Article: Is imaging accurate enough to detect index lesion in prostate cancer? Analysis of the performance of MRI and other imaging modalities - Minerva Urology and Nephrology 2023 Oct 10 - Minerva Medica - Journals

Objective: To evaluate the impact on erectile and ejaculatory function following transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsies of the prostate (TRUS-Bx) in sexually active men. Methods: Monocentric prospective study from May 2021 to January 2022 of consecutive patients with suspected prostate cancer [elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA) level and/or abnormal digital rectal examination] undergoing TRUS-Bx. The 15-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-15), Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PDET) and short form of Male Sexual Health Questionnaire (MSHQ-EjD Short Form) were assessed before, one and three months after TRUS-Bx. The primary endpoint was to evaluate the risk of temporary post-biopsy erectile and/or ejaculatory dysfunctions. The statistical significance was set as p value < 0.05. Results: A total of 276 consecutive patients were included in the study. The median age, PSA and biopsy cores were 65 years (IQR 59-69), 7 ng/ml (IQR 5-9.7) and 16 (IQR 12-16), respectively. We compared the IIEF subdomains before TRUS-Bx vs. one or three months: the erectile function (EF) decreased after one month (p<0.001) but recovered after three months (p=0.833); the Orgasmic Function (OF), the Sexual Desire (SD), the Intercourse Satisfaction (IS), the Overall Satisfaction (OS), and Total IIEF decreased significantly after both one and three months compared to pre-biopsy values (p < 0.05). As for ejaculatory function (EjF), PDET, MSHQ-EjD Short Form 1, 2, 3 and MSHQ-EjD Short Form 4 scores decreased significantly after one month (p < 0.001), but they returned to pre-biopsy values after 3 months: p = 0.538, p = 0.071 and p = 0.098, respectively. Conclusions: Our study proved that EF, assessed through IIEF- 15, and ejaculatory function, assessed through PDET and MSHQ-EjD Short Form, were negatively affected by TRUS-Bx one month after the procedure and recovered after three months. Interestingly, the other IIEF-15 subdomains (OF, SD, IS, OS and Total) resulted as significantly reduced also after 3 months: this issue highlights the importance of carefully considering the indication to TRUS-Bx.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) classification system ...

4592 Background: In Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) refractory non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), radical cystectomy is the standard of care. For patients unwilling or unable to undergo cystectomy, alternative intravesical therapies are currently being investigated to minimize the risk of recurrence and progression. Chemohyperthermia by HIVEC (Hyperthermic-Intra-Vesical Chemotherapy) is a therapeutic option in BCG-refractory patients. The objective of our study was to evaluate the 2-year oncological results of HIVEC in BCG-refractory patients. Methods: Between June 2016 and September 2021, patients treated with HIVEC (6 weekly instillations) for BCG-refractory NMIBC were prospectively included in our study. These patients had a theoretical indication for cystectomy but were ineligible for surgery or refused it. The primary endpoint was 1-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) rate. Secondary endpoints were 6-month complete response rate for Cis, 1-year overall and cancer-specific survival rates and bladder preservation rate. Results: Seventy patients, mean age 70 [42-89] years, were treated consecutively. After a mean follow-up of 20.9 months, 32 patients recurred (mean time of 10.6 months) and 7 patients finally had a cystectomy. The recurrence-free survival rate was 53.1% at 1 year and 20.5% at 2 years. Six patients progressed to a muscle-invasive disease, after a mean delay of 6.7 months. Four of them experienced metastatic progression and died from bladder cancer. Cancer-specific and overall survival rates were 95.1% and 92.9% at 1 year, and 87.5% and 77.8% at 2 years. The bladder preservation rate was 90%. For patients with Cis (34% of the entire series), the 6-month complete response rate was 75%. The presence of Cis was not a predictive factor of response to HIVEC. Tolerance was excellent with 38.2% grade 1-2 adverse events and no grade 3-4 adverse events. Conclusions: Chemohyperthermia using the HIVEC device achieved a RFS rate of 53.1% at 1 year and enabled a bladder preservation rate of 90%. While cystectomy remains the standard of care, HIVEC may be discussed cautiously for patients who are not eligible for surgery and well informed of the risk of progression to muscle-invasive disease.