The role of immunotherapy in urological cancers

Immunotherapy is defined as a therapeutic approach that targets or manipulates the immune system. A deeper understanding of the cellular and molecular composition of the tumour environment, as well as the mechanisms controlling the immune system, has made possible the development and clinical investigation of many innovative cancer therapies. Historically, immunotherapy has played an essential role in treating urologic malignancies, while in the modern era, the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has been critical to urology. Urothelial carcinoma is a common type of cancer in the genitourinary system, and treatment strategies in this area are constantly evolving. Intravesical and systemic immunotherapeutic agents have begun to be used increasingly frequently in treating urothelial carcinoma. These agents increase the anti-tumour response by affecting the body's defence mechanisms. Immunotherapeutic agents used in urothelial carcinoma include various options such as BCG, interferon, anti-PD-1 (pembrolizumab, nivolumab) and anti-PD-L1 (atezolizumab, avelumab, durvalumab). Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has been known for many years as a tumour with unique sensitivity to immunotherapies. The recent emergence of ICIs that block PD-1/PD-L1 (pembrolizumab, nivolumab, atezolizumab) or CTLA4 (ipilimumab) signalling pathways has reestablished systemic immunotherapy as central to the treatment of advanced RCC. In light of randomized clinical trials conducted with increasing interest in the application of immunotherapies in the adjuvant setting, combination therapies (nivolumab/ipilimumab, nivolumab/cabozantinib, pembrolizumab/ axitinib, pembrolizumab/lenvantinib) have become the standard first-line treatment of metastatic RCC. Prostate cancer is in the immunologically "cold" tumour category; on the contrary, in recent years, immunotherapeutic agents have come to the fore as an essential area in the treatment of this disease. Especially in the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer, immunotherapeutic agents constitute an alternative treatment method besides androgen deprivation therapy and chemotherapy. Ipilimumab, nivolumab, pembrolizumab, atezolizumab, and Sipuleucel T (Vaccine-based) are promising alternative treatment options. Considering ongoing randomized clinical trials, immunotherapeutic agents promise to transform the uro-oncology field significantly. In this review, we aimed to summarize the role of immunotherapy in urothelial, renal and prostate cancer in the light of randomized clinical trials

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ABSTRACT Context Heterotopic pancreas is defined as the presence of pancreatic tissue, outside its usual location, which lacks anatomical and vascular continuity with the pancreas proper. Despite the development of modern diagnostic procedures, it is still difficult to differentiate heterotopic pancreas from benign or malignant tumors and other tumor-like lesions. Frozen examination of mucinous lesions arising from heterotopic pancreas may represent a diagnostic problem. A decision may be very difficult and it is sometimes impossible to decide on the basis of the frozen sections whether a lesion is benign or malignant. Case report We report a tumor-like lesion mimicking a mucinous (colloid) carcinoma arising in heterotopic pancreatic tissue in the prepyloric antrum of a 56-year-old woman which was found incidentally during an elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy for cholelithiasis. The tumor was treated by wedge resection and, in the frozen section examination, there were pancreatic ducts in the proper muscle layer, pancreatic acini with islets of Langerhans under the serosal surface and mucinous lakes close to the heterotopic pancreatic tissue and to a peripheral nerve. Conclusion The significance of this unusual lesion is its potential confusion with mucinous (colloid) carcinoma or other mucous tumors. Such confusion is more likely to occur if the tissue sample is selective or limited, and the presence of pancreatic tissue cannot be verified. Therefore, we believe that a choice of local excision, wedge resection or more extensive eradication be determined only after intraoperative, pathological confirmation of the complete and accurate diagnosis

Oncological and functional outcomes of patients who underwent open partial nephrectomy for kidney tumor

Objective: To report long-term functional and oncological outcomes of OPN Methods: We enrolled 182 patients who underwent consecutive OPN with a diagnosis of kidney tumor in our clinic between April 2002 and February 2020 and were selected from our prospective OPN database. Preoperative demographic and clinical characteristics, intraoperative and pathological results, and patients' postoperative functional and oncological follow-up data were retrospectively analyzed. Overall survival (OS) and disease- free survival (DFS) were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. The time-dependent variation between preoperative and postoperative functional results was statistically analyzed and presented in a graph. Results and limitations: The mean age was 54.4 ± 10.8 yr, and the median age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index (ACCI) was 1 (interquartile range [IQR] 0-1). The mean tumor size was 3.1 ± 1.2 cm, and the median RENAL score was 6 (IQR 5-8). The most common malign histopathological subtype was clear cell carcinoma with 76.6%, and five cases (3.4%) had positive surgical margins (PSMs). The most common surgical techniques were the retroperitoneal approach (98.9%) and cold ischemia (88.5%). Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) preservation was 92% (80.8-99.3, IQR), which translates to 32% chronic kidney disease (CKD) upstaging. Acute kidney injury (AKI) was detected in 27 (14.8%) patients according to RIFLE criteria. The intraoperative complication rate was 5.5%, and the postoperative overall complication rate (Clavien-Dindo 1-5) was 30.2%. Major complications (Clavien-Dindo 3-5) were observed in 13 (7.1%) patients. The median oncological follow-up was 42 mo (21.3- 84.6, IQR), and the 5- and 10-yr OS were 90.1% and 78.6%, 5 and 10-yr DFS were 99.4% and 92.1%, respectively. No local recurrence was observed in 5 (3.4%) patients with PSMs; only one had distant metastasis in the 8th postoperative month. The retrospective design, the small number of patients who underwent PN based on mandatory indication, and one type of surgical approach may limit the generalizability of our findings. Conclusions: This study confirms excellent long-term oncologic and functional outcomes after OPN in a cohort of patients selected from a single institution. In light of the information provided by the literature and our study, our recommendation is to push the limits of PN under every technically feasible condition in the treatment of kidney tumors to protect the kidney reserve and achieve near-perfect oncological results

Spontaneous Retroperitoneal Haematoma due to Polyarteritis Nodosa: Report of a Case and Literature Review

Retroperitoneal haematoma is a rare clinical entity with variable etiology. It can happen spontaneously, without any obvious precipitating factors, the so-called spontaneous retroperitoneal haematoma. There is no general consensus as to the best management plan for patients with retroperitoneal haematoma. Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is a rare cause of retroperitoneal haematoma. Here we report relationship between PAN and retroperitoneal haematoma and treatment approaches. However, an accepted and clearly defined treatment has not been established due to its rarity

Does platelet activity play a role in the pathogenesis of idiopathic ischemic priapism?

ABSTRACT Purpose Mean platelet volume (MPV) is used to measure platelet size and is defined as a potential marker of platelet reactivity. Higher MPV levels have been defined as a risk factor for increased incidence of intravascular thrombosis and its associated diseases. We aimed to determine whether a relationship exists between the MPV and veno-occlusive component of idiopathic ischemic priapism (IIP). Materials and methods Between 2010 and 2014, 38 subjects were analyzed in two groups. One was composed of 15 patients with diagnosis as IIP in our institute, and the other contained 23 healthy control subjects. Complete blood count reports were retrospectively evaluated in both groups. MPV, platelet count (PLT), platelet distribution width (PDW), white blood cells (WBC), red blood cells (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), reticulocyte distribution width (RDW) were measured in both groups. : Results The mean ages were similar in IIP patients (45.86±15.82) and control subjects (47.65±10.99). The mean MPV values of IIP patients were significantly higher than control subjects (p<0.05). In contrast, also PLT counts were significantly lower in IIP patients, compared to control subjects (p<0.05). The mean hemoglobin and WBC values were significantly lower in control group (p<0.05). There was no significant difference of RBC, PDW and RDW values in both groups. Conclusions We found that the MPV was significantly higher in IIP patients compared to control subjects. The high MPV levels may have contributed to the veno-occlusive etiopathogenesis of IIP disease. We strongly suggest further prospective studies to recommend the use of MPV in routine practice

A Tumor-Like Lesion Mimicking Mucinous (Colloid) Carcinoma in Heterotopic Pancreas of the Prepyloric Antrum: A Formidable Challenge for Frozen Examination

Context Heterotopic pancreas is defined as the presence of pancreatic tissue, outside its usual location, which lacks anatomical and vascular continuity with the pancreas proper. Despite the development of modern diagnostic procedures, it is still difficult to differentiate heterotopic pancreas from benign or malignant tumors and other tumor-like lesions. Frozen examination of mucinous lesions arising from heterotopic pancreas may represent a diagnostic problem. A decision may be very difficult and it is sometimes impossible to decide on the basis of the frozen sections whether a lesion is benign or malignant. Case report We report a tumor-like lesion mimicking a mucinous (colloid) carcinoma arising in heterotopic pancreatic tissue in the prepyloric antrum of a 56-year-old woman which was found incidentally during an elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy for cholelithiasis. The tumor was treated by wedge resection and, in the frozen section examination, there were pancreatic ducts in the proper muscle layer, pancreatic acini with islets of Langerhans under the serosal surface and mucinous lakes close to the heterotopic pancreatic tissue and to a peripheral nerve. Conclusion The significance of this unusual lesion is its potential confusion with mucinous (colloid) carcinoma or other mucous tumors. Such confusion is more likely to occur if the tissue sample is selective or limited, and the presence of pancreatic tissue cannot be verified. Therefore, we believe that a choice of local excision, wedge resection or more extensive eradication be determined only after intraoperative, pathological confirmation of the complete and accurate diagnosis.Image: Intraoperative laparoscopic appearance of prepyloric antral lesion

Validación externa de los sistemas de puntuación actuales y desarrollo de un nuevo sistema de puntuación para la predicción de la tasa libre de cálculos tras la cirugía intrarrenal retrógrada en pacientes con un diámetro acumulado del cálculo de 2-4 cm

Objective: Our primary aim is to perform the external validation of the current scoring systems in predicting stone-free status (SFS) after retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) for renal stones 2-4 cm and develop a novel scoring system by re-examining possible predictive factors related to SFS.Methods: Patients who underwent RIRS due to renal stones with a cumulative stone diameter of 2-4 cm between January 2017 and March 2021 were retrospectively screened. Residual stones 2 cm. The SFS predictive ability of our new scoring system was higher in > 2 cm stones compared to the other scoring systems.Objetivo: Nuestro objetivo principal es realizar la validación externa de los sistemas de puntuación actuales para predecir el estado libre de cálculos (ELC) después de la cirugía intrarrenal retrógrada (CRIR) para cálculos renales de 2−4 cm y desarrollar un nuevo sistema de puntuación reexaminando los posibles factores predictivos relacionados con el ELC. Métodos: Se evaluaron retrospectivamente los pacientes que recibieron CRIR para el tratamiento de cálculos renales con diámetro acumulado de 2−4 cm, entre enero de 2017 y marzo de 2021. Los cálculos residuales ≤2 mm se definieron como clínicamente insignificantes, y estos casos se consideraron como ELC. Se examinaron los posibles factores predictivos relacionados con el ELC mediante el análisis de regresión logística multivariante. Se elaboró un nomograma y se creó un sistema de puntuación utilizando variables predictivas independientes. Mediante el análisis ROC se evaluó la capacidad de predicción de los sistemas de puntuación actuales y del recién desarrollado. Resultados: Los sistemas de puntuación existentes resultaron insuficientes para predecir el ELC (AUC 2 cm. Nuestro nuevo sistema de puntuación tuvo una capacidad predictiva del ELC mayor en cálculos de >2 cm, en comparación con los otros sistemas de puntuación

Validación externa de los sistemas de puntuación actuales y desarrollo de un nuevo sistema de puntuación para la predicción de la tasa libre de cálculos tras la cirugía intrarrenal retrógrada en pacientes con un diámetro acumulado del cálculo de 2-4 cm

Objective: Our primary aim is to perform the external validation of the current scoring systems in predicting stone-free status (SFS) after retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) for renal stones 2-4 cm and develop a novel scoring system by re-examining possible predictive factors related to SFS. Methods: Patients who underwent RIRS due to renal stones with a cumulative stone diameter of 2-4 cm between January 2017 and March 2021 were retrospectively screened. Residual stones ≤2 mm were defined as clinically insignificant, and these cases were considered to have SFS. Possible predictive factors related to SFS were examined using the multivariate logistic regression analysis. A nomogram and a scoring system were developed using independent predictive variables. The prediction ability of the previous and the new scoring system were evaluated with the ROC analysis. Results: The existing scoring systems were found to be insufficient in predicting SFS (AUC 2 cm. The SFS predictive ability of our new scoring system was higher in >2 cm stones compared to the other scoring systems.Objetivo: Nuestro objetivo principal es realizar la validación externa de los sistemas de puntuación actuales para predecir el estado libre de cálculos (ELC) después de la cirugía intrarrenal retrógrada (CRIR) para cálculos renales de 2−4 cm y desarrollar un nuevo sistema de puntuación reexaminando los posibles factores predictivos relacionados con el ELC. Métodos: Se evaluaron retrospectivamente los pacientes que recibieron CRIR para el tratamiento de cálculos renales con diámetro acumulado de 2−4 cm, entre enero de 2017 y marzo de 2021. Los cálculos residuales ≤2 mm se definieron como clínicamente insignificantes, y estos casos se consideraron como ELC. Se examinaron los posibles factores predictivos relacionados con el ELC mediante el análisis de regresión logística multivariante. Se elaboró un nomograma y se creó un sistema de puntuación utilizando variables predictivas independientes. Mediante el análisis ROC se evaluó la capacidad de predicción de los sistemas de puntuación actuales y del recién desarrollado. Resultados: Los sistemas de puntuación existentes resultaron insuficientes para predecir el ELC (AUC 2 cm. Nuestro nuevo sistema de puntuación tuvo una capacidad predictiva del ELC mayor en cálculos de >2 cm, en comparación con los otros sistemas de puntuación

Implantable orthotopic bladder cancer model in Wistar rats: A pilot and feasibility study

Purpose: The implantable bladder cancer (BC) models allow the researchers to perform rapid and useful experiments for BC. We investigated the implantation success of BC cells obtained from Wistar rats (grown in vitro), into bladders of syngeneic Wistar rats, which are commonly used in the laboratories