Radical Cystectomy in Female Patients - Improving Outcomes.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review the methods of improving surgical, oncological, and functional outcomes in women with bladder cancer treated with radical cystectomy. RECENT FINDINGS: Οrthotopic urinary diversion (ONB) is a safe option for well-selected women as it combines high rates of daytime and nighttime continence with exceptional oncologic outcomes. It is considered safe even for patients with limited lymph node disease and trigone involvement, as long as a preoperative biopsy of the bladder neck or an intraoperative frozen section analysis of distal urethral margin rules out malignant disease. Nerve-sparing techniques have shown promising results. For well-selected patients with early invasive disease, sparing of internal genitalia has proven to be oncologically safe. Yet, generally accepted and evidence-based oncological and functional follow-up schemes for women after radical cystectomy are still lacking. Properly designed prospective studies are needed with adequate number of participants in order to safely conclude about a broader use of pelvic organ-sparing cystectomy.

Review on the Role of BRCA Mutations in Genomic Screening and Risk Stratification of Prostate Cancer.

(1) Background: Somatic and germline alterations can be commonly found in prostate cancer (PCa) patients. The aim of our present study was to perform a comprehensive review of the current literature in order to examine the impact of BRCA mutations in the context of PCa as well as their significance as genetic biomarkers. (2) Methods: A narrative review of all the available literature was performed. Only "landmark" publications were included. (3) Results: Overall, the number of PCa patients who harbor a BRCA2 mutation range between 1.2% and 3.2%. However, BRCA2 and BRCA1 mutations are responsible for most cases of hereditary PCa, increasing the risk by 3-8.6 times and up to 4 times, respectively. These mutations are correlated with aggressive disease and poor prognosis. Gene testing should be offered to patients with metastatic PCa, those with 2-3 first-degree relatives with PCa, or those aged < 55 and with one close relative with breast (age ≤ 50 years) or invasive ovarian cancer. (4) Conclusions: The individualized assessment of BRCA mutations is an important tool for the risk stratification of PCa patients. It is also a population screening tool which can guide our risk assessment strategies and achieve better results for our patients and their families.

Nondetectable Prostate Carcinoma (pT0) after Radical Prostatectomy: A Narrative Review.

(1) Background: Following radical prostatectomy (RP), the absence of a demonstrable tumor on the specimen of a previously histologically proven malignancy is known as the pT0 stage. The aim of our present study is to perform a narrative review of current literature in order to determine the frequency and oncological outcomes in patients with pT0 disease. (2) Methods: A narrative review of all available literature was performed. (3) Results: The incidence of pT0 ranges between 0.07% and 1.3%. Predictors of the pT0 stage are only a single biopsy core with low-grade cancer, a cancer length not exceeding 2 mm and a high prostate volume. Biochemical recurrence ranges between 0 and 11%. (4) Conclusions: The absence of malignancy in the RP specimen despite a previous positive biopsy is a rare and unpredictable finding. Although the prognosis is considered to be excellent in most of the cases, a continued close follow-up is warranted.

Robot-assisted extended lymphadenectomy in prostate cancer.

INTRODUCTION: The extent of lymph node dissection (LND) and its potential survival benefit are still a matter of debate. Aim of our review was to summarize the latest literature data regarding the surgical templates, the potential oncological benefits, the functional outcomes and the complications of extended lymph node dissection (eLND) during robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: We systematically reviewed all relevant studies using PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, American Urological Association (AUA), European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) and European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: A narrative synthesis of all relevant publications on surgical templates, complications, oncological and functional outcomes of robot assisted eLND was undertaken. CONCLUSIONS: A great deal of evidence supports that an extended template of LND is not only technically feasible but also safe in the context of RARP. It is really promising that in the era of minimally invasive surgery, parameters like the lymph node yield and the detection rates of positive lymph nodes during LND have become highly comparable with open series. The extended approach has already proved its benefits in terms of proper patient staging but more studies are needed with regard to functional outcomes and oncological benefits of this procedure.

Robot-assisted versus open partial nephrectomy: comparison of outcomes. A systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) is increasingly used for the surgical management of renal masses. Aim of this study was to analyze the available literature regarding the outcomes of RAPN compared to those of open partial nephrectomy (OPN). EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A literature search was performed up to October 2018 using PubMed, MEDLINE and Embase. Article selection followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) principles and Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcomes (PICO) methodology was used. Population (P) was patients with renal masses who underwent RAPN (I). RAPN was compared with OPN (C). Outcomes of interest were perioperative, oncological and functional outcomes of both surgical procedures (O). Inclusion criteria were: randomized controlled studies andobservational cohort studies comparing RAPN versus OPN, which reported at least one outcome of interest. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Twenty-two manuscripts met our inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review. RAPN was superior to OPN in terms of complication rate in 11 studies while similar results were observed in 9 studies. Positive surgical margins were similar in 13 studies while RAPN had lower surgical margins in 6 studies. Operative and warm ischemia times were longer in OPN in 13 and 10 studies, respectively. Seventeen and 19 studies showed that estimated blood loss and length of hospital stay were higher in RAPN. Estimated glomerular filtration rate decline and chronic kidney disease upstaging decline were similar in the majority of studies. CONCLUSIONS: Current evidence demonstrate that RAPN is a reasonable alternative to OPN with regard to oncological and early functional outcomes with a straightforward advantage of improved perioperative morbidity, as expected by minimally invasive techniques. Nevertheless, there is still a great need for well-designed randomized studies with an extended follow-up.