European urology
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In the COU-AA-302 trial, abiraterone acetate plus prednisone significantly increased overall survival for patients with chemotherapy-naïve metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Limited information exists regarding response to subsequent androgen signaling-directed therapies following abiraterone acetate plus prednisone in patients with mCRPC. We investigated clinical outcomes associated with subsequent abiraterone acetate plus prednisone (55 patients) and enzalutamide (33 patients) in a post hoc analysis of COU-AA-302. ⋯ The median time to PSA progression was 3.9 mo (range 2.6-not estimable) for subsequent abiraterone acetate plus prednisone and 2.8 mo (range 1.8-not estimable) for subsequent enzalutamide. The majority of patients (68%) received intervening chemotherapy before subsequent abiraterone acetate plus prednisone or enzalutamide. While acknowledging the limitations of post hoc analyses and high censoring (>75%) in both treatment groups, these results suggest that subsequent therapy with abiraterone acetate plus prednisone or enzalutamide for patients who progressed on abiraterone acetate is associated with limited clinical benefit.
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Activating mutations and translocations of the FGFR3 gene are commonly seen in urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) of the bladder and urinary tract. Several fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitors are currently in clinical development and response rates appear promising for advanced UCC. A common problem with targeted therapeutics is intrinsic or acquired resistance of the cancer cells. ⋯ Consistently, we observed an elevated PI3K-protein kinase B pathway activity resulting from epidermal growth factor receptor or Erb-B2 receptor tyrosine kinase 3 reactivation caused by FGFR inhibition as the underlying molecular mechanism of the synergy. Our data show that feedback pathways activated by FGFR inhibition converge on the PI3K pathway. These findings provide a strong rationale to test FGFR inhibitors in combination with PI3K inhibitors in cancers harboring genetic activation of FGFR genes.
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Use of electronic cigarettes (ECs) is on the rise in most high-income countries. Smoking conventional cigarettes is a known risk factor for urologic malignancy incidence, progression, and mortality, as well as for other urologic health indicators. The potential impact of EC use on urologic health is therefore of clinical interest to the urology community. ⋯ While electronic cigarettes might help some people to stop smoking, their overall impact on urologic health is not clear.
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Multicenter Study
Robot-assisted Surgery for Benign Ureteral Strictures: Experience and Outcomes from Four Tertiary Care Institutions.
Minimally invasive treatment of benign ureteral strictures is still challenging because of its technical complexity. In this context, robot-assisted surgery may overcome the limits of the laparoscopic approach. ⋯ In this study we review the use of robotic surgery at four different tertiary care centres in the treatment of patients affected by benign ureteral strictures. Our results demonstrate that robotic surgery is a safe alternative to the standard open approach in the treatment of ureteral strictures.
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Clinicians and treatment guideline developers are faced with a dilemma when the results of a new, large, well-conducted randomized controlled trial (RCT) are in direct conflict with the results of a previous systematic review (SR) and meta-analysis (MA). ⋯ We discuss the advantages and limitations of using data from randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews/meta-analyses in informing clinical practice when there are conflicting results. We provide guidance on how such conflicts should be dealt with by guideline organizations.