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Liquid biopsies, as blood and urine, could offer an invaluable, easily accessible source of biomarkers, and evidences for elucidating the pathological processes. Only few studies integrated the proteomes driven by more than one biofluid. Furthermore, it is not clear which biofluid better mirrors the alterations triggered by disease. Venous infiltrating RCC(Renal Cell Carcinoma) could represent an advantageous model for exploring this aspect. Herein, we investigate how blood and urine “proteomically” reflect the changes occurring during RCC infiltration into renal vein(RV) by label-free nLC-ESI-MS/MS. We found 574 and 58 differentially expressed proteins(DEPs) in response to vascular involvement. To the augment of vascular involvement, the abundance of only three proteins in urine(UROM,RALA,CNDP1) and two in plasma(APOA1,K2C1) diminished while increased for twenty-six urinary proteins. 80 proteins were found both in urine and plasma, among which twenty-eight were DEPs. A huge overlap between the two biofluids was highlighted, as expected, being urine the filtrate of blood. However, this consistency decreases when RV-occlusion occurs suggesting alternative protein releases, and a loss of kidney architecture. Moreover, several proteomic and functional signatures were biofluid-specific. In conclusion, the complementarity between the specimens allowed to achieve a deeper level of molecular complexity of the RCC venous infiltration. Significance: Although plasma and urine are strongly interconnected, only few proteomic studies investigated the complementarity of these fluids as bio-sources of information. Moreover, none of them was focused to their analysis and comparison in the context of vascular infiltration of renal cancer. Herein, new insights were gained regarding the impact into urinary and plasma proteome of the changes triggered by the ccRCC invasion into vascular system and renal vein. Furthermore, the integration of the information driven by the two liquid biopsies permits to unravel biological processes otherwise lost.

Çalışmada 21 yazar bulunmaktadır. Bu yazarlardan sadece Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi mensuplarının girişleri yapılmıştır. Live surgery (LS) is considered a useful teaching opportunity. The benefits must be balanced with patient safety concerns. To evaluate the rate of complications of a series of urologic LS performed by experts during the Congress Challenge in Laparoscopy and Robotics (CILR). We present a large, multi-institution, multi-surgeon database that derives from 12 CILR events, from 2004 to 2015 with a total of 224 cases. Radical prostatectomy (RP) was the most common procedure and a selection of complex cases was noted. The primary measure was postoperative complications and use of a Postoperative Morbidity Index (PMI) to allow quantitative weighing of postoperative complications. From 12 events, the number of cases increased from 11 in 2004 to 27 in 2015 and a total of 27 surgeons. Of 224 cases (164 laparoscopic and 60 robotic), there were 26 (11.6%) complications: 5 grade I, 5 grade II, 3 grade IIIa, 12 grade IIIb and 1 grade V, the latter from laparoscopic cystectomy. Analysis of PMI was 23 times higher from cystectomy compared to RP. In the setting of live surgery, the overall rate of complications is low considering the complexity of surgeries. The PMI is not higher in more complex procedures, whereas RP seems very safe.

The condition known as varicocele has been described for centuries. Literature defines varicocele as a cause of infertility for 50% of cases of male component. Today, there is a discrete agreement regarding the need for intervention in case of high-grade varicocele with marked seminal alterations while the management of low-grade varicocele with modest changes in the sperm is still debated. The main problem is therefore to define what to do when we are facing a patient who has a modest alteration of the semen analysis.

Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) is the most frequent form of kidney cancer and approximately 80% of cases are defined as clear cell RCC (ccRCC). Among the histopathological factors, tumour grade represents one of the most important parameters to evaluate ccRCC progression. Nonetheless, the molecular processes associated with the grading classification haven't been deeply investigated thus far. Therefore, the aim of this study was to uncover protein alterations associated with different ccRCC grade lesions. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples from ccRCC patients were analysed by histology-guided MALDI-MSI and shotgun proteomics in order to study the biological processes implicated in ccRCC. MALDI-MSI data highlighted signals able to discriminate among different grades (AUC > 0.8). The ion at m/z 1428.92 was identified as Vimentin and was overexpressed in grade 4 lesions, whereas ions at m/z 944.71, m/z 1032.78 and m/z 1325,99 were identified as histones H2A, H3, and H4, respectively. nLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis provided a further list of proteins and their abundances, showing a difference in protein content among the four grades. Moreover, the obtained molecular profiles showed a correspondence with the different Cancer-Specific Survival rate at 10 years post-surgery, as reported in literature. Significance Despite the generally accepted role of tumour grade in ccRCC diagnosis, the proteomic processes associated with the different tumour grades has not been extensively studied and doing so may provide insights into the development of the disease. In the current study, data obtained using MALDI-MSI was integrated with that obtained using nLC-ESI-MS/MS to highlight the proteomic alterations underlying the different ccRCC grades. The combined approach identified vimentin and three histones (H2A, H3 and H4) that were able to discriminate among the four grades whilst the nLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis alone provided a further list of proteins with an altered abundance. Furthermore, there was a good correlation between the molecular profiles generated for each grade and the different Cancer-Specific Survival rate at 10 years post-surgery. Such findings could be a valuable starting point for further studies aimed at clarifying the molecular events that occur during the development of ccRCC.

Protein N-glycosylation is one of the most important post-translational modifications and is involved in many biological processes, with aberrant changes in protein N-glycosylation patterns being closely associated with several diseases, including the progression and spreading of tumours. In light of this, identifying these aberrant protein glycoforms in tumours could be useful for understanding the molecular mechanism of this multifactorial disease, developing specific biomarkers and finding novel therapeutic targets. We investigated the urinary N-glycoproteome of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) patients at different stages (n = 15 at pT1 and n = 15 at pT3), and of non-ccRCC subjects (n = 15), using an N-glyco-FASP-based method. Using label-free nLC-ESI MS/MS, we identified and quantified several N-glycoproteins with altered expression and abnormal changes affecting the occupancy of the glycosylation site in the urine of RCC patients compared to control. In particular, nine of them had a specific trend that was directly related to the stage progression: CD97, COCH and P3IP1 were up-expressed whilst APOB, FINC, CERU, CFAH, HPT and PLTP were down-expressed in ccRCC patients. Overall, these results expand our knowledge related to the role of this post-translational modification in ccRCC and translation of this information into pre-clinical studies could have a significant impact on the discovery of novel biomarkers and therapeutic target in kidney cancer.

Aim The aim of our study is to evaluate the status of positive margins (PSMs) comparing their incidence between aparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) and robot assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) in centers with medium case-load (50–150 cases/year). We also analyzed the correlations between surgical technique, nerve-sparing approach (NS), and incidence of PSMs, stratifying our results by pathological stage. Materials and methods We analyzed 1992 patients who underwent RP in various urologic centers. We evaluated the incidence of PSMs, and then we compared the stage-related incidence of PSMs, for both the techniques. Results We did not find a statistically significant difference between the two surgical modalities in the study regarding the overall incidence of PSMs. Conclusions In our retrospective study, we did not find any difference in terms of PSMs in RARP versus LRP. Our PSMs were not negligible, particularly in pT3 stages, compared with high-volume centers; surgical experience and patients' selection can be a possible explanation.

INTRODUCTION Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common solid neoplasm and the second leading cause of cancer death in men. After the Partin tables were developed, a number of predictive and prognostic tools became available for risk stratification. These tools have allowed the urologist to better characterize this disease and lead to more confident treatment decisions for patients. The purpose of this study is to critically review the decision-making tools currently available to the urologist, from the moment when PCa is first diagnosed until patients experience metastatic progression and death. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION A systematic and critical analysis through Medline, EMBASE, Scopus and Web of Science databases was carried out in February 2016 as per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The search was conducted using the following key words: "prostate cancer," "prediction tools," "nomograms." EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS Seventy-two studies were identified in the literature search. We summarized the results into six sections: Tools for prediction of life expectancy (before treatment), Tools for prediction of pathological stage (before treatment), Tools for prediction of survival and cancer-specific mortality (before/after treatment), Tools for prediction of biochemical recurrence (before/after treatment), Tools for prediction of metastatic progression (after treatment) and in the last section biomarkers and genomics. CONCLUSIONS The management of PCa patients requires a tailored approach to deliver a truly personalized treatment. The currently available tools are of great help in helping the urologist in the decision-making process. These tests perform very well in high-grade and low-grade disease, while for intermediate-grade disease further research is needed. Newly discovered markers, genomic tests, and advances in imaging acquisition through mpMRI will help in instilling confidence that the appropriate treatments are being offered to patients with prostate cancer.

Purpose: To study the effect of high grade varicocele treatment in infertile patients. Materials and Methods: Seventy-five patients were selected by the following criteria: infertility persisting for more than 1 year; abnormal semen parameters; no other infertility-related disease; no obvious causes of infertility in the subject’s partner; basal eco-color Doppler ultrasound demonstrating continuous reflux in the spermatic vein. All patients considered for the study had at least a six months period from the diagnosis to the surgery due to waiting list, choice of the patient or time needed to complete diagnostic evaluation of the couple. The surgical procedure was performed through an inguinal approach. All enrolled patients were counseled to have unprotected intercourse during the ovulation period in order to maximize the probability of pregnancy within the 6-month preoperative period. The achievement of pregnancy and semen parameters were recorded during the preoperative and postoperative period. Results: Two of the seventy-five patients were excluded because of persistent varicocele after surgery. The preoperative pregnancy rate was 1.3% (1 couple). The postoperative pregnancy rate was 42.5%. The stratification of pregnancies by semester showed a significantly higher rate in the first postoperative period (p = 0.0012). Mean time to conception was 13.5 months. Mean preoperative sperm count was 17.6x10 6 /mL compared to 19.7x10 6 /mL in the postoperative period (p < 0.0001). Mean percentage of progressive sperm motility was 13.7%, compared to 17.6% in the postoperative period (p < 0.0001). Mean percentage of normal sperm morphology was 7.6%, compared to 15.2% postoperatively (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Surgical treatment of high grade varicocele proved to effectively treat associated infertility by improving seminal parameters and pregnancy rate in our patient cohort.

A systematic review of the literature was performed to assess the relationship between the presence of perineural invasion (PNI) at prostate biopsy and extraprostatic extension (EPE) of prostate cancer. In August 2012, Medline, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science databases were searched. A "free-text" protocol using the terms "perineural invasion prostate cancer" was applied. Studies published only as abstracts and reports from meetings were not included in this review. In total, 341 records were retrieved from Medline, 507 from Embase, 374 from Scopus and 65 from the Web of Science database. The records were reviewed to identify studies correlating the presence of PNI with that of EPE. A cumulative analysis was conducted using Review Manager software v. 5.1 (Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford, UK). In univariate analysis, PNI showed a statistically significant association with pT3 tumours (p < 0.00001), which could be observed for both pT3a (p < 0.0001) and pT3b (p < 0.0001). In conclusion, the cumulative analysis shows a statistically significant higher incidence of EPE in patients who had PNI at needle biopsy. The main limitation of the analysis was that it was not possible to perform a multivariate analysis. Further attempts to build a nomogram for the prediction of EPE could include the presence of PNI at needle biopsy.

renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients and to evaluate their validity regarding their diagnostic and outcome potential. METHODS: The study cohort included 40 healthy controls and 229 RCC patients (145 without metastases before nephrectomy, 84 with metastases before/during targeted therapy). cfDNA was isolated (1 ml EDTA plasma;QIAamp Circulating Nucleic Acid Kit) and qPCR analyses of genomic cfDNA of various gene fragments of amyloid beta (A4) precursor protein (67, 180, 306 bp) and ALU sequences (248/79 bp) and of mitochondrial cfDNA fragments (175/65 bp) were performed. RESULTS: The concentrations of the single cfDNA markers partially differed between the study groups while the five integrity indices (long to short fragments) differed between controls and metastatic patients, and two APP indices also to non-metastatic patients. Optimized combinations of different genomic and mitochondrial fragments (binary logistic regression) with two or three assays resulted in areas under the ROC curve of 1⁄40.78. In multivariate Cox regression analyses, optimized models for recurrence-free and overall survival were established using the prognostic potential of the individual cfDNA variables combined with the clinicopathological variables. Harrell’s C-indices showed distinctly improved prognostic capabilities of these models in comparison to models based only on clinicopathological variables (increase:from 0.725 to 0.827; 0.701 to 0.836). CONCLUSIONS: Combinations of genomic and mitochondrial cfDNA are promising tools for urologists in the management of ccRCC patients both in diagnosis and prognosis.

To evaluate the influence of posterior musculofascial plate reconstruction (PR) on early return of continence after radical prostatectomy (RP); an updated systematic review of the literature. A systematic review of the literature was performed in June 2015, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement and searching Medline, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science databases. We searched the terms posterior reconstruction prostatectomy, double layer anastomosis prostatectomy across the 'Title' and 'Abstract' fields of the records, with the following limits: humans, gender (male), and language (English). The authors reviewed the records to identify studies comparing cohorts of patients who underwent RP with or without restoration of the posterior aspect of the rhabdosphincter. A meta-analysis of the risk ratios estimated using data from the selected studies was performed. In all, 21 studies were identified, including three randomised controlled trials. The overall analysis of comparative studies showed that PR improved early continence recovery at 3-7, 30, and 90 days after catheter removal, while the continence rate at 180 days was statistically but not clinically affected. Statistically significantly lower anastomotic leakage rates were described after PR. There were no significant differences for positive surgical margins rates or for complications such as acute urinary retention and bladder neck stricture. The analysis confirms the benefits at 30 days after catheter removal already discussed in the review published in 2012, but also shows a significant advantage in terms of urinary continence recovery in the first 90 days. A multicentre prospective randomised controlled trial is currently being conducted in several institutions around the world to better assess the effectiveness of PR in facilitating an earlier recovery of postoperative urinary continence.

While incontinence and impotence are the two major drawbacks of radical prostatectomy, incontinence seems to be the problem that troubles patients most, even if it occurs less frequently than impotence. The prevalence of urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy can be influenced by preoperative patient characteristics, surgeon experience, surgical techniques and methods used to collect and report data. In this chapter we will focus on surgical tips to improve continence recovery during robot assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP), analyzing the procedures step by step.

Background Shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) has proven to be safe and effective for renal stone treatment. The shock wave rate used during the SWL procedure causes cavitation, which is the phenomenon responsible for stone fragmentation and may be responsible for tissue and vascular damages ascribed to lithotripsy. Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin (NGAL) has been shown to be one of the earliest and most overexpressed markers in case of cellular damage in the kidney. Objective Using a new generation piezoelectric lithotripter, we evaluated the relation between renal damage, stone fragmentation rate, pain and shock wave rate delivered during SWL. Materials and Methods 80 patients suffering from a single renal stone were included in our clinical trial and underwent SWL with Wolf PiezoLith 300 lithotripter. A urine sample was collected in 54 patients (30 belonging to Group A, 24 to Group B) before treatment, within 2 hours and 72 hours after SWL, for NGAL measurement. Results The stone fragmentation rate obtained in the 2 groups was practically the same 30 days after SWL, with an efficacy rate of 72.7% in Group A and of 73.3% in Group B. NGAL increased after treatment, but was not statistically different in the two groups, and returned to the baseline value after 72 h. Furthermore, NGAL was always well below the threshold value of 350 ng/mL, indicative of acute renal failure. Conclusions The best stone fragmentation rate achievable with a piezoelectric lithotripter can be reached with a higher shock wave rate without significant renal damage, thus optimizing the treatment time.

Background Nowadays translational medicine is acquiring a more and more important role in connecting laboratory experimental results on human tissues to clinical findings and drug employment. We want to underline the importance of in vitro studies, which have been extensively performed on animal organs, but few studies have been performed on human tissues. Nevertheless, a more accurate result when compared to the in vivo use of drugs can be given only by testing the very same human tissues in a lab. We related clinical treatments of different pathologies with the results obtained in laboratory studying in vitro fragments of human organs extracted during surgery exposed to different mediators and drugs. Methods Fragments of urethers, bladder (detrusorial muscle and bladder neck muscle fibers), corpora cavernosa, and vas deferens were extracted during demolitive surgery trying not to traumatize the tissue, in order to keep it alive and not to ruin its contractile fibers. The fragments were then put into polisaline solution and, once in the laboratory, fixed on suitable isolated organ support, fixed at one side of the thermostatic pool and on the other side connected to a digital monitoring system. The contractility was then studied after adding different mediators. Results The urethers have shown a stronger response to NE and PGF2a, with a different contractility in their distal part due to a major concentration of alpha-receptors; the bladder neck has also shown a strong contractile response to NE and PGF2a, and is inhibited by alpha-blockers; the bladder detrusor, instead, responds to ACH (acetylcholine) and PGF2a; the vas deferens shows a different type of contractility in the prostatic part compared to the epididimary part when stimulated with noradrenaline and PGF2a; the corpora cavernosa respond to NE and PGF2a. Conclusions The results obtained after stimulating the fragments can explain and prove the receptorial activity of inner mediators and of commonly used drugs which have, for years, been used empirically; the simplicity and repetitivity of the method can be considered and used not only to research the physiological functioning of different organs, but also the functioning of new drugs before testing them on patients, being more reliable and accurate than tests on animal tissues. This experimental work has shown that using human tissues in testing specific mediators is the most reliable laboratory method.

Background Several promising biomarkers have been found for RCC, but none of them has been used in clinical practice for predicting tumour progression. The most widely used features for predicting tumour aggressiveness still remain the cancer stage, size and grade. Therefore, the aim of our study is to investigate the urinary peptidome to search and identify peptides whose concentrations in urine are linked to tumour growth measure and clinical data. Methods A proteomic approach applied to ccRCC urinary peptidome (n = 117) based on prefractionation with activated magnetic beads followed by MALDI-TOF profiling was used. A systematic correlation study was performed on urinary peptide profiles obtained from MS analysis. Peptide identity was obtained by LC–ESI–MS/MS. Results Fifteen, twenty-six and five peptides showed a statistically significant alteration of their urinary concentration according to tumour size, pT and grade, respectively. Furthermore, 15 and 9 signals were observed to have urinary levels statistically modified in patients at different pT or grade values, even at very early stages. Among them, C1RL, A1AGx, ZAG2G, PGBM, MMP23, GP162, ADA19, G3P, RSPH3, DREB, NOTC2 SAFB2 and CC168 were identified. Conclusions We identified several peptides whose urinary abundance varied according to tumour size, stage and grade. Among them, several play a possible role in tumorigenesis, progression and aggressiveness. These results could be a useful starting point for future studies aimed at verifying their possible use in the managements of RCC patients. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12967-015-0693-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

We report the case of a patient who had undergone polypropylene plug placement 3 years before and referred to our institution with testicular tumor. CT scan demonstrated an enlargement of pelvic lymph nodes on the tumor side while retroperitoneal nodes were normal. Orchifunicolectomy was performed and histopathological examination showed a mixed germ cell tumor involving the tunica vaginalis, rete testis, epididymis and spermatic cord. After surgery the patient was addressed to adjuvant chemotherapy according to PEB scheme. Clinical re-staging showed a decrease of the pelvic bulk disease whereas retroperitoneal nodes were still normal and tumor markers were negative. Left external, internal and common iliac lymphadenectomy as well as left modified template nervesparing retroperitoneal lymph node dissection was performed. Intraoperatively the node bulk was firmly adherent to the external iliac artery and extended until the common iliac bifurcation. In the deeper part of this enlarged and firm lymphatic chain the polypropylene plug placed at the time of hernioplasty was found. Behind the plug all retroperitoneal nodes appeared normal and resulted negative on histopathologic examination. The patient had an unusual metastatization, probably due to the plug.

Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) is typically asymptomatic and surgery usually increases patient's lifespan only for early stage tumours. Moreover, solid renal masses cannot be confidently differentiated from RCC. Therefore, markers to distinguish malignant kidney tumours and for their detection are needed. Two different peptide signatures were obtained by a MALDI-TOF profiling approach based on urine pre-purification by C8 magnetic beads. One cluster of 12 signals could differentiate malignant tumours (n = 137) from benign renal masses and controls (n = 153) with sensitivity of 76% and specificity of 87% in the validation set. A second cluster of 12 signals distinguished clear cell RCC (n = 118) from controls (n = 137) with sensitivity and specificity values of 84% and 91%, respectively. Most of the peptide signals used in the two models were observed at higher abundance in patient urines and could be identified as fragments of proteins involved in tumour pathogenesis and progression. Among them: the Meprin 1α with a pro-angiogenic activity, the Probable G-protein coupled receptor 162, belonging to the GPCRs family and known to be associated with several key functions in cancer, the Osteopontin that strongly correlates to tumour stages and invasiveness, the Phosphorylase b kinase regulatory subunit alpha and the SeCreted and TransMembrane protein 1.

Introduction: Recent advances in surgical and anesthesiology techniques allow simultaneous thoracic and abdominal operations to be performed for severe heart disease and benignant or malignant abdominal diseases. Case report: The simultaneous surgical management in a 75-year-old patient suffering from severe double coronary artery disease and a renal cell carcinoma with extended intravascular growth into the inferior vena cava is reported. Conclusion: The postoperative course was uneventful. Simultaneous surgery proved to be beneficial and safe, showing optimal results in our patient.

Introduction Recent findings reported an inverse relationship between solar ultraviolet-B (UV-B) exposure and mortality from various types of cancers, including renal cancer. Methods We reviewed the literature concerning the relationship between sun exposure and incidence of kidney cancer. We performed a case-control study, evaluating recreational sun exposure in 50 kidney cancer patients and 50 controls. A questionnaire concerning sun exposure habits during childhood, adult life and in the previous 2 years was filled in by every patient. The questionnaire focused on: hours/day spent in the sun during summer; hours/day spent sunbathing (considering as well which kind of UV protection was used); sunburns; holidays in tropical countries. Results We found and analyzed few articles concerning the relationship between kidney cancer and sunlight exposure. The two cohorts of patients we evaluated were homogeneous for age, phototype, origin and living area. We found no statistically significant differences between sun exposure in patients affected by kidney cancer and controls, both during childhood and adult life; no differences were found in the use of sunscreens either. Conclusions Recreational sunlight exposure does not differ in our cohorts of patients and controls; studies on greater cohorts are needed to evaluate the effect of recreational sun exposure in the development of kidney cancer.

TURP has been considered the gold standard for surgical treatment of BPH for many years. Symptoms relief, improvement in maximum flow rate and reduction of post void residual urine have been reported in several experiences. Nevertheless, concerns have been reported in terms of safety outcomes: intracapsular perforation, TUR syndrome, bleeding. In the recent years the use of new forms of energy and devices such as bipolar resector, Ho: YAG and potassium-titanyl-phosphate laser are challenging the role of traditional TURP for BPH surgical treatment. In 1999 TURP represented 81% of surgical treatment for BPH versus 39% in 2005. We have analyzed guidelines and recent literature to evaluate the role of the most relevant new surgical approaches compared to TURP for the treatment of BPH.

Radiation therapy (RT) is one of the treatment options for prostate cancer (PCa). Transperineal low–dose rate brachytherapy (BT) is another safe and effective technique for low-risk PCa. Recurrence after RT for localized PCa can be defined by a PSA value of 2 ng/mL above the nadir after RT, and biochemical recurrence (BCR) rate after RT is 40–60 %. In case of radiorecurrent PCa, treatment options include salvage radical prostatectomy (RP), cryotherapy, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), and salvage BT. Only salvage RP has cancer control results for over 10-year follow-up in a substantial portion of patients (30–40 %). However, salvage RP is technically demanding, and experienced surgeons are needed; in fact, RT-induced cystitis, fibrosis, and tissue plane obliteration can lead to significant complications, such as rectal injuries, anastomotic stricture, and urinary incontinence. This review describes indications, oncologic and functional outcomes, surgical techniques, and complications of salvage robot-assisted RP.

Prostate cancer plays an important role in widely understood aspects of men's health, and is becoming a growing problem in terms of public life. Prostate cancer is one of the most common neoplasms among men. Male patients can live with prostate cancer for a long time so it is important to offer appropriate males adequate diagnostic tools and treatments. Prostate cancer and PSA potentially represent a “pair” of a disease and an appropriate indicator to be used in mass screening, but regardless of that there is still active debate about it. Extensive use of PSA screening has modified epidemiology of the diseases. Randomized controlled studies provided sufficient results regarding a reduction in mortality through PSA mass screening, while all agreed on risks of overdiagnosis and overtreatment. New and accurate screening tools are necessary, along with adequate counseling and risk stratification.

Incontinence and impotence are the two chief drawbacks of radical prostatectomy (RP). Incontinence is the most relevant for most of the patients, even if there is high variability in terms of prevalence and definition of continence. Incontinence seems the result of several factors, the most important being the surgical injury of some structures and the biomechanical instability associated with vesicourethral anastomosis. In the posterior urethra, which guarantees the continence mechanism, two functionally independent regions can be recognized: the proximal and the distal. The proximal region can be identified with the bladder neck, while the distal region is the rhabdosphincter urethrae. Concerning the distal functional region, two kinds of strategy can be applied: the preservation of puboprostatic ligaments and urethral attachments, or the reconstruction of the urethral rhabdosphincter, which can be anterior, posterior or total. We describe our technique of choice for posterior reconstruction, first described by Rocco and then modified by Patel et al.

OBJECTIVES: The need and timing of perioperative heparin prophylaxis is matter of debate. The aim of our work is to review the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after radical retro pubic prostatectomy (RRP) in patients undergoing preoperative blood donation, compressive stockings, haemodilution, surgical prevention of lymphocoele and postoperative low molecular weight heparin therapy as prophylaxis for thrombotic events. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis considering a series of 500 RRP performed between1999 and 2006 by the same Surgeon (MG) at the Urological Unit, Desio Hospital, Milan, Italy. All the patients were enrolled in an auto transfusion program and were subjected to autologous blood donation. Low molecular weight heparin (0.4 ml of Calcic Nadroparin 3800 UI s.c. daily) was administrated within 24 hours following surgery until the 11th post-operative. Age, PSA, basal, preoperative and postoperative haemoglobin values were assessed in each patient. The incidence of venous thromboembolism was calculated taking into consideration occurrences of both pulmonary embolism and deep venous thrombosis. RESULTS: In this retrospective analysis we did not observe any major event including intra- or peri-operative deaths. There was one occurrence of pulmonary microembolism and one sural phlebitis that were treated with prolonged heparin and dicumarol therapy. Two significant haemorrhagic events occurred in the postoperative period requiring surgical revision. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that low weight heparin prophylaxis starting within 24 hours following radical prostatectomy, associated with preoperative blood donation, intra-operative haemodilution, compression stockings, surgical care to avoid lymphocoele and early mobilization is effective in preventing venous thromboembolism.