Cellular therapy is an emerging field in clinical and personalised medicine. Many adult mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells (MSC) or pluripotent derivatives are being assessed simultaneously in preclinical trials for their potential treatment applications in chronic and degenerative human diseases. Endometrial mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells (eMSC) have been identified as clonogenic cells that exist in unique perivascular niches within the uterine endometrium. Compared with MSC isolated from other tissue sources, such as bone marrow and adipose tissue, eMSC can be extracted through less invasive methods of tissue sampling, and they exhibit improvements in potency, proliferative capacity, and control of culture-induced differentiation. In this review, we summarize the potential cell therapy and tissue engineering applications of eMSC in pelvic organ prolapse (POP), emphasising their ability to exert angiogenic and strong immunomodulatory responses that improve tissue integration of novel surgical constructs for POP and promote vaginal tissue healing.
Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a type II transmembrane glycoprotein that has become central to prostate cancer (PCa) diagnostics and treatment. Beyond its enzymatic role in folate and glutamate metabolism, PSMA is upregulated in advanced PCa, where it contributes to angiogenesis, tumour progression, and therapeutic resistance. This review integrates current understanding of PSMA biology with an emphasis on the role of PSMA expression and the hallmarks of cancer-proliferative signalling, metabolic adaptation, and evasion of cell death. While PSMA has revolutionised theranostic strategies in PCa, its utility as a sole biomarker is limited in select cases such as neuroendocrine differentiation and discordant disease biology. To address these challenges, we highlight emerging biomarkers and novel imaging markers that complement PSMA, including genomic alterations, circulating tumour markers, and exosomal microRNAs. Advances in radiomics and dual-tracer positron emission tomography (PET) further refine patient selection by capturing aggressive low-PSMA phenotypes. Furthermore, PSMA-PET is showing promise in other malignancies, including renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), where neovasculature expression may extend its theranostic applications beyond PCa. By situating PSMA within this broader biomarker landscape, we outline opportunities for theranostic integration, including predictive models, combination therapies and expansion into non-prostate malignancies. Understanding the biology of PSMA in conjunction with novel biomarkers provides a framework for optimising theranostic applications and advancing personalised cancer care.
Introduction: Prostatic basal cell carcinoma is an extremely rare tumor, exhibiting various histopathological features and clinical spectrums of disease.Case presentation: A 69‐year‐old male presented to our department with 2 years of voiding difficulty and intermittent macroscopic hematuria. With a presumed diagnosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia, he underwent a transurethral resection of the prostate. Pathological examination revealed atypical basaloid cells forming solid nests. Robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy was subsequently performed, confirming a diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma with coexisting acinar adenocarcinoma.Conclusion: Although more cases of basal cell carcinoma are indolent than aggressive, there is no reliable method of differentiation between these presentations. Thus, we recommend radical surgery and 6‐monthly disease surveillance until more is discovered about this very rare malignancy.
High-risk and locally advanced prostate cancer represents 20–25% of new diagnoses of prostate cancer and is associated with high rates of recurrence, morbidity, and mortality. The neoadjuvant window provides a unique opportunity for systemic control prior to definitive therapy with radical prostatectomy or radiotherapy (RT). Early trials with first-generation androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) achieved pathological downstaging but no survival benefit. In the 2000s, the advent of chemohormonal regimes using docetaxel provided excitement but mixed results tempered expectations and is now not recommended prior to surgery. Second-generation androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPIs) combined with ADT have demonstrated significant survival benefit in metastatic prostate cancer and are currently being evaluated in large phase III trials in the neoadjuvant setting. RT remains an alternative curative modality, and recent data highlights similar issues to surgery in eradicating micrometastatic disease despite excellent local control. This has driven parallel efforts to evaluate intensified systemic therapy in the pre-RT/neoadjuvant settings. In addition to the excitement surrounding ARPIs, radioligand therapy, such as [177Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 has shown promise in the neoadjuvant setting and continues to be investigated. Future research aims to incorporate genomic and molecular factors to enable personalised neoadjuvant therapies by identifying damage immunologically responsive subtypes that may derive greater benefit from immune-directed therapies in the peri-operative setting. This narrative review synthesises current evidence for neoadjuvant therapies in high-risk prostate cancer and future directions.
Background: Artificial intelligence chatbots are increasingly used by patients to obtain health information, including for prostate cancer. While these platforms offer accessible and conversational responses, concerns remain regarding the quality, usability, and clinical relevance of AI-generated content. This study comparatively evaluated patient-directed prostate cancer information generated by commonly used AI chatbots. Methods: Standardised prostate cancer-related prompts were developed using Google Trends and authoritative healthcare resources. Identical queries were submitted to five publicly accessible AI chatbots: ChatGPT 5.2, Google Gemini, Claude AI, Microsoft Copilot, and Perplexity. Responses were independently assessed by two blinded reviewers using the DISCERN instrument for information quality and the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for printable materials (PEMAT-P) for understandability and actionability. Inter-rater reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Readability was evaluated using the Flesch–Kincaid Reading Ease score. Descriptive statistics were used for comparative and pooled analyses. Results: Overall information quality was moderate, with a pooled median (interquartile range [IQR]) DISCERN score of 56.5 (53.0–61.0). Higher mean DISCERN scores were observed for ChatGPT 5.2 and Microsoft Copilot, whereas lower scores were observed for Claude and Perplexity. PEMAT-P understandability was consistently high across platforms, with a pooled median (IQR) score of 91.7% (83.3–91.7%). In contrast, PEMAT-P actionability was uniformly poor, with a pooled median (IQR) score of 0% (0–0%). Readability analysis demonstrated moderate complexity, with a pooled median (IQR) Flesch–Kincaid Reading Ease score of 50.4 (49.2–52.5) and a median word count of 666 (657–1022). Inter-rater reliability was good for PEMAT understandability (ICC 0.841) and moderate for DISCERN (ICC 0.712). Conclusions: AI chatbots provide highly understandable but only moderately high-quality patient-directed prostate cancer information, with a consistent lack of actionable guidance. Although variation in content quality was observed across platforms, significant limitations remain in evidence transparency and practical patient support. Future development should prioritise integration of evidence-based resources and actionable decision-support tools to enhance the role of AI chatbots in prostate cancer education.