less Microfocus of Prostate Cancer in One Biopsy and Prostate-Specific Antigen Level <10 ng/mL Be Defined as the Archetype of Low-Risk Prostate Disease?

Prostate cancer (PC) remains a cause of death worldwide. Here we investigate whether a single microfocus of PC at the biopsy (graded as Gleason 6 or less, ≤5% occupancy) and the PSA <10 ng/mL can define the archetype of low-risk prostate disease. 4500 consecutive patients were enrolled.

Colour Doppler and microbubble contrast agent ultrasonography do not improve cancer detection rate in transrectal systematic prostate biopsy sampling.

Unlabelled: What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Transrectal gray-scale ultrasonography guided prostate biopsy sampling is the method for diagnosing prostate cancer (PC) in patients with an increased prostate specific antigen level and/or abnormal digital rectal examination. Several imaging strategies have been proposed to optimize the diagnostic value of biopsy sampling, although at the first biopsy nearly 10-30% of PC still remains undiagnosed. This study compares the PC detection rate when employing Colour Doppler ultransongraphy with or without the injection of SonoVue™ microbubble contrast agent, versus the transrectal ultrasongraphy-guided systematic biopsy sampling.

Corporoplasty by plication: out patient surgery for the correction of penile curvature.

Objective: Corporoplasty using plication of the albuginea is a simple technique but considered by many Authors at high risk for recurrence in respect to other corrective techniques using excision of the albuginea tunica. The aim of this study was to assess long-term functional and cosmetic results of this approach done in an outpatient environment.

Material And Methods: From January 1997 to December 2008 we submitted 217 patients presenting induratio penis plastica (183) or congenital curvature (34) to corporoplasty with albuginea plication.

PSA repeatedly fluctuating levels are reassuring enough to avoid biopsy?

Introduction: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels can show wide fluctuations when repeatedly measured. Here we investigatewd if: (a) biopsy timing influences the prostate cancer (PC) detection rate in patients with fluctuating PSA (flu-PSA) in comparison with patients with steadily increasing PSA (si-PSA); (b) PSA slope estimated in patients with flu-PSA predicts a different risk of cancer detection; (c) flu-PSA and si-PSA patients develop PC in topographically different sites; (d) the behaviour of pre-operative PSA is an expression of a disease with defferent characteristics to the following radical prostatectomy.

Methods: The study involved 211 patients who underwent at least a second biopsy after a first negative prostate biopsy.

Fractal analysis of two-dimensional vascularity in primary prostate cancer and surrounding non-tumoral parenchyma.

Prostate cancer is the fifth most frequent cancer in the world. However, none of the actual prognostic factors provide a valid index for predicting patient outcome. Here, we evaluate the two-dimensional vascularity in primary prostate tumors and surrounding non-tumoral parenchyma by means of fractal geometry, and assess any correlations between the results and some clinical and pathological parameters of prostate carcinoma.

Nephron sparing surgery of parenchymal kidney tumours in solitary kidney.

Introduction: The aim of this study is to assess the therapeutic efficacy of nephron sparing surgery (NSS) in our experience applied to patients with either bilateral renal cancer or patients with cancer in a solitary functioning kidney, from an oncological viewpoint as well as renal function.

Materials And Methods: From January 1997 to March 2006 we submitted 185 patients to NSS. Twenty-seven presented absolute indications with disease in functionally or anatomically solitary kidney.

Single small focus of prostate adenocarcinoma (< or = 1 mm and too small for grading) and clinical significant disease after radical prostatectomy.

Objectives: To determine whether a clinical significant adenocarcinoma of the cinoma (defined as a lesion < or =1 mm. and too small for grading) at needle biopsy, even repeated, and through prostate specific antigen (PSA), PSA density (PSAD) and free-to-total PSA ratio (f/t ratio).

Methods: Retrospectively 79/1610 consecutive patients undergoing prostatic needle biopsies presented one small focus of prostatic adenocarcinoma < or =1 mm and too small for grading.

Incidence and treatment of complications in nephron sparing surgery.

Unlabelled: Conservative renal surgery (enucleation or segmentary resection) has become the gold standard treatment for small and peripheral malignant kidney lesions or in cases of reduced renal function or bilateral lesions. The aim of this study is to evaluate the incidence and treatment of complications of this technique in our experience.

Materials And Methods: Between March 1997 and March 2005, 159 patients aged from 23 to 77 years (median 66 years) underwent conservative renal surgery.

Retropubic nerve and seminal sparing radical prostatectomy for recurrent bladder neck-prostatic urethra strictures.

Objectives: To verify if nerve and seminal sparing radical prostatectomy could represent surgical solution for iatrogenic bladder neck prostatic urethra contracture without external sphincter involvement.

Material And Methods: At our institution 4 patients have been submitted to nerve and seminal sparing radical prostatectomy for recurrent bladder neck-prostatic urethra contracture following TURP for middle size adenoma. In all cases bladder neck was reconstructed and a 20F silicon catheter was left in place for two weeks to stint the vesico-urethral anastomosis.

Evaluation of complications and results in a contemporary series of 300 consecutive radical retropubic prostatectomies with the anatomic approach at a single institution.

Objectives: To evaluate the complications and results of radical retropubic prostatectomy with the anatomic approach, at our center, to allow a comparison with published studies and precise patient counseling.

Methods: We reviewed the charts and records of the follow-up visits of all patients who consecutively underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy for clinically intracapsular prostate cancer between March 1997 and February 2002.

Results: The pathologic stage was pT0 in 4 patients (1.