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PurposeTo systematically review the literature evaluating the performance of MDCTU for the diagnosis of UTUC and meta-analyse available data. We also compared the diagnostic accuracy of MDCTU to other radiologic modalities.MethodsThis systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted according to the PRISMA statement. A systematic research using Pubmed, Scopus, Cochrane, and Web of Science libraries was performed on November 1st, 2018. We included all original articles investigating the performance of MDCTU for the diagnosis of UTUC using histopathology as the reference standard for true positives and an unsuspicious clinical follow-up of at least 1 year for true negatives.ResultsOverall, 13 studies comprising 1233 patients were eligible and included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. In patient-based analyses, the pooled sensitivity and specificity were 92% (CI 0.85–0.96) and 95% (CI 0.88–0.98), respectively. The reported sensitivity in the per-lesion analysis ranged between 91 and 97%. All studies reporting segment-based analysis demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy (> 90%). While one study reported higher accuracy of retrograde ureteropyelography than MDCTU (97% vs. 94%), another study demonstrated an inferior accuracy of intravenous pyelogram compared to MDCTU. Findings on the accuracy of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging compared to MDCTU were inconsistent.ConclusionMDCTU has excellent diagnostic performance in detecting UTUC and ruling-out suspicious upper urinary tract lesions in per-patient and per-lesion-based analyses. We confirm the choice of MDCTU as the radiologic diagnostic modality of choice for work-up of suspicious upper urinary tract lesions providing valuable information in patient counseling, decision-making, and treatment planning.

PurposeTo assess the prognostic value of alkaline phosphatase in patients with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.MethodsA systematic review and meta-analysis was performed using the PUBMED, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Scopus in April 2019 according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis statement. Studies were deemed eligible if they compared hormone-sensitive prostate cancer patients with high vs. low alkaline phosphatase to determine its predictive value for overall survival, cancer-specific survival, and progression-free survival. We performed a formal meta-analysis of these outcomes.Results42 articles with 7938 patients were included in the systematic review and 28 studies with 5849 patients for the qualitative assessment. High alkaline phosphatase was associated with worse overall survival (pooled HR 1.72; 95% CI 1.37−2.14) and progression-free survival (pooled HR 1.30; 95% CI 1.10−1.54). In subgroup analyses of patients with “high-volume” and “low-volume”, alkaline phosphatase was associated with the overall survival (pooled HR 1.41; 95% CI 1.21−1.64 and pooled HR 1.64; 95% CI, 1.06−2.52, respectively).ConclusionsIn this meta-analysis, elevated serum levels of alkaline phosphatase were associated with an increased risk of overall mortality and disease progression in patients with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. In contrast, those were not associated with an increased risk of cancer-specific mortality. Alkaline phosphatase was independently associated with overall survival in both patients with “high-volume” and “low-volume” hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. Alkaline phosphatase may be useful for being integrated into prognostic tools that help guide treatment strategy, thereby facilitating the shared decision making process.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death among men worldwide [1]. [9] performed a systematic review of the functional outcomes after local salvage therapies for patients with radiation-recurrent prostate cancer. [...]this Special Issue provides updated information on the prognostic factors for non-metastatic prostate cancer after curative therapy, the functional outcomes of local therapy for radiation-recurrent disease, the impact of rare genetic variants on aggressive prostate cancer, and prognostic factors in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer.

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Saroa Surgical Robot System in robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RARP). We enrolled 60 patients who underwent RARP using either the Saroa (n = 9) or da Vinci Xi (n = 51) systems at Jikei University Kashiwa Hospital from January 2022 to March 2024. We compared preoperative characteristics, perioperative outcomes, complications, and postoperative urinary continence at three months between the two groups. No significant differences were found in preoperative characteristics. The Saroa group had a longer median operative time compared to the da Vinci group. Postoperative urinary continence rates were slightly lower in the Saroa group (77.8 % vs. 84.6%), though not statistically significant. When the tactile feedback function was activated, the organs were grasped with less force compared to when it was off. This study is the first to assess the Saroa system’s effectiveness and safety in RARP. While the system shows promise, especially with tactile feedback that aids in delicate tissue handling, further investigation is needed to evaluate long-term oncological and functional outcomes.

BackgroundThis systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the prognostic value of sequential of abiraterone (ABI) and enzalutamide (ENZ) therapy in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).MethodsPUBMED, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases were searched for articles published prior to December 2019 according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis statement. Studies were deemed eligible if they compared overall survival (OS), combined progression-free survival (PFS), combined prostate specific antigen (PSA)-PFS, and PSA response rates in CRPC patients receiving sequential ABI/ENZ or vice versa. PSA response to both the first and second agents was defined as a >50% decrease in PSA achieved with each of these agents. Formal meta-analyses were performed for these outcomes.ResultsTen studies with 1096 patients were eligible for the systematic review and eight studies with 643 patients for the meta-analysis. The ABI-to-ENZ sequence was significantly associated with better PFS (pooled hazard ratio (HR): 0.62, 95% confidential interval (CI): 0.49–0.78, P < 0.001), and PSA–PFS (pooled HR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.38–0.61, P < 0.001) than the ENZ-to-ABI sequence. PSA response rates of both agents were significantly better with the ABI-to-ENZ sequence (risk ratio: 0.21, 95% CI: 0.09–0.47, P < 0.001). In contrast, treatment sequence was not significantly associated with OS (pooled HR: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.59–1.01, P = 0.055).ConclusionsABI-to-ENZ sequential therapy in patients with CRPC was associated with better PFS, PSA–PFS, and PSA response rates. Regardless of sequencing, response to drug therapy was transient for both ABI and ENZ when either agent was used as a secondary therapy. Despite this, treatment sequencing is important to achieve the maximum possible benefit from available drugs in CRPC.

BackgroundThe lung immune prognostic index (LIPI) predicts the prognosis of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer and is a prognostic biomarker for renal cell carcinoma and melanoma; however, no study has evaluated its potential as a preoperative biomarker for patients with bladder cancer (BC). We investigated the LIPI as a preoperative prognostic biomarker in patients undergoing radical cystectomy.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical records of 105 patients with BC who underwent radical cystectomy from January 2013 to June 2019. The LIPI was evaluated based on the preoperatively derived neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio and the lactate dehydrogenase levels. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW)-adjusted Kaplan–Meier curves and decision curve analysis (DCA) were performed to assess the disease-free survival (DFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and overall survival (OS) rates.ResultsThe patients were classified into the good, intermediate, and poor LIPI groups [71 (67.6%), 28 (26.7%), and 6 (5.7%) patients, respectively]. IPTW-adjusted Kaplan–Meier curve analyses showed that patients with intermediate to poor LIPI had worse DFS, CSS, and OS rates than those with good LIPI. The LIPI combined with pT3/4 and lymph node metastasis could better assess the prognosis of DFS at 24 months postoperatively by DCA.ConclusionThe preoperative LIPI can predict the prognosis of patients with BC undergoing radical cystectomy and has a better predictive ability when combined with pT3/4 and lymph node metastasis.

BackgroundThe influence of family history on oncological outcomes of prostate cancer remains controversial. We conducted a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to investigate the impact of family history of localized prostate cancer on oncological outcomes.MethodsOn May 2020, we systematically searched MEDLINE, the Cochrane library, and Scopus for studies that compared patients who had localized prostate cancer with or without a positive family history of prostate cancer. Our aim was to evaluate the association of family history with biochemical recurrence-free survival, cancer-specific survival, and overall survival by means of a multivariate Cox regression analysis.ResultsEleven studies with 39,716 patients were included in the systematic review, and eight studies with 33,027 patients for the meta-analysis. A positive family history was not associated with worse biochemical recurrence-free survival (pooled HR: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.79–1.17) or cancer-specific survival (pooled HR: 1.1; 95% CI: 0.52–2.35). Subgroup analyses showed no association between positive family history and poor biochemical recurrence-free survival in prostate cancer patients treated with radical prostatectomy (pooled HR: 0.99; 95% CI: 0.76–1.31) or radiation therapy (pooled HR: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.67–1.30).ConclusionsThis meta-analysis indicated that family history of prostate cancer does not increase the risk of biochemical recurrence or cancer-specific mortality in localized prostate cancer patients.

BackgroundThe prognostic significance of PSA bounce following definitive radiation therapy remains controversial. To develop a sense of current opinion in this area, we performed a systematic search of the literature based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.MethodsIn January 2021, we systematically searched PubMed, the Cochrane library, and Scopus for studies that compared patients who had localized prostate cancer with or without PSA bounce after definitive radiation therapy. Our objective was to evaluate the association of PSA bounce with biochemical recurrence-free survival, metastatic-free survival, cancer-specific survival, and overall survival, using multivariate Cox regression analysis.ResultsA total of 8881 patients in 10 studies matched the selection criteria for the systematic review and meta-analysis. The number of patients with PSA bounce accounted for 2706 of all 8881 patients (30.5%). PSA bounce was associated with better biochemical recurrence-free survival after definitive radiation therapy (pooled HR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.54–0.71). Subgroup analyses also showed that PSA bounce was independently associated with decreased risk for biochemical recurrence-free survival in prostate cancer patients treated with low dose rate brachytherapy alone (pooled HR: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.27–0.55) and external beam radiotherapy alone (pooled HR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.57–0.87).ConclusionsThis meta-analysis indicated that PSA bounce after definitive radiation therapy is related to improved outcome in terms of biochemical failure in prostate cancer patients.

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the prognostic value of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) persistence 4–8 weeks after radical prostatectomy (RP) in patients with prostate cancer, using studies from Medline, Scopus, and Cochrane Library, on 10 October 2020. Studies were eligible if they compared patients with postoperative PSA persistence 4–8 weeks after RP to those without such persistence to assess the value of PSA persistence in prognosticating biochemical recurrence (BCR), disease recurrence, cancer-specific mortality (CSM), and overall mortality (OM) by multivariable analysis. Our review and analysis included nine studies published between 2008 and 2019 with 14,455 patients. Of those studies, 12.0% showed postoperative PSA persistence. PSA persistence was associated with BCR (HR: 4.44, 95% CI: 2.84–6.93), disease recurrence (HR: 3.43, 95% CI: 1.62–7.25), and CSM (HR: 2.32, 95% CI: 1.83–2.95). We omitted meta-analysis on the association of PSA persistence with OM due to an insufficient number of studies. PSA persistence was associated with disease recurrence in a sub-group of patients with pathological nodal involvement (HR: 5.90, 95% CI: 3.76–9.24). Understanding detection of PSA persistence at 4–8 weeks after RP might be useful for patient counseling, follow-up scheduling, and clinical decision-making regarding adjuvant therapies.

BackgroundSalvage lymph node dissection (sLND) for nodal recurrence in prostate cancer (PCa) patients with biochemical recurrence (BCR) is still not recommended in current guidelines, because of the diagnostic inaccuracy of current conventional imaging. To assess the performance of [68Ga] Ga-prostate-specific membrane antigen conjugate 11 positron emission tomography (PSMA-PET) in detecting PCa lymph node metastasis using pathologic confirmation through sLND.MethodsLiterature search was conducted using the MEDLINE, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library on November 11th, 2018 to identify the eligible studies. Studies were eligible if they investigated the diagnostic performance of PSMA-PET before sLND in PCa patients with BCR and reported the number of true positive, false positive, false negative, and true negative on a lesion-based and/or field-based analyses to compare with histopathologic findings in sLND specimens.ResultsFourteen studies published between 2015 and 2018 comprising 462 patients were selected in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The positive predictive value of PSMA-PET before sLND on a patient-based analysis ranged between 0.70 and 0.93. The pooled sensitivity using lesion-based and field-based analyses were 0.84 (95%CI: 0.61–0.95) and 0.82 (95%CI: 0.72–0.89), respectively. The pooled specificity using lesion-based and field-based analyses were 0.97 (95%CI: 0.95–0.99) and 0.95 (95%CI: 0.70–0.99), respectively. The diagnostic odds ratio using lesion-based and field-based analyses were 189 (95%CI: 39–920) and 82 (95%CI: 8–832), respectively.ConclusionsPSMA-PET before sLND provided highly accurate performance with clinically relevant high positive and negative predictive values for detecting lymph node disease in patients with BCR after local treatment with curative intent for PCa. PSMA-PET can identify the patients who are likely to benefit from sLND and possibly direct to lesion or region-based dissection.