Transurethral flexible ureteroscopic incision and drainage with holmium laser in the treatment of parapelvic renal cysts: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of transurethral flexible ureteroscopic incision and drainage with holmium laser in the treatment of parapelvic renal cysts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between October 2017 and April 2021, the clinical data of 65 patients with parapelvic renal cysts were evaluated retrospectively. Thirty-one patients with parapelvic cysts (Group 1) underwent a transurethral flexible ureteroscopic incision and drainage with a holmium laser, whereas the other 34 patients (Group 2) underwent retroperitoneal laparoscopic unroofing. The patients' clinical features were documented. The surgery time, intraoperative blood loss, hospitalization time, complications and cyst size were recorded and statistically assessed one year following the procedure. RESULTS: All of the patients were successfully treated with flexible ureteroscopic incision and drainage or retroperitoneal laparoscopic unroofing. In terms of clinical parameters, such as age, gender, BMI, location, cyst size, and Bosniak classification of renal cysts, no statistically significant difference was detected between Groups 1 and 2. Compared to the control group (Group 2), Group 1 demonstrated a shorter surgery duration, less intraoperative blood loss, and a shorter hospital stay (p < 0.001). However, no significant differences in complications and cyst size were observed between the two groups one year after the surgery (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Transurethral flexible ureteroscopic incision and drainage with holmium laser in the treatment of parapelvic renal cysts has obvious advantages over traditional surgery, and is worthy of advancement and application, but its long-term effect needs further follow-up studies.

Stent encrustation or fragmentation? A case report of post stent removal encrustation in postpartum woman and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Ureteral stents are commonly used in the field of urology to relieve ureteral obstruction. However, complications relating to ureteral stent use, such as encrustation continue to occur, especially with prolonged indwell time. CASE PRESENTATION: Here we present a 37-year-old postpartum woman with a foreign body in her bladder after removing a ureteral stent 1 month before. She insisted that the foreign body was the fragment of stent and asked for medical malpractice indemnity payments while the surgeon of her insisted that the stent was intact during the procedure. Finally, the foreign body was confirmed as an encrustation by cystoscopy and the patient received 10,000 yuan ($ 1500) as indemnity payments after encrustation removal. CONCLUSION: In the absence of guidelines, stent indwelling time vary with centers' habits, stent materials and patient's education. Early detection of stent encrustation and timely removal of the encrusted stent are still the best way to avoid stent retention. Violent stent removal is of danger and not recommended in any case.

A case report of primary upper urinary tract signet-ring cell carcinoma and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Upper tract urothelial carcinoma with pure non-urothelial histology is an exception but variants are present in ~ 25% of cases. Primary upper urinary tract signet -ring cell carcinoma is extremely rare. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 65-year-old male diagnosed primary upper urinary tract signet-ring cell carcinoma while underwent percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Radical nephroureterectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy were performed sequentially. The patient is now recovering well with a regular follow-up for more than 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: The upper urinary tract malignancy often appears as a high grade, high stage tumor and has a uniformly poor prognosis, but a timely multimodal management can bring a good outcome.

Clinical significance of preoperative C-reactive protein and squamous cell carcinoma antigen levels in patients with penile squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relevance of C-reactive protein (CRP) and squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) levels in relation to clinicopathological factors and prognosis in penile cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 124 Chinese patients with penile squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), treated between November 2007 and October 2014, were analysed retrospectively. Receiver-operating characteristic curves were used to identify the combination of markers with the best sensitivity and specificity for prognosis prediction. Statistical data analysis was performed using a non-parametric method, and survival analysis was performed using the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazard model. RESULTS: Levels of CRP ≥4.5 mg/L and SCC-Ag ≥1.4 ng/mL were both significantly associated with lymph node metastasis (LNM) laterality (chi-squared trend test, P = 0.041), extranodal extension (chi-squared trend test, P < 0.001), pelvic LNM (chi-squared trend test, P = 0.024), pathological tumour status (chi-squared trend test, P = 0.002), pathological nodal status (chi-squared trend test, P < 0.001), and disease-specific survival (DSS; log-rank test, P < 0.001). Moreover, the influence of CRP and SCC-Ag levels on DSS (P = 0.033, hazard ratio 3.390, 95% confidence interval 1.104-10.411) remained after adjusting for smoking history, phimosis, tumour status, tumour cell differentiation and nodal status. CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows that the combined measurement of preoperative CRP and SCC-Ag levels may serve as an independent biomarker for LNM, advanced tumour stage and DSS in patients with penile SCC.

Value of CT angiography in reducing the risk of hemorrhage associated with mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical value of computed tomography angiography (CTA) in reducing the risk of hemorrhage associated with mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 158 patients with renal or ureter stones who had undergone mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy were retrospectively enrolled into this study from May of 2011 to April of 2014. Group 1 (65 patients) underwent computed tomography angiography, and Group 2 (93 patients) underwent non-contrast CT. The clinical characteristics of the patients and hemorrhagic complications were recorded. The hematologic complications (transfusion rate, and preoperative and postoperative hemoglobin values) were assessed. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in age, body mass index(BMI), stone diameter, operative time, stone-free rate, and hospital stay between the 2 groups. In group 2, 1 patient (1.1%) developed a renal arteriovenous fistula and was treated with embolus therapy. In addition, Group 2 showed significantly drop in hemoglobin (3.6 g/dL vs. 2.4 g/dL, respectively; P < 0.001) and more transfusions (9.7% vs. 1.5%, respectively; P < 0.05) compared with Group 1. CONCLUSION: The study showed that patients who underwent computed tomography angiography prior to percutaneous nephrolithotomy had lower drop of hemoglobin and needed less transfusions. These findings may suggest that the use of computed tomography angiography may reduce the risk of bleeding during percutaneous nephrolithotomy.

[Ten significantly differentially expressed genes in prostate cancer: Screening and verification].

OBJECTIVE: To screen and verify differentially expressed genes in prostate cancer. METHODS: Using DNA microarray, we screened differentially expressed genes in prostate cancer tissue and its adjacent tissue followed by verification by PCR. RESULTS: A total of 1 444 genes were found to be differentially expressed (differentiation ≥ 1.5-fold; P≤ 0.05) in the prostate cancer tissue, of which 769 (53%) were up-regulated and 675 (47%) down-regulated. Fifty percent of the differentially expressed genes showed a 1.5- to 2-fold differentiation, including 396 up-regulated and 182 down-regulated ones. Additionally, 308 up-regulated and 334 down-regulated genes exhibited a >2- to 5-fold, 46 up-regulated and 78 down-regulated genes a > 5- to 10-fold, and 19 up-regulated and 81 down-regulated genes a > 10-fold differentiation. Verification by subjecting 15 most significantly up-regulated and another 15 most markedly down-regulated genes to quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) showed that most of the genes had a transcriptional profile similar to that in the microarray data, with a Pearson correction coefficient of 0.83 between the microarray data and qRT-PCR results. Totally, 10 significantly differentially expressed genes were identified. CONCLUSION: DNA microarray analysis provides reliable information on differentially expressed genes in prostate cancer and benign tissues. The 10 significantly differentially expressed genes verified by qRT-PCR could possibly become new bio-markers and specific molecules for tumor identification.

[Suprapubis-assisted umbilical laparoendoscopic mini-dual-site surgery for varicocele: a report of 80 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To study the safety, effectiveness and feasibility of suprapubis-assisted umbilical laparoendoscopic mini-dual-site surgery (SAU-LEMDS) in the treatment of varicocele. METHODS: This study included 80 varicocele patients aged 24 - 44 (mean 28.5 +/- 2.6) years, 25 cases of grade I, 45 cases of grade II and 10 cases of grade III, 58 cases in the left side, 6 in the right and 16 in both sides, and all with asthenospermia. The patients were treated by SAU-LEMDS under subarachnoid anesthesia combined with general anesthesia in a supine position with a head-down-feet-up slope of 15 degrees. Two 5 mm trocars were inserted bilaterally at the umbilical edge, one with a 5 mm 30 degrees laparoscope placed in it, and another into the abdominal cavity below the pubic hairline with a 5 mm laparoendoscopic clipper placed in it. The operation procedure was similar to that of standard laparoscopic ligation of spermatic veins, with reservation of the spermatic artery and double-ligation of spermatic veins. And the procedure was repeated for the contralateral lesion in the bilateral cases. Postoperative follow-up was conducted for the incidences of orchiatrophy and testicular hydrocele and changes of seminal parameters. RESULTS: All the operations were successful, with the mean operation time of (10 +/- 5.0) min (range 8 to 25 min) for the unilateral cases and (18 +/- 6.5) min (range 15 to 30 min) for the bilateral cases, the mean blood loss of (1.5 +/- 0.5) ml (range 1 to 2 ml), and the mean postoperative hospital stay of (2 +/- 0.5) d (range 1.5 to 3 d). The patients were followed up for 6 -24 (12 +/- 2.5) months, which showed significant improvement in sperm motility as compared with the baseline ([28.53 +/- 5.21] vs [19.62 +/- 3.56]%, P < 0.05), with 28 cases (35.0%) restored to normal. Recurrence was found in 4 cases (5.0%). Testicular hydrocele occurred in 7 cases (8.75%), but orchiatrophy in none. The scars in the umbilicus and suprapubis were invisible because of the wrinkles and pubic hair. CONCLUSION: SAU-LEMDS is safe, effective and feasible for the treatment of varicocele. It is superior to umbilical laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (U-LESS) for its less invasiveness, simpler operation, and better cosmetic appearance.

Suprapubic-assisted umbilical laparoendoscopic mini-dual-site surgery in the treatment of simple kidney cyst: report of 26 cases.

This study was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of suprapubic-assisted umbilical laparoendoscopic mini-dual-site surgery (SAU-LEMDS) with satisfied cosmetic outcome in minimal size of surgical incision for the treatment of simple kidney cyst at large size. Twenty-six consecutive patients (16 male and 10 female), aged 48.5 ± 4.1 years (range: 18 to 70 years), were enrolled in this study. All cases had simple kidney cysts including 18 cases on the left side and 8 cases on the right, with a mean cyst maximum diameter of 7.5 ± 0.8 cm. Under general anesthesia, the patients were placed in flank position with affected side elevated by 70°. Two trocars (5.5 mm in diameter) were inserted via the umbilical port. The third trocar was inserted into abdominal cavity above the pubic hairline for the placement of a 5-mm 30° laparoscope. The surgery procedures were successfully performed in the same manner as standard laparoscope-assisted kidney cyst decortication in all cases. The specimens were obtained through either of two umbilical ports without additional enlarge incisions. The mean operation time was 30 ± 8.2 min and the mean blood loss was 10.3 ± 2.1 ml. The duration of hospitalization was 4.2 ± 0.9 days, and the mean follow-up was two months (range: 1 to 3 months). Postoperatively, surgical wounds were small and healed well and cosmetic outcomes were satisfactory. No recurrent kidney cysts were found during follow up. SAU-LEMDS appears to be a feasible, safe and effective surgical option for simple kidney cyst, which not only leads to better cosmetic effects, but also decreases the complexity of umbilical laparoendoscopic single site surgery (U-LESS).

Identification and Validation of FGF-Related Prognostic Signatures in Prostate Cancer.

Background: FGF signaling is critical to controlling various cancers. Nevertheless, the functions of FGF-related genes in PCa are still unknown. Objective: The objective of this study is to build a FGF-related signature that was capable of accurately predicting PCa survival and prognosis for BCR. Methods: The univariate and multivariate Cox regression, infiltrating immune cells, LASSO, and GSEA analyses were carried out to build a prognostic model. Results: A FGF-related signature that consists of PIK3CA and SOS1 was developed for the purpose of predicting PCa prognosis, and all patients were categorized into low- and high-risk groups. In comparison to the low-risk group, high-risk score patients had poorer BCR survival. This signature's predictive power has been investigated utilizing the AUC of the ROC curves. The risk score has been shown to be an independent prognostic factor by multivariate analysis. The four enriched pathways of the high-risk group were obtained by gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and found to be associated with the tumorigenesis and development of PCa, including focal adhesion, TGF-ß signaling pathway, adherens junction, and ECM receptor interaction. The high-risk groups had considerably higher levels of immune status and tumor immune cell infiltration, suggesting a more favorable response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. IHC found that the expression of the two FGF-related genes in the predictive signature was extremely different in PCa tissues. Conclusion: To summarize, our FGF-related risk signature may effectively predict and diagnose PCa, indicating that in PCa patients, they are potential therapeutic targets and promising prognostic biomarkers.

[Synergetic killing effects of external magnetic fields combined with porphyrin-dextran magnetic nanoparticles on the human bladder cancer cells].

OBJECTIVE: To study the synergetic killing effects of external magnetic fields combined with the photodynamic action of porphyrin-dextran iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (PDMN) on human bladder cancer cells in vitro. METHODS: The PDMN were produced by using the chemical co-precipitation and redox process and the physicochemical properties were characterized. Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) and flow cytometry were used to determine the effects of photodynamic therapy of PDMN combined with external pulsed electromagnetic fields (5 mT) on killing human bladder cancer BIU-87 cells respectively. RESULTS: The diameters of PDMN were 10-15 nm and the saturation magnetization was 0.20 emu/g. Effective diameter of PDMN was 94.8 nm. PDMN could remarkably inhibit the proliferation and induce the obvious apoptosis of BIU-87 cells, and the rates of growth inhibition and apoptosis were (17.61±2.73)% and (24.53±5.74)% respectively. Moreover, external pulsed electromagnetic fields (5 mT) could also suppress the proliferation and induce apoptosis of BIU-87 cells. Furthermore, the photodynamic action of PDMN combined with external magnetic fields significantly inhibited the proliferation and promote apoptosis of BIU-87 cells, and the rates of growth inhibition and apoptosis was (28.11±4.25)% and (24.53±5.74)%, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of other groups (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The chemical modified photodynamic action of PDMN could effectively inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis of BIU-87 cells. Moreover, these effects on BIU-87 cells could be strengthened by the combination with external magnetic fields.

A multicentre, prospective, randomized trial: comparative efficacy of tamsulosin and nifedipine in medical expulsive therapy for distal ureteric stones with renal colic.

OBJECTIVE: • To determine the comparative efficacy of tamsulosin and nifedipine in medical expulsive therapy (MET) for distal ureteric stones with renal colic. PATIENTS AND METHODS: • We evaluated the comparative efficacy of tamsulosin and nifedipine in MET in a prospective randomized trial of 3189 outpatients from 10 centres in China. • Eligible patients randomly received tamsulosin or nifedipine. Efficacies of the two agents in MET were compared at 4 weeks. • The primary endpoint was overall stone-expulsion rate. • Secondary endpoints were stone-expulsion time, rate of pain relief therapy, mean analgesic consumption for renal colic recurrence, and side-effects incidence. RESULTS: • Stone-expulsion rates in the tamsulosin group (group 1) were greater than those in the nifedipine group (group 2; P < 0.01). • There was a significant variation in stone-expulsion rates and times between groups 1 and 2 (P < 0.01); with improvements in stone-expulsion rate and time significantly better in group 1 than in group 2. • There was a significant variation in the rate of pain relief therapy for renal colic recurrence between groups 1 and 2 (P < 0.01); patients in group 1 required significantly less analgesics than those in group 2 (P < 0.01). • There were no statistically significant differences in side-effects incidence between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: • Administration of tamsulosin and nifedipine in MET was determined to be safe and effective for distal ureteric stones with renal colic. • Tamsulosin was significantly better than nifedipine in relieving renal colic and facilitating ureteric stone expulsion.

Limonene terpenoid obstructs human bladder cancer cell (T24 cell line) growth by inducing cellular apoptosis, caspase activation, G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and stops cancer metastasis.

PURPOSE: The primary purpose of the current study was to investigate the antitumor activity of limonene which is a plant monoterpene along with evaluating its effects on cell apoptosis, cell cycle phase distribution, cell migration and invasion. METHODS: The cell proliferation of T24 bladder cancer cells was examined by WTS-1 assay. The apoptotic effects induced by limonene were investigated by a combination of fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry and then confirmed by western blot assay. The effects of limonene on cell cycle in T24 bladder cancer cells were studied by flow cytometry. The effects on cell migration and invasion were examined by wound healing assay and transwell assay using Matrigel. RESULTS: The results showed that limonene induced cytotoxic effects and reduced cell viability of T24 human bladder cancer cells showing an IC50 value of 9 µM. Limonene also induced significant apoptosis in bladder cancer cells since it induced significant nuclear fragmentation, chromatin condensation, and splitting of the nucleus, representative of the apoptotic cascade. The apoptotic cell percentage was 1.95, 5.35, 15.61 and 34.71% at limonene concentrations of 0, 9, 18 and 36 µM. Further, the apoptotic effects of limonene were also confirmed by Western blot analysis and the results showed increase in the expression of Bax and caspase-3 and decrease of Bcl-2 expression. Limonene also caused G2/M phase cell cycle arrest as well as suppression of cell migration and invasion. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that limonene might be used as a potent anticancer agent against human bladder cancer for which further in depth studies are needed, especially over its toxicological studies.

Risk Factors for Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome Induced by Flexible Ureteroscope Combined with Holmium Laser Lithotripsy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the risk factors of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) induced by flexible ureteroscope combined with Holmium laser lithotripsy. Patients and Methods. The clinical data from 216 consecutive patients who had undergone flexible ureteroscope combined with Holmium laser lithotripsy between August 2015 and May 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. To identify the risk factors of systemic inflammatory response syndrome induced by flexible ureteroscope combined with Holmium laser lithotripsy, the cases were divided into two groups according to whether they developed postoperative SIRS: SIRS group (21 cases) and non-SIRS group (195 cases). Age, gender, body mass index, stone size, surgery time, stone location, hydronephrosis, urine culture, hospital stay, stone-free rate, ureteral access sheath, and diabetes mellitus were collected. Univariate analysis was performed to calculate the potential factors. In order to determine the independence of the various factors, factors that potentially contributed to SIRS were compared between the SIRS group and the non-SIRS group. Furthermore, multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors of systemic inflammatory response syndrome induced by flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy. RESULTS: All patients were successfully treated with flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy. The incidence of SIRS after flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy was 9.7%. The univariate analysis demonstrated the potential risk factors of systemic inflammatory response syndrome induced by flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy were stone size (p = 0.002), surgery time (p = 0.002), surgery time (p = 0.002), surgery time (p = 0.002), surgery time (p = 0.002), surgery time (p = 0.002), surgery time (p = 0.002), surgery time (p = 0.002), surgery time (. CONCLUSIONS: Stone size, surgery time, urine culture, and ureteral access sheath are independent risk factors for SIRS induced by flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy. Patients with these high-risk factors should be carefully evaluated to reduce systemic inflammatory response syndrome.

The Analysis of Risk Factors for Hemorrhage Associated with Minimally Invasive Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the risk factors for bleeding during minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy, so as to prevent the occurrence of bleeding and improve the surgical effect. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The data of 396 patients who underwent percutaneous nephrolithotomy by an experienced surgeon between May 2014 and December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. To identify the risk factors for bleeding during percutaneous nephrolithotomy, each group was stratified according to the decrease in median hemoglobin. Age, gender, body mass index, stone size, operation time, stone type, degree of hydronephrosis, number of accesses, puncture guidance, underlying disease (diabetes; hypertension), and previous surgical history were evaluated. Univariate analysis was performed to calculate the potential factors. In order to determine the independence of each factor, we finally selected stone size, staghorn stone, degree of hydronephrosis, and operation time. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors for bleeding during minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy. RESULTS: A total of 396 patients were successfully treated with percutaneous nephrolithotomy. The univariate analysis demonstrated that the potential risk factors for bleeding during percutaneous nephrolithotomy included stone size, type of stone, operative time, and degree of hydronephrosis. According to the previous studies, stone size, staghorn stone, degree of hydronephrosis, and operation time were ultimately selected. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors for bleeding during percutaneous nephrolithotomy. According to the outcome of logistic regression analysis, stone size, staghorn stone, operation time, and degree of hydronephrosis were the risk factors for bleeding during minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy. CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous nephrolithotomy is an effective method for the treatment of upper urinary calculi with few complications. According to the results achieved by an experienced surgeon, the size of stone, staghorn stone, operation time, and degree of hydronephrosis were associated with the bleeding during minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy.

Efficacy and Safety of Tamsulosin in Medical Expulsive Therapy for Distal Ureteral Stones with Renal Colic: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Recent large high-quality trials have questioned the clinical effectiveness of medical expulsive therapy using tamsulosin for ureteral stones. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of tamsulosin for distal ureteral stones compared with placebo. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 3296 patients with distal ureteral stones, across 30 centers, to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tamsulosin. INTERVENTION: Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) into tamsulosin (0.4mg) or placebo groups for 4 wk. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The primary end point of analysis was the overall stone expulsion rate, defined as stone expulsion, confirmed by negative findings on computed tomography, over a 28-d surveillance period. Secondary end points included time to stone expulsion, use of analgesics, and incidence of adverse events. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Among 3450 patients randomized between September 1, 2011, and August 31, 2013, 3296 (96%) were included in the primary analysis. Tamsulosin benefits from a higher stone expulsion rate than the placebo (86% vs 79%; p<0.001) for distal ureteral stones. Subgroup analysis identified a specific benefit of tamsulosin for the treatment of large distal ureteral stones (>5mm). Considering the secondary end points, tamsulosin-treated patients reported a shorter time to expulsion (p<0.001), required lower use of analgesics compared with placebo (p<0.001), and significantly relieved renal colic (p<0.001). No differences in the incidence of adverse events were identified between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that tamsulosin use benefits distal ureteral stones in facilitating stone passage and relieving renal colic. Subgroup analyses find that tamsulosin provides a superior expulsion rate for stones >5mm, but no effect for stones ≤5mm. PATIENT SUMMARY: In this report, we looked at the efficacy and safety of tamsulosin for the treatment of distal ureteral stones. We find that tamsulosin significantly facilitates the passage of distal ureteral stones and relieves renal colic.

A modified clinicopathological tumor staging system for survival prediction of patients with penile cancer.

BACKGROUND: The 8th American Joint Committee on Cancer tumor-node-metastasis (AJCC-TNM) staging system is based on a few retrospective single-center studies. We aimed to test the prognostic validity of the staging system and to determine whether a modified clinicopathological tumor staging system that includes lymphovascular embolization could increase the accuracy of prognostic prediction for patients with stage T2-3 penile cancer. METHODS: A training cohort of 411 patients who were treated at 2 centers in China and Brazil between 2000 and 2015 were staged according to the 8th AJCC-TNM staging system. The internal validation was analyzed by bootstrap-corrected C-indexes (resampled 1000 times). Data from 436 patients who were treated at 15 centers over four continents were used for external validation. RESULTS: A survivorship overlap was observed between T2 and T3 patients (P = 0.587) classified according to the 8th AJCC-TNM staging system. Lymphovascular embolization was a significant prognostic factor for metastasis and survival (all P < 0.001). Based on the multivariate analysis, only lymphovascular embolization showed a significant influence on cancer-specific survival (CSS) (hazard ratio = 1.587, 95% confidence interval = 1.253-2.011; P = 0.001). T2 and T3 patients with lymphovascular embolization showed significantly shorter CSS than did those without lymphovascular embolization (P < 0.001). Therefore, a modified clinicopathological staging system was proposed, with the T2 and T3 categories of the 8th AJCC-TNM staging system being subdivided into two new categories as follows: t2 tumors invade the corpus spongiosum and/or corpora cavernosa and/or urethra without lymphovascular invasion, and t3 tumors invade the corpus spongiosum and/or corpora cavernosa and/or urethra with lymphovascular invasion. The modified staging system involving lymphovascular embolization showed improved prognostic stratification with significant differences in CSS among all categories (all P < 0.005) and exhibited higher accuracy in predicting patient prognoses than did the 8th AJCC-TNM staging system (C-index, 0.739 vs. 0.696). These results were confirmed in the external validation cohort. CONCLUSIONS: T2-3 penile cancers are heterogeneous, and a modified clinicopathological staging system that incorporates lymphovascular embolization may better predict the prognosis of patients with penile cancer than does the 8th AJCC-TNM staging system. Trial registration This study was retrospectively registered on Chinese Clinical Trail Registry: ChiCTR16008041 (2016-03-02). http://www.chictr.org.cn.

Transurethral flexible ureteroscopic incision and drainage with holmium laser in the treatment of parapelvic renal cysts: A retrospective study

ABSTRACT Background: We aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of transurethral flexible ureteroscopic incision and drainage with holmium laser in the treatment of parapelvic renal cysts. Materials and Methods: Between October 2017 and April 2021, the clinical data of 65 patients with parapelvic renal cysts were evaluated retrospectively. Thirty-one patients with parapelvic cysts (Group 1) underwent a transurethral flexible ureteroscopic incision and drainage with a holmium laser, whereas the other 34 patients (Group 2) underwent retroperitoneal laparoscopic unroofing. The patients' clinical features were documented. The surgery time, intraoperative blood loss, hospitalization time, complications and cyst size were recorded and statistically assessed one year following the procedure. Results: All of the patients were successfully treated with flexible ureteroscopic incision and drainage or retroperitoneal laparoscopic unroofing. In terms of clinical parameters, such as age, gender, BMI, location, cyst size, and Bosniak classification of renal cysts, no statistically significant difference was detected between Groups 1 and 2. Compared to the control group (Group 2), Group 1 demonstrated a shorter surgery duration, less intraoperative blood loss, and a shorter hospital stay (p < 0.001). However, no significant differences in complications and cyst size were observed between the two groups one year after the surgery (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Transurethral flexible ureteroscopic incision and drainage with holmium laser in the treatment of parapelvic renal cysts has obvious advantages over traditional surgery, and is worthy of advancement and application, but its long-term effect needs further follow-up studies.

More precise prediction in Chinese patients with penile squamous cell carcinoma: protein kinase CK2α catalytic subunit (CK2α) as a poor prognosticator.

PURPOSE: In this study, we assess the CK2α expression in human penile squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and its clinical significance. METHODS: A total of 157 human penile SCC tissue samples were immunohistochemically analyzed. In addition, 12 human penile SCC and adjacent normal tissues were examined for CK2α protein and mRNA expression by Western blotting and real-time quantitative PCR, respectively. Survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier test and the log-rank test. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was performed to determine the impacts of CK2α expression and the clinicopathological features on patient disease-specific survival (DSS). Likelihood ratios (LRs), Akaike information criterion (AIC) values, and concordance indexes (C-indexes) were investigated to evaluate the accuracies of the factors. Bootstrap-corrected C-indexes were used for internal validation (with sampling 1000 times). RESULTS: A significant difference in the distribution of CK2α was observed between the normal and penile carcinoma tissues (P<0.001). CK2α expression was associated with the pathological T and N stages in the penile cancer tissues (P<0.001). High CK2α expression was with significantly poorer DSS compared with low expression one (P<0.001). Western blotting and real-time quantitative PCR also confirmed that CK2α expression was increased in the penile cancer tissues. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, CK2α overexpression still was one of independent prognostic factors for penile SCC (P=0.005). The predictive accuracy of CK2α was verified by analysis of the C-indexes. CONCLUSION: High protein kinase CK2α expression is associated with several prognostic factors and is thus a significant indicator of poor prognosis for penile cancer.

Bilateral pelvic lymph node dissection for Chinese patients with penile cancer: a multicenter collaboration study.

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines recommend pelvic lymphadenectomy (PLND) for patients with pelvic lymph node metastasis and special state. However, these data and recommendations do not distinguish the role of PLND in different patient groups and confirm the final benefits. The aim of this study was to confirm the efficacy of pelvic lymphadenectomy (PLND) for the different groups of patients. METHODS: Data obtained from 7 centers were retrospectively analyzed. Of the patients, 190 pN2-3 penile carcinoma patients confirmed by bilateral inguinal lymph node excision were included in this study. Sixty-nine and 121 of these patients did and did not undergo bilateral PLND, respectively. The baseline differences from the patients were matched by propensity score analysis. RESULTS: In this study, the Kaplan-Meier estimated disease-specific survival (DSS) was not significantly different between the PLND and no-PLND groups (P = 0.796). According to the propensity score matching for T stage, N stage, grade, adjuvant therapies, and lymph node stage (number of inguinal lymph node metastasis and extranodal extension), 48 patients were selected for each group. Among the pN2 patients, the PLND group showed higher DSS rates than the no-surgery group (P = 0.030). However, even after matching, survival did not differ between the PLND and no-PLND patients among all patients (P = 0.609) and pN3 patients (P = 0.417) with comparable DSS. CONCLUSION: Bilateral PLND may improve survival in pN2 patients. Men with pN3 may not benefit from bilateral PLND.

Development of a New Classification Method for Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma Based on Lymph Node Density and Standard Pathological Risk Factors: The ND Staging System.

OBJECT: In this study, we evaluated the role of lymph node density (LND) and validated whether LND increases the accuracy of survival prediction when combined with the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) pathological node (N) staging system for penile cancer (7(th) edition). METHODS: A total of 270 Chinese penile cancer patients treated between March 1999 and October 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. LND was analyzed as a trichotomous variable for the prediction of DSS in this cohort. We developed a new prediction model, which we refer to as the ND staging system, that is based on LND and pathological N staging. The predictive accuracy of this model was further assessed using the concordance index. RESULTS: LND was correlated with the laterality of lymph node metastasis, extranodal extension, pelvic lymph node metastases, and pathologic tumor (T) and N stages (P<0.05). In separate multivariate Cox regression models, the LND (hazard ratio [HR], 1.966, 95% confidence interval [CI], (1.112-3.473, P=0.020) yielded independent effects on the outcome. According to the LND classification, the 3-year disease-specific survival (DSS) rates for patients with LNDs <7.0%, 7.0 to 16.9%, and ≥17.0% were 90.9%, 66.5%, and 22.2%, respectively (P<7.0%; 7.0%-16.9% =0.006; P7.0-16.9%; ≥17.0% =0.001). The corresponding rates were 95.7%, 76.7%, and 28.1% for the ND1, ND2, and ND3 patients, respectively (PND1-ND2 =0.047; PND2-ND3 <0.001). The indexes indicated that the accuracy of the pathological ND category that incorporated LND was significantly increased. CONCLUSION: LND was associated with some prognosticators and is thus a prognostic factor. The ND staging system that incorporates the LND better reflects the prognoses of penile cancer patients.