Association between COVID-19 Burden, Population Vaccination Status, and Urologic Oncology Surgery Volume: A National Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study.

Initial deleterious effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on urologic oncology surgeries are well described, but the possible influence of vaccination efforts and those of pandemic conditions on surgical volumes is unclear. Our aim was to examine the association between changing vaccination status and COVID-19 burden throughout the pandemic and the volume of urologic oncology surgeries in Israel. This multi-center cross-sectional study included data collected from five tertiary centers between January 2019 and December 2021.

A comparison between Ga-labeled prostate-specific membrane antigen-PET/CT and multiparametric MRI for excluding regional metastases prior to radical prostatectomy.

Objectives: To compare the ability of Ga -PSMA PET/CT (PSMA PET/CT) and multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) to exclude lymph node invasion (LNI) in patients who undergo radical prostatectomy (RP).

Materials And Methods: A multicenter cohort of patients who underwent PSMA PET/CT and pelvic mpMRI prior to RP with pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) was analyzed. Increased Ga68-PSMA uptake on PET/CT and enlarged (> 10 mm) or abnormal lymph nodes on mpMRI were considered positive findings.

Performance of the Bladder EpiCheckâ„¢ Methylation Test for Patients Under Surveillance for Non-muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer: Results of a Multicenter, Prospective, Blinded Clinical Trial.

Background: The highly frequent strategy of surveillance for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) involves cystoscopy and cytology. Urine assays currently available have not shown performance sufficient to replace the current gold standard for follow-up, which would require a very high negative predictive value (NPV), especially for high-grade tumors. Bladder EpiCheck (BE) is a novel urine assay that uses 15 proprietary DNA methylation biomarkers to assess the presence of bladder cancer.

Uroflowmetry Before and After Meatotomy in Boys with Symptomatic Meatal Stenosis Following Neonatal Circumcision - A Long-term Prospective Study.

Objective: To assess uroflowmetry in the long-term follow-up of symptomatic meatal stenosis patients prior to and following meatotomy. Severity of symptoms and treatment success has been defined by patient history, physical examination, and witnessed voiding. Uroflowmetry might add objective parameters for the assessment, however long-term data are lacking.

Surgical Treatment of Tumors Involving Kidneys With Fusion Anomalies: A Contemporary Series.

Objective: To report a contemporary series of surgically treated patients with tumors involving kidneys with fusion anomalies.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all 10 patients treated at a single tertiary care institution for tumors involving kidneys with fusion anomalies between the years 2000 and 2015. One patient, diagnosed with lymphoma, did not undergo surgical treatment and was therefore excluded.

The effect of delaying nephrectomy on oncologic outcomes in patients with renal tumors greater than 4cm.

Objectives: Delaying nephrectomy<3 months does not adversely affect treatment outcome of renal tumors. Whether surgical waiting time (SWT; time from diagnosis to surgery)>3 months affects treatment outcome for large renal masses has not been well studied. We aimed to evaluate if SWT is associated with treatment outcome of renal masses >4cm and identify patients who are more likely to experience prolonged SWT.

Molecular Profiles of Prostate Cancer: To Treat or Not to Treat.

A major dilemma in the selection of treatment for men with prostate cancer is the difficulty in accurately characterizing the risk posed by the cancer. This uncertainty has led physicians to recommend aggressive therapy for most men diagnosed with prostate cancer and has led to concerns about the benefits of screening and the adverse consequences of excessive treatment. Genomic analyses of prostate cancer reveal distinct patterns of alterations in the genomic landscape of the disease that show promise for improved prediction of prognosis and better medical decision making.

Age is Associated with Upgrading at Confirmatory Biopsy among Men with Prostate Cancer Treated with Active Surveillance.

Purpose: Active surveillance is increasingly recommended for older men with low risk prostate cancer. Although older men have higher all cause mortality, they also have higher prostate cancer specific mortality. We hypothesized that older age is associated with an increased risk of Gleason score upgrading at confirmatory biopsy when controlling for prostate volume.

Can renal hemangiomas be diagnosed preoperatively?

Background: Renal hemangiomas are rare benign tumors seldom distinguished from malignant tumors preoperatively.

Objectives: To describe the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) experience with diagnosing and treating renal hemangiomas, and to explore possible clinical and radiologic features that can aid in diagnosing renal hemangiomas preoperatively.

Methods: Patients with renal hemangiomas treated at MSKCC were identified in our prospectively collected renal tumor database.

Partial and Radical Nephrectomy for Unilateral Synchronous Multifocal Renal Cortical Tumors.

Objective: To evaluate clinicopathologic characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients undergoing partial nephrectomy (PN) or radical nephrectomy (RN) for unilateral synchronous multifocal renal tumors.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records for 128 patients with nonmetastatic, unilateral, synchronous, multifocal renal tumors who underwent surgical resection at our institution from 1995 to 2012. Five patients with hereditary renal cell carcinoma were excluded.

Cost comparison of open and robotic partial nephrectomy using a short postoperative pathway.

Objective: To compare immediate perioperative direct costs of open partial nephrectomy (OPN) and robotic partial nephrectomy (RPN), managed under a common care pathway.

Methods: Retrospective review of detailed institutional cost data for patients treated with OPN and RPN during 2011 was conducted. Cost and clinical data of OPN and RPN were compared for all patients and for patients stratified by length of stay (LOS), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), and RENAL nephrometry scores.

Definitive pathology at radical prostatectomy is commonly favorable in men following initial active surveillance.

Background: Limited data are currently available regarding the outcomes of radical prostatectomy (RP) in men with low-risk prostate cancer who were initially managed by active surveillance (AS).

Objective: To evaluate the pathologic outcomes of patients who underwent RP following initial AS.

Design, Setting, And Participants: We analyzed the records of 67 patients who underwent RP following initial AS begun between 1993 and 2011.

Upper tract imaging surveillance is not effective in diagnosing upper tract recurrence in patients followed for nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer.

Purpose: We evaluated the usefulness of routine upper tract imaging in patients followed for nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review of patients treated for nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer between 2000 and 2006 was conducted. Kaplan-Meier curves were calculated to determine upper tract urothelial carcinoma-free probability for stage Ta and T1 disease.

Intravesical gemcitabine for high risk, nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer after bacillus Calmette-Guérin treatment failure.

Purpose: We report our experience with intravesical gemcitabine for bladder cancer after failed bacillus Calmette-Guérin treatment.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients at our cancer center treated with intravesical gemcitabine after bacillus Calmette-Guérin failure. We estimated progression-free, recurrence-free and cancer specific survival using the cumulative incidence function, considering death from another cause as a competing risk.

Urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin as a marker of acute kidney injury after kidney surgery.

Purpose: We evaluated urine NGAL as a marker of acute kidney injury in patients undergoing partial nephrectomy. We sought to identify the preoperative clinical features and surgical factors during partial nephrectomy that are associated with renal injury, as measured by increased urine NGAL vs controls.

Materials And Methods: Using patients treated with radical nephrectomy or thoracic surgery as controls, we prospectively collected and analyzed urine and serum samples from patients treated with partial or radical nephrectomy, or thoracic surgery between April 2010 and April 2012.

Role of immediate radical cystectomy in the treatment of patients with residual T1 bladder cancer on restaging transurethral resection.

Unlabelled: WHAT'S KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT? AND WHAT DOES THE STUDY ADD?: Bladder cancer patients with lamina propria invasion (T1 disease) and residual T1 disease on restaging transurethral resection of bladder tumour (re-TURBT) are at a very high risk for recurrence and progression. Despite this risk, most patients are treated with a bladder preserving approach and not immediate radical cystectomy (RC). In this study we have shown that a quarter of patients with T1 bladder cancer and residual T1 on re-TURBT who are treated with immediate RC are found to have carcinoma invading bladder muscle at RC and 5% have lymph node metastases.

The clinical significance of class III (suspicious) urine cytology.

Background: Urine cytology, combined with cystoscopy, is the mainstay of the diagnosis and surveillance of urothelial carcinoma (UC). While classes I and II urine cytology are considered benign and classes IV and V are considered malignant the clinical significance of class III urine cytology is unclear. We evaluated the positive predictive value of class III urine cytology for concurrent and subsequent UC.

Legal aspects of work-related eye injuries.

As court-appointed medical advisors in the speciality of ophthalmology for the Israeli Labour Courts, we are called upon to assist in making decisions on work-related eye injuries or illnesses. In this report we present seven cases of eye injuries which workers claimed were caused by work accidents. Each case helps to illustrate the various guidelines we use in making a medical judgement as to whether or not a specific ocular problem was, indeed, the result of a work accident.

A new sling material for ptosis patients.

Patients with poor or total absence of levator function require correction of their ptosis by a sling procedure. The aim of the procedure is to utilize the action of the frontalis muscle, innervated by the seventh nerve, to mechanically raise the droopy eyelid. The most common materials used for the sling are autogenous or preserved fascia lata and synthetic products such as nylon or dacron sutures.

The use of artificial skin in the prevention of early wound healing.

We present our experience in using artificial skin (Omniderm) in the prevention of early healing of a raw lid margin. The material is inert and acts properly for this procedure.