[The cancer registry notification seen from the perspective of the German Society of Uro-Oncologists (d-uo)]. / Die Krebsregistermeldung aus der Sicht der Deutschen Uro-Onkologen (d-uo).

The current cancer registry notification, which was introduced in Germany as a mandatory institution in 2015, has its starting point in the National Cancer Plan of 2008. Other milestones include the Federal Cancer Registry Data Act (2009), the Cancer Early Detection and Registry Act (2013), the Uniform Oncological Basic Data Set (2014/2021) with its modules (e.g. the module prostate carcinoma 2017) as well as the Cancer Registry Data Merger Act (2021). At the beginning of 2017, the German Society of Uro-Oncologists (d-uo) had the idea of designing a documentation platform that would enable d-uo members to report to the cancer registry and transfer data to d-uo's own database - without a double effort. The cancer registry reimburses the first notification of a tumour with € 18. As the only provider, d-uo reimburses its members for the documentation effort associated with the additional notification to d-uo with a further € 18. In addition to the basic oncological data set, further parameters were defined by d-uo. This data is collected, evaluated and interpreted as part of the VERSUS study. The realisation that the parameters of the basic data set are limited in their informative value led d-uo to establish the two national registries for urothelial carcinoma (UroNAT) and prostate carcinoma (ProNAT). This underscores d-uo's leading position in uro-oncological healthcare research in Germany.

[Real-world data on prostate cancer: the VERSUS trial by d-uo]. / Ergebnisse aus der VERSUS-Studie von d-uo am Beispiel des Prostatakarzinoms.

At the beginning of 2017, the German Society of Uro-Oncologists (d-uo) had the idea of designing a documentation platform that would enable d-uo members to report cancer cases to the cancer registry and transfer data to d-uo's own database - without a double effort. The cancer registry reimburses the first notification of a tumour with €18. As the only provider, d-uo reimburses its members for the documentation effort associated with the additional notification to d-uo with a further €18. In addition to the basic oncological data set, further parameters were defined by d-uo. This data is collected, evaluated and interpreted as part of the VERSUS study. At the end of 2022, 14,834 patients with a newly diagnosed urological tumour were included in the VERSUS study. Almost two thirds of all patients had prostate cancer. About half of all patients with prostate cancer were diagnosed as part of an early detection measure. These patients then also had more favourable tumour stages. Overall, almost every eighth patient already had metastases at the time of initial diagnosis. Data from the VERSUS study are available for 2,167 operations on prostate cancer with tumour category T2 or T3. There were 1,360 operations in patients with a T2 tumour (62.8%) and 807 operations in patients with T3 tumours (37.2%). A positive margin was present in 25.5% of all operated-on patients. In relation to tumour categories T2 and T3, the proportion of a positive resection margin was 14.3% and 44.2%, respectively. The VERSUS study will continue to provide answers to many questions from the uro-oncological field with reference to the "real world" situation in Germany.

[National Registries for Urothelial Cancer (UroNAT) and Prostate Cancer (ProNAT) by d-uo]. / Nationale Register Urothelkarzinom (UroNAT) und Prostatakarzinom (ProNAT) von d-uo.

The German Society of Uro-Oncologists ("Deutsche Uro-Onkologen e.V.", d-uo) provides a national registry for urothelial cancer (UroNat) and a national registry for prostate cancer (ProNAT). These registries aim to evaluate the standard of care for urothelial cancer of the bladder and the upper urinary tract as well as prostate cancer by office-based urologists, oncologists and outpatient hospital departments in Germany. This includes, but is not limited to, adherence to guidelines during the treatment of patients with urothelial cancer and prostate cancer. The registries aim to capture and analyse scientifically how patients with these two most frequent urological tumours are treated and how quality assurance is implemented to improve the quality of their outpatient treatment in Germany. Both registries may share basic patient data supplied by the non-interventional, prospective, multicentre VERSUS registry by d-uo, which has been ongoing since 2018 and today includes more than 15,000 patients with different urological malignancies. In the UroNAT and ProNAT registries, additional items and parameters are included to allow for more detailed analyses of outcomes of outpatient treatments in Germany, which have so far been unavailable from the German Cancer Registry. By documenting the current treatment landscape of urothelial and prostate cancer in the outpatient setting, the registries intend to identify potential improvements of patient care and to initiate their implementation into clinical practice. These non-interventional prospective registries only document daily routine diagnostics, clinical courses and procedures.

[Osteoprotection in patients with non-metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) receiving androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT): Real-world data from Germany, presented by d-uo]. / Osteoprotektion beim nichtmetastasierten hormonsensitiven Prostatakarzinom (nmHSPC) unter androgendeprivativer Therapie (ADT): Aktuelle Daten aus Deutschland, vorgelegt von d-uo.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with prostate cancer often present with reduced bone mineral density. We herein present real-world data (RWD) regarding osteoprotection in patients with non-metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (nmHSPC) receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) treated by German urologists in private practice. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a questionnaire-based study including members of d-uo ("Deutsche Uro-Onkologen", German uro-oncologists). Patients with nmHSPC between July 2019 and June 2020 were included. They were asked about start, type and duration of osteoprotection as well as supplementation with calcium and vitamin D. RESULTS: Between July 2019 and June 2020, a total of 3,692 patients with prostate cancer were seen at least once in one of the private practices of 15 urologists (all d-uo members). There were 844 patients (22.9%) with nmHSPC treated with ADT. Osteoprotection using denosumab or a bisphosphonate to prevent skeletal-related events (SRE) was applied in 183/844 patients (21.7%) with nmHSPC. In patients receiving osteoprotection, denosumab was chosen in 73.2% of patients and a bisphosphonate was chosen in 26.8% of patients. Supplementation with calcium and vitamin D was given in 84.7% of patients. CONCLUSION: Patients with nmHSPC received osteoprotection in 1/5 of patients. Of these, 3/4 received denosumab and 1/4 received a bisphosphonate. The majority of patients were additionally treated with calcium and vitamin D. In our study, osteoprotection in patients with nmHSPC was rather an exception.

[Osteoprotection in patients with bone metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC): real-world data from Germany, presented by d-uo]. / Osteoprotektion beim ossär metastasierten kastrationsresistenten Prostatakarzinom (mCRPC): Aktuelle Daten aus Deutschland, vorgelegt von d-uo.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with bone metastasis due to prostate cancer often present allover reduced bone mineral density. Additionally, patients with bone metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) have a relevant risk for skeletal-related events (SRE). We herein present real-world data (RWD) regarding osteoprotection in mCRPC patients with bone metastasis treated by German urologists in private practice. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a questionnaire-based study including members of d-uo ("Deutsche Uro-Onkologen", German uro-oncologists). All patients with histologically confirmed prostate cancer seen at least once in the surveyed urology practice between July 2019 and June 2020 were included. Questions included start, type and duration of osteoprotection as well as supplementation with calcium and vitamin D. RESULTS: Between July 2019 and June 2020, a total of 3,692 patients with prostate cancer were seen at least once in 15 urology practices. There were 410 mCRPC patients (11.1%) with bone metastasis. Osteoprotection with denosumab or a bisphosphonate to prevent SRE was applied in 274/410 mCRPC patients (66.4%) with bone metastasis. In patients receiving osteoprotection, denosumab was chosen for 67.9% of patients and a bisphosphonate was chosen for 32.1%. Supplementation with calcium and vitamin D was performed in 93.4% of the patients. The median duration of treatment was 25.3 months for denosumab compared with 39.6 months for bisphosphonates. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with mCRPC with bone metastasis received osteoprotection in 2/3 of cases. Of these, 2/3 received denosumab and 1/3 received a bisphosphonate. The majority of patients were also treated with calcium and vitamin D. According to guideline recommendations regarding osteoprotection in mCRPC patients with bone metastasis, our RWD data showed some lack of guideline adherence.

[Retrospective practice-related care research study on therapy of mCPRC with radium-223 dichloride]. / Retrospektive Versorgungsstudie von d-uo zur Therapie des mCRPC mit Radium-223-dichlorid.

During phase III study ERA-223, patients under combination therapy with radium-223 and abiraterone showed an increased risk of bone fractures and a possible higher risk of death. This observation led to a change in the German therapeutic guidelines in 2018. Radium-223 is now only allowed as a third-line monotherapy (besides ADT) in patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) with symptomatic bone lesions without known visceral metastases or for patients with mCRPC, for whom no other available systematic therapy is suitable. Since almost no data on practice-related care research on the use of radium-223 exist, we consulted members of d-uo (German Uro-Oncologists) over their therapy algorithms. This study analysed data of patients treated with radium-223 between 2014 and 2019. It could be shown that 50% of mCRPC-patients had received radium-223 in the past as third-line therapy. Half of these were treated in combination with new androgen receptor targeted therapies (ARTA) and no increase in bone fractures was observed. This was most likely due to the additional use of bone protecting agents. Despite the late cancer stage, treatment response was seen in almost half of the patients.

The impact of pharmaceuticals on the decline of cardiovascular mortality in Germany.

PURPOSE: The effect of innovative medicines and surgical interventions on the decline of (cardiovascular) mortality is often called into question. The increase in general economic prosperity is often seen as the main reason for the continuous increase in life expectancy. The purpose of this study is to investigate the extent to which mortality from cardiovascular diseases has been affected by pharmaceuticals and other medical interventions over the last 30 years in Germany. METHODS: Main outcome measures were the time series of direct method death rates (DMDR) of cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular mortalities. To control for socioeconomic and secular trends the difference between both time series was calculated. The impact of interventions on mortality was analysed by developing two linear regression models: The onset model analyses whether the introduction of interventions influences mortality or not. The consumption model estimates the quantitative impact of interventions in two phases. RESULTS: Cardiovascular mortality as a percentage of total mortality fell from 40 to 38% over the study period. All investigated interventions had statistically significant effects on the decline of cardiovascular diseases, which is expressed by the standardised regression coefficient: onset model: preventive behaviour index (PBI) -8.3, angioplasty/CABG -0.6, antithrombotic agents -1.5, diuretics -0.9, beta-blockers -1.0, calcium channel blockers -0.8 and ACE inhibitors -1.1 (all interventions p < 0.01); consumption model: innovative drugs phase I -7.5 (p = 0.017), innovative drugs phase II -6.9 (p < 0.01), PBI -13.1 (p < 0.01) and angioplasty/CABG -9.9 (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: All innovative drug classes and surgical interventions had a positive effect on the decline of cardiovascular mortality.

Coherent kinetic control over crystal orientation in macroscopic ensembles of polymer nanorods and nanotubes.

We show that the crystal orientation in polymer nanotubes and nanorods inside porous templates is controlled by the kinetics of nucleation and growth under 2D confinement. Two clear limiting cases are identified: In separated nanostructures, any crystal orientation allowing the growth of lamellar crystals along the pores appears statistically. If a bulklike surface film connects the nanostructures, macroscopic arrays with uniform crystal orientation are obtained, in which the dominant growth direction of the crystals is aligned with the long axes of the pores of the template.

Resource use and treatment costs after kidney transplantation: impact of demographic factors, comorbidities, and complications.

BACKGROUND: Our goal was to quantify outcomes, resource use, and treatment costs for the first 2 years after renal transplantation in a "real-life" European setting and to assess the impact of preoperative risk factors and postoperative complications on treatment costs. METHODS: Inpatient and outpatient records of all patients who received a renal transplant at Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Germany, between January 1998 and July 2000, were evaluated. Key clinical events were recorded. Direct costs were calculated for primary hospitalization, the remainder of year 1, and year 2 after transplantation. Cost of organ procurement, pretransplant care, and transplant surgery were excluded. Cost consequences for key clinical events were determined. RESULTS: Of 204 patients undergoing transplantation, 195 and 149 completed 1 year and 2 years of follow-up, respectively. The outcomes of years 1 and 2, respectively, were as follows: graft failure, 5.4%, 0.7%; acute rejection, 35.9%, 5.4%; cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, 29.2%, 2.0%; and delayed graft function, 30.9%. Costs for primary hospitalization, the remainder of year 1, and year 2 averaged Euro 15,380, Euro 18,636, and Euro 14,484, respectively. Cost-driving events included graft failure Euro 36,228), acute rejection (Euro 9,638), delayed graft function (Euro7,359), and CMV infection (Euro 4,149). Graft failure and acute rejection for year 1 also added significantly to the costs for year 2. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that posttransplant clinical outcomes result in a significant increase in treatment costs. Because the economic impact of primary causes of chronic rejection (acute rejection and CMV) and delayed graft function is substantial, careful selection of the most appropriate immunosuppressive regimen is essential.