Incidence and management of prostatic urethra recurrence in a cohort of 21 patients who received BCG induction for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.

PURPOSE: To describe the incidence and management of patients who develop a prostatic urethral (PU) urothelial carcinoma recurrence after Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) induction for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of all patients who received BCG induction at our institution from 1996 to 2021 (N = 642) for NMIBC. All patients with pathologically confirmed PU involvement following BCG induction with no known PU involvement pre-BCG were included. We describe the presentation, management, and outcomes for PU recurrence. RESULTS: Among the 642 patients, 21 (3.3%) patients had a PU recurrence after BCG induction. 8 (38%) patients received >2 cycles of BCG induction prior to the recurrence. Median time from induction to PU recurrence was 21 months and 12 (57.1%) patients had concurrent bladder recurrence. At the time of their PU recurrence, 14/21 (67%) of patients were deemed BCG Unresponsive. Nearly all (18/21) were high grade, and 10 were stage Tis, 7 Ta, and 3 T1, and 1 T2. 19/21 (90%) patients received bladder sparing treatment: 6 with TURBT and BCG, 6 with TURBT and intravesical chemotherapy, 5 with TURBT only, and 2 did not receive immediate treatment of their PU recurrence due to advanced stage of disease. 2/21 (9.5%) received a radical cystectomy for initial treatment of the post-BCG PU recurrence, of which all were >pT2. Median follow-up time from BCG induction to the patient's last visit was 64.5 months. Following treatment of PU recurrence, 15/18 patients had another recurrence at a median of 5 months: about 47% of recurrences were bladder only and 14% recurred only in the PU as well. About 1 patient received a RC after the second recurrence and was pT2. CONCLUSION: Patients with PU recurrences following intravesical BCG have a high-risk disease phenotype with a significant risk of recurrence. Conservative management may be appropriate for well-selected patients who do not desire a cystoprostatectomy.

Noninvasive Papillary Urothelial Carcinoma of the Bladder: An Institutional Experience Focusing on Tumors With Borderline Features.

CONTEXT.­: Noninvasive papillary urothelial carcinomas (PUCs) comprise most urinary bladder tumors. Distinction between low-grade (LG-PUC) and high-grade (HG-PUC) PUCs is pivotal for determining prognosis and subsequent treatment. OBJECTIVE.­: To investigate the histologic characteristics of tumors with borderline features between LG-PUC and HG-PUC, focusing on the risk of recurrence and progression. DESIGN.­: We reviewed the clinicopathologic parameters of noninvasive PUC. Tumors with borderline features were subcategorized as follows: tumors that look like LG-PUC but have occasional pleomorphic nuclei (1-BORD-NUP) or elevated mitotic count (2-BORD-MIT), and tumors with side-by-side distinct LG-PUC and less than 50% HG-PUC (3-BORD-MIXED). Recurrence-free, total progression-free, and specific invasion-free survival curves were derived from the Kaplan-Meier method, and Cox regression analysis was performed. RESULTS.­: A total of 138 patients with noninvasive PUC were included, with the following distribution: LG-PUC (n = 52; 38%), HG-PUC (n = 34; 25%), BORD-NUP (n = 21; 15%), BORD-MIT (n = 14; 10%), and BORD-MIXED (n = 17; 12%). Median (interquartile range) follow-up was 44.2 months (29.9-73.1 months). Invasion-free survival was different between the 5 groups (P = .004), and pairwise comparison showed that HG-PUC had a worse prognosis compared with LG-PUC (P ≤ .001). On univariate Cox analysis, HG-PUC and BORD-NUP were 10.5 times (95% CI, 2.3-48.3; P = .003) and 5.9 times (95% CI, 1.1-31.9; P = .04) more likely to invade, respectively, when compared to LG-PUC. CONCLUSIONS.­: Our findings confirm a continuous spectrum of histologic changes in PUC. Approximately a third of noninvasive PUCs show borderline features between LG-PUC and HG-PUC. Compared with LG-PUC, BORD-NUP and HG-PUC were more likely to invade on follow-up. BORD-MIXED tumors did not statistically behave differently from LG-PUC.

The State of Urotrauma Education Among Residency Programs in the United States: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Management of urotrauma is a crucial part of a urologist's knowledge and training. We therefore sought to understand the state of urotrauma education in the United States. RECENT FINDINGS: Using themes of "Urotrauma" and "Education," we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis by searching for studies in MEDLINE, all Cochrane libraries, EMBASE, BIOSIS, Scopus, and Web of Science through May 2023. The primary outcome was the pooled rate of urology trainee and program director attitudes toward urotrauma education. Secondary outcomes involved a descriptive summary of existing urotrauma curricula and an assessment of factors affecting urotrauma exposure. Of 12,230 unique records, 11 studies met the final eligibility criteria, and we included 2 in the meta-analysis. The majority of trainees and program directors reported having level 1 trauma center rotations (range 88-89%) and considered urotrauma exposure as an important aspect of residency education (83%, 95% CI 76-88%). Despite possible increases in trainee exposure to Society of Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgeons (GURS) faculty over the preceding decade, nearly a third of trainees and program directors currently felt there remained inadequate exposure to urotrauma during training (32%, 95% CI 19-46%). Factors affecting urotrauma education include the limited exposure to GURS-trained faculty and clinical factors such as case infrequency and non-operative trauma management. Urology resident exposure to urotrauma is inadequate in many training programs, underscoring the potential value of developing a standardized curriculum to improve urotrauma education for trainees. Further investigation is needed to characterize this issue and to understand how it impacts trainee practice readiness.