Aims
Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) can be classified into symptom syndromes based on which symptoms are predominant. Overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome, a storage dysfunction, and underactive ...bladder (UAB) syndrome, a voiding dysfunction, are common syndromes, which urodynamic tests may show to be caused by detrusor overactivity (DO) and detrusor underactivity (DU), but can also be associated with other urethro‐vesical dysfunctions. Sometimes OAB and UAB can coexist in the same patient and, if so, need a specific approach beyond treatment of the single and apparently opposing syndromes.
Methods
During its 2019 meeting in Bristol, the International Consultation on Incontinence Research Society held a literature review and expert consensus discussion focused on the emerging awareness of the coexisting overactive–underactive bladder (COUB).
Results
The consensus considered whether COUB is the combination of OAB and UAB syndromes, or a real unique clinical syndrome in the same patient, possibly with a common etiology. Definitions, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment were discussed, and high‐priority research questions were identified.
Conclusions
COUB (with or without urodynamic evidence of DO and DU) may be considered a real clinical syndrome, because it differs from single OAB and UAB, and may not be the combination of both syndromes. Urodynamic tests may be necessary in unclear cases or in cases not responding to initial treatment of the most troublesome symptoms. It is pivotal to define the evolution of the syndrome and the characteristic population, and to recognize predictive or phenotyping factors to develop a specific approach and adequate outcome measures.
Molecular subtyping of bladder cancer (BC) aims to capture the biological heterogeneity of this complex disease in order to provide better patient risk stratification. Immunohistochemical (IHC) ...markers are regarded as promising surrogates to classify BCs into luminal and basal subtypes in routine practice. We investigated the correlation between the molecular subclassification, assessed through IHC, and the conventional prognostic variables of a cohort of 93 muscle-invasive BCs (MIBCs), with a focus on the pattern of muscularis propria (MP) invasion, and evaluated their association with outcome. Basal, luminal, double-positive (DP), and double-negative (DN) phenotypes were identified according to the coordinate expression of 1 basal (CK5/6) and 2 luminal (CK20, GATA3) markers, and accounted for 33.3%, 32.3%, 3.2%, and 31.2% (Scheme #1) and 9.7%, 60.2%, 26.9%, and 3.2% (Scheme #2). There was a significant association between the pattern of MP invasion and the molecular subtypes according to Scheme #2, in that all 8 basal and DN cases, as well as 83% of DP cases, had a non-infiltrative invasion pattern. No consistent differences were observed in terms of OS and CSS between the molecular subtypes obtained through surrogate IHC markers. In keeping with previous studies, we report the correlation between the identification of BC subtypes and the presence of morphological prognostic factors, supporting the need for a comprehensive pathological evaluation, including clinicopathological and molecular parameters, in order to improve the diagnosis and management of MIBC.
Risk calculator (RC) combining PSA with other clinical information can help to better select patients at risk of prostate cancer (PCa) for prostate biopsy. The present study aimed to develop a new ...Pca RC, including MRI and bladder outlet obstruction parameters (BOOP). The ability of these parameters in predicting PCa and clinically significant PCa (csPCa: ISUP GG ≥ 2) was assessed by binary logistic regression. A total of 728 patients were included from two institutions. Of these, 395 (54.3%) had negative biopsies and 161 (22.11%) and 172 (23.6%) had a diagnosis of ISUP GG1 PCa and csPCa. The two RC ultimately included age, PSA, DRE, prostate volume (pVol), post-voided residual urinary volume (PVR), and PIRADS score. Regarding BOOP, higher prostate volumes (csPCa: OR 0.98, CI 0.97,0.99) and PVR ≥ 50 mL (csPCa: OR 0.27, CI 0.15, 0.47) were protective factors for the diagnosis of any PCa and csPCa. AUCs after internal validation were 0.78 (0.75, 0.82) and 0.82 (0.79, 0.86), respectively. Finally, decision curves analysis demonstrated higher benefit compared to the first-generation calculator and MRI alone. These novel RC based on MRI and BOOP may help to better select patient for prostate biopsy after prostate MRI.
The association between PSA density, prostate cancer (PCa) and BPH is well established. The aim of the present study was to establish whether PSA density can be used as a reliable parameter to ...predict csPCa and to determine its optimal cutoff to exclude increased PSA levels due to intraprostatic inflammation. This is a large prospective single-center, observational study evaluating the role of PSA density in the discrimination between intraprostatic inflammation and clinically significant PCa (csPCa). Patients with PSA ≥ 4 ng/ml and/or positive digito-rectal examination (DRE) and scheduled for prostate biopsy were enrolled. Prostatic inflammation (PI) was assessed and graded using the Irani Scores. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was used to assess if PSA density was associated with clinically significant PCa (csPCa) rather than prostatic inflammation. A total of 1988 patients met the inclusion criteria. Any PCa and csPCa rates were 47% and 24% respectively. In the group without csPCa, patients with prostatic inflammation had a higher PSA (6.0 vs 5.0 ng/ml; p=0.0003), higher prostate volume (58 vs 52 cc; p<0.0001), were more likely to have a previous negative biopsy (29% vs 21%; p=0.0005) and a negative DRE (70% vs 65%; p=0.023) but no difference in PSA density (0.1 vs 0.11; p=0.2). Conversely in the group with csPCa, patients with prostatic inflammation had a higher prostate volume (43 vs 40 cc; p=0.007) but no difference in the other clinical parameters. At multivariable analysis adjusting for age, biopsy history, DRE and prostate volume, PSA density emerged as a strong predictor of csPCA but was not associated with prostatic inflammation. The optimal cutoffs of PSA density to diagnose csPCa and rule out the presence of prostatic inflammation in patients with an elevated PSA (>4 ng/ml) were 0.10 ng/ml
2
in biopsy naïve patients and 0.15 ng/ml
2
in patients with a previous negative biopsy. PSA density rather than PSA, should be used to evaluate patients at risk of prostate cancer who may need additional testing or prostate biopsy. This readily available parameter can potentially identify men who do not have PCa but have an elevated PSA secondary to benign conditions.
The present study aimed to determine the ability of novel nomograms based onto readily-available clinical parameters, like those related to benign prostatic obstruction (BPO), in predicting the ...outcome of first prostate biopsy (PBx). To do so, we analyzed our Internal Review Board-approved prospectively-maintained PBx database. Patients with PSA>20 ng/ml were excluded because of their high risk of harboring prostate cancer (PCa). A total of 2577 were found to be eligible for study analyses. The ability of age, PSA, digital rectal examination (DRE), prostate volume (PVol), post-void residual urinary volume (PVR), and peak flow rate (PFR) in predicting PCa and clinically-significant PCa (CSPCa)was tested by univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis. The predictive accuracy of the multivariate models was assessed using receiver operator characteristic curves analysis, calibration plot, and decision-curve analyses (DCA). Nomograms predicting PCa and CSPCa were built using the coefficients of the logit function. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that all variables but PFR significantly predicted PCA and CSPCa. The addition of the BPO-related variables PVol and PVR to a model based on age, PSA and DRE findings increased the model predictive accuracy from 0.664 to 0.768 for PCa and from 0.7365 to 0.8002 for CSPCa. Calibration plot demonstrated excellent models' concordance. DCA demonstrated that the model predicting PCa is of value between ~15 and ~80% threshold probabilities, whereas the one predicting CSPCa is of value between ~10 and ~60% threshold probabilities. In conclusion, our novel nomograms including PVR and PVol significantly increased the accuracy of the model based on age, PSA and DRE in predicting PCa and CSPCa at first PBx. Being based onto parameters commonly assessed in the initial evaluation of men "prostate health," these novel nomograms could represent a valuable and easy-to-use tool for physicians to help patients to understand their risk of harboring PCa and CSPCa.
The increasing importance of treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), while avoiding side effects and maintaining sexual function, has allowed for the development of minimally invasive ...surgical therapies (MISTs). Recently, the European Association of Urology guidelines reported a paradigm shift from the management of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) to the management of nonneurogenic male LUTS. The aim of the present review was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the most commonly used MISTs: ablative techniques such as aquablation, prostatic artery embolization, water vapor energy, and transperineal prostate laser ablation, and nonablative techniques such as prostatic urethral lift and temporarily implanted nitinol device (iTIND). MISTs are becoming a new promise, even if clinical trials with longer follow-up are still lacking. Most of them are still under investigation and, to date, only a few options have been given as a recommendation for use. They cannot be considered as standard of care and are not suitable for all patients. Advantages and disadvantages should be underlined, without forgetting our objective: treatment of LUTS and re-treatment avoidance.
Introduction: Urinary incontinence is a prevalent condition, especially in elderly men, with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) being a common cause after radical prostatectomy. The artificial urinary ...sphincter (AUS), particularly the AMS 800™ device, has been the gold-standard treatment for moderate-severe male SUI for decades. Despite some technical advancements and alternative devices like ZSI-375, Victo, and BR-SL-AS 904 being introduced, there is limited literature comparing their effectiveness to the AMS 800™. Methods: This literature review compares the AMS 800™ to the newer technologies in the management of SUI. We reviewed the current literature on urinary sphincter implant in male stress incontinence, including AMS 800™, ZSI-375, Victo, and BR-SL-AS 904. Findings: The AMS 800™ is a sophisticated system consisting of an inflatable cuff, a pressure-regulating balloon, and a control pump. Studies show continence rates ranging from 61% to 100% with AMS 800™ implants, with low infection rates and significant improvement in patients’ quality of life. The ZSI-375 sphincter is a unique single-piece cuff without an abdominal reservoir, simplifying implantation. Preliminary data show a social continence rate of 73% at six months, with lower complication rates than the AMS 800™. The VICTO® device offers adjustable pressure and a stress relief mechanism, providing conditional occlusion of the urethra. Early studies report a satisfaction rate of up to 94.2% and a complication rate of 17.6%. BR-SL-AS 904 is a newly proposed urinary sphincter, but due to the limited number of cases and a single study, its efficacy and complication rates remain uncertain. Conclusions: Overall, AMS 800™ remains the gold-standard treatment for SUI after radical prostatectomy. Alternative devices like ZSI-375 and VICTO® show promising results, but longer studies and more data are needed to establish their effectiveness and safety compared with the AMS 800™. Further research and ongoing monitoring are essential to address mechanical issues associated with AUS implants.
Bladder cancer (BCa) is a heterogeneous disease with a variable prognosis and natural history. Cardiovascular disease (CVD), although completely different, has several similarities and possible ...interactions with cancer. The association between them is still unknown, but common risk factors between the two suggest a shared biology.
This was a retrospective study that included patients who underwent transurethral resection of bladder tumor at two high-volume institutions. Depending on the presence of a previous history of CVD or not, patients were divided into two groups.
A total of 2050 patients were included, and 1638 (81.3%) were diagnosed with bladder cancer. Regarding comorbidities, the most common were hypertension (59.9%), cardiovascular disease (23.4%) and diabetes (22.4%). At univariate analysis, independent risk factors for bladder cancer were age and male sex, while protective factors were cessation of smoking and presence of CVD. All these results, except for ex-smoker status, were confirmed at the multivariate analysis. Another analysis was performed for patients with high-risk bladder cancer and, in this case, the role of CVD was not statistically significant.
Our study pointed out a positive association between CVD and BCa incidence; CVD was an independent protective factor for BCa. This effect was not confirmed for high-risk tumors. Several biological and genomics mechanisms clearly contribute to the onset of both diseases, suggesting a possible shared disease pathway and highlighting the complex interplay of cancer and CVD. CVD treatment can involve different drugs with a possible effect on cancer incidence, but, to date, findings are still inconclusive.
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