Perioperative, oncological, and survival outcomes of robotic radical cystectomy with urinary diversion in females: A single-center retrospective observational study.

Introduction: Robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) is a standrad approach for surgical management of bladder cancer. Currently, most literature on RARC is in men, possibly due to the higher incidence of bladder cancer in males. We reviewed the perioperative, oncological and survival outcomes in 41 women who underwent RARC by a single surgeon at a tertiary health-care center. Methods: Out of 225 RARC and urinary diversion procedures performed from 2012 to 2020, a retrospective analysis of 41 women was performed. Baseline demographic and perioperative details, oncological data, and survival were recorded and analyzed. Kaplan-Meir analysis was done for survival outcomes and prognostic factors were assessed by log rank test. Results: Thirty-eight patients underwent intracorporeal urinary diversion, while three underwent extracorporeal diversion. One patient underwent organ preserving cystectomy. Clavien-Dindo 30-day postoperative complications were Grade I in 8 (19.5%), Grade II in 4 (9.8%), and Grade IIIa in 3 (7.3%) patients with no mortality. During the median follow-up of 34 months (range: 6-87 months), 7 patients died of disease recurrence. Five-year survival was 74% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 59-82) and 35% (95% CI: 10-91) in transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) and non-TCC group, respectively, with P = 0.04. There was no mortality in Stages 0 and 1 disease. Five-year survival was 78% in Stage 2 and 41% in Stage 3 and 4. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates acceptable clinical, perioperative, and oncological outcomes of robotic radical cystectomy in females, thus highlighting its safety and feasibility.

Safety of uro-oncology practice and robot-assisted surgery during the peak of COVID-19 pandemic: A report from India.

Aim: The pandemic by novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the biggest threat to global health care. Routine care of cancer patients is affected the most. Our institute, situated in Mumbai, declared as the hotspot of COVID-19 in India, continued to cater to the needs of cancer patients. We did an observational study to review the experience of managing uro-oncology patients and who underwent either open, endoscopic, or robot-assisted surgery for urological malignancy. Materials and Methods: During the peak of COVID-19 pandemic from March 21, 2020, to June 21, 2020, all the uro-oncology cases managed in our tertiary care hospital were analyzed. Teleconsultation was started for follow-up patients. All patients requiring surgery underwent reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for COVID-19. Institutional protocol was formulated based on existing international guidelines for patient management. Adequate personal protection and hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis were provided to health-care professionals. Results: During the study period, 417 outpatient consultations were made. Forty-nine patients underwent surgery for different urological malignancies. Majority of the surgeries were robot-assisted surgeries (59.2%, 29 patients), followed by endoscopic procedures (28.5%, 14 patients) and few open procedures (10.2%, five patients). Most of our patients were elderly males (mean, 62.5 years). With a median follow-up of 55 days (interquartile range, 32-77), there was no report of COVID-19 infection in any patient or health-care provider. Conclusions: We can continue treating needy cancer patients with minimal risk by taking all precautions. Our initial experience of managing uro-oncology cases during this pandemic is encouraging. Robotic surgeries can be safely performed.

The value of webinars during COVID-19 pandemic: A questionnaire-based survey.

Introduction: An opportunity for e-learning has been created by the ongoing pandemic and lockdown, along with the availability of efficient technology. Webinars have filled in the lacunae of the learning process. We conducted an online survey to evaluate the interest and opinion regarding webinars, which enables for standardization of future webinars and reap the maximum benefits. Methods: An online survey was conducted among practicing urologists and urology residents. The survey was formulated and edited by a group of urologists and uro-oncologists who had experience conducting several regional and international conferences and webinars. The survey comprised 39 questions divided into six parts. Results: A total of 328 urologists throughout the country participated in the survey, and 303 complete responses were obtained for the analysis. 67.3% subjects felt that live webinars are the preferred method of knowledge exchange during the coronavirus disease pandemic, and 58.1% felt that this concept of webinars had to be extended even after the pandemic was over. Few shortcomings in the webinars included lack of networking (41.3%), lack of personal connection (73.3%), and lack of practical skills (35%). About 85.5% felt that the duration should be <90 min, and 83.2% thought that speakers should be restricted to <5. They were comfortable attending the webinars on weekends (48.8%) or weekdays but after hospital hours (43.9%). Most of them felt (92.4%) that webinars should be focused, covering a single theme and including international and national speakers (84.2%). Conclusions: Webinars can be streamlined for the better and continued after the pandemic. A few issues in this novel learning process have to be adequately addressed to strengthen this modality of academic urology.

Intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) in treating non-muscle invasive bladder cancer-analysis of adverse effects and effectiveness of two strains of BCG (Danish 1331 and Moscow-I).

Objective: To compare the differences in adverse effects and efficacy profile between bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) Danish 1331 and BCG Moscow-I strain in management of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. Methods: Clinical data of 188 cases of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer treated with BCG between January 2008 and December 2018 in our institute were collected prospectively and analysed retrospectively, and 114 patients who completed a minimum of 12 months of follow-up were analysed. Patient and tumor characteristics, strain of BCG, adverse effects, and tumor progression were included for analysis. Intravesical BCG was instilled in intermediate- and high-risk patients. Six weeks of induction BCG, followed by three weekly maintenance BCG at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months was advised in high-risk patients. Results: Overall 68 patients received BCG Danish 1331 strain and 46 patients received Moscow-I strain. Patient and tumor characteristics were well balanced between the two groups. The median follow-up period was 42.5 months and 34.5 months in Danish 1331 and Moscow-I groups, respectively. Adverse events like dropout rate, antitubercular treatment requirement, and need of cystectomy were higher in Moscow-I group (n=31, 67.4%) when compared to Danish 1331 strain (n=33, 48.5%) (p=0.046). On direct comparison between Danish 1331 and Moscow-I strain, there was similar 3-year recurrence-free survival (80.0% vs. 72.9%) and 3-year progression-free survival (96.5% vs. 97.8%). Conclusion: Study results suggest no significant differences between Danish 1331 and Moscow-I strain in recurrence-free survival and progression-free survival, but a significantly higher incidence of moderate to severe adverse events in BCG Moscow-I strain.

Peri-operative, Functional, Quality of Life, and Oncological Outcomes After Robot-Assisted Radical Cystectomy and Intra-corporeal Orthotopic Ileal Neobladder-Our Experience.

Robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) and intracorporeal orthotopic neobladder (OINB) is technically a challenging surgery due to the involvement of prolonged console time and higher level of surgical skills. Therefore, standardizing technique and testament of good functional and oncological outcomes is required to increase its acceptance among surgeons. We report our experience of RARC with OINB and analyze the perioperative, functional, quality of life, and survival outcomes. Single surgeon experience of over 22 OINB after RARC is done, which includes 21 male and one female patients, was done retrospectively. Modified Karolinska Studer technique of neobladder creation was followed. Intraoperative findings, post-operative complications, and follow-up information were recorded for analysis. The patients' median age was 50.5 years (IQR, 41.25-55.50), and the median follow-up period was 45.5 months (IQR, 26.75-68). Median console time was 447.5 min (IQR, 347.5-500), blood loss was 225 ml (IQR, 200-250), and hospital stay was 12 days (IQR, 11-15). Most of the complications were Clavien-Dindo grades I and II. Longer surgery time and more complications were noted in the first 10 cases compared to the next 12 cases. Day and night-time urinary continence is 95% and 77% at 12 months, respectively. Two patients died of disease, and overall survival at 5 years was 84%. Our experience supports OINB as a feasible option after RCIC with acceptable complications, good functional and survival outcomes, with better quality of life. With experience, surgical morbidity and operative time decrease. This surgery should be undertaken after gaining experience with an intracorporeal ileal conduit and has a steep learning curve.

Comparing adverse effects, short term outcomes, and cost implications of hyperthermic intravesical chemotherapy with Mitomycin-C and intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin instillation (Moscow-I strain) in the management of intermediate and high-risk nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer.

INTRODUCTION: The recommended treatment for intermediate and high-risk nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is adjuvant intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) instillation. However, up to 50% experience tumor recurrences even after adjuvant BCG, and many patients develop local or systemic adverse effects. Our study compared adverse effects, short-term recurrence rates, and cost-implications of BCG therapy to Hyperthermic Intra-VEsical Chemotherapy (HIVEC) with Mitomycin-C (MMC) in these patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of intermediate and high-risk NMIBC patients who received either intravesical BCG or HIVEC® after transurethral resection of bladder tumor in our institute (January 2017 to March 2020) was done. Twenty-two patients who received HIVEC and 29 who received BCG were analyzed. We used SPSS Statistics v20.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) software for the statistical analysis. RESULTS: Nineteen (86.4%) patients in the HIVEC group had no adverse effects. Two (9.1%) patients had Grade I lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) treated symptomatically. One patient developed UTI after HIVEC, and further cycles were stopped (Grade II). BCG group had a higher rate of Grade III adverse effects in six (20.7%) patients. Median follow-up was 10.5 and 22 months. The tumor recurred in one (4.5%) and six (20.7%) patients in HIVEC and BCG groups, respectively. There was no difference in recurrence-free survival at 18 months and the cost for the HIVEC therapy was more. CONCLUSIONS: HIVEC with MMC is a reasonable adjuvant treatment option in NMIBC, which is well tolerated, albeit increased cost of the treatment. Randomized trials with more follow-up are required for further conclusion.

Robotic Freyer's prostatectomy: Operative technique and single-center experience.

INTRODUCTION: Transurethral resection of prostate replaced open surgery and remained the gold standard in surgical management of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Holmium laser enucleation and bipolar resection of prostate managed even larger glands. Open simple prostatectomy remains an option for large glands and concurrent pathologies. Minimally invasive laparoscopic simple prostatectomy lacks general acceptance. Surgeons have now started exploring the robotic platform due to its advantages. Herein, we present the technique and initial outcomes of robotic Freyer's prostatectomy (RFP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirteen transperitoneal RFPs were performed using the DaVinci Xi platform. We evaluated perioperative characteristics and functional outcomes. RESULTS: Median patient age was 67.8 years and the mean prostate volume was 105.8 ml. The median International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and American Urological Association quality of life (AUA-QoL) score was 19.6 and 5.3. There were no intraoperative complications or conversion to open surgery. The mean console time and estimated blood loss were 107.30 min and 92.5 ml, respectively. One patient required redo-surgery by robotic technique due to urine leak (Clavien-Dindo Grade 3b complication). Mean hospital stay and catheter duration were 4.9 days and 5.2 days, respectively. Change (preoperative vs. postoperative) in IPSS (19.6 vs. 4.67 points), maximum flow rate (6.8 vs. 15.1 ml/s), AUA-QoL score (5.3 vs. 2.2 points) and PVR (179.4 vs 7.1 ml) were significant (P < 0001). CONCLUSIONS: RFP is a safe and effective option for managing BPH, especially for large glands. It confers minimally invasive surgery benefits with good functional outcomes.

Comparative study of perioperative and survival outcomes after video endoscopic inguinal lymphadenectomy (VEIL) and open inguinal lymph node dissection (O-ILND) in the management of inguinal lymph nodes in carcinoma of the penis.

Open inguinal lymph node dissection (O-ILND) is the gold standard in the management of lymph nodes in carcinoma penis; however, video endoscopic inguinal lymphadenectomy (VEIL) is performed in some centers. Our primary objective is to compare perioperative and survival outcomes in patients undergoing VEIL with O-ILND, as very few studies have reported long-term survival outcomes till date. We analyzed patients who underwent O-ILND and VEIL (laparoscopic or robot-assisted) from January 2009 to January 2020 in our institute for carcinoma of the penis. Patient details, perioperative complications, and survival outcomes were analyzed. Perioperative outcomes were analyzed by logistic regression and survival outcomes by log-rank and Cox regression methods. We analyzed 79 patients (32 O-ILND, 47 VEIL) with a median follow-up of 51 (IQR 25.5-75.5) and 42 months (IQR 21-62). Wound complications were common in O-ILND group (65.6%) compared to VEIL group (27.7%) (p = 0.001), predominantly skin flap necrosis in 14 groins (23.73%) after O-ILND and none after VEIL. Median overall survival was 80 and 88 months (p = 0.840) with five-year survival of 65% and 66.8% (p = 0.636) and five-year DSS of 76.6% and 73.9% (p = 0.96) in O-ILND and VEIL, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that grade and pathological node status were significant (HR-2.650, p = 0.040; HR-3.218, p = 0.024) factors for survival. The retrospective nature of the study design is the limitation. Management of inguinal lymph nodes in carcinoma penis by VEIL is safe, associated with lesser wound-related complications, and equivalent survival outcomes compared to O-ILND. It should be considered as an alternative option for inguinal lymph node dissection.

Organ Preservation Surgery for Carcinoma Penis.

Carcinoma of the penis is not uncommon in India. A sizeable number of patients do not report to the doctors in fear of mutilation to the organ and hence subsequently end up with advanced disease. Many patients with T1 or T2 disease when carefully selected are amenable to organ-preserving penile procedures including surgery, topical therapy, laser, and radiation therapy. Identification of appropriate patients and institution of these treatments has been noted to produce oncologically comparable results to extirpative surgeries. In this article, we review the criteria to identify patients qualifying for organ-preserving treatments and also review outcomes with a variety of penile-preserving procedures.

Genitourinary cancers: Summary of Indian data.

Tumors of the genitourinary system are one of the most common tumors encountered in clinical practice. The associated morbidity and mortality and the significant proportion of affected middle-age individuals have a major bearing on the death-adjusted life years compared to other malignancies. Genitourinary system tumors encompass a very broad spectrum with regard to age, location, histology, and clinical outcomes. Advances in diagnostic imaging, surgical techniques, radiotherapy equipment, and generation of newer chemotherapeutic and targeted agents over the past few years have helped improving treatment outcome. Several focused groups within India have been working on a range of topics related to genitourinary system tumors, and a significant body of work from India in the recent years is being increasingly recognized throughout the world. The present article summarizes the key published work related to the epidemiology of genitourinary system tumors in the Indian setting. A PubMed search was made for locating and selecting articles relevant to the topic.

Living donor transplant options in end-stage renal disease patients with ABO incompatibility.

INTRODUCTION: The options available to CKD 5 patients with donor shortage due to incompatibilities is to either get enlisted in cadaver transplant program or opt for three other alternatives viz; ABO-incompatible transplant (ABO-I), ABO-incompatible transplant with Rituximab (ABO-R) or paired-kidney exchange transplant (PKE). At our institute we have performed ABO-I, ABO-R and PKE transplants and we are presenting the results of these transplants performed at our institution. Here, we report our experiences of living donor kidney transplantation in highly sensitized patients. OBJECTIVE: To review the options available to CKD 5 patients with incompatible donor. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2008 and June 2011, 7 PKE, 26 ABO-I and 7 ABO-R transplants were carried out at our institute. Evaluation of both the recipients and donors involved biochemical, serological and radiological investigations. In case of PKE, recipients were operated simultaneously in different operation theaters. In ABO-I splenectomy was done while in ABO-R was given. Post-transplant the recipient management protocol remained the same. Expenditure following each transplant was calculated. RESULTS: The graft and patient survival of ABO-I, ABO-R and PKE transplants 12-18 months after transplant were 78.9%:80%, 85.7%:85.7% and 100%:100%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The inclusion of Rituximab in the transplant protocol appears promising. The existing donor shortage could be addressed by encouraging other options like PKE. The limiting factor for ABO-R and PKE transplants is time and cost, respectively. The decision depends on the informed consent between the patient and the nephrologists.

Role of probiotics in urogenital healthcare.

Urogenital infections are one of the most common causes for a woman to visit a gynecologist or a urologist. The well-known association between abnormal vaginal microbial flora and its formidable risk in the increased incidence of urinary tract infection underscores the importance of understanding the microbial flora and the efforts needed to maintain it, for ensuring urogenital health. Surprisingly in spite of the increased incidence urogenital infections receive very less attention from the medical fraternity. Growing awareness among people and newer advances in the medical field has brought them into the limelight. The importance of replenishing these depleting commensals with 'probiotics' has resurfaced in a big way. As the days go by science and medicines will touch new milestones, which will include probiotics. The value of a probiotics cannot be taken at face value. Probiotics must not be considered a panacea for treating urogenital infections. However, the available data promises that it will be a strong option in improving and maintaining urogenital health.