The Rho GTPase signalling pathway in urothelial carcinoma.

Urothelial carcinoma remains a clinical challenge: non-muscle-invasive disease has a high rate of recurrence and risk of progression, and outcomes for patients with advanced disease are poor, owing to a lack of effective systemic therapies. The Rho GTPase family of enzymes was first identified >30 years ago and contains >20 members, which are divided into eight subfamilies: Cdc42, Rac, Rho, RhoUV, RhoBTB, RhoDF, RhoH, and Rnd. Rho GTPases are molecular on-off switches, which are increasingly being understood to have a critical role in a number of cellular processes, including cell migration, cell polarity, cell adhesion, cell cycle progression, and regulation of the cytoskeleton. This switch is an evolutionarily conserved system in which GTPases alternate between GDP-bound (inactive) and GTP-bound (active) forms. The activities of these Rho GTPases are many, context-dependent, and regulated by a number of proteins that are being progressively elucidated. Aberrations of the Rho GTPase signalling pathways have been implicated in various malignancies, including urothelial carcinoma, and understanding of the role of Rho GTPases in these diseases is increasing. This signalling pathway has the potential for therapeutic targeting in urothelial carcinoma. Research in this area is nascent, and much work is necessary before current laboratory-based research can be translated into the clinic.

Alternative therapies in patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.

Bladder cancer (BC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Despite, the majority of the cases were diagnosed as non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with favorable prognosis, it has tendency to recur or progress to a higher grade or stage. The first line treatment of patients with NMIBC is transurethral resection with adjuvant therapies primarily intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy. However, in a portion of patients whose BCG treatment failed, alternative treatments may be required. Furthermore, intravesical BCG may be contraindicated in or untolerated by a group of patients. For these patients, some treatment options are readily available and a variety of them are currently under clinical investigation. In this review, these alternative therapies have been summarized.

Bowel preparation and peri-operative management for radical cystectomy in Turkey: Turkish Urooncology Association multicenter survey.

PURPOSE: To investigate the preferences and practice patterns of urooncologic surgeons in Turkey on bowel preparation and peri-operative management for radical cystectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted by Turkish Urooncology Association as a multicenter survey. Participants were asked to fill in questionnaires dispensed at annual oncologic meeting or using internet access to the website of Urooncology Association. The questionnaire consisted of multiple choice or open-ended questions related to frequency of cystectomy, surgical technique and type of diversion, bowel preparation protocol, nasogastric tube applications, antibiotic prophylaxis, and deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis. Collected data from the survey were presented descriptively. RESULTS: Forty-four questionnaires from 44 surgeons of different centers were evaluated. All participants answered that they always perform bowel preparation before cystectomy. Four participants reported that they had an experience of cystectomy without bowel preparation. Bowel preparation methods included long conservative methods, short enema protocols, and Golytely, but there were significant differences in application of each method. Of participants, 88.6% perform diversion by themselves whereas others ask help from a general surgeon. Antibiotic prophylaxis is preferred mostly by 2 agents using third-generation cephalosporins and metronidazole for a period of 5 days or more in the majority. Type, duration, and dosage of deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis differed among participants. CONCLUSION: There are significant individual differences in peri-operative management of radical cystectomy, which render deficient and sometimes inadequate patient care. There is a need to establish standard protocols for bowel preparation and adequate peri-operative management for radical cystectomy.