Characterization of a "low-risk" cohort of grade group 2 prostate cancer patients: Results from the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital database.

OBJECTIVES: To examine if there is a subset of men with grade group 2 prostate cancer who could be potential candidates for active surveillance. METHODS: We used the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital database to identify 776 men undergoing radical prostatectomy from 2006 to 2015 with >8 biopsy cores obtained and complete information. We compared men who fulfilled low-risk disease criteria (clinical stage T1c/T2a; grade group 1; prostate-specific antigen ≤10 ng/mL) with the exception of grade group 2 versus men who met all three low-risk criteria. Logistic regression was used to test the association between grade group and radical prostatectomy pathological features. Biochemical recurrence was examined using Cox models. To examine whether there was a subset of men with low-volume grade group 2 with comparable outcomes to low-risk men, we repeated all analyses limiting the percentage of positive cores in the grade group 2 group to ≤33%, and positive cores to ≤4, ≤3 or ≤2. RESULTS: Grade group 2 low-risk men had increased risk of pathological grade group 3 or higher (P < 0.001), extraprostatic extension (P < 0.001), seminal vesicle invasion (P < 0.001) and higher risk of biochemical recurrence (hazard ratio = 1.76, P = 0.006). Using increasingly strict definitions of low-volume disease, at ≤2 positive cores there was no difference in adverse pathology between groups (all P > 0.2), except higher pathological grade group (P = 0.006). Biochemical recurrence was similar in men in grade group 1 and grade group 2 (hazard ratio = 1.24; P = 0.529). CONCLUSIONS: Among men with prostate-specific antigen ≤10 ng/mL and clinical stage T1c/T2a, those in grade group 2 with ≤2 total positive cores have similar rates of adverse pathology and biochemical recurrence as men with grade group 1.

Utilization and impact of surgical technique on the performance of pelvic lymph node dissection at radical prostatectomy: Results from the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital database.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate performance of pelvic lymph node dissection during radical prostatectomy within an equal access care setting over a period of time, and stratified by prostate cancer risk group and surgical technique. METHODS: We identified men in the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital database who had open or robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy from 2006 to 2013. Univariable logistic regression was used to test the association between age, race, body mass index, total biopsy cores, number of positive biopsy cores, risk group, year, center, surgical volume and surgical technique on pelvic lymph node dissection use. Multivariable logistic analysis was used to examine surgical technique and pelvic lymph node dissection performance. Spearman's correlation examined temporal changes in pelvic lymph node dissection utilization stratified by risk group and surgical technique. RESULTS: A total of 1425 men met inclusion criteria; 67% of them underwent pelvic lymph node dissection. On multivariable analysis, robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy was associated with an 92% decreased use of pelvic lymph node dissection in low-risk, 84% decreased in intermediate-risk and 91% decreased in high-risk men (all P < 0.001). In robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy, there was a trend for increased pelvic lymph node dissection utilization over time in high-risk men (Spearman; P = 0.077) reaching ~85% in 2012-2013, which was accompanied by increased use in low-risk men (P = 0.016). For open radical prostatectomy, fewer pelvic lymph node dissections were carried out in low-risk men over time, decreasing to ~35% (P = 0.047) in 2012-2013, whereas rates remained high for high-risk men throughout (~95%; P = 0.621). CONCLUSION: Regardless of risk group, pelvic lymph node dissection is carried out significantly less during robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy. For robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy, pelvic lymph node dissection utilization increased over time for high-risk men, but rates also increased for low-risk men. Further attention to the discrepancy between provided and guideline recommended pelvic lymph node dissection performance is required to improve prostate cancer care.

Prostate cancer in men of African origin.

Men of African origin are disproportionately affected by prostate cancer: prostate cancer incidence is highest among men of African origin in the USA, prostate cancer mortality is highest among men of African origin in the Caribbean, and tumour stage and grade at diagnosis are highest among men in sub-Saharan Africa. Socioeconomic, educational, cultural, and genetic factors, as well as variations in care delivery and treatment selection, contribute to this cancer disparity. Emerging data on single-nucleotide-polymorphism patterns, epigenetic changes, and variations in fusion-gene products among men of African origin add to the understanding of genetic differences underlying this disease. On the diagnosis of prostate cancer, when all treatment options are available, men of African origin are more likely to choose radiation therapy or to receive no definitive treatment than white men. Among men of African origin undergoing surgery, increased rates of biochemical recurrence have been identified. Understanding differences in the cancer-survivorship experience and quality-of-life outcomes among men of African origin are critical to appropriately counsel patients and improve cultural sensitivity. Efforts to curtail prostate cancer screening will likely affect men of African origin disproportionately and widen the racial disparity of disease.

Targeted Exome Sequencing of the Cancer Genome in Patients with Very High-risk Bladder Cancer.

We completed targeted exome sequencing of the tumors of 50 patients with pTis-pT4b bladder cancer. Mutations were categorized by type, stratified against previously identified cancer loci in the Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer and The Cancer Genome Atlas databases, and evaluated in pathway analysis and comutation plots. We analyzed mutation associations with receipt of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, nodal involvement, metastatic disease development, and survival. Compared with The Cancer Genome Atlas, we found higher mutation rates in genes encoding products involved in epigenetic regulation and cell cycle regulation. Of the pathways examined, PI3K/mTOR and Cell Cycle/DNA Repair exhibited the greatest frequencies of mutation. RB1 and TP53, as well as NF1 and PIK3CA were frequently comutated. We identified no association between mutations in specific genes and key clinical outcomes of interest when corrected for multiple testing. Discovery phase analysis of the somatic mutations in 50 high-risk bladder cancer patients revealed novel mutations and mutational patterns, which may be useful for developing targeted therapy regimens or new biomarkers for patients at very high risk of disease metastasis and death. PATIENT SUMMARY: In this report we found known, as well as previously unreported, genetic mutations in the tumors of patients with high-risk bladder cancer. These mutations, if validated, may serve as actionable targets for new trials.

Impact of the US Preventive Services Task Force Grade D Recommendation: Assessment of Evaluations for Elevated Prostate-specific Antigen and Prostate Biopsies in a Large Urology Group Practice Following Statement Revision.

On October 7, 2011, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released their evidence statement and grade D recommendation against prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-based prostate cancer screening. Using a time series design, we assessed the effect of this recommendation upon evaluations for elevated PSA levels and prostate biopsies in our large urology group practice. We found that, despite a 24.1% increase in total visits, the 32 urologists in our practice completed 16.4% fewer evaluations for elevated PSA levels (317 fewer evaluations per month; P = .017) and 21.4% fewer prostate biopsies (42 fewer biopsies per month; P = .001) in the 2 years following the USPSTF grade D recommendation.

Clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes of surgically excised renal masses in African Americans.

OBJECTIVES: In the present study, we report on the clinical and pathological characteristics of African American (AA) patients with surgically excised renal masses and assess the associations between race and oncological outcomes. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We conducted a retrospective review of patients who underwent partial or radical nephrectomy for renal masses at our institution between 2000 and 2010. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on self-reported race: AA and non-AA. Patient demographics and disease characteristics, and overall, cancer-specific, recurrence-free, distant, and local recurrence-free survival for localized renal cell carcinoma (RCC) were compared between AA and non-AA patients. Multivariable proportional hazard analyses were used to assess the associations of race with oncological outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 1,467 patients, of whom 359 (24.5%) were AA, were included. Rates of benign disease were comparable between AA patients and non-AA (18.2% vs. 17.6%, P = 0.556). AA patients presented with higher rates of localized disease (83% vs. 71%, P<0.001). Papillary subtype accounted for 40.8% of RCCs in AA patients compared with 11.6% in non-AA patients (P<0.001). The high proportion of papillary RCC in AA patients was maintained across disease stages. On univariable analyses, AA patients had better recurrence-free and cancer-specific survival. On multivariable analyses, AA race was not a significant predictor of oncological outcomes after adjusting for patient and disease characteristics. CONCLUSION: In this study, AA patients presented with more localized disease than non-AA patients, whereas rates of benign disease were comparable between the groups. Furthermore, AA patients had roughly 3 times higher rates of papillary RCC across disease stages. On univariable analyses, AA patients appeared to have more favorable oncological outcomes. However, this association is likely explained by tumor stage, grade, and histology as outcomes were similar across races when the analyses were adjusted for these and other characteristics.

Human papillomavirus testing in men.

Despite the morbidity associated with anogenital condylomas and the mortality associated with anal, penile, and cervical carcinoma as a direct consequence of human papillomavirus (HPV), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently does not recommend routine screening for HPV in immuno competent men. However, findings of emerging research focusing on the high-risk populations of men who have sex with men and men who test positive for human immunodeficiency virus, in whom HPV infection is pervasive and persistent, suggest that these populations may benefit from screening. Therefore, HPV screening, including anal cytology, should be considered for these men in settings where appropriate follow-up, including high-resolution anoscopy, is available.