Machine Learning and External Validation of the IDENTIFY Risk Calculator for Patients with Haematuria Referred to Secondary Care for Suspected Urinary Tract Cancer.

BACKGROUND: The IDENTIFY study developed a model to predict urinary tract cancer using patient characteristics from a large multicentre, international cohort of patients referred with haematuria. In addition to calculating an individual's cancer risk, it proposes thresholds to stratify them into very-low-risk (<1%), low-risk (1-<5%), intermediate-risk (5-<20%), and high-risk (≥20%) groups. OBJECTIVE: To externally validate the IDENTIFY haematuria risk calculator and compare traditional regression with machine learning algorithms. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Prospective data were collected on patients referred to secondary care with new haematuria. Data were collected for patient variables included in the IDENTIFY risk calculator, cancer outcome, and TNM staging. Machine learning methods were used to evaluate whether better models than those developed with traditional regression methods existed. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for the detection of urinary tract cancer, calibration coefficient, calibration in the large (CITL), and Brier score were determined. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: There were 3582 patients in the validation cohort. The development and validation cohorts were well matched. The AUC of the IDENTIFY risk calculator on the validation cohort was 0.78. This improved to 0.80 on a subanalysis of urothelial cancer prevalent countries alone, with a calibration slope of 1.04, CITL of 0.24, and Brier score of 0.14. The best machine learning model was Random Forest, which achieved an AUC of 0.76 on the validation cohort. There were no cancers stratified to the very-low-risk group in the validation cohort. Most cancers were stratified to the intermediate- and high-risk groups, with more aggressive cancers in higher-risk groups. CONCLUSIONS: The IDENTIFY risk calculator performed well at predicting cancer in patients referred with haematuria on external validation. This tool can be used by urologists to better counsel patients on their cancer risks, to prioritise diagnostic resources on appropriate patients, and to avoid unnecessary invasive procedures in those with a very low risk of cancer. PATIENT SUMMARY: We previously developed a calculator that predicts patients' risk of cancer when they have blood in their urine, based on their personal characteristics. We have validated this risk calculator, by testing it on a separate group of patients to ensure that it works as expected. Most patients found to have cancer tended to be in the higher-risk groups and had more aggressive types of cancer with a higher risk. This tool can be used by clinicians to fast-track high-risk patients based on the calculator and investigate them more thoroughly.

In-hospital psychoeducation for family caregivers of Nigerian children with cancer (The RESCUE Study).

OBJECTIVES: High levels of caregiver burden (CB) are experienced by informal caregivers of pediatric patients with cancer. There is increasing evidence highlighting the extent of CB across sub-Saharan African countries, although there remains lack of interventions that target improvements in their experience. This study aimed to determine the impact of a structured psychoeducation program on caregivers' outcomes relating to preparedness to provide care, burden of caregiving, and quality of life (QoL). METHODS: This quasi-experimental (pre-and-posttest) design, involved family caregivers of children on admission for cancer treatment in 4 Nigerian tertiary hospitals. Eligible participants received 2 structured, psychoeducational training sessions delivered by a multidisciplinary oncology team, focusing on the management of patients' condition, spiritual care, self-care, and support. RESULTS: Subjects were mainly female (79.5%) and mostly mothers to children undergoing cancer treatment (74.7%). Commonest cancer type was acute lymphoblastic leukemia (23.9%) with evidence of metastatic disease found in 9.6% of children. Significant improvements were observed between pre- and posttest for unmet needs (z = -9.3; p < 0.001), preparedness for caregiving in palliative care (PCPC) (z = -7.0; p < 0.001), and overall QoL (z = -7.3; p < 0.001). A significant reduction in CB was also reported (z = -8.7; p < 0.001). SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: This psychoeducational intervention (PEI) resulted in significant improvements in unmet needs, CB and significant improvements in PCPC. However, a reduction in QoL of the family caregivers was also observed. Findings from this study should encourage the use of well-crafted PEIs, delivered within hospital settings to promote improvements in outcomes for informal caregivers of hospitalized children suffering from cancer, in an African context. Further intervention development is required to better understand intervention components influencing changes in outcomes, while exploring feasibility testing and adaptation to similar settings in Nigeria and within Africa.

Optimising pre-operative imaging-surgery intervals for stones.

Introduction and objectives: The NICE guidelines for acute ureteric colic recommend diagnostic imaging, definitive management and definitive care within 24 and 48 h of symptoms and 4 weeks of temporisation, respectively. However, the NHS reality is fraught with long waiting times to definitive treatment, further compounded by a progressively increasing stone burden, paucity of on-site lithotripters and a decrease in non-cancer elective theatre sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic. By the time patients attended the elective surgeries, their reference images (RIs) were often significantly out of date. Scant direction exists on what interval between imaging and surgery invalidates the usefulness of the RIs in providing surgical guidance.This study aimed to evaluate the role of imaging-surgery intervals (ISIs) on upper tract stone negative surgery outcomes and derive a cut-off ISI warranting updated images, with a view to improving efficiency and patient safety. Materials and methods: Upper tract stone surgeries were retrospectively assessed. Each renal unit was considered independently in bilateral stones. Cases were grouped into renal/pelvic (referred to as 'RENAL') and URETERIC stones. Data retrieved included the ISI, intra-operative disparity (IOD) between stone-related features on RIs and the surgical findings. Receiver operating curves (ROCs) were used to determine ISI cut-offs more predictive of IODs. Results: Four hundred and twenty-seven surgeries on 174 (40.7%) RENAL and 253 (59.3%) URETERIC stones were appraised. No stones were found intraoperatively in 52 (12.1%) patients. Longer ISIs were associated with IODs, especially with URETERIC stones (p = 0.011, CI95 0.63; 4.84). The derived ROC ISI cut-offs beyond which IODs, including negative surgeries, were more likely were 9 weeks for URETERIC (AUC: 63%, CI95 0.56; 0.70) and 19 weeks (AUC: 58.6%, CI95 0.50; 0.68) for RENAL stones, respectively. Conclusion: There is a need to update reference imaging done more than 9 or 19 weeks before surgery for URETERIC and RENAL stones, respectively.

Hypercalcemia-leukocytosis syndrome from non-schistosomiasis-associated squamous cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Non-schistosomiasis-associated squamous cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder is less common in the Western world. Limited information on its possible paraneoplastic syndromes exists. Leukocytosis tends to commonly be regarded by clinicians as an indication of sepsis, rather than a feature of paraneoplasia, potential surrogate marker for recurrence, and prognostic marker. Accompanying hypercalcemia may be missed entirely. CASE PRESENTATION: A 66-year-old Caucasian man presented with visible painless hematuria and symptomatic hypercalcemia. Investigations revealed a squamous cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder with marked leukocytosis. Hypercalcemia and leukocytosis resolved following radical cystectomy, recurred with nodal recurrence and regressed with radiotherapeutic control. Subsequently, serum leukocyte and calcium assays were included in his follow-up protocol. His survival was 20 months by the time of the report. CONCLUSION: This report highlights hypercalcemia-leukocytosis syndrome as a paraneoplastic manifestation of non-schistosomiasis-associated squamous cell carcinoma to reemphasize the need for clinicians to assay for calcium in the presence of leukocytosis in such patients. Prompt identification and control of the paraneoplastic derangements, with treatment of the cancer recurrence it may connote, is advocated to provide a chance for better long-term outcomes in these patients.

Cosmetic Appeal, HRQoL, and Effectiveness of Simple and Pseudotesticular Techniques of Orchidectomy in Prostate Cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Orchidectomy is the most cost-effective means of hormonal therapy for locally advanced or metastatic prostate cancer (LAMP). However, cost-effectiveness should not detract from health-related quality of life (HRQoL) considerations. Bilateral simple orchidectomy (BSO) has been linked to negative psychometric deficits from an empty scrotum. This study compared the HRQoL, therapeutic efficacy, and cosmetic appeal of BSO with endogenous pseudotesticular techniques of bilateral subcapsular orchidectomy (BSCO) and bilateral-epididymal-sparing orchidectomy (BESO). Research Design. Nigerian patients with LAMP were randomised into three surgical arms: BSO, BSCO, and BESO. Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite-26 HRQoL and sociodemographic questionnaires were administered before and three months after orchidectomy. Serum testosterone and PSA were measured at 0, 1, 2, and 3 hours; 7 days; and 3 months postoperatively. Pseudotesticular volumes and cosmetic appeal were assessed at 3 months. RESULT: Sixty-three patients were recruited (24 BSO, 21 BSCO, 18 BESO), 73% of whom were low-income earners. There was no significant difference in the procedure cost nor the PSA or testosterone nadirs achieved over the three-month follow-up period (11.3, 12.6, 15.2 ng/ml (p=0.667) and 0.44, 0.64, 0.79 nmol/l (p=0.603) respectively). Those with pseudotesticles (BSCO, BESO) felt less emasculated (p=0.010). BSCO produced the least sexual bother, highest sexual function, and largest pseudotesticular volumes. The cosmetic appeal scores were similar between groups (77.9 ± 22.8, 81 ± 13.9, and 81.9 ± 22.5, respectively, p=0.858). CONCLUSION: Endogenous pseudotesticular techniques, when compared with BSO, reduce the negative psychological impact experienced by patients without increasing costs. BSCO produced the best pseudotesticular volumes and postoperative sexual function. This study is registered with the ClinicalTrials.gov of the National Institute of Health U.S. National Library of Medicine as TEPSO study, NCT03744494: Comparison of the Therapeutic Efficacy and Patient Satisfaction of Three Techniques of Bilateral Orchidectomy in Prostate Cancer Patients of a Nigerian Sub-population. Registration completed on 16th of November, 2018 (registered retrospectively) NCT03744494.

Typhoid Caecal Perforation in a Two-Year Old Child: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Typhoid fever afflicts people of low socioeconomic status in developing nations. Although ileal perforation is a common complication of typhoid fever in tropical Africa, caecal perforations related to typhoid fever are uncommon. They present atypically in children under of five years old. Such presentation could include cough and caecal perforation. CLINICAL DESCRIPTION: We report a two-year old girl with intraoperative and histopathological evidence of a perforated typhoid caecitis who had right hemicolectomy. CONCLUSION: Caecal perforations may occur in children as young as two years of age following enteric fever. High index of suspicion is needed for early detection.

Urethral steinstrasse: Day case care.

Urethral steinstrasse is rare. Only a few cases of spontaneous or postinterventional urethral steinstrasse have been reported in pediatric and adult patients. We report a case of a 52-year-old Nigerian man with a secondary urethral steinstrasse, and the treatment options possible, as day case procedures, under caudal anesthesia.