Oncologic Outcomes in Patients with Residual Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma Following Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Growing evidence supports the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). However, the implications of residual UTUC at radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) after NAC are not well characterized. Our objective was to compare oncologic outcomes for pathologic risk-matched patients who underwent RNU for UTUC who either received NAC or were chemotherapy-naïve. METHODS: We retrospectively identified 1993 patients (including 112 NAC recipients) who underwent RNU for nonmetastatic, high-grade UTUC between 1985 and 2022 in a large, international, multicenter cohort. We divided the cohort into low-risk and high-risk groups defined according to pathologic findings of muscle invasion and lymph node involvement at RNU. Recurrence-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS) estimates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariable analyses were performed to determine clinical and demographic factors associated with these outcomes. KEY FINDINGS AND LIMITATIONS: Among patients with low-risk pathology at RNU, RFS, OS, and CSS were similar between the NAC and chemotherapy-naïve groups. Among patients with high-risk pathology at RNU, the NAC group had poorer RFS (hazard ratio [HR] 3.07, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.10-4.48), OS (HR 2.06, 95% CI 1.33-3.20), and CSS (subdistribution HR 2.54, 95% CI 1.37-4.69) in comparison to the pathologic risk-matched, chemotherapy-naïve group. Limitations include the lack of centralized pathologic review. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Patients with residual invasive disease at RNU after NAC represent a uniquely high-risk population with respect to oncologic outcomes. There is a critical need to determine an optimal adjuvant approach for these patients. PATIENT SUMMARY: We studied a large, international group of patients with cancer of the upper urinary tract who underwent surgery either with or without receiving chemotherapy beforehand. We identified a high-risk subgroup of patients with residual aggressive cancer after chemotherapy and surgery who should be prioritized for clinical trials and drug development.

Implications of Tumor Surgery in Horseshoe Kidneys: A Comparative Study of Outcomes and Surgical Practices.

OBJECTIVE: To contrast surgical outcomes of Horseshoe Kidney (HSK) patients with localized renal masses suspected of cancer with nonfused nonectopic kidney patients, emphasizing safe surgical practices for HSKs. METHODS: The study examined solid tumors from the Mayo Clinic Nephrectomy registry between 1971 and 2021. Each HSK case was matched to three non-HSK patients based on various factors. The outcomes measured included complications within 30days of surgery, change in estimated glomerular filtration rate, and overall, cancer-specific, and metastasis-free survival rates. RESULTS: Thirty of the 34 HSKs had malignant tumors compared with 90 of the 102 patients in the nonfused nonectopic referent cohort. Accessory isthmus arteries were present in 93% of HSK cases, with 43% exhibiting multiple arteries and 7% with 6 or more arteries. Estimated blood loss and surgery duration were significantly higher in HSKs (900 vs 300 mL, P = .004; 246 vs 163 minutes, P < .001, respectively). The HSK group demonstrated an overall complication rate of 26% (vs 17% in referents, P = .2) and a median change in estimated glomerular filtration rate at 3months of - 8.5 (vs -8.1 in referents, P = .8). At 5-year follow-up, survival rates for HSK patients were 72%, 91%, and 69% for overall, cancer-specific, and metastasis-free survival, respectively. The corresponding rates were 79%, 86%, and 77%, respectively, for matched referent patients (P > .05). CONCLUSION: HSK tumor management is technically challenging with higher blood loss; however, the data demonstrate comparable outcomes for patients with HSK tumors, including complications and survival, to those without HSKs in experienced centers.

Hypospadias in toddlers: a multivariable study of prognostic factors in distal to mid-shaft hypospadias and review of literature.

Background: Tubularized incised plate urethroplasty is the most common hypospadias repair technique. However, there are unanswered questions and debates about the anatomical prognostic factors affecting the repair outcomes. This study tried to address some of the problems in the studies compromising the results of the current body of literature. Methods: A prospective cohort of 101 males aged 1-3 years undergoing primary distal to mid-shaft hypospadias repair were enrolled in the study. Complications including edema, erection, inadvertent removal of the urethral stent, surgical wound infection, bladder spasm, hematoma, and hemorrhage were evaluated. Studies in the current literature were reviewed to achieve a better perspective for future investigations. Results: Persistent complications were found in 16 cases (15.8%) including fistula formation, the persistence of chordee, meatal stenosis, glans, and urethral dehiscence. The mean follow-up time was 6.6±3.4 months. In the single-variable analysis, the meatal location, the length and width of the urethral plate, and the reversible acute postoperative events were significantly associated with the complications. Furthermore, fistula formation was associated with acute surgical site infection (p<0.001). However, the multivariable regression study revealed the presurgical meatal location to be the only statistically significant factor (p=0.03). Notably, the glans diameter or glanular groove shape, urethral plate dimensions, or presence of mild chordee were not independently associated with the outcomes (p>0.05). Conclusions: Our study on the toddlers with hypospadias surgery revealed that the location of urethral meatal was the main predicting factor in the development of major complications. Furthermore, the fistula formation at the infected surgical site emphasizes the importance of postsurgical care.

Clinical application of stem cell therapy in neurogenic bladder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: This review aims to investigate the effect of stem cell (SC) therapy on the management of neurogenic bladder (NGB) in four neurological diseases, including spinal cord injury (SCI), Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple sclerosis (MS), and stroke, in the clinical setting. METHODS: An electronic database search was conducted in the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Proquest, Clinicaltrial.gov , WHO, Google Scholar, MEDLINE via PubMed, Ovid, Web of Science, Scopus, ongoing trial registers, and conference proceedings in June 2019 and updated by hand searching on 1 February 2021. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs), quasi RCTs, phase I/II clinical trials, case-control, retrospective cohorts, and comprehensive case series that evaluated the regenerative potential of SCs on the management of NGB were included. Cochrane appraisal risk of bias checklist and the standardized critical appraisal instrument from the JBI Meta-Analysis of Statistics, Assessment, and Review Instrument (JBI-MAStARI) were used to appraise the studies. RESULTS: Twenty-six studies among 1282 relevant publications met our inclusion criteria. Only SC therapy was applied for SCI or MS patients. Phase I/II clinical trials (without control arm) were the most conducted studies, and only four were RCTs. Four studies with 153 participants were included in the meta-analysis. The main route of transplantation was via lumbar puncture. There were no serious adverse events. Only nine studies in SCI and one in MS have used urodynamics, and the others have reported improvement based on patient satisfaction. SC therapy did not significantly improve residual urine volume, detrusor pressure, and maximum bladder capacity. Also, the quality of these publications was low or unclear. CONCLUSION: Although most clinical trials provide evidence of the safety and effectiveness of MSCs on the management of NGB, the meta-analysis results did not show a significant improvement; however, the interpretation of study results is difficult because of the lack of placebo controls.