Paulo Afonso de Carvalho

Association between integrin expression and prognosis in localized prostate cancer

Integrins and other adhesion molecules are essential for maintaining the epithelial phenotype. Some studies have reported correlations between abnormalities in their expression and carcinogenesis, but their role in prostate cancer is unclear. Our aim was to study the expression profile of integrins in surgical specimens of prostate cancer and associate their expression patterns with patient outcomes.

Low serum testosterone is a predictor of high-grade disease in patients with prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the relation between serum total testosterone (TT) and prostate cancer (PCa) grade and the effect of race and demographic characteristics on such association. METHOD We analyzed 695 patients undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP), of whom 423 had serum TT collected. Patients were classified as having hypogonadism or eugonadism based on two thresholds of testosterone: threshold 1 (300 ng/dL) and threshold 2 (250 ng/dL). We evaluated the relation between TT levels and a Gleason score (GS) ≥ 7 in RP specimens. Outcomes were evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses, accounting for race and other demographic predictors. RESULTS Out of 423 patients, 37.8% had hypogonadism based on the threshold 1 and 23.9% based on the threshold 2. Patients with hypogonadism, in both thresholds, had a higher chance of GS ≥ 7 (OR 1.79, p=0.02 and OR 2.08, p=0.012, respectively). In the multivariate analysis, adjusted for age, TT, body mass index (BMI) and race, low TT (p=0.023) and age (p=0.002) were found to be independent risk factors for GS ≥ 7. Among Black individuals, low serum TT was a stronger predictor of high-grade disease compared to White men (p=0.02). CONCLUSION Hypogonadism is independently associated to higher GS in localized PCa. The effect of this association is significantly more pronounced among Black men and could partly explain aggressive characteristics of PCa found in this race.

Surgical Treatment: Robotic Simple Prostatectomy

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common cause of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men; the treatment options for this condition have improved in the latest years but LUTS caused by very large prostatic adenoma (>100 g) remains a challenge. Currently, the field of medicine is increasingly incorporating technologies in their clinical practice in order to minimize the surgical invasion, aiming to improve outcomes and decrease complication rates. In sequence, we will describe the main steps of transperitoneal robotic assisted simple prostatectomy (RASP), tips and tricks based on our personal experience and will discuss the main data available in the literature about the topic.

Retrograde Release of the Neurovascular Bundle with Preservation of Dorsal Venous Complex During Robot-assisted Radical Prostatectomy: Optimizing Functional Outcomes

BACKGROUND Robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RARP) presents consistent oncological outcomes for prostate cancer; yet continence and potency results are not uniform. We present a technical modification for RARP which preserves the nerves and vascular structures anterior to the prostate aiming to optimize functional outcomes. OBJECTIVE To present oncological and functional results of a modified technique for RARP. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Prospective, noncontrolled case series including 128 consecutive patients undergoing RARP performed by a single surgeon (R.F.C). SURGICAL PROCEDURE RARP with retrograde release of the neurovascular bundle and preservation of dorsal venous complex. MEASUREMENTS Potency was defined as a Sexual Health Inventory for Men score of ≥17; continence was defined as use of no pads. Oncological results analyzed were positive surgical margins (PSM) rates and biochemical recurrence (BCR)-free survival. BCR was defined as prostate-specific antigen >0.2ng/ml. Complications were graded according to the Clavien-Dindo classification. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS Median patient age was 63.5 yr. Median skin-to-skin time was 78min. Median length of hospital stay was 1 d, with seven patients (5.5%) hospitalized for more than 24h. Median intraoperative bleeding was 200ml and two patients required postoperative blood transfusion (1.6%). Four patients (3.1%) had grade ≥3 complications. Biochemical recurrence (BCR) occurred in nine of 128 patients (7%) and median time to BCR was 6 mo. Overall PSM rate was 13.3% (17 of 128 patients). PSM rate was 9% among patients with pT2 disease (8/89) and 27% in patients with pT3 (9/38). Continence was reached immediately in 85.9% of the patients and 98.4% were continent at1 yr. At 1 mo postoperatively, 60 patients were potent (53%), while 98 patients among 113 (86%) were potent 1 yr after surgery. A limitation of this study is that it was a noncomparative study. CONCLUSIONS Retrograde release of the neurovascular bundle with preservation of dorsal venous complex during RARP is safe and associated with excellent oncological and functional outcomes. Future comparative studies are needed. PATIENT SUMMARY Robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) presents consistent oncological outcomes for prostate cancer; yet continence and potency results are not uniform. We present a technical modification for RARP aiming to preserve the nerves and vascular structures anterior to the prostate. We evaluated 128 consecutive patients with clinically localized or locally advanced prostate cancer undergoing RARP with our modified technique of retrograde release of the neurovascular bundles with dorsal vein sparing. We have shown that this technique is safe, effective and associated with early recovery of continence and sexual function after surgery.

PD66-01 RENAL CELL CARCINOMA WITH PERIRENAL FAT INVASION: IS PARTIAL NEPHRECTOMY AS GOOD AS RADICAL SURGERY?

e16056Background: Partial nephrectomy (PN) is the standard of care in the management of cT1a tumors, while radical nephrectomy (RN) is indicated in more advanced tumors. Recent studies provided evi...