Soc. Int. Urol. J., Volume 4, Issue 1 (January 2023) – 11 articles , Pages 5-72

Background: Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug worldwide. An increasing number of jurisdictions are legalising cannabis for both medicinal and recreational use. The changing cannabis market has resulted in both an increase in the number of people consuming these compounds, and an increase in the frequency and quantity of cannabis being used. Endogenous and exogenous cannabinoids act on receptors across the entire body including the genitourinary system; however, there is a paucity of understanding of how cannabinoids affect genitourinary malignancy. Objective: To present a narrative review of the available literature detailing the relationship between cannabis and the incidence, diagnosis, and management of genitourinary malignancy. Methods: A comprehensive search was undertaken using the Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) up to July 2021. Studies included case reports, case series, case-control studies, and in vitro studies. Results: The search identified 40 studies in total: 8 described the relationship between cannabis and testicular carcinoma, 20 related to prostate cancer, 5 to bladder cancer, 5 to renal cancer, 1 to penile cancer, and 1 study examined testicular carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, bladder cancer, and prostate cancer. Conclusions: Cannabis use has been linked to an increased risk of developing testicular tumours, whilst the evidence for bladder cancer is mixed. There is no apparent increase in risk for prostate cancer, penile cancer, or renal cell carcinoma; however, this evidence was based on a very small number of patients. There remains a lack of understanding of the relationship between cannabis and genitourinary malignancy. With an expected increase in cannabis use, monitoring for testicular tumour plus efforts to further understand its effects upon the genitourinary tract will aid diagnosis and management. Full article

Objective: To review current literature regarding the efficacy of adjuvant radiation therapy (ART) and salvage radiation therapy (SRT) following radical prostatectomy (RP) in patients with undetectable postoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and high-risk features of prostate cancer (PCa) recurrence. Methods: Seven randomized controlled trials focused on the use of ART compared with either observation or SRT after RP that had been published in PubMed up to May 2022 were reviewed. Results: The use of ART following RP has been the treatment of choice over the past decade. Three RCTs comparing ART with early SRT show that SRT given as soon as biochemical recurrence (BCR) is detected is not inferior to ART while it offers the opportunity to avoid overtreatment and potential RT-related side effects. A meta-analysis summarizing the results from these trials supports these findings. Conclusions: Early SRT may be suggested as the standard of care for patients with PCa and high-risk features for disease recurrence following RP. Nevertheless, further investigations are needed to identify those patients who will benefit from ART, particularly, in case of lymph node involvement. Moreover, some patients might avoid SRT despite reaching detectable postoperative serum PSA levels. Full article

Objective: To analyze oncologic outcomes of patients with extramammary Paget disease (EMPD) undergoing a novel mapping biopsy before tumor excision (WLE). Methods: We analyzed 19 consecutive patients with EMPD treated with biopsy and/or surgical excision at Moffitt Cancer Center from 2013 to 2021. Biopsy technique, patient demographics, pathology, and oncologic outcomes were analyzed. Results: In total, 19 patients were included in the analysis. Median age at diagnosis was 72. No patients were diagnosed with secondary malignancy during mandatory workup. Of the 17 patients receiving novel mapping biopsy, 8/17 had at least one positive core biopsy site, with a mean of 7% positivity of the total core sites (4/60). Mapping biopsy positive sites helped shape perimeters for wide local excision (WLE) for patients opting for surgical treatment. Although an extensive mapping biopsy was performed, WLE margins were positive in 11/17 patients. Although positive pathologic margins following surgical excision were prominent, only one patient experienced recurrence of EMPD during a median follow-up period of 38 months. Conclusions: We have demonstrated a standardized mapping biopsy before surgical excision in the management of EMPD in men. Despite extensive mapping biopsies, positive surgical margin rates are high, and this may reflect the occult nature of the disease process. Close follow-up is warranted in patients regardless of margin status, but those with positive surgical margins may benefit from more aggressive regimens. Full article

The Latin American Renal Cancer Group (LARCG) was founded in 2013. This is a non-profit collaborative group designed to foster scientific knowledge in all areas of kidney cancer, and to establish international cooperation among well-recognized oncologic institutions. Since its creation, LARCG has reported data from Latin America to the scientific community and has promoted accredited information and advocacy principles for patients, lay people, and medical colleagues. Currently, it consists of 44 centers in 7 Latin American countries and Spain. In this paper, we report our achievements in assistance, teaching, research, and advocacy, and we discuss the successful international collaborations. Full article

Objective: To characterize the difference in uptake of virtual care for urinary tract infections (UTIs) by demographic variables in the COVID-19 era. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of outpatient encounters for UTIs across a large health care system. The cohort was defined as patients with an encounter diagnosis of UTI via in-person or virtual care (telephone or technology-supported care), between March 1, 2020, and February 28, 2021. Analysis was limited to the first UTI encounter of the year for each patient. We compared the use of in-person and virtual visits by demographic variables using chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression. Results: A total of 6744 patients, with a mean age of 61 years, were seen for UTI during the study period. The majority of patients were White (85.5%) and female (83.7%), and were seen in person (55.9%). Of those seen virtually, 52.0% participated in telephone-only visits, and 47.9% were seen via technology-supported care, using video or chat-based platforms. On multivariate logistic regression, age under 30, lowest-quartile income, male sex, and a primary language other than English increased the odds that patients had been seen in person. Among those seen virtually, age over 50 significantly increased the odds of a telephone visit, as did being Black or Native American, having a lower-quartile income, and speaking a non-English primary language. Conclusions: Although the expansion in virtual care has given some patients easier access to necessary care, the “digital divide” has worsened existing disparities for certain vulnerable populations. We demonstrate a difference in uptake of virtual health care by age, race, primary language, and income. Full article

Objective: Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) has been recommended for the surgical management of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in most of the international guidelines, regardless of prostatic volume. The main advantages reported by randomized clinical studies are reduced perioperative bleeding, catheterization time, and length of hospital stay, but this technique is also described as difficult to master with a steep learning curve. The objective of this study was to describe the clinical outcomes of HoLEP in the real-life setting of an academic department with multiple operators with no previous experience. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted including all consecutive cases performed in our department from April 2012 to October 2020. Over the study period, 31 different operators were involved. In April 2012, 2 surgeons were trained by an experienced urologist. The 29 others learned the technique progressively with the help of the first 2 surgeons (surgical mentoring). Results: A total of 1259 patients were included. Preoperatively, the mean prostate volume and Qmax were 82.3 g and 9.4 mL/s, respectively. The mean operative time was 79.7 min. The intraoperative complication rate was 5.6% (n = 71), with the need for conversion being 0.6%. Postoperatively, the complication rate was 18.6% (n = 234). Surgeon’s experience reduced the perioperative complication rates (p = 0.01), operative time (p < 0.001), and length of hospital stay (p < 0.001), but the difference in blood transfusion rate was statistically non-significant (p = 0.3). Conclusions: Most of the 31 urologists in training were able to master HoLEP progressively, with good functional outcomes and acceptable complication rates. Supervision by trained urologists was critical for the safe dissemination of the technique in our department. Full article