Urinary biomarkers for bladder cancer diagnosis and NMIBC follow-up: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Bladder cancer detection and follow-up is based on cystoscopy and/or cytology, but it remains imperfect and invasive. Current research focuses on diagnostic biomarkers that could improve bladder cancer detection and follow-up by discriminating patients at risk of aggressive cancer who need confirmatory TURBT (Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumour) from patients at no risk of aggressive cancer who could be spared from useless explorations. OBJECTIVE: To perform a systematic review of data on the clinical validity and clinical utility of eleven urinary biomarkers (VisioCyt®, Xpert®Bladder, BTA stat®, BTA TRAK™, NMP22 BC®, NMP22® BladderChek® Test, ImmunoCyt™/uCyt1+™, UroVysion Bladder Cancer Kit®, Cxbladder, ADXBLADDER, Urodiag®) for bladder cancer diagnosis and for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) follow-up. METHODS: All available studies on the 11 biomarkers published between May 2010 and March 2021 and present in MEDLINE® were reviewed. The main endpoints were clinical performance for bladder cancer detection, recurrence or progression during NMIBC monitoring, and additional value compared to cytology and/or cystoscopy. RESULTS: Most studies on urinary biomarkers had a prospective design and high level of evidence. However, their results should be interpreted with caution given the heterogeneity among studies. Most of the biomarkers under study displayed higher detection sensitivity compared with cytology, but lower specificity. Some biomarkers may have clinical utility for NMIBC surveillance in patients with negative or equivocal cystoscopy or negative or atypical urinary cytology findings, and also for recurrence prediction. CONCLUSION: Urinary biomarkers might have a complementary place in bladder cancer diagnosis and NMIBC surveillance. However, their clinical benefit remains to be confirmed.

Artificial intelligence to improve cytology performances in bladder carcinoma detection: results of the VisioCyt test.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the utility of artificial intelligence (AI) using the VisioCyt® test (VitaDX International, Rennes, France) to improve diagnosis of bladder carcinoma using voided urine cytology. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A national prospective multicentre trial (14 centres) was conducted on 1360 patients, divided in two groups. The first group included bladder carcinoma diagnosis with different histological grades and stages, and the second group included control patients based on negative cystoscopy and cytology results. The first step of this VISIOCYT1 trial focussed on algorithm development and the second step on validating this algorithm. A total of 598 patients were included in this first step, 449 patients with bladder tumours (219 high-grade and 230 low-grade) and 149 as negative controls. The VisioCyt test was compared to voided urine cytology performed by experienced uro-pathologists from each centre. RESULTS: Overall sensitivity was highly improved by the VisioCyt test compared to cytology (84.9% vs 43%). For high-grade tumours the VisioCyt test sensitivity was 92.6% vs 61.1% for the uro-pathologists. Regarding low-grade tumours, VisioCyt test sensitivity was 77% vs 26.3% for the uro-pathologists. CONCLUSION: In comparison to routine cytology, the results of the first phase of the VISIOCYT1 trial show very clear progress in terms of sensitivity, which is particularly visible and interesting for low-grade tumours. If the validation cohort confirms these results, it could lead to the VisioCyt test being considered as a very useful aid for pathologists. Moreover, as this test is in fact software based on AI, it should become more and more efficient as more data are collected.

Circadian genes polymorphisms, night work and prostate cancer risk: Findings from the EPICAP study.

Over the past two decades, several studies have attempted to understand the hypothesis that disrupting the circadian rhythm may promote the development of cancer. Some have suggested that night work and some circadian genes polymorphisms are associated with cancer, including prostate cancer. Our study aims to test the hypothesis that prostate cancer risk among night workers may be modulated by genetic polymorphisms in the circadian pathway genes based on data from the EPICAP study, a population-based case-control study including 1511 men (732 cases/779 controls) with genotyped data. We estimated odds ratio (ORs) and P values of the association between prostate cancer and circadian gene variants using logistic regression models. We tested the interaction between circadian genes variants and night work indicators that were significantly associated with prostate cancer at pathway, gene and SNP levels. Analyses were also stratified by each of these night work indicators and by cancer aggressiveness. The circadian pathway was significantly associated with aggressive prostate cancer among night workers (P = .004), particularly for men who worked at night for <20 years (P = .0002) and those who performed long night shift (>10 hours, P = .001). At the gene level, we observed among night workers significant associations between aggressive prostate cancer and ARNTL, NPAS2 and RORA. At the SNP-level, no significant association was observed. Our findings provide some clues of a potential modulating effect of circadian genes in the relationship between night work and prostate cancer. Further investigation is warranted to confirm these findings and to better elucidate the biological pathways involved.

Impact on quality of life 3 years after diagnosis of prostate cancer patients below 75 at diagnosis: an observational case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer patients are known to suffer from poor sexual and urinary long-term side-effects following treatment, potentially impacting quality of life. The purpose of our study was to compare health-related quality of life at 3 years between prostate cancer patients and healthy controls according to key life-style characteristics. Secondary objectives were to compare urological dysfunction, sexual function, anxiety and depression. METHODS: Multicentric, case-control, observational prospective, open, follow-up study including 819 prostate cancer patients < 75 years old from the EPICAP cohort, newly diagnosed from 1 December 2011 to 31 March 2014 and 879 healthy controls. Participants were excluded if they experienced a relapse. Controls from the same geographical region were age-matched and were excluded if they were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Patients received one of the following treatments: active surveillance (AS), radical prostatectomy (RP), external beam radiotherapy (EBRT), High-intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU), chemotherapy (CT), or androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) as appropriate. The primary outcome was the quality of life as evaluated by the QLQ-C30 questionnaire. Scores were analyzed by multivariate analysis to adjust for predefined socio-demographic confounding effects. RESULTS: In total, 564 participants were included (mean age 67.9 years): 376 patients and 188 controls. Treatment breakdown was: 258 underwent RP, 90 received EBRT, 52 brachytherapy or HIFU, 15 CT, 26 ADT and 61 AS. There was no difference in median global quality of life between patients and controls (94.87 vs 94.15, p = 0.71). Multivariate analysis showed poorer social functioning in patients (24.3% vs. 16.3%, p = 0.0209), more dyspnea (22% vs. 12.4%, p = 0.0078), and yet less current pain (23% vs 33%, p = 0.0151). CONCLUSIONS: Global health status score at 3 years after diagnosis was similar between patients and controls, though patients showed a significantly worse social functioning. Prostate cancer diagnosis per se does not seem to impact the quality of life of patients < 75 years at diagnosis. However, the therapeutic option that will be chosen following diagnosis should be carefully discussed with the medical staff in terms of benefit-risk ratios as it could have a long-term impact on urinary or erectile dysfunction. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02854982 . Registered 4 August 2016, retrospectively registered.

Circadian genes and risk of prostate cancer: Findings from the EPICAP study.

Circadian rhythms regulate several physiological functions and genes controlling the circadian rhythm were found to regulate cell proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis. Few studies have investigated the role of those circadian genes in prostate cancer occurrence. We aim to investigate the relationship between circadian genes polymorphisms and prostate cancer risk based on data from the EPICAP study, a population-based case-control study including 1,515 men (732 cases / 783 controls) with genotyped data. Odds Ratios (ORs) for association between prostate cancer and circadian gene variants were estimated for each of the 872 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 31 circadian clock genes. We also used a gene-based and pathway-based approach with a focus on the pathway including 9 core circadian genes. Separate analyses were conducted by prostate cancer aggressiveness. The core-circadian pathway (p = 0.0006) was significantly associated to prostate cancer, for either low (p = 0.002) or high (p = 0.01) grade tumor. At the gene level, we observed significant associations between all prostate cancer and NPAS2 and PER1 after correcting for multiple testing, while only RORA was significant for aggressive tumors. At the SNP-level, no significant association was observed. Our findings provide additional evidence of a potential link between genetic variants in circadian genes and prostate cancer risk. Further investigation is warranted to confirm these findings and to better understand the biological pathways involved.

Prostatitis, other genitourinary infections and prostate cancer risk: Influence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs? Results from the EPICAP study.

Epidemiological studies have suggested that prostatitis may increase the risk of prostate cancer due to chronic inflammation. We studied the association between several genitourinary infections and the risk of prostate cancer based on data from the EPICAP study. EPICAP is a population-based case-control study conducted in the département of Hérault, France, between 2012 and 2014. A total of 819 incident cases and 879 controls have been face to face interviewed using a standardized questionnaire gathering information on known or suspected risk factors of prostate cancer, and personal history of genitourinary infections: prostatitis, urethritis, orchi-epididymitis, and acute pyelonephritis. Odds Ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence interval were estimated using multivariate unconditional logistic regression. Overall, 139 (18%) cases and 98 (12%) controls reported having at least one personal history of genitourinary infections (OR = 1.64 [1.23-2.20]). The risk increased with the number of infections (p-trend < 0.05). The association was specifically observed with personal history of chronic prostatitis and acute pyelonephritis (OR = 2.95 [1.26-6.92] and OR = 2.66 [1.29-5.51], respectively) and in men who did not use any non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (OR = 2.00 [1.37-2.91]). Our results reinforce the hypothesis that chronic inflammation, generated by a personal history of genitourinary infections, may play a role in prostate carcinogenesis.

Night work and prostate cancer risk: results from the EPICAP Study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of night work in prostate cancer based on data from the EPICAP Study. METHODS: EPICAP is a French population-based case-control study including 818 incident prostate cancer cases and 875 frequency-matched controls that have been interviewed face to face on several potential risk factors including lifetime occupational history. Detailed information on work schedules for each job (permanent or rotating night work, duration, total number of nights, length of the shift, number of consecutive nights) as well as sleep duration and chronotype, was gathered. Prostate cancer aggressiveness was assessed by Gleason Score. RESULTS: Night work was not associated with prostate cancer, whatever the aggressiveness of prostate cancer, while we observed an overall increased risk among men with an evening chronotype (OR=1.83, 95% CI 1.05 to 3.19). A long duration of at least 20 years of permanent night work was associated with aggressive prostate cancer (OR=1.76, 95% CI 1.13 to 2.75), even more pronounced in combination with a shift length >10 hours or ≥ 6 consecutive nights (OR=4.64, 95% CI 1.78 to 12.13; OR=2.43, 95% CI 1.32 to 4.47, respectively). CONCLUSION: Overall, ever night work, either permanent or rotating, was not associated to prostate cancer. Nevertheless, our results suggest that a long duration of permanent night work in combination with a long shift length or at least six consecutive nights may be associated with prostate cancer, particularly with aggressive prostate cancer. Further studies are needed to confirm those findings.

Screening and prostate cancer mortality: results of the European Randomised Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) at 13 years of follow-up.

BACKGROUND: The European Randomised study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) has shown significant reductions in prostate cancer mortality after 9 years and 11 years of follow-up, but screening is controversial because of adverse events such as overdiagnosis. We provide updated results of mortality from prostate cancer with follow-up to 2010, with analyses truncated at 9, 11, and 13 years. METHODS: ERSPC is a multicentre, randomised trial with a predefined centralised database, analysis plan, and core age group (55-69 years), which assesses prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing in eight European countries. Eligible men aged 50-74 years were identified from population registries and randomly assigned by computer generated random numbers to screening or no intervention (control). Investigators were masked to group allocation. The primary outcome was prostate cancer mortality in the core age group. Analysis was by intention to treat. We did a secondary analysis that corrected for selection bias due to non-participation. Only incidence and no mortality data at 9 years' follow-up are reported for the French centres. This study is registered with Current Controlled Trials, number ISRCTN49127736. FINDINGS: With data truncated at 13 years of follow-up, 7408 prostate cancer cases were diagnosed in the intervention group and 6107 cases in the control group. The rate ratio of prostate cancer incidence between the intervention and control groups was 1·91 (95% CI 1·83-1·99) after 9 years (1·64 [1·58-1·69] including France), 1·66 (1·60-1·73) after 11 years, and 1·57 (1·51-1·62) after 13 years. The rate ratio of prostate cancer mortality was 0·85 (0·70-1·03) after 9 years, 0·78 (0·66-0·91) after 11 years, and 0·79 (0·69-0·91) at 13 years. The absolute risk reduction of death from prostate cancer at 13 years was 0·11 per 1000 person-years or 1·28 per 1000 men randomised, which is equivalent to one prostate cancer death averted per 781 (95% CI 490-1929) men invited for screening or one per 27 (17-66) additional prostate cancer detected. After adjustment for non-participation, the rate ratio of prostate cancer mortality in men screened was 0·73 (95% CI 0·61-0·88). INTERPRETATION: In this update the ERSPC confirms a substantial reduction in prostate cancer mortality attributable to testing of PSA, with a substantially increased absolute effect at 13 years compared with findings after 9 and 11 years. Despite our findings, further quantification of harms and their reduction are still considered a prerequisite for the introduction of populated-based screening. FUNDING: Each centre had its own funding responsibility.

Prostate-cancer mortality at 11 years of follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Several trials evaluating the effect of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing on prostate-cancer mortality have shown conflicting results. We updated prostate-cancer mortality in the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer with 2 additional years of follow-up. METHODS: The study involved 182,160 men between the ages of 50 and 74 years at entry, with a predefined core age group of 162,388 men 55 to 69 years of age. The trial was conducted in eight European countries. Men who were randomly assigned to the screening group were offered PSA-based screening, whereas those in the control group were not offered such screening. The primary outcome was mortality from prostate cancer. RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 11 years in the core age group, the relative reduction in the risk of death from prostate cancer in the screening group was 21% (rate ratio, 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.68 to 0.91; P=0.001), and 29% after adjustment for noncompliance. The absolute reduction in mortality in the screening group was 0.10 deaths per 1000 person-years or 1.07 deaths per 1000 men who underwent randomization. The rate ratio for death from prostate cancer during follow-up years 10 and 11 was 0.62 (95% CI, 0.45 to 0.85; P=0.003). To prevent one death from prostate cancer at 11 years of follow-up, 1055 men would need to be invited for screening and 37 cancers would need to be detected. There was no significant between-group difference in all-cause mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Analyses after 2 additional years of follow-up consolidated our previous finding that PSA-based screening significantly reduced mortality from prostate cancer but did not affect all-cause mortality. (Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN49127736.).

Prosbiotate: a multicenter, prospective analysis of infectious complications after prostate biopsy.

PURPOSE: Prostate biopsy side effects have a role in the controversy over screening for prostate cancer. We measured the precise incidence of infection after prostate biopsy and determined risk factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a prospective, multicenter study in France from April to June 2013. All prostate biopsies done during this period were included in study. A web based questionnaire was used to identify patient characteristics, biopsy methods and postoperative infectious episodes. External audit helped ensure data completeness. The primary outcome was the post-biopsy infection rate. We determined risk factors for infectious complications using univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The study included 2,718 patients, of whom 6% reported receiving antibiotics in the previous 6 months and 7.4% had a history of prostatitis. Recommended antibiotic prophylaxis consisting of 2 fluoroquinolone tablets 2 hours before examination for prostate biopsy was noted in 78.3% of cases. Post-biopsy sepsis was found in 76 subjects (2.8%). On multivariate analysis predictors of post-biopsy sepsis were noncompliance with antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.4-3.9, p = 0.001), antibiotic treatment in the previous 6 months (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.1-3.9, p = 0.015) and a history of prostatitis (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.2-2.4, p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: In this study the incidence of post-prostate biopsy sepsis was 2.8% and no deaths were reported. Risk factors identified on multivariate analysis were noncompliance with antibiotic prophylaxis according to guidelines, antibiotic treatment in the previous 6 months and a history of prostatitis.

Abiraterone acetate in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: long term outcome of the Temporary Authorization for Use programme in France.

BACKGROUND: COU-AA-301 trial has proved that abiraterone acetate (AA), a selective inhibitor of androgen biosynthesis, improved overall survival (OS) of patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) after a first line of docetaxel. Based on this result, a Temporary Authorization for Use (TAU) was performed between December 2010 and July 2011 to provide patients with mCRPC the opportunity to receive AA before its commercialization. The aim of this study was to evaluate safety and efficacy of AA treatment in this TAU. METHODS: Between December 2010 and July 2011, we conducted an ambispective, multicentric cohort study and investigated data from 20 centres participating to the AA TAU for patients presenting mCRPC and already treated by a first line of chemotherapy (CT). Statistical analyses of the data were performed using the Stata software v13 to identify predictive and prognostic factors. RESULTS: Among the 408 patients, 306 were eligible with a follow-up at 3 years. Median OS was 37.1 months from beginning of CT and 14.6 months from AA introduction. 211 patients (69%) received ≥ 3 months of AA and 95 patients (31%) were treated less than 3 months. In the multivariate analyses, duration of AA was significantly correlated with PSA decrease at 3 months. Additionally, shorter time under AA treatment, presence of multiple sites of metastasis and previous hormonal treatment duration were three independent factors associated with poorer OS. At the time of analysis ten patients were still under treatment for more than 3 years. CONCLUSIONS: Biochemical response monitored by PSA changes at 3 months is a strong predictive factor for AA treatment duration. Some high responders' patients could beneficiate from AA for more than 3 years.

Differences in practice patterns between urologists and radiation oncologists in the management of localized prostate cancer: a cross-sectional survey.

INTRODUCTION: Through a cross-sectional survey, we tried to assess whether practices of urologists and radiation oncologists are uniform when faced with similar clinical situations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was mailed to all French urologists and radiation oncologists. Respondents were asked about their practices through 11 case scenarios. The scenarios cover most of localized prostate cancer situations and were gradually organized depending on prostate cancer progression risk and the age of the patient. The eight first scenarios address the situation of treatment-naive patients, and the last cases were about the management of patients after radical prostatectomy. Physicians were asked to choose a treatment modality for each case. The responses were first stratified according to the intention to treat: either curative-intent treatment or palliative. The curative-treatment modality chosen were afterward assessed. The responses to clinical scenarios were compared between the two specialties. RESULTS: Concerning the intention to treat, practice patterns were overall consistent except in one case. Indeed, a higher rate of radiation oncologists prefer curative-intent treatment for intermediate-risk prostate cancer in aged patients: 57.4 versus 14.6 % (p < 0.001). Each medical specialist prefers the treatment that he himself delivers (p < 0.005). For intermediate-risk prostate cancer in 65-year-old patient: 96.5 % of urologists chose radical prostatectomy versus 37.7 % of radiation oncologists (p < 0.001). Fewer urologists (almost 14 %) compared to radiation oncologists (47.5 %) would prescribe adjuvant treatment after radical prostatectomy for T3a R0 prostate cancer with post-operative PSA undetectable (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Significant differences were found in therapeutic approach between the two main specialties that deal with localized prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer: net survival and cause-specific survival rates after multiple imputation.

BACKGROUND: Estimations of survival rates are diverse and the choice of the appropriate method depends on the context. Given the increasing interest in multiple imputation methods, we explored the interest of a multiple imputation approach in the estimation of cause-specific survival, when a subset of causes of death was observed. METHODS: By using European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC), 20 multiply imputed datasets were created and analyzed with a Multivariate Imputation by Chained Equation (MICE) algorithm. Then, cause-specific survival was estimated on each dataset with two methods: Kaplan-Meier and competing risks. The two pooled cause-specific survival and confidence intervals were obtained using Rubin's rules after complementary log-log transformation. Net survival was estimated using Pohar-Perme's estimator and was compared to pooled cause-specific survival. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was performed to test the robustness of our constructed multiple imputation model. RESULTS: Cause-specific survival performed better than net survival, since this latter exceeded 100 % for almost the first 2 years of follow-up and after 9 years whereas the cause-specific survival decreased slowly and than stabilized at around 94 % at 9 years. Sensibility study results were satisfactory. CONCLUSIONS: On our basis of prostate cancer data, the results obtained by cause-specific survival after multiple imputation appeared to be better and more realistic than those obtained using net survival.

Mannose-6-phosphate receptor: a target for theranostics of prostate cancer.

The development of personalized and non-invasive cancer therapies based on new targets combined with nanodevices is a major challenge in nanomedicine. In this work, the over-expression of a membrane lectin, the cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (M6PR), was specifically demonstrated in prostate cancer cell lines and tissues. To efficiently target this lectin a mannose-6-phosphate analogue was synthesized in six steps and grafted onto the surface of functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs). These MSNs were used for in vitro and ex vivo photodynamic therapy to treat prostate cancer cell lines and primary cell cultures prepared from patient biopsies. The results demonstrated the efficiency of M6PR targeting for prostate cancer theranostic.

Epidemiological study of prostate cancer (EPICAP): a population-based case-control study in France.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in male in most Western countries, including France. Despite a significant morbidity and mortality to a lesser extent, the etiology of prostate cancer remains largely unknown. Indeed, the only well-established risk factors to date are age, ethnicity and a family history of prostate cancer. We present, here, the rationale and design of the EPIdemiological study of Prostate CAncer (EPICAP), a population-based case-control study specifically designed to investigate the role of environmental and genetic factors in prostate cancer. The EPICAP study will particularly focused on the role of circadian disruption, chronic inflammation, hormonal and metabolic factors in the occurrence of prostate cancer. METHODS/DESIGN: EPICAP is a population-based case-control study conducted in the département of Hérault in France. Eligible cases are all cases of prostate cancers newly diagnosed in 2012-2013 in men less than 75 years old and residing in the département of Hérault at the time of diagnosis. Controls are men of the same age as the cases and living in the département of Hérault, recruited in the general population.The sample will include a total of 1000 incident cases of prostate cancer and 1000 population-based controls over a 3-year period (2012-2014).The cases and controls are face-to-face interviewed using a standardized computed assisted questionnaire. The questions focus primarily on usual socio-demographic characteristics, personal and family medical history, lifestyle, leisure activities, residential and occupational history. Anthropometric measures and biological samples are also collected for cases and controls. DISCUSSION: The EPICAP study aims to answer key questions in prostate cancer etiology: (1) role of circadian disruption through the study of working hours, chronotype and duration/quality of sleep, (2) role of chronic inflammation and anti-inflammatory drugs, (3) role of hormonal and metabolic factors through a detailed questionnaire, (4) role of individual genetic susceptibility of genes involved in biological pathways of interest. The EPICAP study will also allow us to study prognostic factors and tumor aggressiveness.Taken together, the EPICAP study will provide a comprehensive framework to go further in the understanding of prostate cancer occurrence and its prognosis.

Microarray gene expression profiling and analysis of bladder cancer supports the sub-classification of T1 tumours into T1a and T1b stages.

OBJECTIVE: To try and identify a molecular signature for pathological staging and/or grading. through microarray analysis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a prospective multicentre study between September 2007 and May 2008 that included 108 bladder tumours (45 pTa, 35 pT1 and 28>pT1). Microarray analysis was performed using Agilent Technologies Human Whole Genome 4 × 44K oligonucleotide microarrays (Agilent, Santa Clara, CA, USA). A 'dual colour' method was used vs a reference pool of tumours. From the lists of genes provided by the Biometric Research Branch class comparison analyses, we validated the microarray results of 38 selected differentially expressed genes using reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR in another bladder tumour cohort (n = 95). RESULTS: The cluster 'superficial vs invasive stage' correctly classified 92.9% of invasive stages and 66.3% of superficial stages. Among the superficial tumours, the cluster analysis showed that pT1b tumours were closer to invasive stages than pT1a tumours. We also found molecular differences between low and high grade superficial tumours, but these differences were less well defined than the difference observed for staging. CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed that the histopathological classification into subgroups pTa, pT1a and pT1b can be translated into a molecular signature with a continuous progression of deregulation (overexpression or repression of these genes) from superficial (pTa) to more invasive (pT1a then b) stages.

Clinical outcomes after salvage radiotherapy without androgen deprivation therapy in patients with persistently detectable PSA after radical prostatectomy: results from a national multicentre study.

PURPOSE: To assess oncologic outcomes after salvage radiotherapy (SRT) without androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in patients with persistently detectable PSA after radical prostatectomy (RT). METHODS: Two hundred and one patients who failed to achieve an undetectable PSA received SRT without ADT. The primary endpoint was failure to SRT that was defined by clinical progression or use of second-line ADT. Clinicopathological parameters, 6-week PSA level, PSAV and pre-SRT PSA levels were assessed using time-dependent analyses. RESULTS: Median postoperative 6-week PSA and pre-SRT PSA levels were 0.25 and 0.48 ng/mL, respectively. Median time between surgery and SRT was 7 months. Failure to SRT was reported in 42.8 % of cases with the need for second-line ADT in 26.9 % of cases. Pre-SRT PSA was strongly correlated with postoperative 6-week PSA (p < 0.001) but not with PSAV. The risk of SRT failure was increased by threefold in case of Gleason score 8-10 (p = 0.036) or pT3b cancer (p = 0.006). Risk group classification based on these prognostic factors improved SRT failure prediction. Survival curves confirmed that 5-year ADT-free survival rates were significantly influenced by PSAV (p = 0.002) and pre-SRT PSA (p = 0.030). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with persistently detectable PSA after RP and selected for local salvage treatment, SRT offers good oncologic clinical outcomes. The most powerful pathologic predictive factors of SRT failure include a pT3b stage, a Gleason score 8 or more cancer and high PSAV and pre-SRT PSA levels. Patients having a high PSAV >0.04 ng/mL/mo would be potentially better candidates for a systemic therapy due to a high SRT failure rate.

Sexually and non-sexually transmitted infections and the risk of prostate cancer: Results from the EPICAP study.

INTRODUCTION: Prostate cancer (PCa) is by far the most common type of cancer among men in western countries. However, relatively little is known about its etiology despite the high morbidity and mortality. It has been suggested that chronic inflammation may be involved in prostate carcinogenesis. We investigated the role of sexually and non-sexually transmitted infections in prostate cancer risk with a specific interest in the aggressive types. METHODS: We used data from epidemiological study of prostate cancer (EPICAP), a population-based case-control study. A total of 819 incident cases and 879 controls were interviewed face-to-face using a standardized questionnaire gathering information on known or suspected risk factors of prostate cancer and personal history of specific sexually and non-sexually transmitted infections: gonorrhea, syphilis, trichomonas, herpes, mononucleosis, Epstein-Barr virus, varicella-zoster, and dengue. Odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence interval were estimated using multivariate unconditional logistic regression. RESULTS: There was no significant association between gonorrhea (OR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.61-1.33), trichomonas (OR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.27-2.07), genital herpes (OR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.38-1.27), and the risk of prostate cancer. No association emerged for overall sexually transmitted bacterial and viral infections (OR 1.05, 95% CI: 0.86-1.29) and overall non-sexually transmitted viral infections (OR 1.11, 95% CI: 0.90-1.35) and the risk of prostate cancer. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that sexually or non-sexually transmitted infections, either bacterial or viral, were not associated to prostate cancer. Therefore, further investigation is needed to help advance our understanding of the role of chronic inflammation in the etiology of prostate cancer, with a particular focus on its most aggressive types.

Parietal complications after cystectomy: incisional and parastomal hernia, epidemiology and risk factors.

INTRODUCTION: Incisional and parastomal hernias are frequent complications after cystectomy. The aim of our study was to define their incidence, identify risk factors related to the patient and the surgical technique, and identify means of prevention. MATERIAL: This was a multicenter, retrospective study, analyzing clinical and radiological data from 521 patients operated on for cystectomy between January 2010 and December 2020. RESULTS: 521 patients, 471 men and 50 women, mean age 68.8 years, were included. 31 patients (6.6%) presented with an evisceration. Risk factors were a history of evisceration (OR 14.1; CI95%: [3-66]; p = 0.0008), COPD (OR 3.5; CI95%: [1.3-9 .4]; p = 0.0119), ischemic heart disease (OR 4; CI95%: [1. 6 - 10]; p = 0.0036), and split-stitch closure (OR 3.1; IC95%: [1.065 - 8.9; p = 0.0493). 51 patients (9.9%) presented with an incisional hernia. Risk factors were a history of COPD (OR 4, IC95%: [2.1-7 .6]; p< 0.001) and postoperative pulmonary infection (OR 5.3; IC95% [1.05-26.4]; p = 0.0079). 79 patients (15.28%) had a parastomal hernia. Overweight was a risk factor (OR 2.3; IC95% [1.3-4.5]; p = 0.0073). CONCLUSION: Patients who are overweight or have pulmonary comorbidities are at greater risk of developing parietal complications after cystectomy.