A sustainable and expedited 'One-Stop' prostate cancer diagnostic pathway to reduce environmental impact and enhance accessibility.

Objective: To assess the carbon footprint, accessibility, and diagnostic performance of an expedited 'One-Stop' prostate cancer (PCa) diagnostic pathway.

Materials And Methods: A total of 1083 consecutive patients undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) followed by transrectal ultrasound fusion-guided prostate biopsy (PBx) were identified from a prospective database. The patients were divided according to the diagnostic pathway: One-Stop, with MRI and same-day PBx (3 hours apart), or Standard, with MRI followed by a second visit for PBx.

The impact of ureteral access sheaths on radiation exposure in the ureterorenoscopic treatment of urolithiasis.

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.

Optimizing risk stratification for intermediate-risk prostate cancer - the prognostic value of baseline health-related quality of life.

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.

Effects of Intraoperative Opioid Use and a Combined Anesthesia Protocol in Patients Undergoing Radical Cystectomy for Urothelial Carcinoma of the Bladder-A Single-Center Experience.

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.

The learning curve for transperineal MRI/TRUS fusion prostate biopsy: A prospective evaluation of a stepwise approach.

Objective: To evaluate the learning curve of a transperineal (TP) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) fusion prostate biopsy (PBx).

Materials And Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing MRI followed by TP PBx from May/2017 to January/2023, were prospectively enrolled (IRB# HS-13-00663). All participants underwent MRI followed by 12 to 14 core systematic PBx (SB), with at least 2 additional targeted biopsy (TB) cores per PIRADS ≥3.

Generative Artificial Intelligence Platform for Automating Social Media Posts From Urology Journal Articles: A Cross-Sectional Study and Randomized Assessment.

Purpose: This cross-sectional study assessed a generative artificial intelligence platform to automate the creation of accurate, appropriate, and compelling social media (SoMe) posts from urological journal articles.

Materials And Methods: One hundred SoMe posts from the top 3 journals in urology X (formerly Twitter) profiles were collected from August 2022 to October 2023. A freeware generative pre-trained transformer (GPT) tool was developed to autogenerate SoMe posts, which included title summarization, key findings, pertinent emojis, hashtags, and digital object identifier links to the article.

[Large language models in science].

Objective: Large language models (LLMs) are gaining popularity due to their ability to communicate in a human-like manner. Their potential for science, including urology, is increasingly recognized. However, unresolved concerns regarding transparency, accountability, and the accuracy of LLM results still exist.

Readability Assessment of Patient Education Materials on Uro-oncological Diseases Using Automated Measures.

Background And Objective: Readability of patient education materials is of utmost importance to ensure understandability and dissemination of health care information in uro-oncology. We aimed to investigate the readability of the official patient education materials of the European Association of Urology (EAU) and American Urology Association (AUA).

Methods: Patient education materials for prostate, bladder, kidney, testicular, penile, and urethral cancers were retrieved from the respective organizations.

The impact of preoperative 5-alpha reductase inhibitors on functional outcomes and health-related quality of life following radical prostatectomy - A propensity score matched longitudinal study.

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.

Toxicity-Induced Discontinuation of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Metastatic Urothelial Cancer: 6-Year Experience from a Specialized Uro-Oncology Center.

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.

[Ga]Ga-FAPI-46 PET/CT for penile cancer - a feasibility study.

Purpose: Penile cancer is a rare entity and has a good prognosis in localized stage. Delayed surgical treatment of lymphatic disease is associated with poor overall survival but conventional imaging cannot detect occult lymph node metastasis sufficiently. Imaging cancer related fibroblasts has shown promising results as non-invasive staging tool in various tumor entities but has not yet been evaluated in penile cancer.

The impact of health care on outcomes of suspected testicular torsion: results from the GRAND study.

Background: Suspicion of testicular torsion represents a urological emergency, necessitating immediate surgery. Comprehensive data on the current trends and perioperative outcomes regarding surgical exploration are sparse. Therefore, we utilized nationwide data on the prevalence and results of this surgery, aiming to provide evidence on this matter.

The Prognostic Value of Perioperative Platelet and Leukocyte Values in Patients Undergoing Radical Cystectomy: A Prospective Long-Term Cohort Study.

Introduction: Studies assessing the impact of preoperative and first-day postoperative values of leukocytes, thrombocytes, and platelet/leukocyte ratio (PLR) after radical cystectomy (RC) are sparse. We aimed to assess the impact of these factors on long-term survival after RC.

Methods: An analysis of patients undergoing open RC from 2004 to 2023 at our center was performed.

Impact of Preoperative LUTS on Health-related Quality of Life Following Radical Prostatectomy: A Propensity Score Matched Longitudinal Study.

Objective: To assess the impact of preoperative lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) on long-term health-related quality of life (HRQOL) up to 10 years after radical prostatectomy (RP) for prostate cancer (PC).

Methods: Within our prospective institutional database of 6487 patients treated with RP for PC (2008-2020), 2727 patients with preoperative LUTS (IPSS score of ≥8) were identified. A 1:1 propensity-score matched analysis of 3056 men (n = 1528 LUTS, n = 1528 no LUTS) was conducted.

The Vanishing Clinical Value of PD-L1 Status as a Predictive Biomarker in the First-Line Treatment of Urothelial Carcinoma of the Bladder.

Background: Our study endeavors to elucidate the clinical implications of PD-L1 positivity in individuals afflicted with advanced urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB).

Methods: Patients with advanced UCB were prospectively enrolled following a radical cystectomy (RC) performed within January 2017 to December 2022 at our tertiary referral center. The clinical outcome, defined as the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) on systemic treatment, was analyzed using an χ-test, Mann-Whitney U-test, the Kaplan-Meier method, and a log-rank test.

Health-related quality of life following salvage radical prostatectomy for recurrent prostate cancer after radiotherapy or focal therapy.

Background: Salvage radical prostatectomy (sRP) is an important treatment option for patients with recurrent prostate cancer (PCa) after radiotherapy (RT) or focal therapy (FT). However, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after sRP depending on the primary treatment is understudied.

Methods: Patients who underwent Salvage RP for recurrent PCa were analyzed.

Generative artificial intelligence in surgery.

Generative artificial intelligence is able to collect, extract, digest, and generate information in an understandable way for humans. As the first surgical applications of generative artificial intelligence are applied, this perspective paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of current applications and future perspectives for the application of generative artificial intelligence in surgery, from preoperative planning to training. Generative artificial intelligence can be used before surgery for planning and decision support by extracting patient information and providing patients with information and simulation regarding the procedure.

The impact of perioperative risk factors on long-term survival after radical cystectomy: a prospective, high-volume cohort study.

Introduction: Radical cystectomy (RC) is the gold standard for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Nevertheless, RC is associated with substantial perioperative morbidity and mortality. We aimed to evaluate the role of important perioperative risk factors in predicting long-term survival after RC.

Biophotonics-Intraoperative Guidance During Partial Nephrectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Context: Partial nephrectomy (PN) with intraoperative guidance by biophotonics has the potential to improve surgical outcomes due to higher precision. However, its value remains unclear since high-level evidence is lacking.

Objective: To provide a comprehensive analysis of biophotonic techniques used for intraoperative real-time assistance during PN.

A new era and future of education: the impact of pandemic on online learning - a study from the European School of Urology.

Introduction: In contemporary times, the online learning process has become indispensable for healthcare education. In this direction, the European School of Urology (ESU) has taken the challenge to implement new technologies to bring down knowledge barriers. Web-based seminars (webinars) are one of the tools that help us move towards such inclusivity, and in front-facing COVID-19 pandemic, when face-to-face meetings were forbidden.