Modified holmium laser enucleation for benign prostatic obstruction to preserve sexual and ejaculatory function.

INTRODUCTION: To report ejaculatory and urinary results in patients who underwent holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) with selective laser enucleation of the median lobe (MLHoLEP). METHODS: Patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS)/benign prostatic obstruction (BPO) who underwent MLHoLEP to preserve ejaculatory function in a single center were retrospectively identified. Urinary function was assessed using International Prostate Score Symptom (IPSS), IPSS-Quality of Life index (IPSS-QoL), peak urinary flow (Qmax) and postvoid residual (PVR). Erectile function was assessed using International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5). In patients with preoperative antegrade ejaculation, retrograde ejaculation was routinely screened at each follow-up visit. Sexual and urinary functions at 3 and 12 months were compared with baseline values. RESULTS: A total of 55 patients met our inclusion criteria. A significant improvement in the IPSS, IPSS-QoL, PVR and Qmax was found at 3 and 12 months, compared with baseline (all P<0.05). Eight patients (14.5%) required surgical reintervention due to persistant LUTS/BPO. No significant changes in the erectile function were found at 3 (P=0.3) and 12 months (P>0.9). In patients with preoperative antegrade ejaculation (n=32), only four cases of de novo retrograde ejaculation were recorded postoperatively. CONCLUSION: MLHoLEP represents a new alternative for men with LUTS/BPO who wish to preserve their ejaculatory function. Patients should be aware that improvement in urinary function may be inferior to the traditional technique, with a higher reintervention rate due to persistent LUTS. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Grade 4.

Peripheral location of lung cancer is associated with higher local disease recurrence.

OBJECTIVES: Our goal was to evaluate the association between the distance of the tumour to the visceral pleura and the rate of local recurrence in patients surgically treated for stage pI lung cancer. METHODS: We conducted a single-centre retrospective review of 578 consecutive patients with clinical stage IA lung cancer who underwent a lobectomy or segmentectomy from January 2010 to December 2019. We excluded 107 patients with positive margins, previous lung cancer, neoadjuvant treatment and pathological stage II or higher status or for whom preoperative computed tomography (CT) scans were not available at the time of the study. The distance between the tumour and the closest visceral pleura area (fissure/mediastinum/lateral) was assessed by 2 independent investigators who used preoperative CT scans and multiplanar 3-dimensional reconstructions. An area under the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to determine the best threshold for the tumour/pleura distance. Then multivariable survival analyses were used to assess the relationship between local recurrence and this threshold in relation to other variables. RESULTS: Local recurrence occurred in 27/471 patients (5.8%). A cut-off value of 5 mm between the tumour and the pleura was determined statistically. In the multivariable analysis, the local recurrence rate was significantly higher in patients with a tumour-to-pleura distance ≤5 mm compared to patients with a tumour-to-pleura distance >5 mm (8.5% vs 2.7%, hazard ratio 3.36, 95% confidence interval: 1.31-8.59, P = 0.012). Subgroup analyses of patients with pIA and tumour size ≤2 cm identified local recurrences in 4/78 patients treated with segmentectomy (5.1%), with a significantly higher occurrence with tumour-to-pleura distances ≤5 mm (11.4% vs 0%, P = 0.037), and in 16/292 patients treated with lobectomy (5.5%) without significant higher occurrence in tumour-to-pleura distances of ≤5 mm (7.7% vs 3.4%, P = 0.13). CONCLUSIONS: The peripheral location of a lung tumour is associated with a higher rate of local recurrence and should be taken into account during preoperative planning when considering segmental versus lobar resection.

Is CIS a Contraindication to Hyperthermic Intravesical Chemotherapy (HIVEC) after BCG-Failure?

CIS of the bladder is associated with a high risk of progression. In the case of BCG failure, radical cystectomy should be performed. For patients who refuse or are ineligible, bladder-sparing alternatives are evaluated. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of Hyperthermic IntraVesical Chemotherapy (HIVEC) depending on the presence or absence of CIS. This retrospective, multicenter study was conducted between 2016 and 2021. Patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with BCG failure received 6-8 adjuvant instillations of HIVEC. The co-primary endpoints were recurrence-free survival (RFS) and progression-free survival (PFS). A total of 116 consecutive patients met our inclusion criteria of whom 36 had concomitant CIS. The 2-year RFS rate was 19.9% and 43.7% in patients with and without CIS, respectively (p = 0.52). Fifteen patients (12.9%) experienced progression to muscle-invasive bladder cancer with no significant difference between patients with and without CIS (2-year PFS rate = 71.8% vs. 88.8%, p = 0.32). In multivariate analysis, CIS was not a significant prognostic factor in terms of recurrence or progression. In conclusion, CIS may not be considered a contraindication to HIVEC, as there is no significant association between CIS and the risk of progression or recurrence after treatment.

Is minor surgery safe during the COVID-19 pandemic? A multi-disciplinary study.

BACKGROUND: To assess the risk of postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The CONCEPTION study was a cohort, multidisciplinary study conducted at Conception University Hospital, in France, from March 17th to May 11th, 2020. Our study included all adult patients who underwent minor surgery in one of the seven surgical departments of our hospital: urology, digestive, plastic, gynecological, otolaryngology, gynecology or maxillofacial surgery. Preoperative self-isolation, clinical assessment using a standardized questionnaire, physical examination, nasopharyngeal RT-PCR and chest CT scan performed the day before surgery were part of our active prevention strategy. The main outcome was the occurrence of a SARS-CoV-2 infection within 21 days following surgery. The COVID-19 status of patients after discharge was updated during the postoperative consultation and to ensure the accuracy of data, all patients were contacted again by telephone. RESULTS: A total of 551 patients from six different specialized surgical Departments in our tertiary care center were enrolled in our study. More than 99% (546/551) of included patients underwent a complete preoperative Covid-19 screening including RT-PCR testing and chest CT scan upon admission to the Hospital. All RT-PCR tests were negative and in 12 cases (2.2%), preoperative chest CT scans detected pulmonary lesions consistent with the diagnosis criteria for COVID-19. No scheduled surgery was postponed. One patient (0.2%) developed a SARS-CoV-2 infection 20 days after a renal transplantation. No readmission or COVID-19 -related death within 30 days from surgery was recorded. CONCLUSIONS: Minor surgery remained safe in the COVID-19 Era, as long as all appropriate protective measures were implemented. These data could be useful to public Health Authorities in order to improve surgical patient flow during a pandemic.

Nonsuspicious prebiopsy multiparametric MRI: is prostate biopsy still necessary?

PURPOSE: To evaluate the negative predictive value (NPV) of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI), alone or combined with Prostate-Specific Antigen density (PSAd) to exclude clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review of all the patients who had transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy (TRUSGB) in our center between January 2014 and March 2019. We included patients who had nonsuspicious prebiopsy mpMRI defined as Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) ≤ 2. MRI was performed using a 1.5 or 3-Tesla Magnetic Resonance scanners with external phased-array coil. The primary outcome was the detection of csPCa, defined as a Gleason score 3 + 4 (ISUP 2) or higher on at least one biopsy core. RESULTS: One hundred and ninety-one consecutive men (median age: 65 years, median PSA level: 9.3 ng/mL) underwent TRUSGB following negative prebiopsy mpMRI corresponding to 126 (66%) biopsy-naïve patients, 36 (18.8%) patients with prior negative biopsy, and 29 (15.2%) patients under active surveillance with confirmatory biopsies. The overall PCa and csPCA detection rates were 26.7% and 5.2%, conferring a NPV of 73.3% and 94.8%, respectively. The NPV of negative mpMRI improved to 95.8% in patients with PSAd < 0.15 ng/mL/cm3 and to 100% in patients with PSAd < 0.10 ng/mL/cm3. CONCLUSIONS: A negative prebiopsy mpMRI had an overall NPV of 94.8% for csPCa when mpMRI was used alone to 95.8% when combined with PSAd < 0.15 ng/mL/cm3. Future studies are needed to balance the low benefit of a biopsy in this indication with the morbidity of the procedure.