Search

To determine whether use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is associated with a higher risk of post-operative complications following radical cystectomy (RC) for bladder cancer (BCa).We retrospectively reviewed records of patients undergoing RC for non-metastatic urothelial BCa at 13 tertiary care centres from 2007-2019. Patients who received NAC ('NAC + RC' group) were compared with those who underwent upfront RC ('RC alone' group) for intra-operative variables, incidence of post-operative complications as per the Clavien-Dindo classification (CDC) and rates of re-admission and re-intervention. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine predictors of CDC overall and CDC major (grade III-V) complications. We also analysed the trend of NAC utilization over the study period.Of the 3113 patients included, 968 (31.1%) received NAC while the remaining 2145 (68.9%) underwent upfront RC for BCa. There was no significant difference between the NAC + RC and RC alone groups with regards to 30-day CDC overall (53.2% vs 54.6%, p = 0.4) and CDC major (15.5% vs 16.5%, p = 0.6) complications. The two groups were comparable for the rate of surgical re-intervention (14.6% in each group) and re-hospitalization (19.6% in NAC + RC vs 17.9% in RC alone, p = 0.2%) at 90 days. On multivariable regression analysis, NAC use was not found to be a significant predictor of 90-day CDC overall (OR 1.02, CI 0.87-1.19, p = 0.7) and CDC major (OR 1.05, CI 0.87-1.26, p = 0.6) complications. We also observed that the rate of NAC utilization increased significantly (p 0.001) from 11.1% in 2007 to 41.2% in 2019, reaching a maximum of 48.3% in 2018.This large multicentre analysis with a substantial rate of NAC utilization showed that NAC use does not lead to an increased risk of post-operative complications following RC for BCa. This calls for increasing NAC use to allow patients to avail of its proven oncologic benefit.

To evaluate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of ultrasound-guided transperineal laser ablation (TPLA) as a new minimally invasive surgical therapy (MIST) for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Under local anesthesia and conscious sedation up to two laser fibers for each prostatic lobe were inserted under US-guidance by a percutaneous approach. TPLA was performed using a continuous wave diode laser (SoracteLite-EchoLaserX4) able to generate a light-induced thermal heating and subsequent coagulative necrosis of the prostatic tissue. Patients were evaluated at 3, 6, and 12 months after TPLA. Twenty-two consecutive patients were prospectively enrolled (median age 61.9 years). All procedures were well tolerated and no procedural complications were recorded. Median catheterization time was 7 days, while the median hospitalization time was 1 day. Three out of twenty-two patients (13.6%) experienced acute urinary retention and two (9.1%) of them urinary tract infection requiring major antibiotic treatment. At 3, 6, and 12 months, median prostate volume significantly decreased by a − 21.3%, − 29%, and − 41%, respectively. At the same time point, median IPSS was 8 (− 63.6%), 5 (− 74%), and 6 (− 75%), while median QoL score was 1 in all the scheduled timepoints of follow-up. The median postoperative Qmax at 3, 6, and 12 months improved by + 57.8%, + 98%, and + 115.8%, respectively. Ejaculatory function was preserved in 21 out of 22 patients (95.5%). TPLA of the prostate appears to be a promising MIST for BPH. Long-term results and comparative studies against standard treatments are warranted before implementations of this technique in the urologist’s armamentarium.

To compare cancer-specific mortality (CSM) and overall mortality (OM) between immediate radical cystectomy (RC) and Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy for T1 squamous bladder cancer (BCa).We retrospectively analysed 188 T1 high-grade squamous BCa patients treated between 1998 and 2019 at fifteen tertiary referral centres. Median follow-up time was 36 months (interquartile range: 19-76). The cumulative incidence and Kaplan-Meier curves were applied for CSM and OM, respectively, and compared with the Pepe-Mori and log-rank tests. Multivariable Cox models, adjusted for pathological findings at initial transurethral resection of bladder (TURB) specimen, were adopted to predict tumour recurrence and tumour progression after BCG immunotherapy.Immediate RC and conservative management were performed in 20% and 80% of patients, respectively. 5-year CSM and OM did not significantly differ between the two therapeutic strategies (Pepe-Mori test p = 0.052 and log-rank test p = 0.2, respectively). At multivariable Cox analyses, pure squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) was an independent predictor of tumour progression (p = 0.04), while concomitant lympho-vascular invasion (LVI) was an independent predictor of both tumour recurrence and progression (p = 0.04) after BCG. Patients with neither pure SqCC nor LVI showed a significant benefit in 3-year recurrence-free survival and progression-free survival compared to individuals with pure SqCC or LVI (60% vs. 44%, p = 0.04 and 80% vs. 68%, p = 0.004, respectively).BCG could represent an effective treatment for T1 squamous BCa patients with neither pure SqCC nor LVI, while immediate RC should be preferred among T1 squamous BCa patients with pure SqCC or LVI at initial TURB specimen.