Understanding the Prodromal Period of Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections of the Genitalia (Fournier's Gangrene) and the Incidence, Duration, and Risk Factors Associated With Potential Missed Opportunities for an Earlier Diagnosis: A Population-based Longitudinal Study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper was to investigate patterns of health care utilization leading up to diagnosis of necrotizing soft tissue infections of the genitalia and to identify risk factors associated with potential diagnostic delay. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IBM MarketScan Research Databases (2001-2020) were used to identify index cases of necrotizing soft tissue infections of the genitalia. We identified health care visits for symptomatically similar diagnoses (eg, penile swelling, cellulitis) that occurred prior to necrotizing soft tissue infections of the genitalia diagnosis. A change-point analysis identified the window before diagnosis where diagnostic opportunities first appeared. A simulation model estimated the likelihood symptomatically similar diagnosis visits represented a missed opportunity for earlier diagnosis. Patient and provider characteristics were evaluated for their associations with delay. RESULTS: We identified 8,098 patients with necrotizing soft tissue infections of the genitalia, in which 4,032 (50%) had a symptomatically similar diagnosis visit in the 21-day diagnostic window, most commonly for "non-infectious urologic abnormalities" (eg, genital swelling; 64%): 46% received antibiotics; 16% saw a urologist. Models estimated that 5,096 of the symptomatically similar diagnosis visits (63%) represented diagnostic delay (mean duration 6.2 days; mean missed opportunities 1.8). Risk factors for delay included urinary tract infection history (OR 2.1) and morbid obesity (OR 1.6). Visits to more than 1 health care provider/location in a 24-hour period significantly decreased delay risk. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly 50% of insured patients who undergo debridement for, or die from, necrotizing soft tissue infections of the genitalia will present to a medical provider with a symptomatically similar diagnosis suggestive of early disease development. Many of these visits likely represent diagnostic delay. Efforts to minimize logistic and cognitive biases in this rare condition may lead to improved outcomes if they lead to earlier interventions.

Number of cores needed to diagnose prostate cancer during MRI targeted biopsy decreases after the learning curve.

INTRODUCTION: We hypothesized that the number of cores needed to detect prostate cancer would decrease with increasing MRI-targeted biopsy (TBx) experience. METHODS: All patients undergoing TBx at our institution from May 2017 to August 2019 were enrolled in a prospectively maintained database. Five biopsy cores were obtained from each lesion ≥3 on PI-RADS v2.0 followed by a systematic 12-core biopsy. To assess learning curve, the study population was divided into quartiles by sequential biopsies. Clinically significant prostate cancer (csPC) was defined as Gleason Grade Group 2 or higher. RESULTS: 377 patients underwent prostate biopsy (533 lesions); 233 lesions (44%) were positive for prostate cancer and 173 lesions (32%) were csPC. There was a significant decline in the number of cores required for diagnosing any cancer (P < 0.001) and csPC (P < 0.05) after the first quartile. There was no difference when stratifying by PI-RADS score or lesion volume. Within the first quartile, limiting the biopsy to 3 cores would miss 16.2% of csPC, decreasing to 6.6% after approximately 100 patients. CONCLUSION: MRI TBx is associated with a learning curve of approximately 100 cases. Four or 5 cores should be considered during the initial experience, but thereafter, 3 cores per lesion is sufficient to detect csPC.

Do patients with a PI-RADS 5 lesion identified on magnetic resonance imaging require systematic biopsy in addition to targeted biopsy?

INTRODUCTION: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)-targeted prostate biopsy (MRI-TB) improves the detection of prostate cancer. These biopsies typically involve both a 12-core systematic biopsy (SB) and MRI-TB of the lesion. Since the majority of PI-RADS 5 lesions represent clinically significant cancers, the utility of SB in addition to MRI-TB is unclear. We evaluate the utility of SB in the setting of PI-RADS 5 lesions in biopsy naïve and active surveillance patients. METHODS: Patients undergoing MRI-TB+SB with a PI-RADS 5 lesion were retrospectively reviewed in a prospectively collected database. Pathology obtained from the MRI-TB was then compared to that of the SB, and each was reported based on the highest Gleason Grade from the sample. In patients with a prior biopsy, we identified instances in which the MRI-TB+SB resulted in upgraded pathology and further subdivided these patients based on whether the pathology upgrade was a result of the TB or the SB. RESULTS: We identified PI-RADS 5 lesions in 97 patients. All lesions biopsied were found to be prostate cancer, and 86.9% were clinically significant. Gleason Grade from the MRI-TB of the PI-RADS 5 lesions was the same or higher to that of the SB in all but 3 cases (3.1%). Among 59 patients with a prior prostate biopsy, 54 had upgraded pathology from MRI-TB+SB (91.5%). Of these 54 patients, MRI-TB pathology of the PI-RADS 5 lesion was the same or higher to that of the SB in 52 patients (96.3%). In all patients with higher Gleason Grade on SB than MRI-TB, the MRI-TB demonstrated GG3 or higher and SB did not change subsequent clinical management. CONCLUSION: In the presence of a PI-RADS 5 lesion, SB offers minimal additional clinical value and could potentially be omitted when performing MRI-TB.