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Objectives: To report the functional outcomes of robot-assisted laparoscopic artificial urinary sphincter implantation (R-AUS) in men with neurogenic stress urinary incontinence (SUI)., Patients and Methods: A monocentric retrospective study included all consecutive adult male neuro-urological patients who underwent R-AUS for SUI between January 2011 and August 2018. The AUS was implanted via a transperitoneal robot-assisted laparoscopic approach. Intraoperative and early postoperative complications were reported (Clavien-Dindo classification). Continence was defined as no pad usage. Revision and explantation rates were also evaluated., Results: Overall, 19 men with a median (interquartile range [IQR]) age of 45 (37-54) years were included. No conversion to laparotomy was needed. Three minor (Clavien-Dindo Grade I-II) early postoperative complications occurring in three (15.8%) patients were reported. The median (IQR) follow-up was 58 (36-70) months. At the end of the follow-up, the continence rate was 89.5%. The AUS revision and explantation rates were 5.3% and 0%, respectively., Conclusion: A R-AUS is a safe and efficient procedure for AUS implantation in adult male neuro-urological patients, referring to the challenging open technique., (© 2021 The Authors BJU International © 2021 BJU International.)

Objective: To report the functional outcomes of robot-assisted laparoscopic artificial urinary sphincter (AUS; AMS 800™, American Medical Systems, Minnetonka, MN, USA) implantation and revision in women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI)., Patients and Methods: A pilot prospective monocentric study included all consecutive female patients with SUI and undergoing an AUS surgery (implantation or revision) using a robotic approach between 2012 and 2018. The AUS was implanted through a transperitoneal robotic approach. The dissection of the bladder neck was initiated using a posterior approach with a permanent visual control. Intraoperative and early postoperative complications were reported (Clavien-Dindo classification). Continence was defined as no pad usage., Results: A total of 41 patients, median (interquartile range [IQR]) age 67.5 (57-74.7) years were included. In the group of 27 patients undergoing an AUS implantation, one conversion to laparotomy, one bladder neck and one ureteric injury occurred. The AUS was not implanted in the two latest cases. Twelve minor (Clavien-Dindo Grade I-II) early postoperative complications occurring in 10 patients were reported. The median (IQR) follow-up was 19 (11-27) months. The continence rate was 84% (21/25 patients). In the group of 14 patients undergoing an AUS revision, no vaginal or bladder injury was reported. One patient had a bowel injury with conversion to laparotomy without AUS insertion. Two major (Clavien-Dindo Grade III-V) early postoperative complications occurred in two patients: one intraoperative bowel injury, which ultimately resulted in the death of the patient and one device infection requiring an explantation of the AUS. The median (IQR) follow-up was 18 (13.5-24.2) months. The continence rate was 83.3% (10/12 patients)., Conclusion: The results obtained after robot-assisted laparoscopic AUS implantation among women are promising despite the significant morbidity due to previous pelvic surgeries. Longer follow-up studies are needed., (© 2020 The Authors BJU International © 2020 BJU International Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: To evaluate long-term functional outcomes of artificial urinary sphincters (AUSs) and to determine how many men required explantation because of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) caused by sphincter deficiency after prostate surgery., Patients and Methods: Men who had undergone placement of an AUS (American Medical Systems AMS 800®) between 1984 and 1992 to relieve SUI caused by sphincter deficiency after prostate surgery were included. Continence, defined as no need for pads, was assessed at the end of the follow-up. Kaplan-Meier survival curves estimated the survival rate of the device without needing explantation or revision., Results: In all, 57 consecutive patients were included with a median (interquartile range, IQR) age of 69 (64-72) years. The median (IQR) duration of follow-up was 15 (8.25-19.75) years. At the end of follow-up, 25 patients (43.8%) still had their primary AUS. The AUS was explanted in nine men because of erosion (seven) and infection (two). Survival rates, without AUS explantation, were 87%, 87%, 80%, and 80% at 5, 10, 15, and 20 years, respectively. Survival rates, without AUS revision, were 59%, 28%, 15%, and 5% at 5, 10, 15, and 20 years, respectively. At the end of the follow-up, in intention-to-treat analysis, 77.2% of patients were continent., Conclusion: In the long term (>10 years) the AMS 800 can offer a high rate of continence to men with SUI caused by sphincter deficiency, with a tolerable rate of explantation and revision., (© 2014 The Authors. BJU International © 2014 BJU International.)

Objective: To establish whether the expression of forkhead box protein P3 (Foxp3) provides specific diagnostic information about neurological patients with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB)., Patients and Methods: UCB tissue samples from neurological patients were retrieved and compared with control samples. The expression of Foxp3 was analysed via immunohistochemistry of microarray tissue sections. The correlation between Foxp3 expression, histological parameters and tumour stage was assessed., Results: Overall, 20 UCB tissue samples and 20 others without UCB from neurological patients, and 46 UCB tissue samples from non-neurological patients were analysed. The distribution of pT of UCB in the neurological patients was as follows: one low-grade pTa (5%), three high-grade pTa (15%), three pT1(15%), one pT2(5%), seven pT3(35%) and five pT4(25%). Squamous cell differentiation was seen in nine UCB samples (45%). Foxp3 expression was detected in tumour tissues, including one pTa high grade, one pT1, one pT2, five pT3 and five pT4 tumours. Foxp3 was expressed in 11/13 muscle-invasive tumours. All tumours displaying squamous cell differentiation expressed Foxp3. Foxp3 was not expressed in the pT3 tumours that displayed sarcomatoid and micropapillary properties. Among the bladder samples without UCB from neurological patients, no expression of Foxp3 was observed. Among the UCB samples from the non-neurological patients, only seven displayed squamous cell differentiation. All tumours that displayed squamous cell differentiation expressed Foxp3, including one pTa high grade, four pT3 and two pT4 tumours. Other tumours displaying urothelial differentiation did not express Foxp3. The expression of Foxp3 correlated to squamous cell differentiation in neurological (P = 0.004) and non-neurological UCB tissue (P < 0.001). In neurological, but not non-neurological UCB tissue, the expression of Foxp3 correlated with the muscle-invasive stage (P = 0.022)., Conclusions: Elevated expression of Foxp3 appears to be a characteristic of neurological patients presenting with aggressive UCB and squamous cell differentiation. Targeting Foxp3 may represent a novel strategy to improve anti-tumour immunotherapy for UCB., (© 2015 The Authors. BJU International © 2015 BJU International.)

The 'gold standard' treatment for patients with carcinoma invading the bladder muscle is radical cystectomy (RC). Such patients are known to be at risk of malnutrition because of age and disease factors. Current evidence has established the nutritional and immunological benefits of immune-enhancing nutritional supplements in upper gastrointestinal surgery. There are currently no guidelines for immunonutrition (IM) use in urology and bladder cancer specifically. We carried out a systematic review of the available literature in the MEDLINE/Embase database. We assessed the rates of malnutrition in RC cohorts and analysed the clinical impacts of nutritional deficiency. The impact of immune-enhancing supplements was also investigated in RC cohorts with regard to postoperative outcomes. The prevalence of severe malnutrition was found to be 16-22%. There was a consistent association of malnourished patients with adverse postoperative outcomes in terms of mortality and morbidity. There is a paucity of data regarding IM in urological cohorts. Postoperative IM in RC was not found to have significant benefits beyond early return to a normal diet. There is not enough evidence in malnourished urological study cohorts to establish a consensus on IM. Until there are more well-controlled comparative effective studies or randomized trials, the role of IM should be considered investigational in patients with bladder cancer., (© 2013 The Authors. BJU International © 2013 BJU International.)

Objective: To assess the long-term outcomes obtained after artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) implantation in women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI)., Materials and Methods: Women with SUI caused by intrinsic sphincter deficiency who underwent an AUS placement between 1984 and 1992 were included. Explantation, revision and deactivation rates of the AUS were reported. Continence, defined as no pad use, was assessed at the end of the follow-up. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were generated to evaluate the survival rate of the device without explantation or revision., Results: A total of 34 patients were included. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) age of the patients at surgery was 56.5 (50-64.7) years and the median (IQR) follow-up was 17 (12-19) years. Overall, 26 women (74%) still had their AUS in place at the end of the follow-up, while eight patients underwent an explantation of the device. The 10-, 15- and 20-year device survival rates without explantation were 80, 80 and 74%, respectively. The 10-, 15- and 20-year survival rates of the device without revision were 79, 65 and 40%, respectively. After 20 years of follow-up, 11 women still had successful outcomes (61%)., Conclusion: The AUS provided satisfactory very long-term functional results among women with SUI caused by intrinsic sphincter deficiency., (© 2013 The Authors. BJU International © 2013 BJU International.)

Objective: To evaluate the impact of 'hereditary-like' status in upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) on the survival of patients who have undergone radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) and adjuvant chemotherapy., Patients and Methods: A multicentre retrospective study was performed on all patients with high-risk UTUC who underwent RNU and adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Using a patient risk identification tool, we distinguished tumours suspected to be hereditary from sporadic tumours and compared survival rates., Results: A total of 112 patients with a median age of 67 years were included. Hereditary-like tumour status was detected in 35 patients (31.3%), while 77 patients (68.7%) had sporadic tumours. The median age was significantly younger in the hereditary-like tumour group (56.0 vs 69.8 years, P < 0.001). Overall survival (OS) after chemotherapy was significantly better in the group with hereditary-like tumours than in the group with sporadic tumours (5-year OS: 48.2 vs 32%; P = 0.008). The cancer-specific survival (CSS) rate was significantly better in the group with 'hereditary-like' tumours than in the group with sporadic tumours (5-year CSS: 58 vs 35%; P = 0.006). Although there was a trend in favour of the hereditary-like tumours, we observed no significant difference regarding progression-free survival (PFS) between the two groups (5-year PFS: 71 vs 52%; P = 0.07)., Conclusion: Adjuvant chemotherapy after RNU improves survival outcomes in patients with hereditary-like UTUC compared with those with sporadic tumours., (© 2013 The Authors. BJU International © 2013 BJU International.)

Objective: To describe for the first time the technique of robot-assisted artificial urinary sphincter (R-AUS) insertion in male patients with neurogenic incontinence., Materials and Methods: From January 2011 to the present date, six patients with spinal cord injury have undergone R-AUS insertion at our academic institution and we have prospectively collected data on pre-, peri- and early postoperative outcomes. A transperitoneal five-port approach was used using a three-arm standard da Vinci® robot (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA, USA) in a 30° reverse Trendelenburg position. The artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) cuff was placed circumferentially around the bladder neck, the reservoir was left intra-abdominally in a lateral vesicular space and the pump was placed in a classic scrotal position., Results: All six patients had successful robotic implantation of the AUS. The median patient age was 51.5 years, the median (range) operating time was 195 (175-250) min with no significant blood loss or intra-operative complications. The median (range) length of hospital stay was 4 (4-6) days. At a median (interquartile range) follow-up of 13 (6-21) months, all six patients had a functioning device with complete continence. To date, we have observed no incidence of early erosion, device infection or device malfunction., Conclusions: Allowing for the preliminary nature of our data, R-AUS insertion appears safe and technically feasible. Larger studies with long-term follow-up and comparison with open AUS insertion are necessary before definitive statements can be made for R-AUS in respect of complications and functional outcomes., (© 2013 BJU International.)

Objectives: To assess the impact of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) on upper urinary tract urothelial carcinomas (UTUCs) in a multicentre study on cancer-specific survival (CSS), recurrence-free survival and metastasis-free survival (MFS). To show the negative impact of LVI for patients with pN0/x disease and to stratify these patients into risk groups for metastatic relapse., Patients and Methods: A multicentre retrospective study was performed on patients who underwent radical nephroureterectomy between 1995 and 2010. LVI status was evaluated as a prognostic factor for survival using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis., Results: Overall, 551 patients were included and were divided into two groups: those without LVI (LVI-), n = 388 and those with LVI (LVI+), n = 163. LVI+ status was associated with high stage and grade UTUC and lymph node metastasis (P < 0.001). The 5-year CSS and MFS rates were significantly worse in the LVI+ group than in LVI- group (52.2 vs 84.5%, P < 0.001 and 43.8 vs 82.7%, P < 0.001, respectively). In multivariate analysis, LVI+ status was an independent prognostic factor for CSS and MFS (P = 0.04 and P < 0.001). These findings were confirmed for the pN0/x patient subgroup (n = 504, P < 0.001). In the pN0/x patient subgroup, we described a prognostic tool for MFS based on independent factors that permitted us to stratify patients into groups of high, intermediate or low risk of metastasis relapse., Conclusions: The presence of LVI was a strong predictor of a poor outcome for UTUC. When a lymphadenectomy has not been achieved, the report of LVI status is crucial to identfiy those patients at higher risk for metastatic relapse., (© 2013 BJU International.)

Objectives: To describe the most recent data from phase I and II clinical trials of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) using image-guided robotic radiosurgery, specifically the Cyberknife(®) (Accuracy Incorporated, Sunnyvale, CA, USA). To better determine thecurrent role of this type of radiosurgery in prostate cancer (PCa) management., Materials and Methods: Current clinical trials and relevant retrospective studies were identified from the literature, clinical trial databases, websites and conference abstracts. The indications, technical aspects, efficacy and toxicity of SBRT using the Cyberknife(®) system were summarized., Results: The Cyberknife(®) system is an experimental treatment mostly used for localized PCa in stage cT1/T2a-b N0 M0 with a Gleason score ≤ 7 and PSA level ≤ 20 ng/mL. Hypofractionated radiation therapy was delivered in five fractions of 7-7.25 Gy for a total dose of 35-36.25 Gy. After treatment, the median PSA levelfell from 4.9-8.3 ng/mL to 0.1-1.6 ng/mL at a median follow-up of 4-60 months. The biochemical progression-free survival rates ranged from 78.3 to 100%. Acute and late toxicities were mostly grade 1/2 rectal or urinary complications. Few grade 3 and no grade 4 toxicities occurred during follow-up; however, erectile dysfunction and testes toxicity were also reported., Conclusions: The use of the Cyberknife(®) system is limited mainly by its pretreatment and maintenance costs. Despite encouraging preliminary results, longer-term follow-up and randomized controlled phase III clinical trials are necessary before the Cyberknife(®) system becomes a standard treatment method., (© 2013 BJU International.)

Unlabelled: What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), also known as Lynch syndrome, is an autosomal dominant multi-organ cancer syndrome. Upper urinary tract urothelial carcinomas belong to HNPCC-related tumours and rank third within this group after colorectal and endometrial cancer. However, many urologists are not aware of this association and it is presumed that some hereditary cancers are misclassified as sporadic and that their incidence is underestimated. Consequently, family members of patients with upper urinary tract urothelial carcinomas secondary to HNPCC may be denied appropriate surveillance and early detection. A significant proportion of patients (21.3%) with newly diagnosed upper urinary tract urothelial carcinomas may have underlying HNPCC. Demographic and epidemiological characteristics suggest different mechanisms of carcinogenesis among this population. Recognition of such potential is essential for appropriate clinical and genetic management of patients and family. In order to help to identify these patients, we propose a patient-specific checklist., Objective: • To identify, based on previously described clinical criteria, hereditary upper urinary tract urothelial carcinomas (UUT-UCs) that are likely to be misclassified as sporadic although they may belong to the spectrum of hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) associated cancers., Patients and Methods: • We identified, using established clinical criteria, suspected hereditary UUT-UC among 1122 patients included in the French national database for UUT-UC. • Patients were considered at risk for hereditary status in the following situations: age at diagnosis <60 years with no previous history of bladder cancer; previous history of HNPCC-related cancer regardless of age; one first-degree relative with HNPCC-related cancer diagnosed before 50 years of age or two first-degree relatives diagnosed regardless of age., Results: • Overall, 239 patients (21.3%) were considered to be at risk of hereditary UUT-UC. • Compared with sporadic cases, hereditary cases are more likely to be female (P= 0.047) with less exposure to tobacco (P= 0.012) and occupational carcinogens (P= 0.037). A greater proportion of tumours were located in the renal pelvis (54.5% vs 48.4%; P= 0.026) and were lower grade (40% vs 30.1%; P= 0.015) in the hereditary cohort. • The overall, cancer-specific and recurrence-free survival rates were similar in both cohorts. • We propose a patient-specific risk identification tool., Conclusions: • A significant proportion (21.3%) of patients with newly diagnosed UUT-UC may have underlying HNPCC as a cause. • Recognition of such potential and application of a patient-specific checklist upon diagnosis will allow identification and appropriate clinical and genetic management for patient and family., (© 2012 BJU INTERNATIONAL.)

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Diethylstilbestrol (DES) has been found to have anti-tumour properties and clinical effectiveness in prostate cancer that is resistant to the first-line hormonal therapy. This review found that low-dose DES has anti-tumour efficacy with limited cardiovascular side effects and should be considered for secondary hormone manoeuvres. The aim of this review was to describe the most recent data from contemporary clinical trials of diethylstilbestrol (DES) to better determine its current role in advanced prostate cancer treatment as new hormonal therapies emerge. Relevant clinical studies using 1 mg of DES in castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) were identified from the literature, clinical trial databases, websites and conference abstracts. The efficacy and safety outcomes were summarized. DES in CRPC produced a biological response (change in PSA level) and improved the median survival of patients when used as a second-line hormone therapy after standard androgen deprivation with bicalutamide and LHRH analogues. These findings were for low doses of DES. The 1-mg dose is associated with a reduced toxicity, including fewer thromboembolic and cardiovascular events. Low-dose DES appears to be safe and effective for CRPC before initiating chemotherapy. The cost/efficiency ratio may encourage physicians to consider DES as a therapy option before chemotherapy in non-symptomatic CRPC., (© 2012 THE AUTHORS. BJU INTERNATIONAL © 2012 BJU INTERNATIONAL.)

Objective: To evaluate based on the best available data whether there is a contemporary role for percutaneous needle biopsy in the era of small renal masses., Patients and Methods: SRMs are acknowledged to be tumours less than 4cm and account for 48%-66% of new kidney cancers. Renal mass biopsy (RMB), traditionally limited to specific clinical scenarios and with inherent diagnostic accuracy problems has increased in popularity in recent years and is a potential valuable tool in the assessment of SRMs. Our discussion focuses on these issues. We performed a thorough Medline literature review using a combination of the following keywords; small renal mass, renal biopsy, percutaneous renal biopsy, renal mass biopsy and renal cell carcinoma. We identified the seminal articles with data/information pertaining to renal mass biopsy in small renal masses., Results: The facts that 1) a significant number of SRMs are diagnosed in an elderly patient cohort, 2) 20% of SRMs are benign on formal histology, 3) there are various management strategies now available and 4) modern RMB has a diagnostic accuracy >90% with few complications, are all reasons why there has been renewed interest in RMB., Conclusion:   There is a contemporary role for RMB in the era of SRM as the incorporation of molecular profiling of tissue from RMB would augment our ability to risk stratify SRMs on an individual patient basis and adopt management accordingly. However, clinical judgement is paramount as there remains an unpredictable non-negligible risk of disease progression and metastasis whilst on surveillance., (© 2011 THE AUTHORS. BJU INTERNATIONAL © 2011 BJU INTERNATIONAL.)

Study Type - Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4 What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? The resection of the distal ureter and its orifice is an oncological principle during radical nephroureterectomy which is based on the fact that it represents a part of the urinary tract exposed to a considerable risk of recurrence. After removal of the proximal part it is hardly possible to image or approach it by endoscopy during follow-up. Recent publications on survival after nephroureterectomy do not allow the conclusion that removal of distal ureter and bladder cuff are useless. Several techniques of distal ureter removal have been described but they are not equivalent in term of oncological safety. • The standard treatment of upper urinary tract urothelial carcinomas (UUT-UCs) must obey oncological principles, which consist of a complete en bloc resection of the kidney and the ureter, as well as excision of a bladder cuff to avoid tumour seeding. • The open technique is the 'gold standard' of treatment to which all other techniques developed are necessarily compared, and various surgical procedures have been described. • The laparoscopic stapling technique maintains a closed system but risks leaving behind the ureteric and bladder cuff segments. • Transvesical laparoscopic detachment and ligation is a valid approach from an oncological stance but is technically difficult. The major inconvenience of the transurethral resection of the ureteric orifice and intussusception techniques is the potential for tumour seeding. • Management of the distal ureter via the robot-assisted laparoscopic method is technically feasible, but outcomes from these procedures are still preliminary. • Therefore, prospective comparative studies with more thorough explorations of these techniques are needed to solve the dilemma of the management of the distal ureter during nephroureterectomy. However, bladder cuff excision should remain the standard of care irrespective of the stage of the disease., (© 2010 THE AUTHORS. BJU INTERNATIONAL © 2010 BJU INTERNATIONAL.)

Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy of the urogenital tract. Although controversial, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing is widely used for screening and follow-up of prostate cancer, but because of its limited specificity and sensitivity, PSA is not an ideal test. We currently lack the necessary tools to differentiate between latent disease with little likelihood of clinical manifestation and aggressive tumours that are likely to metastasize and lead to potentially lethal disease. DNA methylation is an important epigenetic mechanism of gene regulation and plays essential roles in tumour initiation and progression. Currently, aberrant promoter hypermethylation has been investigated in specific genes from the following groups: tumour-suppressor genes, proto-oncogenes, genes involved in cell adhesion, and genes involved in cell-cycle regulation. Glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) has been shown to be a biomarker for prostate cancer. Other genes, e.g. CD44, PTGS2, E-cadherin, CDH13, and cyclin D2 have been found to be prognostic markers for prostate cancer. In cell samples derived from the urine, the presence of the hypermethylation of either GSTP1 or RASS1a has been shown to be both sensitive and specific for detecting prostate cancer. Several studies have found that analysis of hypermethylation using a panel of tumour-suppressor genes yielded better results for detecting prostate cancer than the analysis of single-gene methylation. Hence, these different panels (e.g. GSTP1, APC, PTGS2, T1G1 and EDNRB) are of interest for detecting prostate cancer. Also, the methylation profile of multiple regulatory genes might be altered at the time of cancer relapse. Thus, preliminary results on the use of the methylation status of specific genes as potential tumour biomarkers for the early diagnosis and the risk stratification of patients with prostate cancer are promising.

Urothelial cell carcinomas (UCC), including bladder cancer and upper urinary tract cancer, are the second most common malignancy of the urogenital tract after prostate cancer. It is a critical issue to differentiate accurately those patients whose tumour will recur and/or progress after initial treatment from those without recurrence and/or progression because tumours with a similar morphology behave differently. Patients undergo lifelong cystoscopic and cytology surveillance to detect subsequent tumour recurrence. New noninvasive methods for the diagnosis and surveillance of UCCs are required. DNA methylation is an important epigenetic mechanism of gene regulation and plays essential roles in tumour initiation and progression. Currently, aberrant promoter hypermethylation has been investigated in specific genes, i.e. tumour-suppressor genes, proto-oncogenes, genes involved in cell adhesion, and genes of cell cycle regulation. E-cadherin has been shown to be an independent marker of prognosis. Other genes, e.g. APC, RASSF1a, TNFRSF25, EDNRB, and p14, are implicated in tumour progression. IGFBP3 and APAF-1 are independent markers of recurrence. APAF-1 is also correlated with tumour stage and grade. In urine, hypermethylation of DAPK, RARβ, E-cadherin and p16 has been shown to have a good sensitivity and specificity for bladder cancer detection. Several studies found that analysis of hypermethylation using a panel of tumour-suppressor genes yielded superior results to cytology in the detection of bladder cancer and its progression. Hence, the different panels (e.g. RASSF1a/APC/p14, RAR&#95;/DAPK/E-cadh/p16, p16/p14/MGMT/GSTP1, and RASSF1a/E-cadh/APC) are of interest in the detection of bladder cancer. The last panel and RASSF1a/E-cadh/APC/TNFRSF25/EDNRB are also interesting for tumour progression. There is evidence that the extent of the mutator and methylator phenotypes in UCCs differs with tumour location, perhaps suggesting that carcinogens affect the urinary tract in different ways. For all loci studied except DAPK, there was more frequent methylation in UUT-UCCs than in the bladder cancers; this difference was statistically significant for hMLH1, RARB, E-cadherin, p16 and MINT31. In contrast to UUT-UCCs, hMLH1 and MINT31 were rarely methylated in bladder tumours, suggesting that they play a role in UUT carcinogenesis but not bladder cancer.

Objective: To establish the predictive accuracy of the Kattan preoperative nomogram by comparing predictions at 5 years with actual progression in patients who had a radical prostatectomy (RP)., Materials and Methods: We reviewed the data for 928 patients treated by RP as a first-line treatment for localized prostate cancer, between 1994 and 2005. Recurrence was defined as one prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of >0.4 ng/mL. The 5-year progression-free probability (PFP) rate was evaluated on censured data using the Kaplan-Meier method. Relationships between all predictor variables included in the Kattan nomogram (PSA level, biopsy Gleason scores and clinical stage) and survival were evaluated by Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis. The discriminating ability of the nomogram was assessed by the concordance index (c-index). Bootstrapping was used to assess confidence intervals (CIs), and then the calibration was assessed., Results: The median follow-up was 60 months. Overall, 177 (19%) patients had a recurrence; the 5-year PFP rate (95% CI) was 80.9 (78-83)%. Of the three variables included in the nomogram, all were associated with recurrence in a multivariate analysis (P < 0.001). The c-index (95% CI) was only 0.664 (0.584-0.744). In general, the nomogram was not well calibrated., Conclusions: There was a discrepancy between the predicted PFP as estimated by the Kattan nomogram and actual relapse in this group of patients. Clinicians should be aware that the nomogram is less accurate when used outside the population used to formulate the nomogram. Although more accurate tools are needed, the Kattan nomogram is still the best choice for urologists so far.