Outcomes of robotic modified Freyer's prostatectomy in an Australian patient cohort.

Introduction: The study aims to demonstrate the feasibility, safety and efficacy of robotic simple prostatectomy (RSP) using the modified Freyer's approach in an Australian patient cohort. Although RSP is performed in several Australian centres, there is a paucity of published Australian data. Methods: We reviewed prospectively collected perioperative and outcomes data for patients who underwent a robotic modified Freyer's prostatectomy (RMFP) from June 2019 to March 2022. Statistics were completed using SPSS statistics v27.0 and reported as mean and range with a p value of <0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: There were 27 patients who underwent RMFP over the study period with a mean age of 67 years and prostate volume of 159.74 cc (100-275). The mean console time was 168 min (122-211), blood loss of 233 ml (50-600) and average length of hospital stay of 3.8 days (3-8). The preoperative versus postoperative outcome means were as follows: serum prostate-specific antigen was 9.69 versus 1.2 ng/mL, IPPS score was 17.1 versus 1.25, quality of life (QOL) score 3.4 versus 0.4, postvoid residual volume: 223.6 versus 55.9 ml, Q-max 7.86 versus 29.6 ml/s. These were all statistically significant (p < 0.001). The mean weight of resected tissue was 74 g (43-206) with 25 patients having benign histopathology and two being diagnosed with prostate cancer (Gleason 3 + 3 = 6 and 3 + 4 = 7). No patients returned to theatre or required a blood transfusion. Conclusions: Data from our patient cohort demonstrate the feasibility, safety and efficacy of RMFP for benign prostatic hyperplasia in an Australian patient cohort. Our outcomes compare favourably with published studies on RSP.

Survival From Revision Surgery for New Rigicon Infla10 Three-piece Inflatable Penile Prosthesis Is Comparable to Preceding Devices.

OBJECTIVE: To report the incidence of the reoperation surgeries of nearly all the Rigicon Infla10 implants performed since device introduction in 1/2019. Inflatable penile prosthesis has some of the highest survival from revision surgery of any medical device implanted in humans [1]. We expand on previous Rigicon Infla10 research, adding more patients and increasing follow-up duration [2]. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 535 patients had Rigicon Infla10 devices implanted from 1/2019 to 8/2022. 103 surgeons from 26 centers in 15 countries participated in the study. Patient information forms were analyzed from virtually all implantations. Explantation or revision surgery for mechanical failure, infection, other medical reasons, and patient dissatisfaction were cataloged. SPSS 25.0 (IBM) was used for the statistical analysis of Kaplan Meier survival statistics. RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 24.2months (7-43months). Mean patient age was 56years. Reoperation was necessary for 3.5% of subjects. Revision for mechanical failure occurred in 2.24% (12/535). The rate of explant for patient dissatisfaction was 0.56% (3/535). Revision for component out of place was 0.37% (2/535) with an infection rate and unsuccessful Peyronie's correction being 0.19% (1/535). Survival from requiring another corrective surgery at 1, 2, and 3years was 96.4%, 95.0%, and 94.0%, respectively. These initial survival rates compare favorably to devices currently available, which have been repeatedly enhanced to improve reliability. CONCLUSION: In its first 2-3years of availability, The Rigicon Infla10 inflatable penile prosthesis shows freedom from revision comparable to existing enhanced devices that have been on the market for decades.

Use of artificial intelligence in discerning the need for prostate biopsy and readiness for clinical practice: a systematic review protocol.

BACKGROUND: Variability and inaccuracies in the diagnosis of prostate cancer, and the risk of complications from invasive tests, have been extensively reported in the research literature. To address this, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) has been attracting increased interest in recent years to improve the diagnostic accuracy and objectivity. Although AI literature has reported promising results, further research is needed on the identification of evidence gaps that limit the potential adoption in prostate cancer screening practice. METHODS: A systematic electronic search strategy will be used to identify peer-reviewed articles published from inception to the date of searches and indexed in CINAHL, IEEE Xplore, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science Core Collection databases. Registries including Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ClinicalTrials.gov and International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) will be searched for unpublished studies, and experts were invited to provide suitable references. The research and reporting will be based on Cochrane recommendations and PRISMA guidelines, respectively. The screening and quality assessment of the articles will be conducted by two of the authors independently, and conflicts will be resolved by a third author. DISCUSSION: This systematic review will summarise the use of AI techniques to predict the need for prostate biopsy based on clinical and demographic indicators, including its diagnostic accuracy and readiness for adoption in clinical practice. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42022336540.

Accuracy of the Vesical Imaging-Reporting and Data System (VIRADS) for pre-treatment staging of bladder cancer in an Australian cohort.

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the performance of the Vesical Imaging-Reporting and Data System (VIRADS) in differentiating muscle-invasive and non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer and whether this reporting system improves inter-reader agreement. METHODS: Sixty-four cases of multiparametric 3 tesla bladder MRI from January 2014 to May 2020 were reviewed retrospectively. T2-weighted, diffusion and post-contrast images were reviewed. All magnetic resonance images were reported by a radiologist with 15 years' experience (Reader 1) and a final year radiology trainee with a special interest in urogenital imaging with 3 years of experience (Reader 2). Both readers were blinded to clinical history and histopathology results when scoring each lesion. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity for differentiating MIBC and NMIBC were 91% and 68%, respectively, for Reader 1 and 91% and 63%, respectively, for Reader 2. The inter-reader agreement for assigning VIRADS scores was 0.79. The area under the receiver operator curve for Reader 1 and 2 were not significantly different (Reader 1 = 0.79, Reader 2 = 0.77, P = 0.83). CONCLUSIONS: Staging of bladder cancer prior to treatment can be accurately and reliably diagnosed using VIRADS, a novel, standardised reporting system for bladder MRI.

68Ga-PSMA-PET screening and transponder-guided salvage radiotherapy to the prostate bed alone for biochemical recurrence following prostatectomy: interim outcomes of a phase II trial.

PURPOSE: To evaluate outcomes for men with biochemically recurrent prostate cancer who were selected for transponder-guided salvage radiotherapy (SRT) to the prostate bed alone by 68Ga-labelled prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography (68Ga-PSMA-PET). METHODS: This is a single-arm, prospective study of men with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level rising to 0.1-2.5 ng/mL following radical prostatectomy. Patients were staged with 68Ga-PSMA-PET and those with a negative finding, or a positive finding localised to the prostate bed, continued to SRT only to the prostate bed alone with real-time target-tracking using electromagnetic transponders. The primary endpoint was freedom from biochemical relapse (FFBR, PSA > 0.2 ng/mL from the post-radiotherapy nadir). Secondary endpoints were time to biochemical relapse, toxicity and patient-reported quality of life (QoL). RESULTS: Ninety-two patients (median PSA of 0.18 ng/ml, IQR 0.12-0.36), were screened with 68Ga-PSMA-PET and metastatic disease was found in 20 (21.7%) patients. Sixty-nine of 72 non-metastatic patients elected to proceed with SRT. At the interim (3-year) analysis, 32 (46.4%) patients (95% CI 34.3-58.8%) were FFBR. The median time to biochemical relapse was 16.1 months. The rate of FFBR was 82.4% for ISUP grade-group 2 patients. Rates of grade 2 or higher gastrointestinal and genitourinary toxicity were 0% and 15.2%, respectively. General health and disease-specific QoL remained stable. CONCLUSION: Pre-SRT 68Ga-PSMA-PET scans detect metastatic disease in a proportion of patients at low PSA levels but fail to improve FFBR. Transponder-guided SRT to the prostate bed alone is associated with a favourable toxicity profile and preserved QoL. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12615001183572, 03/11/2015, retrospectively registered.

Identifying community chronic kidney disease risk profile utilising general practice clinical records and spatial analysis: approach to inform policy and practice.

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) causes a significant health burden in Australia, and up to 50% of Australians with CKD remain undiagnosed. AIMS: To estimate the 5-year risk for CKD from general practice (GP) clinical records and to investigate the spatial variation and hot spots of CKD risk in an Australian community. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was designed using de-identified GP clinical data recorded from 2010 to 2015. A total of 16 GP participated in this study from West Adelaide, Australia. We used health records of 36 565 patients aged 35-74 years, with no prior history of CKD. The 5-year estimated CKD risk was calculated using the QKidney algorithm. Individuals' risk score was aggregated to Statistical Area Level 1 to predict the community CKD risk. A spatial hotspot analysis was applied to identify the communities with greater risk. RESULTS: The mean estimated 5-year risk for CKD in the sample population was 0.95% (0.93-0.97). Overall, 2.4% of the study population was at high risk of CKD. Significant hot spots and cold spots of CKD risk were identified within the study region. Hot spots were associated with lower socioeconomic status. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated a new approach to explore the spatial variation of CKD risk at a community level, and implementation of a risk prediction model into a clinical setting may aid in early detection and increase disease awareness in regions of unmet CKD care.

PSMA PET Scan Era: A Changing Paradigm PSMA PET and Lymph Node Dissection for Prostate Cancer Management.

OBJECTIVES: Staging of extra-prostatic prostate cancer has traditionally been assessed by computerised tomography (CT), bone scan, and where indicated, pelvic lymph node dissection at the time of surgery. The advent of the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography (PET) scan shows promise in improving the accuracy of preoperative staging of this cancer. The role of pelvic lymph node dissection and its associated morbidity will be examined. This article will review current literature assessing the current role of PSMA PET and lymph node dissection in the staging and treatment of prostate cancer. DATA SOURCES: Peer-reviewed literature and databases, including Medline and PubMed. CONCLUSIONS: PSMA PET/CT appears to be a promising and superior staging investigation that may replace bone scan and CT scan in guiding treatment decision-making. It has high specificity and positive predictive value, thus in patients with low-risk prostate cancer, unnecessary extended pelvic lymph node dissection (ePLND) may be avoided. It would also help detect lymph nodes in patients with intermediate- or high-risk prostate cancer where ePLND may be required. ePLND remains the gold standard in staging high-risk patients because the PSMA PET/CT scan may under-stage the cancer. IMPLICATION FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Given the increased utilisation of PSMA PET/CT scan as a primary staging investigation in clinical practice for prostate cancer and as an alternative to bone scan and CT scan, it is timely for prostate cancer specialist nurses to understand and recognise the specificity and sensitivity of PSMA PET/CT scans in prostate cancer staging. Because ePLND is the gold standard for staging high-risk disease, prostate cancer specialist nurses should be aware of the complications associated with pelvic lymph node dissection to optimise supportive care for men affected by complications from ePLND.

Fractionated stereotactic body radiotherapy for up to five prostate cancer oligometastases: Interim outcomes of a prospective clinical trial.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) can delay escalation to systemic treatment in men with oligometastatic prostate cancer (PCa). However, large, prospective studies are still required to evaluate the efficacy of this approach in different patient groups. This is the interim analysis of a prospective, single institution study of men relapsing with up to five synchronous lesions following definitive local treatment for primary PCa. Our aim was to determine the proportion of patients not requiring treatment escalation following SBRT. In total, 199 patients were enrolled to receive fractionated SBRT (50 Gray in 10 fractions) to each visible lesion. Fourteen patients were castration resistant at enrolment. The proportion of patients not requiring treatment escalation 2 years following SBRT was 51.7% (95% CI: 44.1-59.3%). The median length of treatment escalation-free survival over the entire follow-up period was 27.1 months (95% CI; 21.8-29.4 months). Prior androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) predicted a significantly lower rate of freedom from treatment escalation at 2 years compared to no prior ADT (odds ratio = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.08-0.54, p = 0.001). There was no difference in the efficacy of SBRT when treating 4-5 vs. 1-3 initial lesions. A prostate-specific antigen (PSA) decline was induced in 75% of patients, with PSA readings falling to an undetectable level in six patients. No late grade three toxicities were observed. These interim results suggest that SBRT can be used to treat up to five synchronous PCa oligometastases to delay treatment escalation.

Australian ultrasound-guided biopsy trends: a 17-year analysis of national data.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer diagnosis is primarily performed through ultrasound-guided biopsy. Australia has a Stage 4 aging population and as prostate cancer is a disease of middle aged to elderly patients, it would be expected that there would be an increase in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. However, several key events have occurred in the last 10 years including the introduction of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) of the prostate and publication of major prostate cancer screening trials and guidelines. We aimed to characterize the trends in prostate biopsy in Australia in the context of these changes. METHODS: Population and prostate biopsy data were obtained from the Australian Government Bureau of Statistics Census data and the Australian Department of Health Medicare Benefits Schedule between 2000 and 2017. A meta narrative review of publications, guidelines, and policy announcements regarding prostate cancer screening and diagnosis in Australia was performed. Prostate biopsy trends were analyzed from 2000 to 2017 by age-group and year. RESULTS: The 2016 Census data showed the male population of Australia was 11,546,638. Between 2000 and 2017, a total of 373,158 ultrasound-guided biopsies were performed in Australia. A general decline in the total number of prostate biopsies performed was observed from 2009 onwards. There was a transition of the highest prostate biopsy age-group from 55-64 to 65-74 years with the transition occurring in 2012. Biopsy numbers in the age-group 75-84 years also slowly increased from 2000 to 2009 and declined for a short period of time till 2013 and is on the rise again.The decrease in 2010 coincides with the increased uptake of mpMRI in Australia as a new tool in the screening for prostate cancer. Furthermore, this decrease also coincides with the release of the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) and the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO) prostate cancer screening trials in 2009 and the policy statements developed as a result of these by Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand. CONCLUSION: Interesting trends have been identified through this population study. With an aging population, it would be expected that the number of prostate biopsies would be increasing. It is likely that the introduction of mpMRI in Australia and the release of prostate cancer screening guidelines have decreased the number of patients being screened for prostate cancer. Furthermore, increasing use of active surveillance may be responsible for the increase in the prostate biopsies occurring in the older age-groups.

Correlation of apparent diffusion coefficient ratio on 3.0 T MRI with prostate cancer Gleason score.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose was to investigate the usefulness of ADCratio on Diffusion MRI to discriminate between benign and malignant lesions of Prostate. METHODS: Images of patients who underwent in-gantry MRI guided prostate lesion biopsy were retrospectively analyzed. Prostate Cancers with 20% or more Gleason score (GS) pattern 3 + 3 = 6 in each core or any volume of higher Gleason score pattern were included. ADCratio was calculated by two reviewers for each lesion. The ADCratio was calculated for each lesion by dividing the lowest ADC value in a lesion and highest ADC value in normal prostate in peripheral zone (PZ). ADCratio values were compared with the biopsy result. Data was analysed using independent samples T-test, Spearman correlation, intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. RESULTS: 45 lesions in 33 patients were analyzed. 12 lesions were in transitional zone (TZ) and 33 in perpheral zone PZ. All lesions demonstrated an ADCratio of 0.45 or lower. GS demonstrated a negative correlation with both the ADC value and ADCratio. However, ADCratio (p < 0.001) demonstrated a stronger correlation compared to ADC value alone (p = 0.014). There was no significant statistical difference between GS 3 + 4 and GS 4 + 3 mean ADCtumour value (p = 0.167). However when using ADCratio, there was a significant difference (p = 0.032). ROC curve analysis demonstrated an area under the curve of 0.83 using ADCratio and 0.76 when using ADCtumour value when discriminating Gleason 6 from Gleason ≥7 tumours. Inter-observer reliability in the calculation of ADC ratios was excellent, with ICC of 0.964. CONCLUSION: ADCratio is a reliable and reproducible tool in quantification of diffusion restriction for clinically significant prostate cancer foci.

Intravesical Gemcitabine versus Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin for the Treatment of Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer: An Evaluation of Efficacy and Toxicity.

BACKGROUND: Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) remains the standard adjuvant treatment for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) following transurethral resection; however, BCG failure and related toxicities are common. OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacy and toxicity of intravesical BCG and gemcitabine in the treatment of NMIBC. METHODS: Retrospective data were collected in the region of Canberra, Australia from January 2010 to December 2015. The survival cutoff was December 2016. Primary end point was disease-free survival (DFS) and secondary end point was toxicity. After optimal transurethral resection all patients received weekly intravesical BCG or gemcitabine for 6 weeks and maintenance treatment according to their risk. The recurrence was defined as histology proven tumor recurrence (any grade), or appearance of carcinoma in situ. RESULTS: One hundred and three patients were evaluable, 52 treated with BCG and 51 with gemcitabine with a median age of 77 and 78, and were mostly male. Approximately half of each received maintenance therapy. The groups were well balanced, apart from some difference in cancer risk groups. Twenty-one percent in the BCG group and 29% in the gemcitabine group had received prior BCG. Median follow up was 15.0 months. Median DFS was 19.6 months for BCG, whereas median DFS was not reached with gemcitabine. There was a trend toward improved DFS with gemcitabine in multivariate analysis, HR: 0.49 (95% CI: 0.22-1.06, p = 0.07). Adverse events were significantly less frequent with gemcitabine (7 versus 44%, p ≤ 0.05). There were four cases of systemic BCG infection. CONCLUSION: Intravesical gemcitabine was associated with a trend toward better DFS with significantly lower toxicity when compared with BCG. Intravesical BCG remains the standard first-line adjuvant therapy; however, intravesical gemcitabine could be a reasonable alternative in cases where BCG is contraindicated and for patients who are intolerant or refractory to BCG. A prospective phase 3 trial is needed to confirm the benefits of gemcitabine over BCG.

In-gantry MRI guided prostate biopsy diagnosis of prostatitis and its relationship with PIRADS V.2 based score.

INTRODUCTION: The recent literature has focussed predominantly on prostate cancer detection which has been revolutionized by multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI). Due to an overlap of features, prostatitis may mimic prostate cancer on MRI, especially in patients with chronic prostatitis. We retrospectively analysed our in-gantry MRI-guided biopsy (MRGB) results to determine incidental detection rate of prostatitis in Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PIRADS) 3, 4 and 5 foci reported on diagnostic MRI of the prostate. METHODS: About 137 patients underwent in-gantry MRGB for lesions with PIRADS score of 3 or above. All the biopsies were performed utilizing the dynaTRIM™ system (Invio Inc, Germany) on a three-tesla MRI scanner (Ingenia 3.0T, Philips, Netherlands) by a Radiologist and a Urologist. RESULTS: We biopsied 228 lesions in 137 patients. There were 55 lesions that returned positive for prostate cancer with a Gleason Score of 3 + 3 = 6 or above. There were 62 lesions that showed inflammation. The distribution of these lesions was 3 (5%) in the central zone, 32 (52%) in the transitional zone and 27 (43%) in the peripheral zone. Inflammation was found in 36 (58%) PIRADS 3 lesions, 24 (39%) PIRADS 4 lesions and 2 (3%) PIRADS 5 lesions on pre biopsy MRI evaluation. CONCLUSION: In our series, biopsies which showed inflammation had a radiological appearance on mpMRI more likely of a PIRADS 3 or 4 lesions with only 3% of PIRADS 5 biopsies showing inflammation. This would suggest that a higher PIRADS score can more reliably differentiate between prostate cancer and prostatitis.

Laparoscopic nephron sparing surgery: an Australian experience.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate clinical outcomes from our initial experience with laparoscopic nephron sparing surgery (LNSS) for small renal masses in Australian practice. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed on an initial 50 patients undergoing LNSS. All procedures performed between April 2006 and September 2012 were included with median follow-up of 30 months. Outcomes measured were: positive surgical margin, warm ischaemic time, total operative time, blood transfusion and complications in the first 30 days after surgery. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 57 years. The mean pre-operative creatinine was 85 µmol/L and the mean post-operative creatinine was 89 µmol/L. Sixty-four per cent of the tumours were malignant tumours. The mean size of tumours was 2.5 cm. There were two malignant positive surgical margins on histology. The mean total operative time was 224 min and the mean warm ischaemic time was 24 min. Nine patients had complications with Clavien-Dindo grade III or lower. There was no grade IV or V complication. No patients were lost to follow-up and there have been no tumour recurrences to date. CONCLUSIONS: LNSS is emerging as a viable alternative to open NSS for small renal tumours with lower morbidity and equivalent oncological and functional outcomes. There is, however, a steep learning curve associated with the procedure.

mp-MRI Prostate Characterised PIRADS 3 Lesions are Associated with a Low Risk of Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer - A Retrospective Review of 92 Biopsied PIRADS 3 Lesions.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether prostate image reporting and data system (PIRADS) 3 lesions as assessed by a 3T multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) represent clinically significant prostate cancer. METHOD: A retrospective review was performed on a series of consecutive patients who underwent MRI guided biopsy of the prostate for clinical suspicion of prostate cancer between January 2013 and March 2014. Demographic, clinical, MRI and biopsy data were reviewed and compared. The same 3T MRI without the use of an endo-rectal coil was employed to assess each patient, obtaining high resolution T2 weighted images, diffusion weighted imaging and dynamic contrast enhancement. The MRI data was sent to Dynacad software for analysis. A single experienced radiologist reported all the studies from this series using a modified PIRADS scoring system. Subsequently, all the lesions marked PIRADS 3 or above were targeted with 18G core biopsy using DynaTrim in-gantry MRI guidance system. Needle position targeting the lesion was recorded prior to each biopsy. All core biopsy samples were sent to one of two pathology laboratories where they were processed and reported as per the International Society of Urological Pathology protocols. RESULTS: One hundred and eighteen patients comprising a total of 215 lesions were reviewed. Amongst this cohort, 92 PIRADS 3 lesions were identified and biopsied. The mean age of patients in this cohort was 62.6 years. Median prostate specific antigen (PSA) was 6.5 ng/ml and median prostate size was 78.4 ml. Eightysix (93.5%) of biopsied PIRADS 3 lesions were benign and 6 (6.5%) lesions were found to be malignant. Of these 6 malignant lesions, 4 (66%) were Gleason score 6 (3 + 3) and 2 (33%) were Gleason score 7 (3 + 4). Of the 86 non-malignant lesions, 1 (1.2%) represented high-grade prostate intraepithelial neoplasia and 2 (2.4%) represented atypical small acinar proliferation. PIRADS 3 lesions within the peripheral zone were more likely to be associated with malignant disease compared with lesions identified within the transition zone (10.8 vs. 3.8%). Those with malignant disease had a higher median PSA (8.1 vs. 6.4 ng/ml) and higher median PSA density (0.12 vs. 0.08) than those without malignant disease. Those with benign pathology had a higher prevalence of inflammation (31.4 vs. 16.7%). As per Epstein's criteria, 4 (4.3%) of the biopsied lesions represented clinically significant disease. CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated in our series, that prostate lesions characterized on a 3T multiparametric MRI examination of the prostate as PIRADS 3, according to the current prevalent scoring systems, are associated with a low likelihood of the presence of clinically significant prostate cancer.

New systemic treatment options for metastatic renal-cell carcinoma in the era of targeted therapies.

Advances in understanding the biology and genetics of renal-cell carcinomas have led to the development of novel targeted therapies for the treatment of metastatic renal-cell cancer. Previously the systemic approaches were limited to cytokine therapies that were modest in their clinical benefits and at the expense of significant toxicities. Investigational treatments with allogeneic bone marrow transplantation were equally toxic and resulted in significant morbidity and mortality. The development of targeted therapy has revolutionized the treatment of metastatic renal-cell cancer with more meaningful outcomes. This review aims to provide a detailed discussion of the clinical benefits of targeted therapies such as sunitinib, sorafenib, temsirolimus, everolimus, bevacizumab, and some of the newer agents in clinical trial development. The efficacy of these compounds in terms of response, survival and clinical benefit are explored as well as their toxicities. The role of surgery in metastatic renal-cell carcinoma is reviewed in the context of cytoreductive therapy and resection of solitary and oligometastatic disease. Ongoing studies in the adjuvant setting following curative resection are also reviewed. The availability of targeted therapies has led to their rapid adoption as frontline therapy over traditional cytokine therapy, thus bringing more optimistic and hopeful therapeutic options in a condition where historically, systemic treatments have been relatively unsatisfactory and disappointing.

Rational approach to diagnosis and management of blunt scrotal trauma.

OBJECTIVES: To provide a rational approach to the diagnosis and management of blunt scrotal trauma to aid clinicians in the selection of patients for surgical exploration. METHODS: We performed a retrospective evaluation of the medical records of 44 patients from two metropolitan tertiary referral hospitals. A total of 29 patients were recruited from July 1, 1993 to June 30, 2003 at one institution and an additional 15 patients from February 1, 1991 to January 31, 1999 at the second. Scrotal ultrasound scans were retrieved and reviewed by a uroradiologist unaware of the treatment regimen and outcome. RESULTS: The presence of both testicular swelling and tenderness suggested more significant testicular injury; however, testicular rupture was present in the absence of tenderness. Three patients with operatively confirmed testicular rupture had only swelling on clinical examination. Five patients with intratesticular hematoma were successfully treated conservatively with interval ultrasound scans recommended to assess for resolution. All patients with operatively confirmed testicular rupture had a combination of the following ultrasound features: the presence of hematocele, disruption of the tunica albuginea, and/or extrusion of the seminiferous tubules. CONCLUSIONS: Patients presenting after blunt scrotal trauma with clinical hematocele should progress directly to exploration. The remainder should undergo scrotal ultrasonography. Those with large hematoceles or suspected rupture on ultrasonography should also proceed to exploration. Those without hematocele, a clearly distinct tunica albuginea, and a lack of fracture planes within the testes are a subgroup that can be successfully treated conservatively.

Renal tract calculi: comparison of stone size on plain radiography and noncontrast spiral CT scan.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Noncontrast spiral CT (NCCT) has emerged as the investigation of choice in patients presenting with renal-tract calculi. As management guidelines are based on stone size measured on plain radiography of the kidneys, ureters, and bladder (KUB), it is important to assess the accuracy of stone size measured on NCCT compared with KUB films. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The NCCT and KUB studies obtained from 24 patients (27 stones) presenting to the emergency department at a major metropolitan hospital were analyzed randomly and independently by two urologists and one uroradiologist. The NCCT scans were assessed separately from the KUB films. Only size in greatest dimension and stone location were recorded. RESULTS: The stone size was 2 to 38 mm on NCCT scans and 2 to 46 mm on KUB films. The mean stone size was 6.773 +/- 6.146 mm and 7.747 +/- 7.866 mm, respectively (P = 0.0398; Student's t-test). Almost three fourths (70%) of the stones were larger on KUB films than they were on NCCT scans, with a mean difference -0.974 mm (95% confidence interval -5.652, 3.703) for NCCT. CONCLUSION: Spiral CT underestimates stone size by approximately 12% compared with KUB films. This error may impact stone management as outlined in guidelines published by the American Urological Association, particularly for stones about 5 mm in greatest dimension. These patients may initially be managed conservatively when intervention would be more appropriate.

Installation of telerobotic surgery and initial experience with telerobotic radical prostatectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the ability of untrained laparoscopic surgeons to learn and implement laparoscopic telerobotic radical prostatectomy (TRP) using the daVinci Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical, CA), and assess the education, safety and efficacy issues when instituting this system. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between December 2003 and October 2004, 122 consecutive TRPs were performed by two surgeons for clinically localized prostate cancer. The individual robotic surgeon was assisted at the bedside by another surgeon. The TRP was performed robotically by the surgeon at the remote console unit. Perioperative data and pathological results were recorded. The two surgeons spent 1 week in a skills laboratory using a porcine model of laparoscopic TRP, and then cadaveric robotic prostatectomy. The first six cases were mentored by an experienced telerobotic surgeon. RESULTS: The TRP was conducted by two surgeons with no previous laparoscopic experience. There were no conversions to open surgery. Assessing the complications, postoperative continence, operating time and transfusion rates showed equivalent efficacy and safety to open and pure laparoscopic methods. CONCLUSION: TRP represents a novel computer-based surgical approach to prostate cancer, which offers the benefits of minimally invasive surgery without the extensive experience associated with the laparoscopic method. It remains to be seen whether the robotic approach can deliver better outcomes in continence and potency over time.