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Objective: To investigate if localized amyloidosis of the seminal tract (LAST) is associated with subsequent development of systemic amyloidosis. Prior reports recorded no systemic amyloidosis at the time of LAST diagnosis. However, no follow-up studies exist to confirm that LAST is not a risk factor for subsequent development of systemic amyloidosis., Methods: Our study cohort included patients whose prostate biopsy (PB) or radical prostatectomy (RP) specimen demonstrated LAST between 2014-2021. Clinical variables including age, race/ethnicity, prostate specific antigen (PSA), and prostate weight were analyzed. Patients were assessed for clinical and laboratory evidence of systemic amyloidosis and lymphoproliferative conditions during the follow-up period., Results: Thirty-six men (26 RPs, 9 PBs, and 1 cystoprostatectomy) had LAST. Our study cohort included 18 white Hispanic, 9 white non-Hispanic, 7 black, and 1 Asian men. Median age was 67 years, mean PSA was 9.8 ng/mL. Over a median follow-up period of 20 months (mean, 30) in 27 men, none developed systemic amyloidosis. Frequency of LAST in RP specimens was 1.2% (26/2,135) and corelated with age (67 vs 63 years, P-value = .004). Race/ethnicity, PSA, and prostate weight were not associated with the incidence of LAST., Conclusions: LAST is not a harbinger of systemic disease. The incidence of LAST in a contemporary RP cohort is significantly lower than in previously published studies. While patient age positively corelates with LAST, PSA and prostate weight are not associated with the condition. There is no difference in the frequency of LAST between white Hispanic, white non-Hispanic, and black men., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To determine the potential association between plant-based dietary content and PSA levels among men enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)., Methods: Data on demographics, diet, and PSA levels was acquired from the NHANES database. Plant-based diet index (PDI) and healthful plant-based diet index (hPDI) were calculated using food frequency questionnaires. A higher score on PDI and hPDI indicates higher consumption of plant foods or healthy plant foods, respectively. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association between elevated PSA, clinical variables, demographics, and plant-based diet indices., Results: A total of 1399 men were included in the final cohort. Median age of participants was 54 [46-63] years. Median PSA level was 0.9 [0.6-1.5] ng/dL, and 69 (4.9%) men had a PSA level ≥4 ng/dL. Although there was no association between elevated PSA and PDI, on multivariable analysis patients with higher consumption of healthy plant-based diet (high hPDI scores) had a decreased probability of having an elevated PSA (OR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.24-0.95; P = .034)., Conclusion: There is a significant association between increased consumption of a healthy plant-based diet and lower PSA levels. This finding may be incorporated into the shared-decision making process with patients to promote healthier lifestyle choices to reduce the likelihood of prostate biopsy and potential treatment-related morbidity., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objective: To assess the outcomes through systematic review and meta-analysis of multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) of the prostate in biopsy naïve men., Methods: Systemic review and meta-analysis was performed to assess the performance of mpMRI on prostate cancer (PCa) detection at the time of biopsy. We used standard methods for performing a meta-analysis evaluating a diagnostic test and reported the pooled sensitivity and specificity, and the positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR) for mpMRI in the detection of any and clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa)., Results: A total of 10 studies comprising 2486 patients were analyzed. Overall, if biopsies would have been performed only in men with an mpMRI suspicious for malignancy between 7.4% and 58.5% of the biopsies could have been avoided, but 2.3%-36% of any PCa and 0%-30.8% of csPCa would have been missed. The sensitivity, specificity, positive LR, and negative LR of mpMRI for any PCa detection were 0.86 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.78-0.91), 0.67 (95% CI, 0.40-0.86), 2.6 (95% CI, 1.2-5.5), and 0.2 (95% CI, 0.12-0.32), respectively. The AUC for any PCa detection was 0.84 (95% CI, 0.75-0.90). The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive LR, and negative LR of mpMRI for csPCa detection was 0.94 (95% CI, 0.83-0.98), 0.54 (95% CI, 0.42-0.65), 2 (95% CI, 1.5-2.7), and 0.1 (95% CI, 0.02-0.35), respectively. The AUC for csPCa detection was 0.94 (95% CI, 0.65-1)., Conclusion: This study provides summary estimates indicating that mpMRI can accurately detect prostate cancer and help avoid unnecessary biopsies in this population., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To study if prostatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) controlled by Grade Group (GG), PSA, and tumor volume (TV) is an independent predictor of adverse radical prostatectomy (RP) outcomes., Materials: One-hundred and twenty-eight PDA and 1141 acinar continuous RPs were studied. Each tumor nodule (TN) was individually graded, staged, and its TV measured. Univariate analysis (UVA) identified features associated with lymph node metastasis (LN+), extraprostatic extension (EPE), positive surgical margins (SM+), and seminal vesicle invasion (SV+). We then assessed PDA effect on RP outcomes in a multivariate analysis (MVA)., Results: In 127 cases PDA was present in 1 TN and no TN was pure PDA. One-hundred and twenty-three cases had PDA in TNs with highest grade, stage, and TV. Patients with PDA were older (65 vs 63 years, P < 0.001), had higher GG (P < 0.001), and LN+ (6.3% vs 2.7%, P = 0.049). Controlling these variables by GG eliminated statistical significance. Overall, there were 3249 separate TNs (129 PDA and 3120 acinar). In UVA, PDA predicted EPE (92/124 vs 517/3045), SV+ (28/1129 vs 116/3,120), and SM+ (51/129 vs 296/3120), all P < 0.001. In MVA, PDA lost its effect on EPE (OR = 0.88, P = 0.64), SM+ (OR = 0.86, P = 0.5), and SV+ (OR = 0.99, P = 0.98)., Conclusion: Controlled for grade and TV, PDA was not an independent predictor of adverse RP outcomes, but former 2 were. Hence, higher GG and TV associated with PDA TNs may be predictive of adverse RP outcomes rather than PDA by itself. These conclusions may be used in preoperative risk stratification and definitive therapy planning when PDA is identified on needle biopsy., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To determine if recently found disparities in prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM) among Mexican and Puerto Rican men remained true in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP), where the true grade and extent of cancer are known and can be accounted for., Materials and Methods: Men diagnosed with localized-regional prostate cancer who had undergone RP as primary treatment were identified (N = 180,794). Patients were divided into the following racial and ethnic groups: non-Hispanic white (NHW) (n = 135,358), non-Hispanic black (NHB) (n = 21,882), Hispanic or Latino (n = 15,559), and Asian American or Pacific Islander (n = 7995). Hispanic or Latino men were further categorized into the following subgroups: Mexican (n = 3323) and South or Central American, excluding Brazilian (n = 1296), Puerto Rican (n = 409), and Cuban (n = 218). A multivariable analysis was conducted using competing risk regression in the prediction of PCSM., Results: This analysis revealed hidden disparities in surgical outcomes for prostate cancer. In the multivariable analysis, Hispanic or Latino men (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.88, P = .207) did not show a significant difference in PCSM compared with NHW men. When breaking Hispanic or Latino men into their country of origin or ancestry, Puerto Rican men were found to have significantly worse PCSM than NHW men (HR = 2.55, P = .004) and NHB men (HR = 2.33, P = .016)., Conclusion: Our findings reveal higher rates of PCSM for Puerto Rican men after RP than for both NHW and NHB men. At a minimum, these findings need further validation and should be considered in the screening and management of these men., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of adding magnetic resonance imaging-ultrasound (MRI-US) fusion biopsy cores to standard 12-core biopsy in selecting men for active surveillance (AS)., Materials and Methods: Among men undergoing a fusion biopsy for evaluation of prostate cancer, we selected men who were eligible for at least 1 of 7 different AS criteria based on the standard biopsy alone. We assessed each patient's eligibility for each AS criterion with and without the inclusion of fusion biopsy cores. The primary end point was the proportion of men who were initially eligible for AS but became ineligible after addition of the fusion biopsy cores., Results: A total of 100 men were eligible for at least 1 AS criterion. After addition of fusion biopsy cores, the proportion of men who became ineligible for AS varied from 10.3% to 40.7%. Criteria that incorporated an absolute maximum number of cores positive had the highest rates of ineligibility. Using a percentage of cores positive helped to reduce the number of patients who would have been excluded. Combining the targeted biopsy cores into one, or taking the single core with the highest grade or volume did not appear to reduce the proportion of men who became ineligible., Conclusions: The addition of fusion biopsy to standard 12-core biopsy significantly increased the number of men who became ineligible for AS. Using the percent of cores positive, instead of an absolute number, allowed fewer exclusions. AS criteria may need to be updated to prevent the unnecessary exclusion of men due to an oversampling of low-risk disease., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To compare the outcomes of patients who were upstaged to pT2 at the time of radical cystectomy (RC) to those who were correctly staged as T2 before RC., Methods: The clinical and pathologic data were reviewed of 496 patients who underwent RC from 1994 to 2008. Patients who underwent RC for high-grade T1 (HGT1) or carcinoma in situ (CIS) (184) were compared with those with known muscle-invasive cancer (312) before RC. Patients were substratified based on preoperative intravesical therapy status. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) for patients who were upstaged to muscle-invasive disease was compared with patients who were correctly staged T2 preoperatively., Results: Patients who were upstaged to pT2 disease had significantly worse 3- and 5-year RFS compared with those who where accurately staged (cT2 = pT2) (64% and 61% vs 83% and 74%, respectively; P = .04). Upstaging to pT2 in patients with a history of bacillus Calmette-Guerin treatment resulted in worse 3- and 5-year RFS rates compared with those accurately staged (69% and 57% vs 100% and 86%, respectively; P = .03)., Conclusions: Upstaging to pT2 among patients with HGT1 or CIS is associated with worse RFS compared with patients with known muscle invasion before RC (HGT1/CIS = pT2 vs cT2 = pT2). This finding was most significant among patients with a history of bacillus Calmette-Guerin treatment. Factors such as understaging of disease or treatment delay may contribute to worse outcomes among this subset of patients and should be considered when discussing treatment options.

Objectives: To investigate the significance of body mass index (BMI) as an independent predictor of biochemical recurrence in men treated with surgery for clinically localized adenocarcinoma of the prostate., Methods: A total of 1877 obese patients who underwent radical prostatectomy were matched to overweight and normal-weight patients in a 1:1 ratio on the basis of propensity scores. This resulted in an overall study population of 5631 men. Clinicopathologic characteristics and biochemical recurrence outcomes after surgery were compared between the three BMI cohorts., Results: Normal-weight patients exhibited lower-grade disease compared with overweight and obese patients (P = 0.021). Lower BMI was also significantly associated with lower rates of positive surgical margins (P <0.001) and extraprostatic extension (P <0.001). Body mass index was not associated with lymph node involvement (P = 0.226) or seminal vesicle invasion (P = 0.142). Body mass index, age, biopsy Gleason score, preoperative prostate-specific antigen level, and clinical tumor stage were independent predictors of biochemical recurrence (P <0.001)., Conclusions: Propensity score-based matched analyses indicate that higher BMI is associated with adverse pathologic findings and is a strong independent predictor of biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy. These results support the hypothesis that inherent differences may exist in the biological properties of prostate cancer in obese men compared with normal-weight men. Therefore, BMI is an important criterion to consider during subsequent decision making and counseling of patients with prostate cancer.

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of the fibrin sealant, Evicel, on the neuroregulatory control of penile erections in an experimental rat model., Methods: Two groups of rats were used: sham-operated rats with exposure of the bilateral cavernous nerves (CNs) and application of saline vehicle (500 microL), and rats treated with direct application of Evicel (500 microL) bilaterally to the CNs. At 14 and 45 days after application of Evicel to the CNs, the CNs were stimulated to measure the in vivo erectile responses. Additionally, we evaluated the neuronal nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivity in the dorsal CNs of the penis and changes in the smooth muscle and collagen deposition in the penis using a trichrome stain., Results: Evicel application to the CNs did not have any detrimental effect on the neurogenic erectile responses in vivo at 14 or 45 days after application. The neuronal nitric oxide synthase expression in the dorsal CNs of the penis was unchanged after Evicel application at all points studied, and we saw no change in the histomorphometric analysis findings of smooth muscle and collagen deposition in the penis., Conclusion: These data suggest that the hemostatic agent, Evicel, is safe in an experimental rat model of erection physiology, with no detrimental effects on neuroregulatory control of erection.

Objectives: Discordance between the Gleason score (GS) on needle biopsy (NB) and the GS of the radical prostatectomy (RP) specimen is a common finding. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of these discrepancies with respect to outcomes following RP., Methods: In the study, 6625 men treated by RP were categorized as having NB=RP (68.8%), NBRP (6.2%) GS, and stratified for analyses into RP GS groups. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze differences in biochemical recurrence-free survival (BRFS), and multivariate Cox analyses were performed to estimate the independent relative risk of progression associated with GS discrepancies., Results: Across multiple RP GS strata (3+4, 7, 8, 8-10), patients with a lower NB GS experienced significantly better BRFS than patients with equal NB and RP GS (all p<0.05). NBRP GS had poorer BRFS than patients with NB=RP GS across multiple RP GS strata (< or =3+3, 3+4, 7; all p<0.05). NB>RP GS was independently associated with worse (pooled HR, 1.91, p<0.001) BRFS probabilities, within and across RP GS strata., Conclusions: Our data suggest that the GS of the NB adds additional prognostic value to the RP GS in a consistent manner that may be applicable to strategies of risk stratification and patient counseling after surgery.

Objectives: To examine the relationship among needle biopsy primary grade, prostatectomy grade, and postprostatectomy biochemical recurrence among men with Gleason score 7 disease., Methods: We identified 320 men with Gleason score 7 tumors on prostate biopsy treated with radical prostatectomy between 1991 and 2001 by a single surgeon. None of these patients had received neoadjuvant or adjuvant hormonal therapy or radiotherapy. The chi-square test and Kaplan-Meier method were used to evaluate the correlation among biopsy Gleason score, prostatectomy Gleason score, and biochemical recurrence., Results: A total of 252 (79%) and 68 (21%) men had primary Gleason pattern 3 and 4 identified on needle biopsy, respectively. Of the patients with Gleason pattern 3 + 4 tumors on biopsy, 24% were upgraded to primary pattern 4 or more on final pathologic analysis. Of the patients with Gleason pattern 4 + 3 tumors on biopsy, 47% were downgraded to primary pattern 3 or less on final pathologic analysis. The actuarial risk of biochemical prostate-specific antigen recurrence was significantly lower among patients with Gleason pattern 4 + 3 on biopsy, if the prostatectomy Gleason score was downgraded to 3 + 4 or less (P = 0.03)., Conclusions: Approximately 47% of men with a diagnosis of Gleason pattern 4 + 3 on needle biopsy are downgraded at radical prostatectomy and will have biochemical prostate-specific antigen recurrence-free outcomes similar to patients originally diagnosed with Gleason pattern 3 + 4 adenocarcinoma. This group of patients may benefit from definitive treatment such as radical prostatectomy for management of their disease.

Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility and outcome of laparoscopic-assisted radical nephrectomy and inferior vena cava (IVC) tumor thrombectomy in patients with renal cell carcinoma and level I IVC tumor thrombus., Methods: The clinical, operative, and pathologic data were retrospectively obtained from patients undergoing the above-mentioned procedure for renal tumors involving the IVC. This approach involved laparoscopic dissection of the kidney and renal vasculature/IVC. After renal artery ligation, an 8 to 12-cm incision was made from the tip of the 11th rib extending anteriorly toward the midline. Through this incision, a Satinsky vascular clamp was placed on the IVC in such a way as to include all the caval thrombus. The tumor thrombus was removed en bloc with the kidney and the cavotomy repaired with a running suture., Results: Four obese patients underwent transperitoneal laparoscopic-assisted right nephrectomy with inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombectomy. The mean tumor size was 9 cm (range 6 to 13), with the thrombus extending 2 cm into the IVC in all cases. Patients had a mean body mass index of 32.8 (range 30.5 to 37.2) and a mean American Society of Anesthesiologists score of 2.8 (range 2 to 3). The mean operative time was 248 minutes (range 225 to 274). The mean estimated blood loss was 517 mL (range 250 to 900). No intraoperative or postoperative complications occurred. The mean hospital stay was 6.2 days (range 4 to 11, median 5)., Conclusions: Laparoscopic-assisted nephrectomy and IVC thrombectomy is a difficult but feasible procedure. This approach allows a smaller incision than a typical open approach. Additional studies are needed to examine the advantages of this approach over a pure open approach.

Objectives: To evaluate the utility of methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction analysis of the pi-class glutathione-S-transferase (GSTP1) gene promoter in prostatic secretions for cancer detection and prognostication., Methods: Prostatic secretions were obtained from a total of 100 radical prostatectomy specimens immediately after surgical extirpation. GSTP1 promoter methylation was assessed by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction analysis using two different primer sets. Correlations between GSTP1 promoter methylation and clinical and pathologic variables were examined., Results: The sensitivity for detection of GSTP1 methylation in prostatic secretions from men with clinically localized prostate cancer using two different primer sets was 76% and 54%. Methylation of the GSTP1 promoter was detected by both primer sets in 44% and by at least one primer set in 86% of the prostatic secretion specimens. The degree of methylation detected in the prostatic secretions was associated with the extent of cancer (predominant involvement of one or both sides of the gland; P = 0.02) and increasing age (P = 0.009)., Conclusions: Genomic DNA with GSTP1 promoter methylation can be detected in prostatic secretion specimens from the great majority of men with localized prostate cancer. Assays of GSTP1 promoter methylation in prostatic massage fluid or ejaculate may therefore serve as useful adjuncts to existing methods for prostate cancer screening and prognostication.

The presence of a foreign body in the genitourinary tract represents a urologic challenge that often requires prompt intervention. We describe an endoscopic approach that was used for removal of a foreign body located in the prostatic urethra of a schizophrenic man. A nitinol stone basket was used as an effective means for extraction of a large metal screw from the urethra of this patient.

We have experienced the inability to remove silicone Foley catheters even after complete deflation of the balloon. This potential complication can result from cuffing of the catheter balloon. We present a description of this phenomenon and approaches for successful management of a Foley catheter that has become entrapped due to balloon cuffing.