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Introduction: Placement of a ureteral stent at the time of renal transplantation can reduce complications when compared to non-stented anastomoses. Removal by flexible cystoscopy can be associated with discomfort, risk for infection, and high costs. New magnetic stents offer a means of bypassing cystoscopy by use of a magnetic retrieval device. Our objective was to compare clinical and cost-related outcomes of conventional and magnetic stents in patients undergoing deceased donor renal transplantation. Methods: Patients were randomized to receive either a conventional or a Black-Star® magnetic stent. Clinical, procedural, and cost outcomes were assessed, and the Ureteral Stent Symptom Questionnaire (USSQ) was administered with the stent in situ and after stent removal. All variables were compared between groups. Results: Forty-one patients were randomized to conventional (n=19) or Black-Star (n=22) stent. The total time for stent removal under cystoscopy was significantly longer compared to Black-Star removal (6.67±2.47 and 4.80±2.21 minutes, respectively; p=0.019). No differences were found in the USSQ domains between groups. Rates of urinary tract infections and surgical complications between groups were similar. Stent removal was well-tolerated in both groups. Black-Star stent use resulted in a cost savings of $304.02 Canadian dollars (CAD) per case. Conclusions: USSQ scores suggest that stent removal with the Black-Star magnetic stent is as equally well-tolerated as flexible cystoscopy by renal transplant patients. Black-Star stent removal was significantly faster than conventional stents. No differences in discomfort, infection rate, or complication rate were found. Use of the Black-Star stent resulted in an estimated annual savings of $27 360 CAD at our centre.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in transplanted kidneys has been reported sporadically with incidence of about 0.5%. There are currently no standard guidelines on the management of allograft RCC in renal transplant recipients. Our objective was to study effectiveness of nephron-sparing surgery (NSS) for allograft RCC. We performed a retrospective analysis of patients with RCC in renal allografts managed with NSS in our institution from January 2000 to December 2015. Patient demographics, interval between transplant and RCC diagnosis, operative parameters, perioperative complications, final pathology, and renal function were evaluated. Three females underwent successful NSS for allograft RCC. Cause of end-stage renal disease was IgA nephropathy in all; mean time between renal transplant and diagnosis of RCC was 23 years. We were able to stay extraperitoneal in all the cases. In the final pathology, two had papillary and one had clear cell RCC. One patient developed pyelocutaneous fistula which was managed by stenting. Long-term functional outcomes of NSS are excellent; none of our patients is dialysis dependent.

Background: Sunitinib and pazopanib are orally-administered tyrosine kinase receptor inhibitors (TKIs) approved as first-line therapy for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). The IMDC criteria are a predictive prognostic model for patients with mRCC when stratified into three prognosis groups: favourable, intermediate and poor. We retrospectively compared the efficacy and safety of sunitinib and pazopanib as first-line therapy for patients with mRCC in our single institution database. Methods: Retrospective analysis was done to compare progression-free survival (PFS) and side effects of sunitinib and pazopanib as first-line therapy in patients with mRCC. Patients were stratified into prognosis groups according to IMDC criteria. Disease assessment was performed on measurable aspects of disease based on computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging reports. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression, with disease progression as the endpoint.Results: Data was obtained from 228 patients with mRCC who were treated with either pazopanib (n=57) or sunitinib (n=171). No significant difference in PFS was found between sunitinib and pazopanib (HR for disease progression or all-cause death, 1.10; 95%CI: 0.76-1.57, p=0.62). Median PFS time for patients receiving sunitinib was 9.4 months and for pazopanib, 8.5 months. Median PFS for patients with intermediate-risk disease was similar between groups (9.4 months vs. 9.2 months, respectively, p=0.93). However, patients treated with sunitinib experienced a greater number of side effects compared to pazopanib. Conclusions: Sunitinib and pazopanib are similarly efficacious as first-line therapy for mRCC. However, adverse events are lower with pazopanib.

Introduction: The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of using a polyethylene glycol (PEG)-coated collagen patch (Hemopatch®) in patients undergoing deceased donor renal transplant. The primary outcome was the amount of intraoperative estimated blood loss in those patients receiving the patch compared to without. Secondary outcomes were the subjective achievement of hemostasis, perigraft collection, and drop in hemoglobin 48 hours postoperatively. Methods: We performed a single-center, prospective, randomized trial. Patients scheduled to undergo deceased donor renal transplant surgery were randomized to receive the PEG-coated patch or standard hemostasis (i.e., electrocautery and clips). Results: A total of 30 patients were enrolled over 15 months and randomized to receive the PEG-coated patch (n=15) or standard hemostasis (n=15). The mean age was 62.5 years. As determined by the operating surgeon, hemostasis was successfully achieved in all 15 cases using the PEG-coated patch. In the PEG-coated patch group, there was a trend towards less estimated blood loss (237 cc vs. 327 cc; p=0.11) and a lower drop in hemoglobin 48 hours postoperatively (22.27 g/L vs. 29.53 g/L; p=0.09) compared to the standard hemostasis group. Perigraft collection was similar between groups (27% vs. 40%; p=0.43). Subgroup analysis on patients who received anticoagulation therapy revealed no significant difference in blood loss between groups. Conclusions: Based on our single-center experience, the PEG-coated patch (Hemopatch®) is a safe and feasible option to aid hemostasis during deceased donor renal transplant surgery. Hemostasis was successfully achieved in all cases using the PEG-coated patch.

Introduction: The palliative effects of cannabis sativa (marijuana), which include appetite stimulation, attenuation of nausea and emesis, and pain relief, are well known. The active components of cannabis sativa (cannabinoids) and their derivatives have received growing interest due to their diverse pharmacological activities, such as cell growth inhibition and tumour regression. The aim of this review is to look at the current evidence on the antiproliferative effects of cannabinoids in urological malignancies, including renal, prostate, bladder, and testicular cancers.Methods: We conducted a systematic review of studies exploring the effect of cannabinoids on tumour activity, including all study types except expert opinions. A formal search was run on Medline database from 1946 to September 2016, along with a hand-search on PubMed for relevant studies.Results: The search yielded a total of 93 studies from Medline and PubMed, of which 23 studies were included in the final analysis. To date, there are various in vitro studies elucidating the potential mechanism of action of cannabinoids for urological cancers, along with population-based studies specifically for testicular malignancies. To date, no clinical trials have been conducted for urological cancer patients.Conclusions: These results demonstrate that the role of endocannabinoids for urological malignancies is an area of active research. Further research is required not only to evaluate the crosstalk between cancer signaling pathways and cannabinoids, but also large randomized clinical studies with urological patients need to be conducted before cannabinoids can be introduced as potential therapeutic options for urological neoplasms.