Exhausted intratumoral Vδ2- γδ T cells in human kidney cancer retain effector function.

Gamma delta (γδ) T cells reside within human tissues including tumors, but their function in mediating antitumor responses to immune checkpoint inhibition is unknown. Here we show that kidney cancers are infiltrated by Vδ2- γδ T cells, with equivalent representation of Vδ1+ and Vδ1- cells, that are distinct from γδ T cells found in normal human tissues. These tumor-resident Vδ2- T cells can express the transcriptional program of exhausted αß CD8+ T cells as well as canonical markers of terminal T-cell exhaustion including PD-1, TIGIT and TIM-3. Although Vδ2- γδ T cells have reduced IL-2 production, they retain expression of cytolytic effector molecules and co-stimulatory receptors such as 4-1BB. Exhausted Vδ2- γδ T cells are composed of three distinct populations that lack TCF7, are clonally expanded and express cytotoxic molecules and multiple Vδ2- T-cell receptors. Human tumor-derived Vδ2- γδ T cells maintain cytotoxic function and pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion in vitro. The transcriptional program of Vδ2- T cells in pretreatment tumor biopsies was used to predict subsequent clinical responses to PD-1 blockade in patients with cancer. Thus, Vδ2- γδ T cells within the tumor microenvironment can contribute to antitumor efficacy.

Intratumoral CD4+ T Cells Mediate Anti-tumor Cytotoxicity in Human Bladder Cancer.

Responses to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy occur but are infrequent in bladder cancer. The specific T cells that mediate tumor rejection are unknown. T cells from human bladder tumors and non-malignant tissue were assessed with single-cell RNA and paired T cell receptor (TCR) sequencing of 30,604 T cells from 7 patients. We find that the states and repertoires of CD8+ T cells are not distinct in tumors compared with non-malignant tissues. In contrast, single-cell analysis of CD4+ T cells demonstrates several tumor-specific states, including multiple distinct states of regulatory T cells. Surprisingly, we also find multiple cytotoxic CD4+ T cell states that are clonally expanded. These CD4+ T cells can kill autologous tumors in an MHC class II-dependent fashion and are suppressed by regulatory T cells. Further, a gene signature of cytotoxic CD4+ T cells in tumors predicts a clinical response in 244 metastatic bladder cancer patients treated with anti-PD-L1.

Adjuvant everolimus after surgery for renal cell carcinoma (EVEREST): a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised, phase 3 trial.

BACKGROUND: Patients undergoing resection of renal cell carcinoma are at risk of disease relapse. We evaluated the effectiveness of the mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor everolimus administered after surgery. METHODS: In this randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial, we enrolled adults with histologically confirmed renal cell carcinoma who had undergone a full surgical resection and were at intermediate-high or very high risk of recurrence at 398 academic and community institution centres in the USA. After nephrectomy, patients were randomly assigned (1:1) via a central web-based application using a dynamic balancing algorithm to receive 10 mg oral everolimus daily or placebo for 54 weeks. The primary endpoint was recurrence-free survival. Efficacy analyses included all eligible, randomly assigned patients; safety analysis included all patients who received treatment. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01120249 and is closed to new participants. FINDINGS: Between April 1, 2011, and Sept 15, 2016, a total of 1545 patients were randomly assigned to receive everolimus (n=775) or placebo (n=770), of whom 755 assigned to everolimus and 744 assigned to placebo were eligible for inclusion in the efficacy analysis. With a median follow-up of 76 months (IQR 61-92), recurrence-free survival was longer with everolimus than with placebo (5-year recurrence-free survival 67% [95% CI 63-70] vs 63% [60-67]; stratified log-rank p=0·050; stratified hazard ratio [HR] 0·85, 95% CI 0·72-1·00; p=0·051) but did not meet the prespecified p value for statistical significance of 0·044. Recurrence-free survival was longer with everolimus than with placebo in the very-high-risk group (HR 0·79, 95% CI 0·65-0·97; p=0·022) but not in the intermediate-high-risk group (0·99, 0·73-1·35; p=0·96). Grade 3 or higher adverse events occurred in 343 (46%) of 740 patients who received everolimus and 79 (11%) of 723 who received placebo. INTERPRETATION: Postoperative everolimus did not improve recurrence-free survival compared with placebo among patients with renal cell carcinoma at high risk of recurrence after nephrectomy. These results do not support the adjuvant use of everolimus for renal cell carcinoma after surgery. FUNDING: US National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, National Clinical Trials Network, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, and The Hope Foundation.

Utility of Blue Light Cystoscopy for Post-bacillus Calmette-Guérin Bladder Cancer Recurrence Detection: Implications for Clinical Trial Recruitment and Study Comparisons.

PURPOSE: The utility of blue light cystoscopy (BLC) in patients receiving bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) during post-treatment cystoscopy is not well understood. Our objective was to determine if BLC improves recurrence detection in patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) undergoing BCG. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using the prospective multi-institutional Cysview® Registry (2014-2019), patients with NMIBC who received BCG within 1 year prior to BLC were identified. Primary outcomes were recurrences and whether lesions were detected on white light cystoscopy (WLC), BLC or both. We calculated the percentage of cystoscopies with recurrences that were missed with WLC alone. The cystoscopy-level BLC false-positive rate was the proportion of cystoscopies with biopsies only due to BLC suspicious lesions without recurrence. RESULTS: Of 1,703 BLCs, 282 cystoscopies were in the analytic cohort. The overall recurrence rate was 45.0% (127). With only WLC, 13% (16/127) of recurrences would have been missed as 5.7% (16/282) of cystoscopies performed had recurrence only identified with BLC. Among 16 patients with recurrence missed with WLC, 88% (14) had carcinoma in situ. The cystoscopy-level BLC false-positive rate was 5% (15). CONCLUSIONS: BLC helped detect recurrences after recent BCG that would have been missed with WLC alone. Providers should consider BLC for high-risk patients undergoing BCG and should discuss the risk of false-positives with these patients. As clinical trials of novel therapies for BCG-unresponsive disease increase and there are no clear guidelines on BLC use for post-treatment cystoscopies, it is important to consider how variable BLC use could affect enrollment in and comparisons of these studies.

Metabolic imaging with hyperpolarized 13 C pyruvate magnetic resonance imaging in patients with renal tumors-Initial experience.

BACKGROUND: Optimal treatment selection for localized renal tumors is challenging because of their variable biologic behavior and limitations in the preoperative assessment of tumor aggressiveness. The authors investigated the emerging hyperpolarized (HP) 13 C magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique to noninvasively assess tumor lactate production, which is strongly associated with tumor aggressiveness. METHODS: Eleven patients with renal tumors underwent HP 13 C pyruvate MRI before surgical resection. Tumor 13 C pyruvate and 13 C lactate images were acquired dynamically. Five patients underwent 2 scans on the same day to assess the intrapatient reproducibility of HP 13 C pyruvate MRI. Tumor metabolic data were compared with histopathology findings. RESULTS: Eight patients had tumors with a sufficient metabolite signal-to-noise ratio for analysis; an insufficient tumor signal-to-noise ratio was noted in 2 patients, likely caused by poor tumor perfusion and, in 1 patient, because of technical errors. Of the 8 patients, 3 had high-grade clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), 3 had low-grade ccRCC, and 2 had chromophobe RCC. There was a trend toward a higher lactate-to-pyruvate ratio in high-grade ccRCCs compared with low-grade ccRCCs. Both chromophobe RCCs had relatively high lactate-to-pyruvate ratios. Good reproducibility was noted across the 5 patients who underwent 2 HP 13 C pyruvate MRI scans on the same day. CONCLUSIONS: The current results demonstrate the feasibility of HP 13 C pyruvate MRI for investigating the metabolic phenotype of localized renal tumors. The initial data indicate good reproducibility of metabolite measurements. In addition, the metabolic data indicate a trend toward differentiating low-grade and high-grade ccRCCs, the most common subtype of renal cancer. LAY SUMMARY: Renal tumors are frequently discovered incidentally because of the increased use of medical imaging, but it is challenging to identify which aggressive tumors should be treated. A new metabolic imaging technique was applied to noninvasively predict renal tumor aggressiveness. The imaging results were compared with tumor samples taken during surgery and showed a trend toward differentiating between low-grade and high-grade clear cell renal cell carcinomas, which are the most common type of renal cancers.

Bladder cancer in patients younger than 40 years: outcomes from the National Cancer Database.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical, pathological, and survival outcomes of bladder cancer in patients aged 18-40 years. METHODS: We identified 362,091 bladder cancer patients from the National Cancer Database between 2004-2013 and compared patients aged 18-40 years to those > 40 years of age with univariate analysis using Chi-square tests. A subset analysis was performed on patients who underwent cystectomy. Multivariable Cox regression was used for overall survival analysis. RESULTS: Our final analysis included 314,177 patients with 3314 (1.1%) patients aged 18-40 years. Patients aged 18-40 years had a lower male-to-female ratio (2.4 versus 3.0), a greater proportion of low-grade tumors (72.7% versus 48.3%, p < 0.001), non-muscle invasive tumors (90.3% versus 81.2%, p < 0.001), and variant histology (4.0% versus 3.3%, p < 0.001). Similar trends were observed at cystectomy including lower male-to-female ratio in the 18-40 years group (1.7 versus 3.1), a greater proportion of variant histology (25.0% versus 10.0%, p < 0.001); and 53.3% of those younger patients with variant histology were women. Patients aged 18-40 years who underwent cystectomy had a higher proportion of locally advanced disease (pT4 19.2% versus 14.6%, p = 0.004). Multivariable analyses in both cohorts demonstrated that variant histology was a predictor of worse overall survival. CONCLUSION: The majority of patients aged 18-40 years with bladder cancer present with low-grade, non-muscle-invasive disease associated with better survival. However, a subset of younger patients with a higher proportion of women presents with aggressive bladder cancer which may be partly explained by a higher prevalence of variant histology.

Correction to: A comparison of stage-specific all-cause mortality between testicular sex cordstromal tumors and germ cell tumors: results from the National Cancer Database.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

A comparison of stage-specific all-cause mortality between testicular sex cord stromal tumors and germ cell tumors: results from the National Cancer Database.

BACKGROUND: Testicular sex cord stromal tumors (SCSTs) are managed similarly to germ cell tumors (GCTs); however, few studies have directly compared outcomes between these tumor types. Using the National Cancer Database (NCDB), we sought to compare overall and stage-specific all-cause mortality (ACM) between SCSTs versus GCTs. METHODS: NCDB was queried for patients diagnosed with SCSTs and GCTs between 2004 and 2013. Descriptive statistics were used to compare sociodemographic and clinical characteristics between groups. Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to assess associations with ACM. RESULTS: We identified 42,192 patients diagnosed with testicular cancer between 2004 and 2013, with 280 having SCSTs and 41,912 patients having GCTs. Median age for SCSTs and GCTs was 45 (interquartile range [IQR] 34-59) and 34 (IQR 27-43), respectively (p < 0.001). Median follow-up was 39 and 52 months, respectively. Overall, patients with SCSTs had greater risk of ACM compared to those with GCTs (HR 1.69, 95% CI 1.14-2.50). Private insurance, greater education, and fewer comorbidities were associated with reduced risk of ACM (p < 0.05 for all). Among those with stage I disease, tumor type was not associated with ACM on multivariable analysis. Among those with stage II/III disease, patients with SCSTs had increased risk of ACM compared to patients with GCTs (HR 3.29, 95% CI 1.89-5.72). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with advanced SCSTs had worse survival outcomes compared to those with advanced GCTs. These data suggest a need for further investigation to ascertain effective management recommendations for SCSTs.

Emerging Immunotherapy Options for bacillus Calmette-Guérin Unresponsive Nonmuscle Invasive Bladder Cancer.

PURPOSE: Due to the high rate of recurrence and progression in patients with high risk nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer, there is an important unmet need to identify new therapies. This is particularly true for patients with recurrence after optimal intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin therapy, who are classified as having bacillus Calmette-Guérin unresponsive disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The PubMed® database was searched for publications related to immunotherapy for the treatment of patients with nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer who have recurrent or progressive disease despite receiving intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin therapy. Relevant congress abstracts were identified through searches of individual congress websites. Relevant planned and ongoing studies were identified via ClinicalTrials.gov or associated web searches. RESULTS: We provide a summary of the currently available immunotherapy options for patients with bacillus Calmette-Guérin unresponsive nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer, and discuss planned and ongoing research of potential targeted agents and immunotherapy based combination regimens. CONCLUSIONS: There is a clear biological and clinical rationale for the continued evaluation of immune based therapies in the setting of bacillus Calmette-Guérin unresponsive nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer. Data from early phase trials with novel immunotherapies targeting multiple immune related pathways have emerged, which support additional studies to assess the benefits of immune checkpoint inhibitors and other immunotherapy based regimens for patients with bacillus Calmette-Guérin unresponsive nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer.

Development of a 90-Minute Integrated Noninvasive Urinary Assay for Bladder Cancer Detection.

PURPOSE: Despite suboptimal sensitivity urine cytology is often performed as an adjunct to cystoscopy for bladder cancer diagnosis. We aimed to develop a noninvasive, fast molecular diagnostic test for bladder cancer detection with better sensitivity than urine cytology while maintaining adequate specificity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Urine specimens were collected at 18 multinational sites from subjects prior to cystoscopy or tumor resection, and from healthy and other control subjects without evidence of bladder cancer. The levels of 10 urinary mRNAs were measured in a training cohort of 483 subjects and regression analysis was used to identify a 5-mRNA model to predict cancer status. The performance of the GeneXpert® Bladder Cancer Assay, an assay labeled for investigational use only to detect the 5 mRNAs ABL1, CRH, IGF2, ANXA10 and UPK1B, was evaluated in an independent test cohort of 450 participants. RESULTS: In the independent test cohort the assay ROC curve AUC was 0.87 (95% CI 0.81-0.92). At an example cutoff point of 0.4 overall sensitivity was 73% while specificity was 90% and 77% in the hematuria and surveillance patient populations, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a 90-minute, urine based test that is simple to perform for the detection of bladder cancer. The test can help guide physician decision making in the management of bladder cancer. Additional evaluation in a prospective study is needed to establish the clinical usefulness of this assay.

Development and validation of surgical training tool: cystectomy assessment and surgical evaluation (CASE) for robot-assisted radical cystectomy for men.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to develop a structured scoring tool: cystectomy assessment and surgical evaluation (CASE) that objectively measures and quantifies performance during robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) for men. METHODS: A multinational 10-surgeon expert panel collaborated towards development and validation of CASE. The critical steps of RARC in men were deconstructed into nine key domains, each assessed by five anchors. Content validation was done utilizing the Delphi methodology. Each anchor was assessed in terms of context, score concordance, and clarity. The content validity index (CVI) was calculated for each aspect. A CVI ≥ 0.75 represented consensus, and this statement was removed from the next round. This process was repeated until consensus was achieved for all statements. CASE was used to assess de-identified videos of RARC to determine reliability and construct validity. Linearly weighted percent agreement was used to assess inter-rater reliability (IRR). A logit model for odds ratio (OR) was used to assess construct validation. RESULTS: The expert panel reached consensus on CASE after four rounds. The final eight domains of the CASE included: pelvic lymph node dissection, development of the peri-ureteral space, lateral pelvic space, anterior rectal space, control of the vascular pedicle, anterior vesical space, control of the dorsal venous complex, and apical dissection. IRR > 0.6 was achieved for all eight domains. Experts outperformed trainees across all domains. CONCLUSION: We developed and validated a reliable structured, procedure-specific tool for objective evaluation of surgical performance during RARC. CASE may help differentiate novice from expert performances.

The Cancer of the Bladder Risk Assessment (COBRA) score: Estimating mortality after radical cystectomy.

BACKGROUND: Risk stratification of patients with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) after cystectomy has important clinical and research implications. The authors assessed the relative effect of tumor stage and lymph node status on cancer-specific survival (CSS) after cystectomy and developed a simplified risk-assessment tool. METHODS: In total, 14,828 patients who underwent cystectomy with lymph node dissection for UCB were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (1988-2011). The relative importance of tumor stage and lymph node status with regard to CSS was assessed using stratified Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional-hazards analyses. The patients were split randomly into development and validation cohorts. Additional validation using overall survival was performed on 19,362 patients from the National Cancer Data Base. The Cancer of Bladder Risk Assessment (COBRA) tool was created using a Cox model incorporating age, tumor stage, and lymph node density. Performance was validated using observed versus expected survival plots and the Harrell concordance index. RESULTS: Patients with muscle invasive (T2), lymph node-positive disease had a survival curve similar to that in patients with extravesical (T3 and T4), lymph node-negative disease (2-year CSS, 67% and 70%, respectively). Each point increase in the COBRA score (range, 0-7) was associated with a 1.61-fold increase (95% confidence interval, 1.56-fold to 1.65-fold increase) in the risk of bladder cancer death in the development cohort. The model accurately stratified patients across risk levels in the development cohort and the 2 validation cohorts (C-index, 0.712, 0.705, and 0.68, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The COBRA score offers a straightforward, validated risk-stratification tool that incorporates the relative contribution of tumor stage and lymph node involvement to patient prognosis after cystectomy for UCB. Cancer 2017;123:4574-4582. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

An Update of the American Urological Association White Paper on the Prevention and Treatment of the More Common Complications Related to Prostate Biopsy.

PURPOSE: In this white paper update we identify and discuss the prevalence and prevention of common complications of prostate needle biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature review was performed on prostate biopsy complications via queries of PubMed and EMBASE® databases for prostate biopsy complications from January 1, 2010 until June 1, 2015. We focused on infection, bleeding, urinary retention, needle tract seeding and erectile dysfunction. A total of 346 articles were identified for full text review and 119 are included in the final data synthesis. RESULTS: Infection is the most common complication of prostate biopsy with fluoroquinolone resistant Escherichia coli having a prominent role. Reported rates of infectious complications range from 0.1% to 7.0%, and sepsis rates range from 0.3% to 3.1% depending on antibiotic prophylaxis regimens. Mild, self-limiting and transient bleeding is also a common complication. Other complications are extremely rare. CONCLUSIONS: This white paper provides a concise reference document for the more common prostate biopsy complications and prevention strategies. Risk assessment should be performed for all patients to identify known risk factors for harboring fluoroquinolone resistance. If infection incidence increases check the local antibiogram, current equipment and cleaning practices, and consider alternate approaches to antibiotic prevention such as needle cleaning, risk basked augmentation, rectal culture with targeted prophylaxis and transperineal biopsy. If infection occurs, actively re-situate the patient and start empiric intravenous treatment with carbapenems, amikacin or second and third generation cephalosporins.

A Randomized Study of Intraoperative Autologous Retropubic Urethral Sling on Urinary Control after Robotic Assisted Radical Prostatectomy.

PURPOSE: We evaluated whether placement of a retropubic urethral sling fashioned from autologous vas deferens during robotic assisted radical prostatectomy would improve recovery of continence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a phase 2, single blind trial age stratified patients were randomized to undergo robotic assisted radical prostatectomy by multiple surgeons with or without sling placement. The outcomes were complete continence (0 urinary pads of any type) and near continence (0, an occasional or 1 pad per day) at 6 months, which was assessed by the Fisher exact test and logistic regression. The Kaplan-Meier method and the log rank test were used to evaluate time to continence. EPIC-UIN (Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite-Urinary Inventory) and I-PSS (International Prostate Symptom Score) 1, 3 and 6 months after catheter removal were evaluated by mixed models for repeated measures. RESULTS: Of 203 patients who were recruited 95 and 100 were randomized to undergo sling and no sling placement, respectively, and completed postoperative interviews. Six months after surgery the proportions reporting complete and near continence (66% and 87%, respectively) and times to complete and near continence were similar in the groups. Younger age was associated with a higher likelihood of complete continence (OR 1.74 per decreasing 5-year interval, 95% CI 1.23-2.48, p <0.01) and near continence (OR 2.18 per decreasing 5-year interval, 95% CI 1.21-3.92, p <0.01) adjusting for clinical, urinary and surgical factors. Adjusted EPIC-UIN and I-PSS scores changed with time but did not differ between the groups. No serious adverse events were observed. CONCLUSIONS: This trial failed to demonstrate a benefit of autologous urethral sling placement at robotic assisted radical prostatectomy on early return of continence at 6 months. Continence was related to patient age in adjusted models.

Outcomes of Active Surveillance for Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer in the Prospective, Multi-Institutional Canary PASS Cohort.

PURPOSE: Active surveillance represents a strategy to address the overtreatment of prostate cancer, yet uncertainty regarding individual patient outcomes remains a concern. We evaluated outcomes in a prospective multicenter study of active surveillance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 905 men in the prospective Canary PASS enrolled between 2008 and 2013. We collected clinical data at study entry and at prespecified intervals, and determined associations with adverse reclassification, defined as increased Gleason grade or greater cancer volume on followup biopsy. We also evaluated the relationships of clinical parameters with pathology findings in participants who underwent surgery after a period of active surveillance. RESULTS: At a median followup of 28 months 24% of participants experienced adverse reclassification, of whom 53% underwent treatment while 31% continued on active surveillance. Overall 19% of participants received treatment, 68% with adverse reclassification, while 32% opted for treatment without disease reclassification. In multivariate Cox proportional hazards modeling the percent of biopsy cores with cancer, body mass index and prostate specific antigen density were associated with adverse reclassification (p=0.01, 0.04, 0.04, respectively). Of 103 participants subsequently treated with radical prostatectomy 34% had adverse pathology, defined as primary pattern 4-5 or nonorgan confined disease, including 2 with positive lymph nodes, with no significant relationship between risk category at diagnosis and findings at surgery (p=0.76). CONCLUSIONS: Most men remain on active surveillance at 5 years without adverse reclassification or adverse pathology at surgery. However, clinical factors had only a modest association with disease reclassification, supporting the need for approaches that improve the prediction of this outcome.

Extended followup and risk factors for disease reclassification in a large active surveillance cohort for localized prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: Active surveillance to manage prostate cancer provides an alternative to immediate treatment in men with low risk prostate cancer. We report updated outcomes from a long-standing active surveillance cohort and factors associated with reclassification. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed data on all men enrolled in the active surveillance cohort at our institution with at least 6 months of followup between 1990 and 2013. Surveillance consisted of quarterly prostate specific antigen testing, repeat imaging with transrectal ultrasound at provider discretion and periodic repeat prostate biopsies. Factors associated with repeat biopsy reclassification and local treatment were determined by multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression. We also analyzed the association of prostate specific antigen density and outcomes stratified by prostate size. RESULTS: A total of 810 men who consented to participate in the research cohort were followed on active surveillance for a median of 60 months. Of these men 556 (69%) met strict criteria for active surveillance. Five-year overall survival was 98%, treatment-free survival was 60% and biopsy reclassification-free survival was 40%. There were no prostate cancer related deaths. On multivariate analysis prostate specific antigen density was positively associated with the risk of biopsy reclassification and treatment while the number of biopsies and time between biopsies were inversely associated with the 2 outcomes (each p <0.01). When stratified by prostate volume, prostate specific antigen density remained significantly associated with biopsy reclassification for all strata but prostate specific antigen density was only significantly associated with treatment in men with a smaller prostate. CONCLUSIONS: Significant prostate cancer related morbidity and mortality remained rare at intermediate followup. Prostate specific antigen density was independently associated with biopsy reclassification and treatment while on active surveillance.

Antidepressants and testicular cancer.

PURPOSE: Re-examine association of fluoxetine and paroxetine with risk of testicular cancer noted in drug screening, with 4 years more follow-up and expanded study of these and other antidepressant drugs. METHODS: In the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program in Northern California, 906 men with testicular cancer diagnosed August 1996-December 2010 were compared with 38,253 matched controls with race/ethnicity recorded regarding receipt of antidepressant drugs at least 2 years before diagnosis or control index date. Analyses emphasized duration of use and histological subgroups. RESULTS: With control for race/ethnicity and use of other antidepressant drugs, odds ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) for associations with testicular cancer were as follows: fluoxetine 1.22 (0.88-1.71), paroxetine 1.19 (0.78-1.83), and 1.21 (0.92-1.58) for all serotonin reuptake inhibitors. There was no statistically significant association with risk of all testicular cancers or their histological subtypes for any individual drug or for tricyclics or all antidepressants combined except for citalopram with all testicular cancers 2.55 (1.43-4.52) and those of mixed histology 4.36 (1.50-12.68) and nefazodone with embryonal cancers 9.79 (1.85-51.81). These could readily be chance findings in the context of the many analyses that were performed. Duration of use was not associated with risk of the drugs and drug groups with sufficient numbers of exposed cases for analysis. CONCLUSIONS: We found little evidence to support a testicular carcinogenic effect of fluoxetine, paroxetine, or other antidepressant drugs, but a weakly positive association is not ruled out. The signals in prior screening may have been due to chance and/or uncontrolled confounding.

The natural history of symptoms and distress in patients and families following cystectomy for treatment of muscle invasive bladder cancer.

PURPOSE: We characterized the natural history of symptoms with time in patients with bladder cancer undergoing cystectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For 6 months we followed 33 participants treated with muscle invasive bladder cancer treatment with cystectomy in this prospective cohort study. Patients and family caregivers completed validated symptom assessment and satisfaction surveys at baseline, and 2, 4 and 6 months later. Primary outcomes were the change from baseline in pain, fatigue, depression, anxiety, quality of life and spiritual well-being. Secondary outcomes included posttraumatic growth, patient satisfaction and family caregiver burden. RESULTS: Pain increased after radical cystectomy and remained increased 6 months postoperatively based on Brief Pain Inventory scores (baseline and 6-month scores 4.0, 95% CI 0-8.0 and 9.8, 95% CI 1.9-17.6, respectively, p = 0.03). Posttraumatic growth showed a trend toward an increase at 2 months (p = 0.06). Fatigue peaked at 4 months but did not change significantly with time (p = 0.12). There was similarly no significant change with time in depression, anxiety, quality of life, spiritual well-being or satisfaction. Neither family caregiver burden nor satisfaction showed a statistically significant change with time postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: Pain increased after radical cystectomy and remained increased 6 months postoperatively. There was a trend toward increased posttraumatic growth at 2 months. Otherwise, by 6 months cystectomy was associated with no improvement in preoperative symptoms of fatigue, quality of life, spiritual well-being, depression or anxiety. After cystectomy pain should be assessed and treated more aggressively in patients with bladder cancer and efforts should be made to improve postoperative symptoms.

Association of household net worth with healthcare costs after radical cystectomy using real-world data.

BACKGROUND: Financial toxicity of bladder cancer care may influence how patients utilize healthcare resources, from emergency department (ED) encounters to office visits. We aim to examine whether greater household net worth (HHNW) confers differential access to healthcare resources after radical cystectomy (RC). METHODS: This population-based cohort study examined the association between HHNW and healthcare utilization costs in the 90 days post-RC in commercially insured patients with bladder cancer. Costs accrued from the index hospitalization to 90 days after including health plan costs (HPC) and out-of-pocket costs (OPC). Multivariable logistic regression models were generated by encounter (acute inpatient, ED, outpatient, and office visit). RESULTS: A total of 141,903 patients were identified with HHNW categories near evenly distributed. Acute inpatient encounters incurred the greatest HPC and OPC. Office visits conferred the lowest HPC while ED visits had the lowest OPC. Black patients harbored increased odds of an acute inpatient encounter (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.16-1.29) and ED encounter (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.14-1.27) while Asian (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.69-0.85) and Hispanic (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.69-0.78, p < 0.001) patients had lower odds of an outpatient encounter, compared to White counterpart. Increasing HHNW was associated with decreasing odds of acute inpatient or ED encounters and greater odds of office visits. CONCLUSIONS: Lower HHNW conferred greater risk of costly inpatient encounters while greater HHNW had greater odds of less costly office visits, illustrating how financial flexibility fosters differences in healthcare utilization and lower costs. HHNW may serve as a proxy for financial flexibility and risk of financial hardship than income alone.