Long short-term memory artificial neural network model for prediction of prostate cancer survival outcomes according to initial treatment strategy: development of an online decision-making support system.

Purpose: The delivery of precision medicine is a primary objective for both clinical and translational investigators. Patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer (PCa) face the challenge of deciding among multiple initial treatment modalities. The purpose of this study is to utilize artificial neural network (ANN) modeling to predict survival outcomes according to initial treatment modality and to develop an online decision-making support system.

Usage and perceptions of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors among the male partners of infertile couples.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED) and the usage of phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors for ED treatment in infertile couples.

Methods: A total of 260 male partners in couples reporting infertility lasting at least 1 year were included in this study. In addition to an evaluation of infertility, all participants completed the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF)-5 questionnaire to evaluate their sexual function.

Renoprotective Mechanism of Remote Ischemic Preconditioning Based on Transcriptomic Analysis in a Porcine Renal Ischemia Reperfusion Injury Model.

Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) is a well-known phenomenon in which tissues are exposed to a brief period of ischemia prior to a longer ischemic event. This technique produces tissue tolerance to ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI). Currently, IPC's mechanism of action is poorly understood.

Prognostic Impacts of Metastatic Site and Pain on Progression to Castrate Resistance and Mortality in Patients with Metastatic Prostate Cancer.

Purpose: To investigate predictors of progression to castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and cancer-specific mortality (CSM) in patients with metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa).

Materials And Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 440 consecutive treatment-naïve patients initially diagnosed with mPCa between August 2000 and June 2012. Patient age, body mass index (BMI), Gleason score, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), PSA nadir, American Joint Committee on Cancer stage, Visual Analogue Scale pain score, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance score (ECOG PS), PSA response to hormone therapy, and metastatic sites were assessed.

Predictors of survival in prostate cancer patients with bone metastasis and extremely high prostate-specific antigen levels.

Purpose: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a surrogate marker of disease progression; however, its predictive ability in the extreme ranges is unknown. We determined the predictors of survival in patients with bone metastatic prostate cancer (BMPCa) and with extremely high PSA levels.

Methods: Treatment-naïve patients (n = 248) diagnosed with BMPCa between December 2002 and June 2012 were retrospectively analyzed.

Transurethral resection of the prostate for patients with Gleason score 6 prostate cancer and symptomatic prostatic enlargement: a risk-adaptive strategy for the era of active surveillance.

Objective: To investigate whether transurethral resection of the prostate can be used as both (i) treatment for symptomatic prostatic enlargement in patients with prostate cancer and (ii) a risk-adaptive strategy for reducing prostate-specific antigen levels and broadening the indications of active surveillance.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data of 3680 patients who underwent prostate biopsies at a single institution (March 2006 to January 2012). Of 529 men who had Gleason score 6 prostate cancer and were ineligible for active surveillance, 86 (16.

Preconditioning strategies for kidney ischemia reperfusion injury: implications of the "time-window" in remote ischemic preconditioning.

Remote ischemic preconditioning (IP) is a potential renoprotective strategy. However, there has been no demonstrated result in large animals and the role of time window in remote IP remains to be defined. Using a single-kidney porcine model, we evaluated organ protective function of remote IP in renal ischemia reperfusion injury.

Impact of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma and lymphovascular invasion after radical nephroureterectomy.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma and lymphovascular invasion (LVI) after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU).

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical records and clinicopatholgic outcomes of patients (n=552) treated with RNU between 1986 and 2013. Patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and those for whom LVI status was not recorded were excluded.

Adjuvant radiotherapy outcome of stage I testicular seminoma: a single institution study.

Purpose: To analyze treatment outcome and side effects of adjuvant radiotherapy using radiotherapy fields and doses which have evolved over the last two decades in a single institution.

Materials And Methods: Forty-one patients received radiotherapy after orchiectomy from 1996 to 2007. At our institution, the treatment field for stage I seminoma has changed from dog-leg (DL) field prior to 2003 to paraaortic (PA) field after 2003.

Prognostic impact of synchronous second primary malignancies on the overall survival of patients with metastatic prostate cancer.

Purpose: We determined the prognostic impact of a synchronous second primary malignancy on overall survival in patients with metastatic prostate cancer. Identifying features that stratify the risk of overall survival is critical for judiciously applying definitive therapy.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the records of 582 consecutive patients with prostate cancer diagnosed with metastasis between May 7, 1998 and August 27, 2011.

Treatment outcome of localized prostate cancer by 70 Gy hypofractionated intensity-modulated radiotherapy with a customized rectal balloon.

Purpose: We aimed to analyze the treatment outcome and long-term toxicity of 70 Gy hypofractionated intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for localized prostate cancer using a customized rectal balloon.

Materials And Methods: We reviewed medical records of 86 prostate cancer patients who received curative radiotherapy between January 2004 and December 2011 at our institution. Patients were designated as low (12.

Prognostic factors for urachal cancer: a bayesian model-averaging approach.

Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate prognostic factors and cancer-specific survival (CSS) in a cohort of 41 patients with urachal carcinoma by use of a Bayesian model-averaging approach.

Materials And Methods: Our cohort included 41 patients with urachal carcinoma who underwent extended partial cystectomy, total cystectomy, transurethral resection, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy at a single institute. All patients were classified by both the Sheldon and the Mayo staging systems according to histopathologic reports and preoperative radiologic findings.

Graft survival after video-assisted minilaparotomy living-donor nephrectomy or conventional open nephrectomy: do left and right allografts differ?

Objective: To examine the effect of the side of the allograft (left vs right) on early graft failure and long-term graft survival rates after conventional open living-donor nephrectomy (OLDN) or video-assisted minilaparotomy living-donor nephrectomy (VLDN).

Materials And Methods: We evaluated 2704 living-donor transplantations using OLDN or VLDN between 1991 and 2011 at a single institution. For analysis, the entire period was divided into "era 1" (1991-1997), when OLDN was prevalent; "era 2" (1998-2004), when both OLDN and VLDN were conducted; and "era 3" (2005-2011), when VLDN became prevalent.

Oncological outcomes after partial vs radical nephrectomy in renal cell carcinomas of ≤7 cm with presumed renal sinus fat invasion on preoperative imaging.

Objectives: To compare oncological outcomes of partial nephrectomy (PN) and radical nephrectomy (RN) for renal tumours of ≤7 cm in which preoperative imaging reveals potential renal sinus fat invasion (cT3a), as RN is preferred for these tumours due to concerns about high tumour stage.

Patients And Methods: Among 1137 nephrectomies performed for renal tumours of ≤7 cm from January 2005 to August 2012, 401 solitary cT3a renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) without metastases were analysed. Classification as cT3a included only renal sinus fat invasion, as there were no tumours with suspected perinephric fat invasion.

Low body mass index is associated with adverse oncological outcomes following radical prostatectomy in Korean prostate cancer patients.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of obesity on clinicopathological features and biochemical recurrence (BCR) following radical prostatectomy (RP) in Korean prostate cancer (PCa) patients.

Methods: A single-institutional retrospective analysis was performed on 880 PCa patients treated by RP without neoadjuvant therapy between July 2005 and December 2011. Patients were stratified according to body mass index (BMI) standards for Asian populations: obese (BMI ≥25 kg/m(2)), overweight (BMI 23-24.

Prospective measurement of urinary microalbumin in living kidney donor nephrectomy: toward understanding the renal functional recovery period.

Purpose: We determined the clinical implications of perioperative urinary microalbumin excretion in relation to renal function after living donor nephrectomy.

Materials And Methods: Between August 2010 and January 2013, 259 donors undergoing live donor nephrectomy were enrolled in the study. The donor urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio was measured perioperatively, and changes in perioperative urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio and the implications of preoperative microalbuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio 30 mg/gm or greater) were investigated.

Robot-assisted radical prostatectomy in the Korean population: a 5-year propensity-score matched comparative analysis versus open radical prostatectomy.

Objectives: To compare the oncological outcomes of robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy with those of open radical prostatectomy in contemporary Korean prostate cancer patients.

Methods: From a group of 1172 patients consisting of 592 (50.5%) robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy and 580 (49.

Charlson comorbidity index is an important prognostic factor for long-term survival outcomes in Korean men with prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy.

Purpose: To analyze overall survival (OS), prostate cancer (PCa)-specific survival (PCaSS), and non-PCaSS according to the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) after radical prostatectomy (RP) for PCa.

Materials And Methods: Data from 336 patients who had RP for PCa between 1992 and 2005 were analyzed. Data included age, preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA), prostate volume, clinical stage, and pathologic stage.

Clinical implications for graft function of a new equation model for the ratio of living donor kidney volume to recipient body surface area.

Purpose: We propose an equation that predicts graft function after kidney transplantation by using donated kidney volume and recipient body surface area (BSA).

Materials And Methods: Included were 261 cases of living kidney transplantation between 2007 and 2009. Preoperative computed tomography scans were performed and the donated kidney volume was measured by use of a three-dimensional reconstruction program (Ripidia).

Impact of Charlson comorbidity index varies by age in patients with prostate cancer treated by radical prostatectomy: a competing risk regression analysis.

Purpose: To investigate the prognostic impact of the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) on either cancer-specific mortality (CSM) or other-cause mortality (OCM) according to age in patients with prostate cancer (PC) who underwent radical prostatectomy (RP).

Methods: Data from 336 patients who underwent RP for PC between 1992 and 2005 were analyzed. Variables, including the preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA), prostate volume, clinical stage, and pathologic stage, were compared across age groups (<65 or ≥65 years old).

Clinical Assessment of Follow-Up Cystatin C-Based eGFR in Live Kidney Donors.

Purpose: We aimed to compare the cystatin C-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and the serum creatinine-based eGFR and to investigate the clinical roles of the cystatin C-based eGFR in assessing the follow-up renal function of kidney donors.

Materials And Methods: We enrolled 121 healthy kidney donors who underwent live donor nephrectomy between October 2009 and December 2010 in a prospective manner. Serum creatinine and cystatin C were measured preoperatively and were followed after the surgery (1st, 4th, and 7th postoperative day and 1st, 3rd, 6th, and 12th postoperative month).

Comparison of pathological outcomes of active surveillance candidates who underwent radical prostatectomy using contemporary protocols at a high-volume Korean center.

Objective: We compared contemporary active surveillance protocols based on pathological outcomes in patients who underwent radical prostatectomy.

Methods: We identified the experimental cohort from prostate cancer patients who underwent radical prostatectomy between 2001 and 2011, and who met the inclusion criteria of five published active surveillance protocols, namely Johns Hopkins Medical Institution, University of California at San Francisco, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, University of Miami and Prostate Cancer Research International: Active Surveillance. To compare each protocol, we evaluated the pathological outcomes and calculated the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for each protocol according to the proportion of organ-confined Gleason≤6 disease.

Cost aspects of radical nephrectomy for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma in Korea: open, laparoscopic, robot-assisted laparoscopic, and video-assisted minilaparotomy surgeries.

Purpose: This study aimed to comparatively evaluate the cost-effectiveness of four different types of radical nephrectomy (RN) techniques: open, laparoscopic, robot-assisted laparoscopic, and video-assisted minilaparotomy surgery (VAMS).

Materials And Methods: Among patients who were diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma and underwent RN, 20 patients were selected who received open, laparoscopic, robot-assisted laparoscopic, or VAMS RN between January 2008 and December 2010. Their medical fees were divided into four categories: procedure and operation, anesthesia, laboratory test, and medical supply fees.

Surgical experience with retroperitoneal liposarcoma in a single korean tertiary medical center.

Purpose: This is a report of the surgical treatment and prognosis of retroperitoneal liposarcoma (RPLS) in Koreans.

Materials And Methods: Nineteen patients treated for RPLS between July 1, 1984, and March 31, 2009, were included. Patient demographics, histopathologic subtypes, survival rate, disease recurrence rate and interval, and adjuvant therapy were reviewed and analyzed.

Differential diagnosis of complex renal cysts based on lesion size along with the Bosniak renal cyst classification.

Purpose: To identify size criteria for complex cystic renal masses that can distinguish renal cell carcinoma from benign cysts supplementing the Bosniak classification.

Materials And Methods: We reviewed the records of 97 patients who underwent surgery for complex cystic renal masses from January 2001 to April 2010. The pathological results were compared with the lesion sizes measured by preoperative computed tomography and other radiological features (contrast enhancement, irregularities of cyst walls and septa, and calcification) were also obtained for categorization according to the Bosniak renal cyst classification.