Influence of statin use on clinicopathological characteristics of localized prostate cancer and outcomes obtained after radical prostatectomy: a single center study

To assess the impact of statin use on biochemical recurrence (BCR) of prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy (RP)

Prognostic value of microRNA expression pattern in upper tract urothelial carcinoma

OBJECTIVE: To examine the microRNA (miRNA) expression pattern in tumour samples from patients with progressing and non-progressing upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) in order to identify putative miRNAs that may be used as prognostic markers. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a multicentre, retrospective study of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples from 150 patients with UTUC who had undergone radical nephroureterectomy. Global miRNA expression patterns were analysed in 18 selected samples from patients with UTUC using TaqMan arrays. The differential expression of five key miRNAs was validated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction in an independent cohort of 132 samples from patients with UTUC. Models to predict tumour progression and cancer-specific survival that included miRNA expression patterns were developed by Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-six miRNAs were found to be aberrantly expressed between samples from patients with progressing and non-progressing UTUC and five of these were selected for subsequent studies. The regression analysis identified tumour stage and miR-31 and miR-149 expression as independently associated with tumour progression and tumour stage and miR-149 expression as independently associated with cancer-specific survival. The risk scores derived from these miRNA models were able to discriminate two groups with a highly significantly different probability of tumour progression (hazard ratio [HR] 4.78; P < 0.001) and death (HR 276; P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: There is a differential miRNA expression pattern between patients with progressing and non-progressing UTUC. The identification of new miRNAs associated with a high probability of tumour recurrence and cancer-specific survival in patients with UTUC and their combination in a robust, easy-to-use and reliable algorithm may help tailor treatment and surveillance strategies in these patients

Renal Angiomyolipoma Associated with Inferior Vena Cava Thrombus

A 57-year-old woman was found to have an inferior vena cava involvement of a known sinusal angiomyolipoma incompletely resected three years beforehand. Intravascular extension into the IVC of angiomyolipoma has rarely been reported. We present a new case and reconsider the literature about this uncommon complication of a benign renal tumor

Variation in cystectomy pathology reporting practice—results from an international survey of 212 pathologists

The pathological assessment of cystectomy specimens is important for accurate prognostic information and to inform adjuvant therapy decisions. However, there is limited evidence regarding the best approach to fixation, dissection, block selection and microscopic assessment of cystectomies. We report the results of an international survey of 212 pathologists and their approach to cystectomy pathology. There is variation at all stages of the specimen journey including in fixation and dissection techniques, and in the approach to evaluating residual tumour. This is particularly evident in the post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy setting where there is variable use of response scoring systems and differing approaches to sampling. We also find variation in the use of digital and molecular pathology in cystectomy specimens. Finally, we have suggested areas for future research in cystectomy pathological assessment

News in the classification of WHO 2022 bladder tumors

The fifth-edition of World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Tumors series for urinary and male genital tract tumors has been published, six years later the fourth-edition. In these years, new treatment approaches have been implemented and new molecular data on urological cancers are known. Morphology remains the groundwork for taxonomy of the urinary tract tumors. However, a molecular approach to classification of urothelial carcinomas and the management of selected neoplasms with new therapeutic modalities such as immunotherapy are emerging. More data are needed for the application of these advances in routine pathology practice and patient management. The 2022 World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Tumors of the Urinary System and Male Genital Organs represents an update in classification on urinary tract tumors. It also offers new insights with regards to the grading of heterogeneous non-invasive urothelial neoplasms, the definition of inverted neoplasms, the grading of invasive urothelial carcinomas, the diversity of morphological appearance of urothelial carcinomas, the definition of precursor lesions and the lineage of differentiation of the tumors

Identification of a novel susceptibility locus at 13q34 and refinement of the 20p12.2 region as a multi-signal locus associated with bladder cancer risk in individuals of European ancestry

Candidate gene and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 15 independent genomic regions associated with bladder cancer risk. In search for additional susceptibility variants, we followed up on four promising single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that had not achieved genome-wide significance in 6911 cases and 11 814 controls (rs6104690, rs4510656, rs5003154 and rs4907479, P < 1 × 10−6), using additional data from existing GWAS datasets and targeted genotyping for studies that did not have GWAS data. In a combined analysis, which included data on up to 15 058 cases and 286 270 controls, two SNPs achieved genome-wide statistical significance: rs6104690 in a gene desert at 20p12.2 (P = 2.19 × 10−11) and rs4907479 within the MCF2L gene at 13q34 (P = 3.3 × 10−10). Imputation and fine-mapping analyses were performed in these two regions for a subset of 5551 bladder cancer cases and 10 242 controls. Analyses at the 13q34 region suggest a single signal marked by rs4907479. In contrast, we detected two signals in the 20p12.2 region—the first signal is marked by rs6104690, and the second signal is marked by two moderately correlated SNPs (r2 = 0.53), rs6108803 and the previously reported rs62185668. The second 20p12.2 signal is more strongly associated with the risk of muscle-invasive (T2-T4 stage) compared with non-muscle-invasive (Ta, T1 stage) bladder cancer (case–case P ≤ 0.02 for both rs62185668 and rs6108803). Functional analyses are needed to explore the biological mechanisms underlying these novel genetic associations with risk for bladder cancer

Solitary splenic metastasis of squamous lung cancer: a case report

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Mapping of transrectal ultrasonographic prostate biopsies: quality control and learning curve assessment by image processing

Objective: Mapping of transrectal ultrasonographic (TRUS) prostate biopsies is of fundamental importance for either diagnostic purposes or the management and treatment of prostate cancer, but the localization of the cores seems inaccurate. Our objective was to evaluate the capacities of an operator to plan transrectal prostate biopsies under 2-dimensional TRUS guidance using a registration algorithm to represent the localization of biopsies in a reference 3-dimensional ultrasonographic volume. Methods: Thirty-two patients underwent a series of 12 prostate biopsies under local anesthesia performed by 1 operator using a TRUS probe combined with specific third-party software to verify that the biopsies were indeed conducted within the planned targets. RESULTS: The operator reached 71% of the planned targets with substantial variability that depended on their localization (100% success rate for targets in the middle and right parasagittal parts versus 53% for targets in the left lateral base). Feedback from this system after each series of biopsies enabled the operator to significantly improve his dexterity over the course of time (first 16 patients: median score, 7 of 10 and cumulated median biopsy length in targets of 90 mm; last 16 patients, median score, 9 of 10 and a cumulated median length of 121 mm; P = .046). Conclusions: In addition to being a useful tool to improve the distribution of prostate biopsies, the potential of this system is above all the preparation of a detailed "map" of each patient showing biopsy zones without substantial changes in routine clinical practices