Age above 70 years and Charlson Comorbidity Index higher than 3 are associated with reduced survival probabilities after radical cystectomy for bladder cancer. Data from a contemporary series of 334 consecutive patients.

Objective: To assess the joint effect of age and comorbidities on clinical outcomes of radical cystectomy (RC).Methods: 334 consecutive patients undergoing open RC for bladder cancer (BC) during the years 2005-2015 were analyzed. Pre-, peri- and post-operative parameters, including age at RC (ARC) and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), were evaluated. Overall and cancer-specific survivals (OS, CSS) were assessed by univariate and multivariate modelling. Furthermore, a three-knot restricted cubic spline (RCS) was fitted to survival data to detect dependency between death-rate ratio (HR) and ARC. Results: Median follow-up time was 3.8 years (IQR = 1.3-7.5) while median OS was 5.9 years (95%CL = 3.8-9.1). Globally, 180 patients died in our cohort (53.8%), 112 of which (62.2%) from BC and 68 patients (37.8%) for unrelated causes. After adjusting for preoperative, pathological and perioperative parameters, patients with CCI > 3 showed significantly higher death rates (HR = 1.61; p = 0.022). The highest death rate was recorded in ARC = 71-76 years (HR = 2.25; p = 0.034). After fitting an RCS to both OS and CSS rates, two overlapping nonlinear trends, with common highest risk values included in ARC = 70-75 years, were observed. Conclusions: Age over 70 years and CCI > 3 were significant factors limiting the survival of RC and should both be considered when comparing current RC outcomes

Long pentraxin-3 follows and modulates bladder cancer progression

Bladder tumors are a diffuse type of cancer. Long pentraxin-3 (PTX3) is a component of the innate immunity with pleiotropic functions in the regulation of immune response, tissue remodeling, and cancer progression. PTX3 may act as an oncosuppressor in different contexts, functioning as an antagonist of the fibroblast growth factor/fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGF/FGFR) system, rewiring the immune microenvironment, or acting through mechanisms not yet fully clarified. In this study we used biopsies and data mining to assess that PTX3 is differentially expressed during the different stages of bladder cancer (BC) progression. BC cell lines, representative of different tumor grades, and transgenic/carcinogen-induced models were used to demonstrate in vitro and in vivo that PTX3 production by tumor cells decreases along the progression from low-grade to high-grade advanced muscle invasive forms (MIBC). In vitro and in vivo data revealed for the first time that PTX3 modulation and the consequent impairment of FGF/FGR systems in BC cells have a significant impact on different biological features of BC growth, including cell proliferation, motility, metabolism, stemness, and drug resistance. PTX3 exerts an oncosuppressive effect on BC progression and may represent a potential functional biomarker in BC evolution. Moreover, FGF/FGFR blockade has an impact on drug resistance and stemness features in BC

Patients' perceptions of quality of care delivery by urology residents: A nationwide study

Objective To present the results of a nationwide survey among urological patients to evaluate their perception of the quality of care provided by residents. Methods An anonymous survey was distributed to patients who were referred to 22 Italian academic institutions. The survey aimed to investigate the professional figure of the urology resident as perceived by the patient. Results A total of 2587 patients were enrolled in this study. In all, 51.6% of patients were able to correctly identify a urology resident; however, almost 40% of respondents discriminated residents from fully trained urologists based exclusively on their young age. Overall, 98.2% patients rated the service provided by the resident as at least sufficient. Urology trainees were considered by more than 50% of the patients interviewed to have good communication skills, expertise and willingness. Overall, patients showed an excellent willingness to be managed by urology residents. The percentage of patients not available for this purpose showed an increasing trend that directly correlated with the difficulty of the procedure. Approximately 5-10% of patients were not willing to be managed by residents for simple procedures such as clinical visits, cystoscopy or sonography, and up to a third of patients were not prepared to undergo any surgical procedure performed by residents during steps in major surgery, even if the residents were adequately tutored. Conclusions Our data showed that patients have a good willingness to be managed by residents during their training, especially for medium- to low-difficulty procedures. Furthermore, the majority of patients interviewed rated the residents' care delivery as sufficient. Urology trainees were considered to have good communication skills, expertise and willingness

Association between Basal Total Testosterone Levels and Tumor Upgrading in Low and Intermediate Risk Prostate Cancer

Purpose: The study aimed to evaluate associations of basal levels of total testosterone (TT) with tumor upgrading to high risk disease in low-intermediate risk prostate cancer (PCA). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the records of 135 patients undergoing radical prostatectomy. Evaluated factors included age, body mass index, prostate specific antigen (PSA), TT, prostate volume, PSA density (PSAD), proportion of biopsy positive cores (P+), clinical tumor stage, and biopsy grading system (1 or 2). Factors associating with tumor upgrading were investigated by the multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: Tumor upgrading rate to high risk disease was 8.9%. TT, PSA, and PSAD were associated with tumor upgrading. On multivariate analysis, independent factors predicting tumor upgrading were PSA (OR 1.324; p = 0.001) and TT (OR 1.005; p = 0.015). Basal TT was dichotomized up to the third quartile (TT > q3) vs. TT 64 q3 (426.0 ng/dL). The assessed tumor upgrading risk model showed that TT dichotomized to third quartile (TT > q3 vs. TT 64 q3) stratified the risk of tumor upgrading (OR 6.577; p = 0.010) along increasing levels of PSA (OR 1.3; p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Low and intermediate risk PCA patients show a not negligible risk of tumor upgrading to high risk disease. In this particular subset of patients, basal levels of TT stratify the risk of tumor upgrading

Intraprostatic chronic inflammation is associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer in patients elected to a first random biopsy set

Objectives: To investigate the associations of clinical factors and intraprostatic chronic inflammatory infiltrate (CII) with the risk of prostate cancer (PCa) in a large contemporary cohort of patients elected to a first random biopsy set. Materials and methods: The study evaluated 596 patients who were elected to a first random biopsy set because of suspected PCa in the period between September 2010 and September 2015. The multivariate logistic regression model investigated the possible associations of clinical factors and intraprostatic CII with PCa. results: Prostate cancer was detected in 292 of 596 patients (49%). Intraprostatic CII was detected in 26.3% of cases. Age (odds ratio, OR = 1.060; p&lt;0.0001), prostate-specific antigen (PSA; OR = 1.174; p&lt;0.0001), prostate volume (PV; OR = 0.951; p&lt;0.0001) and abnormal digital rectal examination (DRE; OR = 2.170; p = 0.001) were independent predictors of PCa risk; moreover, intraprostatic CII was an important independent factor lowering the risk of PCa (OR = 0.258; p&lt;0.0001) in the multivariate clinical model. Conclusions: In a large contemporary cohort of patients elected to a first random biopsy set, the detection of intraprostatic CII was not negligible (26.3%) and associated with a reduced risk of PCa. In the prostate microenvironment, intraprostatic CII might lower the risk of PCa by activating the response of the immune system at the early stages of cancer induction and progression. Specific serum biomarkers and imaging modalities associated with intraprostatic CII are required. Advanced basic science research is warranted to investigate and develop the controversial topic of intraprostatic chronic inflammation in relation to PCa

Clinical factors stratifying the risk of tumor upgrading to high-grade disease in low-risk prostate cancer

Purpose: To identify clinical factors stratifying the risk of tumor upgrading to increasing patterns of the tumor grading system in low-risk prostate cancer (PCa). Methods: We evaluated the records of 438 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy. Associations between clinical factors and tumor upgrading were assessed by the univariate and multivariate multinomial logistic regression model. Results: Low-risk PCa included 170 cases (38.8%) and tumor upgrading was detected in 111 patients (65.3%): 72 (42.4%) had pathology Gleason pattern (pGP) 3 + 4, 27 (15.9%) pGP 4 + 3, and 12 (7.1%) pGP 4 + 4. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and proportion of positive cores (P+) were independent predictors of upgrading to high-risk disease. These factors also stratified the risk of tumor upgrading to the increasing patterns of the tumor grading system. The model allowed the identification of pGP 4 + 4. The main difference between high-risk PCa and other upgraded tumors related to PSA load (odds ratio 2.4) that associated with high volume disease in the specimen. Conclusions: Low-risk PCa is a heterogeneous population with significant rates of tumor upgrading. Significant clinical predictors stratifying the risk of tumor upgrading to increasing patterns of the grading system included PSA and P+. These factors allowed the identification of the subset hiding high-grade disease requiring further investigations before delivering active treatments

Prostate Volume Index Associates with a Decreased Risk of Prostate Cancer: Results of a Large Cohort of Patients Elected to a First Biopsy Set

Background/Aims/Objectives: In patients elected to the first prostate biopsy set, the risk of prostate cancer (PCA) may be predicted by clinical factors. The aim of this study was to investigate on prostate volume index (PVI), defined as the ratio of volume of the transitional zone to the volume of the peripheral zone, and PCA risk. Confirmatory studies are required

Clinical Factors of Disease Reclassification or Progression in a Contemporary Cohort of Prostate Cancer Patients Elected to Active Surveillance

To evaluate clinical predictors of disease reclassification or progression (DR/P) in prostate cancer patients elected to active surveillance (AS)