Purpose: We investigated to determine if there is an increased rate of urothelial carcinoma (UC) in kidney transplant (KT) recipients and to compare oncological outcomes of UC in KT recipients with non-KT patients. Patients and methods: Among 2,186 patients who underwent KT in our institute, nine patients developed UC after KT in our center. Age-standardized rates (ASRs) were calculated to compare incidence rates of UC between KT patients and the general population. Additional five patients who underwent KT at other hospitals and received UC treatment at our center were included, thus a total of 14 KT patients were compared with non-KT patients in the aspect of the treatment outcomes of bladder cancer and upper urinary tract UC (UTUC) by using generalized estimating equation (GEE). Results: The ASRs of bladder cancer and UTUC in KT recipients were 25.5 and 129.5 times higher than that of the general population. Although there was no difference in bladder cancer-specific survival rates (P-value 0.1186), however, progression rates of bladder cancer were significantly higher in KT recipients with a relative risk of 10.53 (P-value 0.0481). There was no significant difference in UTUC recurrence, progression, and specific survival rate (P-values 0.8915, 0.8806, and 0.8116, respectively). Conclusion: Incidence of UC was much higher in KT recipients than the general population. Treatment outcomes for UC in KT recipients were not inferior to those of non-KT patients, except for the progression of bladder cancer. Special attention should be paid to screening and treatment of UC in KT recipients.

This study aims to compare oncologic and functional outcomes after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) and segmental ureterectomy (SU) in patients with upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). We retrospectively collected data on patients who underwent either RNU or SU of UTUC. Propensity score matching was performed among 394 cases to yield a final cohort of 40 RNU and 40 SU cases. Kaplan–Meier analysis and the log-rank test were used to compare overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), progression-free survival (PFS), and intravesical recurrence-free survival (IVRFS) between the groups. We also compared the change in postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). There was no significant difference in terms of CSS, PFS, and IVRFS between the RNU and SU groups, but the RNU group had a better OS than the SU group (p = 0.032). Postoperative eGFR was better preserved in the SU group than in the RNU group (p < 0.001). SU provides comparable CSS, PFS, and IVRFS for patients with UTUC compared to RNU, even in patients with advanced-stage and/or high-grade cancer. Further, SU achieves better preservation of renal function.

The clinical value of sarcopenia has not been determined yet in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC). We retrospectively evaluated data of 70 consecutive patients with mHSPC receiving treatment with either early docetaxel (n = 42) or abiraterone acetate (n = 28) between July 2018 and April 2021. Skeletal muscle index was calculated from cross-sectional areas of skeletal muscle on baseline computed tomography (CT), defining sarcopenia as a skeletal muscle index of ≤52.4 cm²/m². Failure-free survival (FFS), radiographic progression-free survival, and time to prostate-specific antigen (PSA) progression were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method, and differences in survival probability were compared using the log-rank test. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was conducted to identify the predictors of clinical outcomes. Patients with sarcopenia (n = 47) had shorter FFS than those without sarcopenia (n = 23) (median, 20.1 months vs. not reached; log-rank p < 0.001). Sarcopenia was independently associated with shorter FFS (hazard ratio (HR), 6.69; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.57–28.49; p = 0.010) and time to PSA progression (HR, 12.91; 95% CI, 1.08–153.85; p = 0.043). In conclusion, sarcopenia is an independent prognostic factor for poor FFS and time to PSA progression in patients with mHSPC who receive early docetaxel or abiraterone acetate treatment.

Purpose: To compare the perioperative outcomes and oncological results of open, laparoscopic, and robotic radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) and to analyze trends in the utilization of RNU. Methods: From 2017 to 2020, the records of 61, 185, and 119 patients who underwent open, laparoscopic, and robotic RNU, respectively, were reviewed. Results: Baseline characteristics were not significantly different among the three groups. Robotic RNU has recently started to increase from 9% in 2017 to 67% in 2021. Operation time, blood loss, length of hospital stay, and 90-day complications were not different between the three groups. The three-year overall survival (OS) rates for open, laparoscopic, and robotic RNU were 91.8%, 90.4%, and 92.1%, respectively (p > 0.05). No differences in the progression-free survival (PFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and OS were observed according to the surgical approach in the Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. Multivariate analysis showed that surgical approach was not an independent predictor of PFS, CSS, and OS. Conclusion: The use of robotic RNU in patients with UTUC has been starting to increase and replace open and laparoscopic RNU. Perioperative outcomes, 90-day complications, and oncological outcomes of robotic RNU were not inferior to those of open and laparoscopic RNU.

Sung HH, et al. World J Mens Health. 2018 Jan;36:e53. https://doi.org/10.5534/wjmh.180082