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Objective: Comparative effectiveness studies comparing trimodal therapy (TMT) to radical cystectomy (RC) are typically hindered by selection bias where TMT is usually reserved to patients with poor overall health status. We developed a novel approach by matching patients based on their calculated other-cause mortality (OCM) risk. Using this homogeneous cohort, we tested the impact of TMT vs RC on cancer-specific mortality (CSM)., Materials and Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) 2004-2018 database was queried to identify patients diagnosed with cT2-4N0M0 muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). A Fine-Gray competing-risk regression model calculating the 5-year OCM risk was used to create a 1:1 propensity-score matched-cohort of patients treated with RC or TMT. Cumulative incidence and competing-risk regression analyses tested the impact of treatment type (RC vs TMT) on CSM. Patients were further stratified according to clinical T stage (cT2 vs cT3-4) in sensitivity analyses., Results: We identified 6,587 patients (76%) treated with RC and 2,057 (24%) with TMT. The median follow-up was 3.0 years. In the unmatched-cohort, 5-year OCM and CSM rates were 14% and 40% for RC vs 23% and 47% in TMT group, respectively (all P < 0.001). Our matched-cohort included 4,074 patients, equally distributed for treatment type, with no difference in 5-year OCM (HR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.86-1.11, P = 0.714). In clinical-stage specific sensitivity analyses, 5-year CSM rate was significantly worse for cT2N0M0 patients treated with TMT (HR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.21-1.91, P < 0.001) than those treated with RC. For cT3-4N0M0 patients, there was no difference in CSM among the 2 approaches (HR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.63-1.52, P = 0.900)., Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate an oncologic advantage of RC over TMT for cT2 MIBC patients. Conversely, we did not find a cancer-specific survival difference for cT3-T4 MIBC patients, regardless of treatment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None of the authors have any relevant disclosures, and none of the authors have any financial or nonfinancial interests that may be relevant to the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Studies comparing radical prostatectomy (RP) to radiation therapy (RT) have consistently shown that patients undergoing RT have a higher risk of other-cause mortality (OCM) compared to RP, signifying poor health status of the former patients. We aimed to evaluate the impact of RP versus RT on cancer-specific mortality (CSM) over a cohort with equivalent OCM risk., Patients and Methods: The SEER database was queried to identify patients with nonmetastatic PCa between 2004 and 2009. Patients were matched based on their calculated 10-year OCM risk and further stratified for D'Amico Risk Score and Gleason Grade. A Cox-regression model was used to calculate the 10-year OCM risk. Propensity-score based on the calculated OCM risk were used to match RP and RT patients. Cumulative incidence curves and Competing-risk regression analyses were used to examine the impact of treatment on CSM in the matched cohort., Results: We identified 55,106 PCa patients treated with RP and 36,674 treated with RT. After match, 6,506 patients were equally distributed for RT versus RP, with no difference in OCM rates (P = .2). The 10-year CSM rates were 8.8% versus 0.6% (P = .01) for RT versus RP in patients with unfavorable-intermediate-risk (Gleason Score 4 + 3) and 7.9% versus 3.9% (P = .003) for high-risk disease. There was no difference in CSM among RT and RP patients for favorable-intermediate-risk (Gleason Score 3 + 4) and low-risk disease., Conclusions: In a matched cohort of PCa patients with comparable OCM between the 2 arms, RP yielded a more favorable CSM rate compared to RT only for unfavorable-intermediate- and high-risk groups., Competing Interests: Disclosure None of the authors have any relevant disclosures, and none of the authors have any financial or nonfinancial interests that may be relevant to the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: There is a high demand for bladder sparing therapies in patients who do not respond to bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)., Objective: To report the mid-term results of intravesical gemcitabine in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) patients, who failed BCG and who were unwilling to undergo radical cystectomy (RC)., Material & Methods: This is an extended confirmatory open-label, single-arm study, which enrolled consecutive patients who failed BCG or were BCG intolerant and unwilling to undergo the RC (histologically confirmed Tis (CIS), T1 high grade or multifocal Ta high grade of the urinary bladder). Intravesical gemcitabine was administered once a week for 6 consecutive weeks and once a month for 12 months. The primary outcome was disease-free survival (DFS) defined as the lack of tumor on cystoscopy and negative urine cytology. The secondary endpoint was safety, defined according a grading of side effects. overall survival, progression-free survival and DFS were described with Kaplan-Meier method at 12, 24, and 36 months., Results and Limitations: Overall 46 patients were enrolled. The mean follow-up was 40 months. The DFS was 69.05% at the end of induction phase and 32.69% at 36 months. The progression-free survival at 36 months was 65.38%. The overall survival and cancer specific survival were 66.97% (95% confidence interval 47.25%-80.70%) and 78.71% (95% confidence interval 59.16%-89.66%), respectively. There was no life-threatening event or treatment related death (grade 4 or 5). The most common mild and moderate adverse events reported were urinary symptoms (lower urinary tract symptoms) and fatigue (G1-G2)., Conclusion: Intravesical gemcitabine seemed to represent a valid and safe alternative at 3 years follow-up for patients who failed BCG and were unwilling to undergo RC., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Endometriosis is a chronic disease, and a lifelong management plan should be developed by using pharmacological treatment and surgical procedures. The pathogenesis of endometriosis is complicated and has not been definitively established. The mechanisms involved are numerous, and their understanding is constantly evolving. Currently, the first-line drugs act by blocking ovarian function, creating an hypoestrogenic environment. The blockade of estrogen secretion and receptor activity and the activation of progesteron receptors are the main target of several current drugs, as well as those under development. The oral GnRH antogonists, the aromatase inhibitors, SERMs, and SPRMs are the hormonal drugs currently studied for treating endometriosis. The increasing knowledge of the pathogenesis has allowed the development of new treatments. The most studied are the anti-inflammatory drugs, starting from the new NSAIDs to the monoclonal antibodies and the statins. Among the antiangiogenic compounds, a role is suggested for Icon, PPARs, and HDACIs. A new class of drugs is the cannabinoids. The aim of this review was to investigate the new therapeutic hormonal and non-hormonal alternatives to standard treatments., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Objectives: Recent studies showed that robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) represents an oncologically safe procedure in patients with prostate cancer (PCa), where the rate of positive surgical margins (PSMs) might be lower in patients treated with RARP as compared with that of those undergoing the open approach (open RP [ORP]). The aim of this study is to analyze the rate of PSMs according to preoperative risk groups in a large cohort of patients treated with RARP and ORP in a single institution with standardized surgical technique and pathological examination., Materials and Methods: We evaluated 6,194 consecutive patients with PCa undergoing either ORP (71.1%) or RARP (28.9%) between 1992 and 2014. Logistic regression analyses were used to test the association between type of surgery and PSMs in each preoperative risk group (low vs. intermediate vs. high) after adjusting for confounders., Results: Overall, 21.6% patients had PSMs. RARP was associated with a lower rate of PSMs in low-risk (11.5 vs. 15.4%, P = 0.01), intermediate-risk (18.9 vs. 23.5%, P = 0.008), and high-risk patients (19.7 vs. 30.1%, P<0.001). In multivariable analyses, after stratification according to risk group categories, no difference in PSMs between RARP and ORP was observed for low-risk (odds ratio [OR] = 0.87, P = 0.46) and intermediate-risk patients (OR = 0.84, P = 0.19). Conversely, RARP was associated with lower odds of PSMs in high-risk patients (OR = 0.69, P = 0.04). Similar results were observed when our analyses were repeated after accounting for pathological characteristics, in patients treated between 2006 and 2014 and in a cohort of men treated by high-volume surgeons (all P≤ 0.03)., Conclusions: The introduction of RARP at our institution led to a significant reduction in the risk of PSMs in patients with PCa with high-risk disease., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To compare long-term cancer outcomes after radical cystectomy (RC) alone or RC with pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) according to different age and comorbidities categories., Methods: Using the SEER-Medicare dataset, 3314 patients diagnosed with urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder and treated with RC alone or RC with PLND were identified. After propensity score matching to reduce potential selection bias, all cause mortality (ACM)-free and cancer specific mortality (CSM)-free survival rates were estimated. Multivariable regression models (MVA) addressed the effect of PLND on ACM and CSM. Subgroups analyses according to age and comorbidities were performed., Results: After matching, 688 and 688 patients treated with RC alone or RC with PLND remained. The 5-year ACM-free survival rate was 36 after RC alone and 45% after RC with PLND (p < 0001). In MVA, PLND exerted a protective effect on ACM (HR 0.77, p < 0.001). The 5-year CSM-free survival rate was 54 after RC alone and 65% after RC with PLND (p < 0.001). In MVA, PLND exerted a protective effect on CSM (HR 0.71, p < 0.001). Similar results were observed in younger (age ≤75) and healthier (CCI = 0) patients, where PLND exerted a protective effect on ACM (HR 0.64, p = 0.001) and CSM (HR 0.65, p = 0.01). Conversely, in older (age >75) and sicker (CCI ≥1) patients, PLND was not associated with ACM (HR 0.98, p = 0.8) or CSM (HR 1.01, p = 0.9)., Conclusions: RC with PLND is associated with improved all cause and cancer specific survival in younger and healthier RC candidates but not in older and sicker patients., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Data regarding long-term oncologic outcomes of laparoscopic renal cryoablation (LRC) as first treatment for small renal masses (SRMs) are lacking. We hypothesized that LRC might provide an effective long-term cancer control in patients with a single cT1a SRM without a previous history of renal cell carcinoma (RCC)., Materials and Methods: The study design was a retrospective analysis of 174 consecutive patients who received LRC as first treatment for a single computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging contrast-enhancing cT1a SRM between 2000 and 2013. Patients with a previous history of RCC were excluded. Treatment failure was evaluated 1 day after surgery. Local recurrence, metachronous SRM, systemic progression, disease relapse, cancer-specific mortality, and all-cause mortality were evaluated 10 years after surgery. Kaplan-Meier plots were used to depict outcome-free survival rate., Results: Median patient age was 66 years. Median tumor size was 20mm. Median follow-up was 48 months. Among patients with biopsy-proven RCC (63%, n = 109), the treatment failure-free rate was 98%. The 10-year recurrence-free survival rate was 95% and the 10-year metachronous SRM-free survival rate was 87%. The 10-year systemic progression-free survival rate was 100% and the 10-year disease relapse-free survival rate was 81%. The cancer-specific mortality-free survival rate was 100%, and the all-cause mortality-free survival rate was 61%., Conclusions: LRC provides safe long-term cancer control in patients newly diagnosed with a single cT1a SRM. Treatment failure and local recurrence are uncommon. Systemic progression-free survival and cancer-specific-free survival are optimal., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A wide variety of whole cell bioreporter and biosensor assays for arsenic detection has been developed over the past decade. The assays permit flexible detection instrumentation while maintaining excellent method of detection limits in the environmentally relevant range of 10-50 μg arsenite per L and below. New emerging trends focus on genetic rewiring of reporter cells and/or integration into microdevices for more optimal detection. A number of case studies have shown realistic field applicability of bioreporter assays., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)