18 F-FDG PET/CT use in functional assessment of the testes: A systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Our study analysed previous studies employing positron emission tomography with co-registered computer tomography (PET/CT) in andrological patient evaluation and assessed the differences in 2-[18 F]F-fluoro-2'-deoxyglucose (FDG) uptake between three groups: healthy testes, benign and malignant testicular pathology. METHODS: Medline and Embase were systematically searched for studies involving FDG-PET/CT imaging of testes with results expressed as mean standardised uptake value (SUVmean ). A one-way ANOVA was used to compare SUVmean between three groups. All papers assessing andrological parameters were pooled to compare fertility data. RESULTS: Seventeen studies, including three relating to fertility diagnosis, with a total of 830 patients, were included in the review. One-way ANOVA showed a statistical difference between mean values of tracer SUVmean in healthy and malignant testes (Dif. = -2.77, 95% CI = -4.32 to 1.21, p < 0.01) as well as benign and malignant (Dif. = -2.95, 95% CI = -4.33 to -1.21, p < 0.01) but no difference between healthy and benign (Dif. = 0.19, 95% CI = -0.96 to 1.33, p = 0.90). There is some evidence to suggest that FDG uptake and testicular volume are positively correlated to total sperm count, sperm concentration and sperm motility and that germ cells are likely to account for the majority of testicular FDG accumulation. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that malignant testicular lesions demonstrate a significantly higher FDG uptake than benign testicular lesions or healthy testes. Some evidence also suggests that FDG-PET could visualise metabolic activity and thus spermatogenesis; however more studies are required to determine whether FDG-PET could also be used to diagnose infertility. Further studies should focus on correlating both sex hormone-serum levels and semen analysis results with imaging data.

Assessment of Return to Baseline Urinary and Sexual Function Following Primary Focal Cryotherapy for Nonmetastatic Prostate Cancer.

BACKGROUND: The oncological outcomes in men with clinically significant prostate cancer following focal cryotherapy are promising, although functional outcomes are under-reported. OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of focal cryotherapy on urinary and sexual function, specifically assessing return to baseline function. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Between October 2013 and November 2016, 58 of 122 men who underwent focal cryotherapy for predominantly anterior clinically significant localised prostate cancer within a prospective registry returned patient-reported outcome measure questionnaires, which included International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-15) questionnaires. INTERVENTION: Standard cryotherapy procedure using either the SeedNet or the Visual-ICE cryotherapy system. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Primary outcome was return to baseline function of IPSS score and IIEF erectile function (EF) subdomain. Cumulative incidence and Cox-regression analyses were performed. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Probability of returning to baseline IPSS function was 78% at 12 mo and 87% at both 18 and 24 mo, with recovery seen up to 18 mo. For IIEF (EF domain), the probability of returning to baseline function was 85% at 12 mo and 89% at both 18 and 24 mo, with recovery seen up to 18 mo. Only the preoperative IIEF-EF score was associated with a poor outcome (hazard ratio 0.96, 95% confidence interval 0.93-0.999, p = 0.04). The main limitation was that only half of the patients returned their questionnaires. CONCLUSIONS: In men undergoing primary focal cryotherapy, there is a high degree of preservation of urinary and erectile function with return to baseline function occurring from 3 mo and continuing up to 18 mo after focal cryotherapy. PATIENT SUMMARY: In men who underwent focal cryotherapy for prostate cancer, approximately nine in 10 returned to their baseline urinary and sexual function. Keeping in mind that level 1 evidence and long-term data are still needed, in men who wish to preserve urinary and sexual function, focal cryotherapy may be considered an alternative treatment option to radical therapy.

Prognostic factors for occult inguinal lymph node involvement in penile carcinoma and assessment of the high-risk EAU subgroup: a two-institution analysis of 342 clinically node-negative patients.

BACKGROUND: The European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines advise an elective bilateral lymphadenectomy in clinically node-negative (cN0) patients with high-risk penile carcinoma (≥pT2, G3, or lymphovascular invasion [LVI]). OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to assess prognostic factors for occult metastasis and to determine whether current EAU guidelines accurately stratify patients at high risk. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Data of 342 cN0 patients with histologically proven invasive penile squamous cell carcinoma who had undergone the current dynamic sentinel node biopsy (DSNB) protocol were analysed. A complete ipsilateral inguinal lymphadenectomy was only done if the sentinel node was tumour positive. MEASUREMENTS: The presence of occult metastasis was established by preoperative ultrasound and tumour-positive fine-needle aspiration cytology, tumour-positive sentinel nodes, and groin metastases during follow-up after a negative DSNB procedure. Median follow-up was 31 mo. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Sixty-eight of 342 patients (20%) and 87 of 684 groins (13%) had occult nodal involvement including 6 patients (2%) with a groin metastasis after negative DSNB. Corpus spongiosum invasion, corpus cavernosum invasion, histologic grade, and LVI were each significant prognosticators for occult metastasis on univariate analysis. On multivariate analysis, grade (odds ratio [OR]: 3.3 for intermediate and 4.9 for poor, respectively) and LVI (OR: 2.2) remained predictive factors. In total, 245 patients (72%) were classified high risk according to EAU guidelines. Among them, the incidence of occult metastasis was 23% (57 of 245). A potential limitation of this study is the lack of external review. CONCLUSIONS: Histologic grade and LVI are independent prognostic factors for occult metastasis in penile carcinoma. Although both predictors are incorporated into the current EAU guidelines, the stratification of patients needing a lymph node dissection is inaccurate. Approximately 77% of high-risk patients (188 of 245) would have had a negative bilateral inguinal lymphadenectomy. For the time being, DSNB is considered a more suitable staging method than EAU risk stratification for an accurate determination of patients who require lymph node dissection.