Prostate Biopsy May Not Be Indicated Early after Bacillus Calmette Guérin Treatment.

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) treatment for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer frequently causes an intraprostatic BCG granuloma. We investigated the optimal timing for a prostate biopsy after BCG treatment by retrospectively analyzing the cases of 22 patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer who underwent a prostate biopsy after BCG treatment at our institute (2013-2017). Biopsies were indicated for a rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, positive digital rectal examination findings, or the appearance of de novo low apparent diffusion coefficient lesions on MRI. The control group was comprised of 28 age- and PSA-matched patients. The relationships among the cancer detection rate and the patients' PSA levels and MRI findings were analyzed. Prostate cancer was detected by biopsy in only 13.9% (3/22) of the patients in the BCG group but in 78.5% (22/28) of the control patients (p=0.0001). The three patients in the BCG group in whom prostate cancer was detected had all undergone the biopsy > 1 year after their BCG treatment. The remaining biopsies were performed within 1 year after BCG treatment and resulted in no diagnoses of prostate cancer. We suggest that performing a prostate biopsy early after BCG treatment is not informative or useful.

Clinical questions in the Japanese Urological Association's 2024 clinical practice guidelines for urethral strictures.

Transurethral procedures such as direct vision internal urethrotomy and urethral dilation have been the traditional treatments for urethral strictures. However, transurethral procedures are associated with high recurrence rates, resulting in many uncured cases and prompting major international urological societies to recommend urethroplasty as the standard treatment owing to its high success rate. In contrast, many Japanese general urologists have little doubts about treating urethral strictures with transurethral treatment. Therefore, urethral stricture treatments in Japan are not in line with those used in other countries. To address this, the Trauma, Emergency Medicine, and Reconstruction Subcommittee of the Japanese Urological Association has developed guidelines to offer standardized treatment protocols for urethral stricture, based on international evidence and tailored to Japan's medical landscape. These guidelines target patients with a clinically suspected urethral stricture and are intended for urologists and general practitioners involved in its diagnosis and treatment. Following the Minds Clinical Practice Guideline Development Manual 2020, the committee identified eight critical clinical issues and formulated eight clinical questions using the "patient, intervention, comparison, and outcome" format. A comprehensive literature search was conducted. For six clinical questions addressed by the existing guidelines or systematic reviews, the level of evidence was determined by qualitative systematic reviews. Quantitative systematic reviews and meta-analyses were performed for the two unique clinical questions. The recommendation grades were determined using the Delphi method and consensus by the committee. These guidelines will be useful to clinicians in daily practice, especially those involved in the care of urethral strictures.

Partial excisional tapering: Report of initial four cases of a novel modification of ureteroplasty for megaureter.

Introduction: We report our initial experience with a novel ureteroplasty technique that combines the advantages of excisional tapering and folding. Methods and cases: Following dissection of the megaureter, the distal ureteral end was transected at a point with an appropriate caliber to create a neo-orifice, which was left intact. Only the proximally redundant part of the ureter was excised and closed over a 10F catheter, following which the ureter was anastomosed to the bladder with an indwelling ureteral stent. This procedure was performed in four pediatric patients. Case 1 involved a 6-year-old girl with continuous urinary incontinence due to ureteral ectopia in a duplex system. Cases 2 and 3 involved infants with refluxing megaureter. Case 4 involved a 9-year-old boy with a ureteral stone impacted in a megaureter. All four patients achieved successful outcomes without ureteral obstruction. Conclusion: This ureteroplasty technique is a promising alternative in specific patients.

Disseminated Carcinomatosis of the Bone Marrow from Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Revealed by Choline Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography.

Introduction: Disseminated carcinomatosis of the bone marrow is caused by cancer metastasis to the bone marrow and is the diagnosis is very difficult by imaging. Case Presentation: We report a 75-year-old male with disseminated carcinomatosis of the bone marrow from castration-resistant prostate cancer revealed by 11C-choline positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT). Although he already received radiotherapy to the prostate, combined androgen blockade, enzalutamide and apalutamide, and external beam radiotherapy for the pelvic bone metastases, serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) value rapidly increased from 32 ng/mL to 104 ng/mL in recent 1 month. Bone scintigraphy showed almost no abnormal uptake in the whole body, whereas 11C-choline PET/CT showed diffuse bone marrow 11C-choline uptake. The disseminated carcinomatosis of the bone marrow was diagnosed from the discordant findings between bone scintigraphy and 11C-choline PET/CT examinations and confirmed pathologically by iliac marrow biopsy pathologically. Although docetaxel therapy was started, PSA value continued rising and he died after 4 months of the diagnosis. Conclusion: The discordant findings of choline PET/CT and bone scintigraphy can diagnose disseminated carcinomatosis of the bone marrow from prostate cancer.