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Objective: To systematically review the literature on the prognostic value of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) and embryonal carcinoma (EC) for occult metastatic disease in clinical stage I nonseminomatous germ cell tumour (CS I NSGCT). Materials and methods: The PubMed, Embase (OVID) and SCOPUS databases were searched up to March 2019. Studies reporting on the association between LVI and/or EC and occult metastatic disease were considered for inclusion. The quality and risk of bias were evaluated by the Quality in Prognosis Studies tool. Results: We screened 5287 abstracts and 207 full-text articles. We included 35 studies in the narrative synthesis and 24 studies in a meta-analysis. LVI showed the strongest effect. Pooled rates of occult metastasis were 47.5% and 16.9% for LVI-positive and LVI-negative patients, respectively (odds ratio [OR] 4.33, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.55–5.30; P 50% and 20.0% for EC 50% have similar ORs for occult metastasis. This shows that the assessment of EC presence is sufficient for the classification of EC.

Objectives: To report the long-term results of the sentinel node (SN) approach in patients with clinical stage I testicular tumours in our facility. Patients and Methods: We conducted an analysis of 27 consecutive patients suspected of clinical stage I testicular germ cell tumour (TGCT) and treated with an SN procedure at our tertiary referral centre. SNs were identified using lymphoscintigraphy with or without single-photo-emission computed tomography with CT (SPECT/CT). Patients underwent laparoscopic retroperitoneal SN excision with inguinal orchiectomy. Patients with a tumour-positive SN underwent adjuvant treatment. Follow-up was conducted according to then-current guidelines. Results: In two patients, no SNs were visualized on scintigraphy. In the remaining 25 patients, a median (range) of 3 (1–4) SNs per patient were removed. Two patients showed no malignancy on histopathological examination of the testis. Of the 23 patients diagnosed with TGCT (16 seminomas, seven non-seminomas), three (13.0%) had occult metastatic disease. All 23 patients were without evidence of disease at a median (range) follow-up of 63.9 (29.0–143.4) months. Conclusion: The SN procedure allows early identification of patients with occult metastatic disease in clinical stage I TGCT, enabling early treatment.

In Europa zijn epidemiologische data betreffende perioperatieve behandelingen (PB) en radicale cystectomie (RC) niet voorhanden. Wij onderzochten trends in de toepassing van neoadjuvante chemotherapie (NAC), neoadjuvante radiotherapie (NAR), adjuvante chemotherapie (AC) en adjuvante radiotherapie (AR) en RC in een bepaalde periode in Nederland. Tevens onderzochten wij patient- en ziekenhuisfactoren die geassocieerd waren met PB. In deze landelijke, retrospectieve studie werden alle patienten uit de Nederlandse Kanker Registratie (NKR) geincludeerd, die een RC met curatieve intentie ondergingen voor cTa/is, T1–4, N0–3, M0–1 blaaskanker (BK) tussen 1995 en 2013. De toepassing van PB in de loop van de tijd werd vergeleken met de uitkomst van Chi-kwadraattesten. Multivariabele logistische regressieanalyses werden uitgevoerd om karakteristieken te identificeren die zijn geassocieerd met PB. De subgroepen cT2–4, N0 of Nx, M0 of Mx en cT2–4N0M0 werden afzonderlijk geanalyseerd. In totaal werden 10.338 patienten geincludeerd. 86 % onderging geen PB, 7,0 % ontving NAC (of inductiechemotherapie (IC)), 3,2 % NAR, 1,8 % AC en 2,1 % AR. De toepassing van NAC steeg van 0,6 % in 1995 naar 21 % in 2013 (p < 0,001), de toepassing van NAR daalde van 15 % naar 0,4 % (p < 0,001). AC en AR werden in 2013 in

Het doel van deze studie was het bepalen van de klinische relevantie van incidentele prostaatopname (IPO) op een FDG-PET/CT-scan. We analyseerden 108 mannelijke patienten met blaascarcinoom (BCa) die een FDG-PET/CT-scan ondergingen en vervolgens een cystoprostatectomie, in de periode 2009–2014. IPO had een slechte voorspellende waarde voor de aanwezigheid van prostaatcarcinoom (PCa). Diagnostische nauwkeurigheid verbeterde niet wanneer een nucleair geneeskundige de laesies classificeerde op basis van de mate van verdenking op PCa. Gebaseerd op deze resultaten, zouden artsen bij IPO op een FDG-PET/CT-scan terughoudend moeten zijn met het toepassen van invasieve diagnostiek naar PCa.

Well-documented reports of patients' experiences with different treatments are important for helping localised prostate cancer (LPC) patients choose among the available treatment options.To document differences in patient-reported outcomes (PROs) following radical prostatectomy (RP), external beam radiotherapy (EBRT), brachytherapy (BT), and active surveillance (AS), and to evaluate how these PROs and other factors are associated with treatment decision regret.A prospective, observational, multicentre study of men diagnosed with LPC (stage cT1-2) during 2014-2016.Patients completed validated PRO measures (Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 [QLQ-C30], Quality of Life Questionnaire prostate cancer-specific module [QLQ-PR25], Decision Regret Scale, and the Memorial Anxiety Scale for Prostate Cancer) before treatment and at 3, 6, and 12mo after treatment. Mixed-effect models were used to describe different PRO patterns.The analytic cohort included 434 men (AS=32%; RP=45%; EBRT=12%; BT=10%). Follow-up response rates were above 90%. At 1-yr follow-up, (1) men who had received RP reported significantly (p0.01) more urinary incontinence, sexual dysfunction, hormonal/masculinity-related symptoms, and less emotional distress; (2) those having received EBRT reported more sexual dysfunction, hormonal/masculinity-related symptoms, and physical distress; and (3) those having received BT reported more urinary obstruction and irritation symptoms, compared with patients under AS. Irrespective of the treatment modality, 23% of the patients reported clinically relevant treatment regret (99% confidence interval, 17-28%). Multivariate correlates of decision regret were hormonal/masculinity-related symptoms, educational level, and positive surgical margins.Post-treatment physical and psychosocial functioning was significantly associated with specific treatment modalities and pretreatment functioning. Regret was relatively frequently reported by patients who experienced unwanted physical, psychosocial, and oncological outcomes. Greater efforts should be made to understand whether carefully educating patients about the possible consequences and effectiveness of treatments may help limit the feeling of treatment regret.In men with localised prostate cancer, regret about the treatment choice was more common among those who experienced more treatment-related symptoms during the year after treatment.

Purpose: The aims of this study were to 1) describe preferred and experienced roles in treatment decision making among patients with localized prostate cancer, 2) identify how often the roles experienced by patients matched their preferred roles and 3) determine whether active involvement in decision making regardless of role preferences or concordance between preferred and experienced roles would be the strongest predictor of more favorable patient reported outcomes. Materials and Methods: In this prospective, multicenter, observational study we obtained serial questionnaire data from 454 patients with newly diagnosed, localized prostate cancer (cT1-cT2, or Gleason 7 or less and prostate specific antigen 20 ng/ml or less). Questionnaires were completed prior to treatment and at the 3, 6 and 12-month posttreatment followups. Clinical data were obtained from the patient medical records. Active involvement and role concordance were operationalized using the CPS (Control Preferences Scale). ANOVA and effect sizes (small and medium Cohen d = 0.2 and 0.5, respectively) were used to compare patient knowledge of prostate cancer, decision conflict, decision regret and overall health related quality of life. Results: Of the patients 393 (87%) reported having been actively involved in treatment decision making. However, 78 patients (17%) indicated having had less or more involvement than preferred. Active involvement was significantly associated with more prostate cancer knowledge (d = 0.30), less decision conflict (d = 0.52) and less decision regret (d = 0.34). Role concordance was also but less strongly associated with less decision conflict (d = 0.41). Conclusions: Our findings support a policy of encouraging all patients with localized prostate cancer regardless of their stated role preferences to be actively involved in the treatment decision.

In this study, we compared complete pathological downstaging (pCD, ≤(y)pT1N0) and overall survival (OS) in patients with cT2 versus cT3-4aN0M0 UC of the bladder undergoing radical cystectomy (RC) with or without neoadjuvant chemo- (NAC) or radiotherapy (NAR). A population-based sample of 5,517 patients, who underwent upfront RC versus NAC + RC or NAR + RC for cT2-4aN0M0 UC between 1995-2013, was identified from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Data were retrieved from individual patient files and pathology reports. pCD-rates were compared using Chi-square tests and OS was estimated by Kaplan-Meier analyses. Multivariable analyses were conducted to determine odds (OR) and hazard ratios (HR) for pCD-status and OS, respectively. We included 4,504 (82%) patients with cT2 and 1,013 (18%) with cT3-4a UC. Median follow-up was 9.2 years. In cT2 UC, pCD-rate was 25% after upfront RC versus 43% (p0.001) and 33% (p = 0.130) after NAC + RC and NAR + RC, respectively. In cT3-4a UC, pCD-rate was 8% after upfront RC versus 37% (p0.001) and 16% (p = 0.281) after NAC + RC and NAR + RC, respectively. In cT2 UC, 5-year OS was 57% and 51% for NAC + RC and upfront RC, respectively (p = 0.135), whereas in cT3-4a UC, 5-year OS was 55% for NAC + RC versus 36% for upfront RC (p0.001). In multivariable analysis for OS, NAC was beneficial in cT3-4a UC (HR: 0.67, 95%CI 0.51-0.89) but not in cT2 UC (HR: 0.91, 95%CI 0.72-1.15). NAR did not influence OS. In conclusion, NAC + RC was associated with superior pCD compared to RC alone and NAR + RC. Superior OS for NAC + RC compared to RC alone was especially evident in cT3-4a disease.

In this study, we compared complete pathological downstaging (pCD, ≤(y)pT1N0) and overall survival (OS) in patients with cT2 versus cT3–4aN0M0 UC of the bladder undergoing radical cystectomy (RC) with or without neoadjuvant chemo‐ (NAC) or radiotherapy (NAR). A population‐based sample of 5,517 patients, who underwent upfront RC versus NAC + RC or NAR + RC for cT2‐4aN0M0 UC between 1995–2013, was identified from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Data were retrieved from individual patient files and pathology reports. pCD‐rates were compared using Chi‐square tests and OS was estimated by Kaplan–Meier analyses. Multivariable analyses were conducted to determine odds (OR) and hazard ratios (HR) for pCD‐status and OS, respectively. We included 4,504 (82%) patients with cT2 and 1,013 (18%) with cT3–4a UC. Median follow‐up was 9.2 years. In cT2 UC, pCD‐rate was 25% after upfront RC versus 43% (p < 0.001) and 33% (p = 0.130) after NAC + RC and NAR + RC, respectively. In cT3–4a UC, pCD‐rate was 8% after upfront RC versus 37% (p < 0.001) and 16% (p = 0.281) after NAC + RC and NAR + RC, respectively. In cT2 UC, 5‐year OS was 57% and 51% for NAC + RC and upfront RC, respectively (p = 0.135), whereas in cT3–4a UC, 5‐year OS was 55% for NAC + RC versus 36% for upfront RC (p < 0.001). In multivariable analysis for OS, NAC was beneficial in cT3–4a UC (HR: 0.67, 95%CI 0.51–0.89) but not in cT2 UC (HR: 0.91, 95%CI 0.72–1.15). NAR did not influence OS. In conclusion, NAC + RC was associated with superior pCD compared to RC alone and NAR + RC. Superior OS for NAC + RC compared to RC alone was especially evident in cT3–4a disease.

Objectives To assess localized prostate cancer (PC) patients’ understanding of the differences in outcomes and risks of radical prostatectomy (RP), radiotherapy (RT), and active surveillance (AS), and to identify correlates of misperceptions. Patients And Methods We used baseline data (questionnaires completed after treatment information was provided but prior to treatment) of 426 newly diagnosed localized PC patients who participated (87% response rate) in a prospective, longitudinal, multicenter study. Patients’ pretreatment perceptions of differences in adverse outcomes of treatments were compared to those based on the literature. We used univariate and multivariate linear regression to identify correlates of misperceptions. Results Approximately two-third (68%, n=211) of the patients did not understand that the risk of disease recurrence is comparable between RP and RT. More than half of the patients did not comprehend that RP patients are at greater risk for incontinence (65%, n=202) and erectile dysfunction (61%, n=190), and less at risk for bowel problems (53%, n=211) compared to RT patients. Many patients overestimated the risk of requiring definitive treatment following AS (45%, n=157), and did not understand that mortality rates following AS, RP, and RT are comparable (80%, n=333). Consulting a radiotherapist or a clinical nurse specialist was positively associated with, and emotional distress was negatively associated with better understanding of the risks (p

Protocols for intake and telephone consults for physiotherapists. This tables shows protocols for the intake and telefone consults for the physiotherapists. (DOCX 18 kb)

Overview stages of behavioural change. This figure shows an overview of stages of behavioural change. (DOCX 805 kb)

Example of an advice page within the IPAS program. This image shows a page of the IPAS program with physical activity advice. (DOCX 3104 kb)

Cystectomie als enige behandeling leidt alleen bij strikt tot de blaas beperkte blaastumoren tot redelijk goede behandelresultaten. Een minderheid van de patienten behoort ten tijde van het stellen van de diagnose tot die groep. Bij meer gevorderde gevallen van blaaskanker zijn de resultaten van cystectomie slecht. Ondanks een toename van het aantal cystectomieen in Nederland in de jaren 2004-2009, ten koste van radiotherapie, is er geen vooruitgang geboekt in de overleving. Voor een tumor waarbij de chirurgie doorgaat voor de gouden standaard is dat weinig florissant. De toekomst van de behandeling van het spierinvasief blaascarcinoom ligt in een combinatie van behandelingen, waarbij chirurgie tot een van de mogelijkheden behoort. Meer onderzoek is gewenst naar blaassparende behandelingen, zoals chemotherapie gecombineerd met radiotherapie.

In deze tweede aflevering van een reeks artikelen over oncologie gaan we in op het melanoom. De incidentie van het melanoom stijgt de laatste jaren in Nederland met ongeveer 4% per jaar. Een op de 52 mannen in Nederland zal in zijn leven een melanoom ontwikkelen en 1 op de 48 vrouwen.