Machine Learning and External Validation of the IDENTIFY Risk Calculator for Patients with Haematuria Referred to Secondary Care for Suspected Urinary Tract Cancer.

BACKGROUND: The IDENTIFY study developed a model to predict urinary tract cancer using patient characteristics from a large multicentre, international cohort of patients referred with haematuria. In addition to calculating an individual's cancer risk, it proposes thresholds to stratify them into very-low-risk (<1%), low-risk (1-<5%), intermediate-risk (5-<20%), and high-risk (≥20%) groups. OBJECTIVE: To externally validate the IDENTIFY haematuria risk calculator and compare traditional regression with machine learning algorithms. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Prospective data were collected on patients referred to secondary care with new haematuria. Data were collected for patient variables included in the IDENTIFY risk calculator, cancer outcome, and TNM staging. Machine learning methods were used to evaluate whether better models than those developed with traditional regression methods existed. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for the detection of urinary tract cancer, calibration coefficient, calibration in the large (CITL), and Brier score were determined. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: There were 3582 patients in the validation cohort. The development and validation cohorts were well matched. The AUC of the IDENTIFY risk calculator on the validation cohort was 0.78. This improved to 0.80 on a subanalysis of urothelial cancer prevalent countries alone, with a calibration slope of 1.04, CITL of 0.24, and Brier score of 0.14. The best machine learning model was Random Forest, which achieved an AUC of 0.76 on the validation cohort. There were no cancers stratified to the very-low-risk group in the validation cohort. Most cancers were stratified to the intermediate- and high-risk groups, with more aggressive cancers in higher-risk groups. CONCLUSIONS: The IDENTIFY risk calculator performed well at predicting cancer in patients referred with haematuria on external validation. This tool can be used by urologists to better counsel patients on their cancer risks, to prioritise diagnostic resources on appropriate patients, and to avoid unnecessary invasive procedures in those with a very low risk of cancer. PATIENT SUMMARY: We previously developed a calculator that predicts patients' risk of cancer when they have blood in their urine, based on their personal characteristics. We have validated this risk calculator, by testing it on a separate group of patients to ensure that it works as expected. Most patients found to have cancer tended to be in the higher-risk groups and had more aggressive types of cancer with a higher risk. This tool can be used by clinicians to fast-track high-risk patients based on the calculator and investigate them more thoroughly.

Introducing WASHOUT: A Large-scale Observational Study of Inpatient Haematuria.

WASHOUT is an international, multicentre, prospective observational study aiming to describe the management of unscheduled haematuria admissions. Preregistration can be done using the following link: https://redcap.link/WASHOUT.

Audit, Feedback, and Education to Improve Quality and Outcomes in Transurethral Resection and Single-Instillation Intravesical Chemotherapy for Nonmuscle Invasive Bladder Cancer Treatment: Protocol for a Multicenter International Observational Study With an Embedded Cluster Randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND: Nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) accounts for 75% of bladder cancers. It is common and costly. Cost and detriment to patient outcomes and quality of life are driven by high recurrence rates and the need for regular invasive surveillance and repeat treatments. There is evidence that the quality of the initial surgical procedure (transurethral resection of bladder tumor [TURBT]) and administration of postoperative bladder chemotherapy significantly reduce cancer recurrence rates and improve outcomes (cancer progression and mortality). There is surgeon-reported evidence that TURBT practice varies significantly across surgeons and sites. There is limited evidence from clinical trials of intravesical chemotherapy that NMIBC recurrence rate varies significantly between sites and that this cannot be accounted for by differences in patient, tumor, or adjuvant treatment factors, suggesting that how the surgery is performed may be a reason for the variation. OBJECTIVE: This study primarily aims to determine if feedback on and education about surgical quality indicators can improve performance and secondarily if this can reduce cancer recurrence rates. Planned secondary analyses aim to determine what surgeon, operative, perioperative, institutional, and patient factors are associated with better achievement of TURBT quality indicators and NMIBC recurrence rates. METHODS: This is an observational, international, multicenter study with an embedded cluster randomized trial of audit, feedback, and education. Sites will be included if they perform TURBT for NMIBC. The study has four phases: (1) site registration and usual practice survey; (2) retrospective audit; (3) randomization to audit, feedback, and education intervention or to no intervention; and (4) prospective audit. Local and national ethical and institutional approvals or exemptions will be obtained at each participating site. RESULTS: The study has 4 coprimary outcomes, which are 4 evidence-based TURBT quality indicators: a surgical performance factor (detrusor muscle resection); an adjuvant treatment factor (intravesical chemotherapy administration); and 2 documentation factors (resection completeness and tumor features). A key secondary outcome is the early cancer recurrence rate. The intervention is a web-based surgical performance feedback dashboard with educational and practical resources for TURBT quality improvement. It will include anonymous site and surgeon-level peer comparison, a performance summary, and targets. The coprimary outcomes will be analyzed at the site level while recurrence rate will be analyzed at the patient level. The study was funded in October 2020 and began data collection in April 2021. As of January 2023, there were 220 hospitals participating and over 15,000 patient records. Projected data collection end date is June 30, 2023. CONCLUSIONS: This study aims to use a distributed collaborative model to deliver a site-level web-based performance feedback intervention to improve the quality of endoscopic bladder cancer surgery. The study is funded and projects to complete data collection in June 2023. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.org NCT05154084; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05154084. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/42254.

Evidence-based Medicine: Perceptions, Attitudes, and Skills Among European Urology Residents.

Background: Evidence-based medicine (EBM) was introduced as a concept in the early 1990s as an integration of the best available evidence with clinical expertise and patient values. Objective: To evaluate the current status of EBM training and EBM perception, attitudes, and self-perceived skills among European urology residents. Design setting and participants: Our online open survey comprised 28 multiple-choice items, including ten questions with responses on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree. The survey was distributed via the mailing lists and social media accounts of the European Society of Residents in Urology, German Society of Residents in Urology, French Society of Urologists in Training, Spanish Urology Residents Working Group, Italian Society of Residents in Urology, and the Urology Social Media Working Group in two rounds (May-July 2019 and July 2020). We excluded responses from non-European countries. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: The online open survey comprised 28 multiple-choice items. These included ten questions with answers on a five-point Likert scale with response items ranging from strongly disagree (score of 1) to strongly agree (score of 5). Results and limitations: We received 210 responses, of which 181 from 23 European countries were eligible. Approximately three-quarters (73.7%) of the respondents were male, with a mean age of 31 yr. Only 28.2% reported EBM training as part of their urology curriculum and 19.3% felt that the training they received was sufficient to guide their daily practice. An overwhelming majority (91.5%) stated that they would be interested in more formalized EBM training or additional training. There was a strong level of agreement (median score 5, interquartile range 4-5) that EBM is important for daily medical and surgical practice and that it improves patient care. Overall, the mean self-perceived understanding of basic EBM concepts was good. Limitations include concerns about generalizability given its internet-based format, the inability to calculate a response rate, poor representation from some European regions, and limited sample size. Conclusions: Our survey suggests that European urology residents receive a limited amount of EBM training despite considerable appreciation, interest, and self-perceived deficits for more advanced concepts. Formal integration of EBM teaching in all European residency programs should be considered. Patient summary: We performed an online survey of urology residents in Europe. We found that residents have positive perceptions of and attitudes to evidence-based medicine but most programs lack formal training in this area.

A BURST-BAUS consensus document for best practice in the conduct of scrotal exploration for suspected testicular torsion: the Finding consensus for orchIdopeXy In Torsion (FIX-IT) study.

OBJECTIVES: To produce a best practice consensus guideline for the conduct of scrotal exploration for suspected testicular torsion using formal consensus methodology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A panel of 16 expert urologists, representing adult, paediatric, general, and andrological urology used the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Consensus Methodology to score a 184 statement pre-meeting questionnaire on the conduct of scrotal exploration for suspected testicular torsion. The collated responses were presented at a face-to-face online meeting and each item was rescored anonymously after a group discussion, facilitated by an independent chair with expertise in consensus methodology. Items were scored for agreement and consensus and the items scored with consensus were used to derive a set of best practice guidelines. RESULTS: Statements scored as with consensus increased from Round 1 (122/184, 66.3%) to Round 2 (149/200, 74.5%). Recommendations were generated in ten categories: consent, assessment under anaesthetic, initial incision, intraoperative decision making, fixation, medical photography, closure, operation note, logistics and follow-up after scrotal exploration. Our statements assume that the decision to operate has already been made. Key recommendations in the consent process included the discussion of the possibility of orchidectomy and the possibility of subsequent infection of the affected testis or wound requiring antibiotic therapy. If after the examination under anaesthesia, the index of suspicion of testicular torsion is lower than previously thought, then the surgeon should still proceed to scrotal exploration as planned. A flow chart guiding decision making dependent on intraoperative findings has been designed. If no torsion is present on exploration and the bell clapper deformity is absent, the testis should not be fixed. When fixing a testis using sutures, 3 or 4-point is acceptable and non-absorbable sutures are preferred. CONCLUSIONS: We have produced consensus recommendations to inform best practice in the conduct of scrotal exploration for suspected testicular torsion.

Developing a Diagnostic Multivariable Prediction Model for Urinary Tract Cancer in Patients Referred with Haematuria: Results from the IDENTIFY Collaborative Study.

BACKGROUND: Patient factors associated with urinary tract cancer can be used to risk stratify patients referred with haematuria, prioritising those with a higher risk of cancer for prompt investigation. OBJECTIVE: To develop a prediction model for urinary tract cancer in patients referred with haematuria. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A prospective observational study was conducted in 10 282 patients from 110 hospitals across 26 countries, aged ≥16 yr and referred to secondary care with haematuria. Patients with a known or previous urological malignancy were excluded. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The primary outcomes were the presence or absence of urinary tract cancer (bladder cancer, upper tract urothelial cancer [UTUC], and renal cancer). Mixed-effect multivariable logistic regression was performed with site and country as random effects and clinically important patient-level candidate predictors, chosen a priori, as fixed effects. Predictors were selected primarily using clinical reasoning, in addition to backward stepwise selection. Calibration and discrimination were calculated, and bootstrap validation was performed to calculate optimism. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: The unadjusted prevalence was 17.2% (n = 1763) for bladder cancer, 1.20% (n = 123) for UTUC, and 1.00% (n = 103) for renal cancer. The final model included predictors of increased risk (visible haematuria, age, smoking history, male sex, and family history) and reduced risk (previous haematuria investigations, urinary tract infection, dysuria/suprapubic pain, anticoagulation, catheter use, and previous pelvic radiotherapy). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the final model was 0.86 (95% confidence interval 0.85-0.87). The model is limited to patients without previous urological malignancy. CONCLUSIONS: This cancer prediction model is the first to consider established and novel urinary tract cancer diagnostic markers. It can be used in secondary care for risk stratifying patients and aid the clinician's decision-making process in prioritising patients for investigation. PATIENT SUMMARY: We have developed a tool that uses a person's characteristics to determine the risk of cancer if that person develops blood in the urine (haematuria). This can be used to help prioritise patients for further investigation.

LEARN: A multi-centre, cross-sectional evaluation of Urology teaching in UK medical schools.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the status of UK undergraduate urology teaching against the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) Undergraduate Syllabus for Urology. Secondary objectives included evaluating the type and quantity of teaching provided, the reported performance rate of General Medical Council (GMC)-mandated urological procedures, and the proportion of undergraduates considering urology as a career. MATERIALS AND METHODS: LEARN was a national multicentre cross-sectional study. Year 2 to Year 5 medical students and FY1 doctors were invited to complete a survey between 3rd October and 20th December 2020, retrospectively assessing the urology teaching received to date. Results are reported according to the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES). RESULTS: 7,063/8,346 (84.6%) responses from all 39 UK medical schools were included; 1,127/7,063 (16.0%) were from Foundation Year (FY) 1 doctors, who reported that the most frequently taught topics in undergraduate training were on urinary tract infection (96.5%), acute kidney injury (95.9%) and haematuria (94.4%). The most infrequently taught topics were male urinary incontinence (59.4%), male infertility (52.4%) and erectile dysfunction (43.8%). Male and female catheterisation on patients as undergraduates was performed by 92.1% and 73.0% of FY1 doctors respectively, and 16.9% had considered a career in urology. Theory based teaching was mainly prevalent in the early years of medical school, with clinical skills teaching, and clinical placements in the later years of medical school. 20.1% of FY1 doctors reported no undergraduate clinical attachment in urology. CONCLUSION: LEARN is the largest ever evaluation of undergraduate urology teaching. In the UK, teaching seemed satisfactory as evaluated by the BAUS undergraduate syllabus. However, many students report having no clinical attachments in Urology and some newly qualified doctors report never having inserted a catheter, which is a GMC mandated requirement. We recommend a greater emphasis on undergraduate clinical exposure to urology and stricter adherence to GMC mandated procedures.

Case report of ureteric transection of lower moiety in high-speed road traffic collision.

Ureteric injuries from blunt trauma are rare in adults requiring prompt diagnosis and management. To our knowledge this is the second case report of a complete transection of the ureter due to blunt injury at the pelvi-ureteric junction in an adult. Following a high-speed road traffic collision, a 26-year-old female with bilateral duplex kidneys was admitted with complete transection of the lower moiety of her right collecting system confirmed on computed tomography Urogram. This was repaired successfully with a minimally invasive laparoscopic technique in keeping with European Association of Urology guidelines. A 3-month follow-up MAG 3 renogram indicated adequate drainage from the right kidney with no evidence of obstruction. This successful outcome demonstrates a laparoscopic repair is achievable and favourable, improving post-operative recovery and reduction of inpatient length of stay. We recommend that a laparoscopic approach should be attempted unless laparotomy is indicated for other injuries.

The IDENTIFY study: the investigation and detection of urological neoplasia in patients referred with suspected urinary tract cancer - a multicentre observational study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the contemporary prevalence of urinary tract cancer (bladder cancer, upper tract urothelial cancer [UTUC] and renal cancer) in patients referred to secondary care with haematuria, adjusted for established patient risk markers and geographical variation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was an international multicentre prospective observational study. We included patients aged ≥16 years, referred to secondary care with suspected urinary tract cancer. Patients with a known or previous urological malignancy were excluded. We estimated the prevalence of bladder cancer, UTUC, renal cancer and prostate cancer; stratified by age, type of haematuria, sex, and smoking. We used a multivariable mixed-effects logistic regression to adjust cancer prevalence for age, type of haematuria, sex, smoking, hospitals, and countries. RESULTS: Of the 11 059 patients assessed for eligibility, 10 896 were included from 110 hospitals across 26 countries. The overall adjusted cancer prevalence (n = 2257) was 28.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 22.3-34.1), bladder cancer (n = 1951) 24.7% (95% CI 19.1-30.2), UTUC (n = 128) 1.14% (95% CI 0.77-1.52), renal cancer (n = 107) 1.05% (95% CI 0.80-1.29), and prostate cancer (n = 124) 1.75% (95% CI 1.32-2.18). The odds ratios for patient risk markers in the model for all cancers were: age 1.04 (95% CI 1.03-1.05; P < 0.001), visible haematuria 3.47 (95% CI 2.90-4.15; P < 0.001), male sex 1.30 (95% CI 1.14-1.50; P < 0.001), and smoking 2.70 (95% CI 2.30-3.18; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A better understanding of cancer prevalence across an international population is required to inform clinical guidelines. We are the first to report urinary tract cancer prevalence across an international population in patients referred to secondary care, adjusted for patient risk markers and geographical variation. Bladder cancer was the most prevalent disease. Visible haematuria was the strongest predictor for urinary tract cancer.

IDENTIFY: The investigation and detection of urological neoplasia in patients referred with suspected urinary tract cancer: A multicentre cohort study.

•IDENTIFY study: The largest prospective cohort study of haematuria in secondary care.•Contemporary urinary cancer detection rates and diagnostic strategies.•The effectiveness of diagnostic tests, e.g. ultrasound, in detecting urinary cancer.•Novel patient risk factors associated with bladder and upper tract urinary cancers.

A case report of squamous cell carcinoma in a suprapubic urinary catheter tract: surgical excision and simultaneous colostomy formation.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) arising from a suprapubic cystostomy tract is a rare complication of long-term suprapubic catheterization (SPC). A 53-year-old man with paraplegia secondary to spina bifida presented with a painful granulomatous lesion around his SPC site that was being treated with silver nitrate cauterization in the community. Consequently, he developed a sacral pressure sore due to reduced mobility from the pain. He also had increasing difficulties with defaecation secondary to his spina bifida. His sacral pressure sore was secondary to a cryptoglandular fistula with coccygeal osteomylelitis. Post-operative pathology revealed infiltrative SCC involving full thickness of the specimen from skin to the bladder wall with clear surgical margins. We describe the first case requiring a simultaneous suprapubic tract SCC excision and colostomy formation. We recommend early investigation of lesions arising from a long-term suprapubic tract especially in patients with spinal cord injuries or congenital defects.

The British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) radical prostatectomy audit 2014/2015 - an update on current practice and outcomes by centre and surgeon case-volume.

OBJECTIVES: To describe contemporary radical prostatectomy (RP) practice using the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) data and audit project and to observe differences in practice in relation to surgeon or centre case-volume. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data on 13 920 RP procedures performed by 179 surgeons across 86 centres were recorded on the BAUS data and audit platform between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2015. This equates to ~95% of total RPs performed over this period when compared to Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data. Centre case-volumes were categorised as 'high' (>200), 'medium' (100-200) and 'low' (<100); surgeon case-volumes were categorised as 'high' (>100) and 'low' (<100). Differences in surgical practice and selected outcome measures were observed between groups. All data and volume categories were for the combined 2-year period. RESULTS: The median number of RPs performed over the 2-year period was 63.5 per surgeon and 164 per centre. Overall, surgical approach was robot-assisted laparoscopic RP (RALP) in 65%, laparoscopic RP (LRP) in 23%, and open RP (ORP) in 12%. The dominant approach in high-case-volume centres and by high-case-volume surgeons was RALP (74.3% and 69.2%, respectively). There was a greater percentage of ORPs reported by low-volume surgeons and centres when compared to higher volume equivalents. In all, 51.6% of all patients in this series underwent RP in high-case-volume centres using robot-assisted surgery (RAS). High-case-volume surgeons performed nerve-sparing (NS) procedures on 57.3% of their cases; low-volume surgeons performing NS on 48.2%. Overall, lymph node dissection (LND) rates were very similar across the groups. An 'extended' LND was more commonly performed in high-volume centres (22.1%). The median length of stay (LOS) was lowest in patients undergoing RALP at high-volume centres (1 day) and highest in ORP across all volume categories (3-4 days). Reported pT2 positive surgical margin (PSM) rate varied by technique, centre volume, and surgeon volume. In general, observed PSM rates were lower when RALP was the surgical approach (14.4%) and when high-volume surgeons were compared to low-volume surgeons (13.6% vs 17.7%). Transfusion rates were highest in ORP across all centres and surgeons (2.96-4.49%) compared to techniques using a minimally-invasive approach (0.25-2.41%). Training cases ranged from 0.5% in low-volume centres to 6.0% in high-volume centres. CONCLUSIONS: Compliance with data registration for centres and surgeons performing RP is high in the present series. Most RPs were performed in high-case-volume centres and by high-case-volume surgeons, with the most common approaches being minimally invasive and specifically RAS. High-case-volume centres and surgeons reported higher rates of extended LND and training cases. Higher-case-volume surgeons reported lower pT2 PSM rates, whilst the most marked differences in transfusion rates and LOS were seen when ORP was compared to minimally invasive approaches. Caution must be applied when interpreting these differences on the basis of this being registry data - causality cannot be assumed.