Surveillance guidelines based on recurrence patterns for upper tract urothelial carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) accounts for 5% of all urothelial tumours. Due to its rarity, evidence regarding postoperative surveillance is lacking. The objective of this study was to develop a post-radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) surveillance protocol based on recurrence patterns in a large, multi-institutional cohort of patients. METHODS: Retrospective clinical and pathological data were collected from 1029 patients undergoing RNU over a 15-year period (1994-2009) at 10 Canadian academic institutions. A multivariable model was used to identify prognostic clinicopathological factors, which were then used to define risk categories. Risk-based surveillance guidelines were proposed based on actual recurrence patterns. RESULTS: Overall, 555 (49.9%) patients developed recurrence, including 289 (25.9%) in the urothelium and 266 (23.9%) with loco-regional and distant recurrences. Based on multivariable analysis, three risk groups were identified: 1) low-risk patients with pTa-T1, pN0 disease, and no adverse histological features (high tumour grade, lymphovascular invasion [LVI], tumour multifocality); 2) intermediate-risk patients with pTa-T1, pN0 disease with one or more of the adverse histological features; and 3) high-risk patients with a ≥pT2 tumour and/or nodal involvement. Low-, intermediate-, and high-risk patients were free of urothelial recurrence at three years in 72%, 66%, and 63%, respectively, and free of regional/distant recurrence in 93%, 87%, and 62%, respectively. The risks of loco-regional and distant recurrences (p<0.0001) and time to death (p<0.0001) were significantly different between the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk patients. CONCLUSIONS: Based on recurrence patterns in a large, multicentre patient cohort, we have proposed an evidence-based, risk-adapted post-RNU surveillance protocol.

Undergraduate exposure to urology: impact of the distributed model of medical education in British Columbia.

BACKGROUND: With the increased development of distributed sites for medical education across Canada, it is imperative we ensure that the quality of education is comparable between the different campuses. Our objective was to assess medical student experience and comfort with common urologic clinical encounters and to determine whether any differences exist between the distributed education sites at the University of British Columbia (UBC). METHODS: Questionnaires assessing urologic education were delivered simultaneously to all final-year UBC medical students attending campuses in Vancouver, Victoria and Prince George. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Overall, 55.8% of students felt their exposure to urology was adequate in the medical curriculum; learners in the Northern Program (Prince George) ranked their clinical and didactic experiences significantly higher. Areas requiring improvement include teaching of the male genitourinary exam, digital rectal exam and sexual history, in which learners rated teaching "good/outstanding" in only 18.2%, 47.7% and 43.2% of cases, respectively. Overall, students were most comfortable with the following clinical encounters: urinary tract infection, nephrolithiasis, benign prostatic hyperplasia, hematuria, incontinence and prostate cancer. Few differences in student experience or comfort were noted related to campus site, gender or urology clerkship exposure. CONCLUSION: A significant minority of learners perceived that they had inadequate exposure to urology in the undergraduate curriculum. Experience in urology was comparable across the distributed sites and was congruent with teaching objectives. Students were comfortable with the clinical scenarios deemed most important in the literature. Learners in the Northern Program were significantly more satisfied with their urologic teaching, which potentially highlights the advantages of learning in a smaller academic setting.

CONTEXTE: En raison de l'augmentation du nombre de sites « satellites ¼ de formation médicale au Canada, il est impératif de s'assurer que la qualité de l'éducation est comparable d'un campus à l'autre. Notre objectif était d'évaluer l'expérience des étudiants en médecine et leur niveau d'aise avec les cas courants rencontrés en urologie et de déterminer s'il existe des différences entre les différents sites de formation de l'Université de la Colombie-Britannique (UCB). MÉTHODOLOGIE: Des questionnaires évaluant la formation en urologie ont été livrés simultanément à tous les étudiants de l'UCB en dernière année de médecine des campus de Vancouver, Victoria et Prince George. Les résultats ont été analysés à l'aide de statistiques descriptives. RÉSULTATS: Dans l'ensemble, 55,8 % des étudiants croyaient que leur expérience en urologie était adéquate dans le cadre du cursus médical. Les étudiants du programme du nord (Prince George) ont accordé des cotes significativement plus élevées à leur expérience clinique et didactique. Les domaines où une amélioration était sou-haitée incluaient l'enseignement de l'examen génito-urinaire chez l'homme, du toucher rectal et de la vérification des antécédents sexuels, où les répondants ont évalué l'enseignement comme étant « bon/excellent ¼ dans seulement 18,2 %, 47,7 % et 43,2 % des cas, respectivement. Règle générale, les étudiants étaient le plus à l'aise avec les cas cliniques suivants : infection des voies urinaires, néphrolithiase, hyperplasie bénigne de la prostate, hématurie, incontinence et cancer de la prostate. Peu de différences ont été notées dans l'expérience ou le niveau d'aise des étudiants selon le campus, le sexe ou le fait d'avoir fait un stage clinique en urologie. CONCLUSION: Une minorité significative d'étudiants percevaient que leur expérience en urologie dans le cadre du curriculum de premier cycle était insuffisante. L'expérience en urologie était comparable dans les sites « satellites ¼ et cohérente avec les objectifs d'apprentissage. Les étudiants étaient à l'aise avec les scénarios cliniques jugés les plus importants selon la littérature. Les étudiants du programme du nord étaient significativement plus satisfaits de l'enseignement urologique reçu, ce qui fait peut-être ressortir l'avantage d'étudier sur un plus petit campus.

Twenty-year prevalence of diabetes mellitus and hypertension in patients receiving shock-wave lithotripsy for urolithiasis.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus (DM) in patients treated with an unmodified HM-3 lithotripter (USWL) and a second-generation modified HM-3 lithotripter (MSWL) 20 years ago at our Centre with that in the provincial population. To determine whether the type of lithotripter was differentially associated with the development of these sequelae. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective review of 727 patients at Vancouver General Hospital who underwent shock-wave lithotripsy (SWL) between 1985 and 1989. Our study group was compared with Statistics Canada data describing the provincial prevalence of these diseases. Multivariate analysis was performed. RESULTS: The response rate was 37.3%. There was a greater proportion of overweight and obese individuals in the study group compared with the provincial average. In univariate analysis, lithotripsy with an unmodified HM-3 (USWL) was associated with a higher rate of DM than the provincial rate, whereas lithotripsy with the modified HM-3 (MSWL) was not. Hypertension was more prevalent in all lithotripsy subjects. On multivariate analysis the type of lithotripter was not associated with the development of either sequela. CONCLUSIONS: No association between lithotripsy and the development of either DM or hypertension in a multivariate analysis Metabolic syndrome may have elevated the prevalence of DM and hypertension observed in our subjects on univariate analysis, which is in keeping with the fact that our study population had statistically higher body mass indices than the provincial rate. Lithotripsy using the HM-3 was not associated with increased DM or hypertension.

Bacterial sepsis after prostate biopsy--a new perspective.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence of sepsis following transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided prostate biopsy at our center. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed a group of 24 men who presented with urosepsis after undergoing TRUS biopsy at our center. RESULTS: Of the 24 men, 22 were given prophylactic ciprofloxacin. The median time to presentation of sepsis was 1 day after biopsy. The median length of hospitalization was 4 days. Escherichia coli was the most frequent cause of urosepsis (67%). Variable resistance patterns were observed. Enterobacter cloacae and Streptococcus viridans were isolated in 2 cases. No bacteria were isolated in 6 cases. Two patients who received extensive antibiotic prophylaxis still developed urosepsis. Treatment of patients infected with multiresistant anaerobic strains using metronidazole among others, proved successful. High sensitivities toward cefazolin, gentamicin, and tobramycin were observed. The number of cases reported was likely an underestimation, because some patients may have reported to other hospitals and were not captured by this study. In addition, some patients may not have developed infection and urosepsis despite harboring ciprofloxacin-resistant bacteria. CONCLUSIONS: Prophylactic ciprofloxacin is still a useful option for the prevention of urosepsis after TRUS biopsy, as the incidence is relatively low. For the patient who develops urosepsis after TRUS biopsy, ciprofloxacin resistance needs to be suspected and the treatment regime should be tailored to the resistance profiles of the local region, the patient's medical history, and the culture and sensitivity reports.

Testicular degeneration in Huntington disease.

Huntington disease (HD) is an adult onset, neurodegenerative disorder that results from CAG expansion in the HD gene. Recent work has demonstrated testicular degeneration in mouse models of HD and alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis in HD patients. Here, we show that HD patients have specific testicular pathology with reduced numbers of germ cells and abnormal seminiferous tubule morphology. In the YAC128 mouse model, testicular degeneration develops prior to 12 months of age, but at 12 months, there is no evidence for decreased testosterone levels or loss of GnRH neurons in the hypothalamus. This suggests that testicular pathology results from a direct toxic effect of mutant huntingtin in the testis and is supported by the fact that huntingtin is highly expressed in the affected cell populations in the testis. Understanding the pathogenesis of HD in the testis may reveal common critical pathways which lead to degeneration in both the brain and testis.