Prostate-specific antigen testing for prostate cancer: Time to reconsider the approach to screening.

Background: Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in men in Australia. Men should be aware of the potential risk of significant prostate cancer despite the lack of symptoms. Screening for prostate cancer using prostate-specific antigen (PSA) has been controversial.

Raman spectroscopy system for real-time diagnosis of clinically significant prostate cancer tissue.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a significant healthcare problem worldwide. Current diagnosis and treatment methods are limited by a lack of precise in vivo tissue analysis methods. Real-time cancer identification and grading could dramatically improve current protocols.

Multicenter evaluation of neoadjuvant and induction gemcitabine-carboplatin versus gemcitabine-cisplatin followed by radical cystectomy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Purpose: Cisplatin-based chemotherapy followed by radical cystectomy (RC) is recommended in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). However, up to 50% of patients are cisplatin ineligible. The aim of this study was to compare clinical outcomes after ≥ 3 cycles of preoperative gemcitabine-carboplatin (gem-carbo) versus gemcitabine-cisplatin (gem-cis).

Age-Adjusted Reference Values for Prostate Specific Antigen - A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: To systematically evaluates the evidence on ethnic differences in age-adjusted reference values of PSA.

Materials And Methods: In concordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis statement, a review of English articles using Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases, from inception to December 2019 was conducted. Studies that reported the PSA upper reference value as 95th percentile of the cohort distribution, in healthy men aged 40 to 79, were included.

Ethnic and regional differences in the temporal trends of prostate cancer incidence and mortality in New Zealand.

Background: Prostate cancer (Pca) is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in New Zealand (NZ) men and the third leading cause of cancer deaths. Temporal changes in Pca incidence and mortality have not been reported despite changes in the Pca landscape. This study aims to analyse the temporal trends in Pca with focus on ethnic and regional variations.

The impact of the extent and location of positive surgical margins on the risk of biochemical recurrence following radical prostatectomy in men with Gleason 7 prostate cancers.

Background: Positive surgical margins (PSM) after radical prostatectomy (RP) have been associated with increased risk of biochemical recurrence (BCR). This is heavily influenced by other clinicopathological factors. This study aims to assess the impact of the extent and location of PSM on BCR following RP for Gleason 7 carcinoma of the prostate (CaP).

Space curvature-inspired nanoplasmonic sensor for breast cancer extracellular vesicle fingerprinting and machine learning classification.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are micro and nanoscale lipid-enclosed packages that have shown potential as liquid biopsy targets for cancer because their structure and contents reflect their cell of origin. However, progress towards the clinical applications of EVs has been hindered due to the low abundance of disease-specific EVs compared to EVs from healthy cells; such applications thus require highly sensitive and adaptable characterization tools. To address this obstacle, we designed and fabricated a novel space curvature-inspired surfaced-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate and tested its capabilities using bioreactor-produced and size exclusion chromatography-purified breast cancer EVs of three different subtypes.

Predictors of success following extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy in a contemporary cohort.

Objectives: The objectives of this study are to determine the predictors of success following extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL) in a contemporary cohort at a high-volume stone center.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review all patients who underwent an elective ESWL within our institution over a 24-month period (January 2014 to December 2015). Data on patient demographics, stone variables, and inpatient treatment outcomes were evaluated.

Association of age with response to preoperative chemotherapy in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Purpose: To assess the association of patient age with response to preoperative chemotherapy in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC).

Materials And Methods: We analyzed data from 1105 patients with MIBC. Patients age was evaluated as continuous variable and stratified in quartiles.

Prostate cancer outcomes disparities: Population survival analysis in an ethnically diverse nation.

Background: Prostate cancer represents a significant health burden on New Zealand men. There are increasing concerns regarding inequities in prostate cancer morbidity and mortality among the different ethnic groups in New Zealand. This study aims to assess ethnic differences in survival outcomes among men newly diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Age-adjusted reference values for prostate-specific antigen in a multi-ethnic population.

Objective: To establish age-adjusted reference values for prostate-specific antigen in an ethnically diverse population.

Methods: Between 2009 and 2017, data were collected from all men aged 40-79 years, who had a prostate-specific antigen test in the northern region of New Zealand, where the prostate-specific antigen testing service is provided by a single community laboratory and using the same assay analyzer. Men known to have prostate cancer, who developed prostate cancer during the study period, who were treated with finasteride, or who had prostate-specific antigen levels above 20 ng/mL were excluded.

Prostate cancer screening in New Zealand: lessons from the past to shape the future in the light of changing evidence.

Prostate cancer represents a significant health burden worldwide. The cancer incidence had substantially increased since the introduction of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in cancer screening. This had led to considerable debates among health professionals and epidemiologists, since PSA as a screening tool seemed to be far from perfect.

Nomogram Predicting Bladder Cancer-specific Mortality After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy and Radical Cystectomy for Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer: Results of an International Consortium.

Background: Cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is associated with improved overall and cancer-specific survival. The post-NAC pathological stage has previously been reported to be a major determinant of outcome.

Objective: To develop a postoperative nomogram for survival based on pathological and clinical parameters from an international consortium.

Ethnic and socio-economic disparities in prostate cancer screening: lessons from New Zealand.

Objectives: To investigate the presence of ethnic and socio-economic disparities in prostate cancer (PCa) screening and identify its impact on cancer outcomes.

Materials And Methods: From January 2008 to December 2017, all men in the Northern region of New Zealand who had a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test performed in the community were identified from the electronic laboratory reports database. Asymptomatic men, with no known diagnosis of PCa, were included.

Impact of sex on response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with bladder cancer.

Objective: To assess the effect of patient's sex on response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with clinically nonmetastatic muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC).

Methods: Complete pathologic response, defined as ypT0N0 at radical cystectomy, and downstaging were evaluated using sex-adjusted univariable and multivariable logistic regression modeling. We used interaction terms to account for age of menopause and smoking status.

Opportunistic prostate cancer screening: A population-based analysis.

Background: Prostate specific antigen (PSA) utilization in population-based prostate cancer (CaP) screening, has been a controversial area for decades. Current recommendation in our region is for an opportunistic approach to screening, with estimated low prevalence of such practice in the community. However, our clinical observations suggested that the extent is beyond what might be expected from an opportunistic screening practice.

The prognostic value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical cystectomy.

Introduction: The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an attractive marker because it is derived from routine bloodwork. NLR has shown promise as a prognostic factor in muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) but its value in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) before radical cystectomy (RC) is not yet established. Since NLR is related to an oncogenic environment and poor antitumor host response, we hypothesized that a high NLR would be associated with a poor response to NAC and would remain a poor prognostic indicator in patients receiving NAC.

Prostate specific membrane antigen: the role in salvage lymph node dissection and radio-ligand therapy.

Introduction: Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a receptor highly expressed on the membranes of prostate cancer (PCa) cells and provides a new opportunity for imaging and targeted therapy in metastatic prostate cancer. The use of radio-labelled peptides with high affinity for PSMA-receptor allows for localization of oligo-metastasis to guide salvage lymph node (LN) dissection, and effective delivery of radionuclide therapy to PCa cells. This review discusses the current statistics of PSMA-guided salvage lymph-node dissection.

Predictors of surgical intervention following initial surveillance for acute ureteric colic.

Purpose: To identify clinical and stone-related factors predicting the need for surgical intervention in patients who were clinically considered appropriate for non-surgical intervention.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of a contemporary cohort of patients who were selected for surveillance following presentation with acute ureteric colic. Data on patient demographic and stone variables, inpatient management and long-term outcomes were evaluated.

Pathologic Predictors of Survival During Lymph Node Dissection for Metastatic Renal-Cell Carcinoma: Results From a Multicenter Collaboration.

Purpose: To determine the therapeutic value of lymph node dissection (LND) during cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN) and assess predictors of cancer-specific survival (CSS) in metastatic renal-cell carcinoma.

Patients And Methods: We identified 293 consecutive patients treated with CN at 4 academic institutions from March 2000 to May 2015. LND was performed in 187 patients (63.