[Guidelines for consultations regarding incontinence care products]. / Leitlinie Hilfsmittelberatung bei Harninkontinenz.

An investigation of the German consumer organisation "Stiftung Warentest" in 2017 confirmed significant deficiencies in the information, advice and supply of incontinence care products received by urinary incontinence patients. The German Society of Urology (DGU) thereupon drafted and later published guidelines concerning the consultation of patients in the context of incontinence care. Important aspects of the consultation process include the determination of the type of incontinence as well as its severity, clinical examination, and advice regarding possible curative treatments. However, the advice appointment takes centre stage and should ideally be conducted by a qualified person in a separate room granting sufficient privacy and time. Furthermore, repeated supply of a selection of samples for differing degrees and types of incontinence, accommodating the patient's individual preferences and anatomical features, is crucial in order to ensure optimal incontinence care. In the case of commercial health care service providers, transparency relating to the financial implications of e.g. expensive products is key, which is what has been intended by German health insurance providers. The new guidelines concerning urinary incontinence care consultation constitute a step towards the improvement and structuring of processes in the consultation regarding, and the supply of, incontinence care products.

[Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and alternatives : Drug treatment of high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer]. / Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) und Alternativen : Medikamentöse Therapie des "high-risk" nicht-muskelinvasiven Blasenkarzinoms.

BACKGROUND: Intravesical instillation of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is an accepted strategy to reduce the risk of recurrence and possibly progression of high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). However, side effects are not uncommon. In addition, the tumors may be BCG refractory or unresponsive. These tumors have a very high risk of recurrence and progression, so cystectomy must be weighed against conservative treatment options. OBJECTIVES: We describe the current recommendations regarding treatment of NMIBC with BCG and alternatives for BCG failure. METHODS: Literature search on current treatment options and their alternatives with the help of mainly primary literature and guideline recommendations. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: For high-risk NMIBC, instillation therapy with BCG remains standard-of-care, applied according to a standard regimen in terms of dose and dosing intervals (induction: weekly instillation for 6 weeks, maintenance: weekly instillation for 3 weeks, 3, 6 and 12 months after initiation of BCG therapy plus, for high-risk NMIBC, 18, 24, 30 and 36 months after initiation of BCG therapy). Potential future treatment options for BCG failure are systemic (i.v.) pembrolizumab (FDA approved) and, possibly, intravesical nadofaragene firadenovec. Ongoing randomized clinical trials are furthermore evaluating the role of PD-(L)1 immune checkpoint inhibitors in combination with BCG.

[Risk-adapted therapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma]. / Risikoadaptierte Therapie des metastasierten Nierenzellkarzinoms.

Current pivotal phase 3 studies have permanently changed the first-line treatment landscape in metastatic renal cell carcinoma. These studies showed that immune checkpoint combinations were more efficacious than sunitinib, a previous standard of care. Nivolumab plus ipilimumab is characterized by a survival advantage, a high rate of complete response and durable remission in patients with intermediate and unfavorable prognosis. Despite frequent immune-mediated side effects, fewer symptoms and a better quality of life were observed compared to sunitinib. Pembrolizumab or avelumab plus axitinib were characterized by an improved PFS and a high response rate with a low rate of intrinsic resistance. In addition, a significant survival benefit was achieved with pembrolizumab plus axitinib. The side effect profile is driven by the "chronic" toxicity of axitinib, but there is additional risk of immune-mediated side effects of the PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitors. The quality-of-life data published so far do not suggest any improvement compared to the previous standard sunitinib. The PD-1/PD-L1 immune-check-point inhibitors thus form the "backbone" of the first-line therapy of metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Monotherapy with VEGFR-TKI remains an option in cases with contraindications and possibly for subgroups with favorable prognosis.

[Follow-up of renal cell carcinoma in a nonmetastatic stage]. / Nachsorge beim Nierenzellkarzinom im nicht fernmetastasierten Stadium.

Postoperative follow-up care after curative surgery or ablative treatment is the standard of care in patients with nonmetastatic renal cell carcinoma. The goal is to identify and treat postoperative complications and local recurrences early on. Follow-up investigations and their relevance are widely acknowledged and validated and patients undergoing follow-up seem to benefit from a longer survival in nonmetastatic renal cell carcinoma. Hence there is no consensus on a standardized follow-up strategy. The most disputed question is around the frequency of the investigations and the duration of the follow-up. Without an evidence-based follow-up protocol, urologists should carry out an individualized, potentially lifelong follow-up regimen, which also includes the patients' needs and perspectives.

[Tumor assessment in immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy : Tumor response, progression and pseudoprogression]. / Tumorassessment bei Immun-Checkpoint-Inhibitor-Therapie : Tumoransprechen, Progression und Pseudoprogression.

In contrast to chemotherapy, treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors occasionally results in an unconventional pattern of response. Besides an early partial or complete response or tumor progression, a so-called pseudoprogression, a "mixed response" or late responses can also be observed. Treatment beyond radiographically defined progression may therefore be appropriate in selected cases. For these treatment decisions, the clinical evaluation of the patient (performance status, symptoms, etc.), the "dynamics" of the underlying malignancy, and the availability of other treatment options are of paramount importance. However, the time to initiate another treatment should not be missed by rapid progression. In PD-1 (programmed cell death protein 1) immune checkpoint inhibition in urothelial cancer after platinum-based chemotherapy, response or progression can be observed early at week 8 in the vast majority of the cases. In contrast, in second-line treatment of renal cell carcinoma around 25% of responses are seen late, at week 24 or later (occasionally after 1 year). Therefore, immune checkpoint inhibition should be continued for stable disease. At present, it remains unclear how long to continue therapy in cases with partial or complete remission.

[Treatment with PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4 immune checkpoint inhibitors : Immune-mediated side effects]. / Therapie mit PD-1/PD-L1- und CTLA-4-Immun-Checkpoint-Inhibitoren : Immunvermittelte Nebenwirkungen.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a new standard therapy for advanced or metastatic urothelial as well as renal cell carcinoma. Atezolizumab and Pembrolizumab have been approved for the treatment of cisplatin-ineligible patients with transitional call cancer in the 1st line setting; both antibodies and Nivolumab may also be used after platinum based prior therapy. Regarding renal cell carcinoma approval for 1st line treatment with the combination of Nivolumab and Ipilimumab for patients at intermediate or high risk (IMDC) is currently expected. Furthermore, Nivolumab is approved for renal cell carcinoma after prior therapy. With the widespread use of immune checkpoint inhibitors understanding immune related adverse events gets paramount importance. In particular, combination therapy of Nivolumab and Ipilimumab is not only characterized by improving efficacy but also by a higher rate of adverse events. Most frequently rash and pruitus, endocrine events, colitis/diarrhea, hepatitis and pneumonia are observed. However, any organ system may be affected by immune related adverse events. Differential diagnosis between immune related or other (e. g. infectious) causes of organ dysfunction may be difficult. Early diagnosis and initiation of therapy is important to avoid deleterious outcomes. The use of corticosteroids generally leads to rapid resolution of symptoms; further immunosuppressive agents (MMF, infliximab) are rarely needed. Regarding endocrine adverse events permanent hormonal replacement of hormones is frequently needed. In particular in consequence of pneumonitis fatal outcomes have been observed.

[Adverse events of immune checkpoint inhibitors]. / Nebenwirkungen der Immun-Checkpoint-Inhibitoren.

After immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy was approved for renal cell carcinoma last year, this new immune therapy has spread to urology. Further approvals (atezolizumab, nivolumab, pembrolizumab) are expected in 2017 for metastatic urothelial carcinoma that has progressed following treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy. With expanding use of immune checkpoint inhibitors, experience in diagnosing and managing immune-mediated adverse events increases. Although of low incidence, grade 3/4 toxicities play a central role. Organs most common for immune-mediated adverse events are skin, liver (hepatitis), kidneys (nephritis), gastrointestinal tract (diarrhea and colitis), lungs (pneumonitis), and endocrine organs (hyper-, hypothyroidism and hypophysitis). Diagnostic workup includes routine laboratory tests (including liver function tests) and may be supplemented with hormone values. In cases of pneumonitis or hypophysitis, imaging (high-resolution CT, MRI) can confirm diagnoses. Immune-mediated toxicities are treated with therapy interruption and administration of corticosteroids (and in individual cases additional immunosuppression). Dose modification is not intended!

Prostate Imaging--An Update.

UNLABELLED: New technical and clinical developments of sonography and magnetic resonance imaging include improved detection, localization and staging as well as active surveillance of prostate cancer. Multiparametric MRI can best answer these typical clinical questions. However, ultrasound elastography seems to be suitable for the detection of significant prostate cancer as well. The structured reporting system for multiparametric MRI of the prostate according to PI-RADS Version 1 led to improved and reproducible diagnosis of prostate cancer. The new PI-RADS Version 2 aims to minimize the limitations of Version 1 and make PI-RADS standardization more globally acceptable. KEY POINTS: The detection, staging, and active monitoring of prostate cancer are common clinical questions. The best method for answering these questions is multiparametric MRI. Ultrasound elastography also seems to be suitable for the detection of significant prostate cancer. The new PI-RADS Version 2 claims to eliminate the limitations of PI-RADS Version 1 and to allow globally recognized standardized diagnostic reporting.

Identification of the aeroacoustic response of a low Mach number flow through a T-joint.

A methodology to study numerically the aeroacoustic response of low Mach number confined flows to acoustic excitations is presented. The approach combines incompressible flow computations, vortex sound theory, and system identification techniques, and is applied here to study the behavior of a two-dimensional laminar flow through a T-joint. Comparison with experimental results available in literature shows that the computed source models capture the main physical mechanisms of the sound production in the shear layer of the T-joint.