Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Radiother Oncol 2021 Jun 9. Epub 2021 Jun 9.

Department of Radiotherapy, Institut Bergonié, Bordeaux, France. Electronic address:

Purpose: Curative radio-chemotherapy is recognized as a standard treatment option for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Nevertheless, the technical aspects for MIBC radiotherapy are heterogeneous with a lack of practical recommendations.

Methods And Materials: In 2018, a workshop identified the need for two cooperative groups to develop consistent, evidence-based guidelines for irradiation technique in the delivery of curative radiotherapy. Read More

Urology 2021 Jun 9. Epub 2021 Jun 9.

Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco.

Objectives: To evaluate the Cancer of the Bladder Risk Assessment (COBRA) score in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) bladder cancer cohort. Second, to investigate the utility of the COBRA score within each bladder cancer molecular subtype following radical cystectomy (RC) and determine if it can help identify candidates for adjuvant therapies and clinical trials.

Methods: Among the TCGA bladder cancer cohort (n=412), RC pathology reports were reviewed to calculate COBRA scores. Read More

Arch Biochem Biophys 2021 Jun 9:108950. Epub 2021 Jun 9.

Diabetes Center, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China. Electronic address:

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is composed mainly of tumor cells, tumorinfiltrating immune cells, and matrix components. Recent clinical studies have indicated that tumor immune cell infiltration (ICI) is related to the sensitivity of immunotherapy and the prognosis of patients with bladder cancer (BC). Nevertheless, up to now, the landscape of immune infiltration in BC has not been clearly defined. Read More

World J Urol 2021 Jun 12. Epub 2021 Jun 12.

Department of Urology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.

Purpose: Female sex has been implicated with higher stage at diagnosis and as a negative prognostic factor amongst patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Whether this holds true with contemporary management paradigms is unknown. We analyzed a cohort of patients treated with adequate bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) for NMIBC in an effort to identify sex-specific influence on BCG response. Read More

Int J Clin Pract 2021 Jun 12:e14490. Epub 2021 Jun 12.

Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Istanbul, Turkey.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of delay in cystoscopic surveillance on recurrence and progression rates in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).

Materials And Methods: A total of 407 patients from four high-volume centers with NMIBC that applied for follow-up cystoscopy were included in our study prospectively. Patients' demographics and previous tumor characteristics, presence of tumor in follow-up cystoscopy, the pathology results of the latest transurethral resection of bladder tumor (if tumor was detected), and delay in cystoscopy time were recorded. Read More

Clin Cancer Res 2021 Jun 11. Epub 2021 Jun 11.

Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Purpose: Improved risk stratification and predictive biomarkers of treatment response are needed for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Here we assessed the clinical utility of targeted RNA and DNA molecular profiling in NMIBC.

Experimental Design: Gene expression in NMIBC samples was profiled by NanoString nCounter, a RNA quantification platform, from two independent cohorts (n = 28, n = 50); targeted panel sequencing was performed in a subgroup (n = 50). Read More

Clin Genitourin Cancer 2021 May 17. Epub 2021 May 17.

Department of Urology, Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx NY. Electronic address:

Background: The immune system plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease (AD), but it remains unclear whether bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) may affect the risk of AD or not.

Methods: Using retrospective chart review, we collected data regarding demographics, comorbidities, cancer diagnosis, BCG treatment, and subsequent diagnosis of AD or other dementia in a racially/ethnically diverse cohort of patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NIMBC) receiving treatment between 1984 and 2020 in the Bronx, New York. We used Cox proportional hazard models to examine association between BCG treatment and risk of incident AD or other dementia, adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and major comorbidities. Read More

BMC Urol 2021 Jun 11;21(1):92. Epub 2021 Jun 11.

Department of Urology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 88 Olympic-ro 43-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul, 05505, Korea.

Purpose: We report our preliminary experience of using a hybrid ileal pouch, assessing oncologic outcomes, complications, voiding, and renal function.

Methods: The study included 25 patients with bladder cancer treated with radical cystectomy with a hybrid ileal pouch with concomitant anti-refluxing and refluxing anastomosis, performed by a single surgeon. The patients were divided into two groups (first and last cases) according to the surgery date. Read More

Bioengineered 2021 Dec;12(1):2649-2663

Department of Urology, Tianjin Institute of Urology, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, P.R. China.

In recent years, genes associated with N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification were found to participate in modulation of multiple tumor biological processes. Concomitantly, the significantly complicated dual effects of tumor microenvironment have been observed on cancer progression. The present study aims to investigate m6A-related immune genes (m6AIGs) for their signatures and prognostic values in bladder cancer (BC). Read More

Minerva Urol Nephrol 2021 Jun 11. Epub 2021 Jun 11.

Department of Urology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria -

Background: To investigate the predictive and prognostic value of the preoperative modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) in patients with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) treated with radical cystectomy (RC).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of an established multicenter database consisting of 4,335 patients who were treated with RC +/- adjuvant chemotherapy for UCB between 1979 and 2012. The mGPS of each patient was calculated on the basis of preoperative serum C-reactive protein and albumin. Read More

Cancer Rep (Hoboken) 2021 Jun 11:e1406. Epub 2021 Jun 11.

Division of Molecular Genetic Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.

Background: Previous population-based studies on second primary cancers (SPCs) in urothelial cancers have focused on known risk factors in bladder cancer patients without data on other urothelial sites of the renal pelvis or ureter.

Aims: To estimate sex-specific risks for any SPCs after urothelial cancers, and in reverse order, for urothelial cancers as SPCs after any cancer. Such two-way analysis may help interpret the results. Read More

Cancer Med 2021 Jun 10. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.

Background: In recent years, the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) pathway has been proven to be an important therapeutic target in bladder cancer. FGFR-targeted therapies are effective for patients with FGFR mutation, which can be discovered through genetic sequencing. However, genetic sequencing is not commonly performed at diagnosis, whereas a histologic assessment of the tumor is. Read More

Am J Ind Med 2021 Jun 10. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

Division of Field Studies & Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

Background: Elevated bladder cancer incidence has been reported in a cohort of 1875 workers manufacturing chemicals used in the rubber industry and employed any time during 1946-2006. o-Toluidine (OT), an aromatic amine, was the prime suspect agent. Using the available environmental data and process characterization, previous investigators assigned ranks to volatile chemical air concentrations across time in departments and jobs, reflecting probabilities of exposure and use of personal protective equipment for airborne and dermal exposures. Read More

Leuk Res Rep 2021 14;15:100244. Epub 2021 May 14.

Department of Hematopathology and Lab Medicine, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA.

Introduction: Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) are hematologic neoplasms characterized by morphologic dysplasia and ineffective hematopoiesis in the bone marrow. The only potentially curative therapy is stem cell transplant. However, relapse remains a major challenge and is seen in about 25-40% of cases. Read More

BMC Cancer 2021 Jun 10;21(1):692. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

Department of Urology, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, No.88 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.

Background: Accumulating evidences demonstrated tumor microenvironment (TME) of bladder cancer (BLCA) may play a pivotal role in modulating tumorigenesis, progression, and alteration of biological features. Currently we aimed to establish a prognostic model based on TME-related gene expression for guiding clinical management of BLCA.

Methods: We employed ESTIMATE algorithm to evaluate TME cell infiltration in BLCA. Read More

BMC Urol 2021 Jun 10;21(1):90. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

Department of Urology, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou Medical University, Taizhou, 317000, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.

Background: Bladder cancer (BC) is the second most frequent malignancy of the urinary system. The aim of this study was to identify key microRNAs (miRNAs) and hub genes associated with BC as well as analyse their targeted relationships.

Methods: According to the microRNA dataset GSE112264 and gene microarray dataset GSE52519, differentially expressed microRNAs (DEMs) and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained using the R limma software package. Read More

Br J Radiol 2021 Jun 11:20210214. Epub 2021 Jun 11.

Department of Radiation Oncology, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Peking University Cancer Hospital &Institute, Beijing, China.

Objectives: To develop and evaluate a practical automatic treatment planning method for Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) in cervical cancer cases.

Methods: A novel algorithm named as Optimization Objectives Tree Search Algorithm (OOTSA) was proposed to emulate the planning optimization process and achieve a progressively improving IMRT plan, based on the Eclipse Scripting Application Programming Interface (ESAPI). Thirty previously treated cervical cancer cases were selected from the clinical database and comparison was made between the OOTSA-generated plans and clinical treated plans and RapidPlan-based (RP) plans. Read More

JCO Clin Cancer Inform 2021 Jun;5:658-667

CancerLinQ, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Alexandria, VA.

Purpose: In 2014, the ASCO developed CancerLinQ (CLQ), a health technology platform for oncology. The CLQ Discovery (CLQD) database was created to make data available for research and this paper provides a summary of this database.

Methods: This study described the clinical and demographic characteristics of the 12 most common cancers in the CLQD database. Read More

Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2021 Jun 10. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

Clinical Cooperation Unit Nuclear Medicine, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69210, Heidelberg, Germany.

Purpose: [ Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 is a promising radiopharmaceutical for detecting tumour lesions in prostate cancer, but knowledge of the pharmacokinetics is limited. Dynamic PET-CT was performed to investigate the tumour detection and differences in temporal distribution, as well as in kinetic modelling of [ Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 by tissue type.

Methods: Dynamic PET-CT over the lower abdomen and static whole-body PET-CT 80-90 min p. Read More

Bladder Cancer 2020 28;6(1):71-81. Epub 2020 Mar 28.

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.

Background: Plasmacytoid urothelial carcinoma is a rare bladder cancer variant with scarce data on outcomes and prognostic factors.

Objective: We report our institutional experience with this histology to determine response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, definitive surgery and survival.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of consecutive patients with plasmacytoid, as well as conventional urothelial carcinoma (for comparison) seen in our institution (2007 - 2018). Read More

Front Oncol 2021 24;11:643413. Epub 2021 May 24.

Comprehensive Urogenital Cancer Center, Ningbo First Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, China.

We report on a case of metastatic urothelial bladder carcinoma (mUBC) treated with anlotinib combined with sintilimab. A 69-year-old male was diagnosed with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). He received transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) and intravesical gemcitabine chemotherapy. Read More

Clin Cancer Res 2021 Jun 9. Epub 2021 Jun 9.

Medicine, University of California, San Francisco

Enfortumab vedotin (EV) is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting NECTIN4 (encoded by the gene approved for treatment-refractory metastatic urothelial cancer. Factors that mediate sensitivity or resistance to EV are unknown. In the present study, we sought to 1) examine heterogeneity of gene expression across molecular subtypes of bladder cancer and 2) determine if NECTIN4 expression mediates EV sensitivity or resistance. Read More

J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2021 Jun 9;40(1):191. Epub 2021 Jun 9.

Experimental Pathology and Therapeutics Group, Research Center (CI-IPOP), Portuguese Institute of Oncology, 4200-072, Porto, Portugal.

Background: Muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) remains amongst the deadliest genitourinary malignancies due to treatment failure and extensive molecular heterogeneity, delaying effective targeted therapeutics. Hypoxia and nutrient deprivation, oversialylation and O-glycans shortening are salient features of aggressive tumours, creating cell surface glycoproteome fingerprints with theranostics potential.

Methods: A glycomics guided glycoproteomics workflow was employed to identify potentially targetable biomarkers using invasive bladder cancer cell models. Read More

J Endourol 2021 Jun 9. Epub 2021 Jun 9.

Aix-Marseille-University, 128791, Urology, Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France;

Objectives: To compare the detection rate of BCG refractory tumors between white light cystoscopy (WL-C) and Photodynamic Diagnosis cystoscopy (PDD-C).

Methods: We performed a monocentric retrospective study that included all consecutive patients with high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) diagnosed from January 2017 to January 2021. All patients had an initial Transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) with PDD ± restaging TURBT if needed, followed by full-dose BCG induction. Read More

Hinyokika Kiyo 2021 Apr;67(4):163-166

The Department of Urology, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

While robot-assisted radical cystoprostatectomy (RARC) for locally advanced prostate cancer (LAPC) may sometimes prove to be excessive treatment, it can significantly reduce the risk of positive surgical margins and lower urinary tract obstruction in some cases. Here, we report a case of LAPC treated with RARC in a patient with right hydronephrosis due to bladder infiltration and left hypoplastic kidney. A 71-year-old man presented with frequent urination in August 2019. Read More

Eur J Cancer 2021 Jun 6;152:155-164. Epub 2021 Jun 6.

Princess Máxima Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 25, 3584 Utrecht, the Netherlands. Electronic address:

The Italian Network for Tumor Biotherapy (Network Italiano per la Bioterapia dei Tumori [NIBIT]) Foundation hosted its annual 2020 Think Tank meeting virtually, at which representatives from academic, clinical, industry, philanthropic, and regulatory organisations discussed the role of neoadjuvant immunotherapy for the treatment of cancer. Although the number of neoadjuvant immunotherapeutic trials is increasing across all malignancies, the Think Tank focused its discussion on the status of neoadjuvant trials in cutaneous melanoma (CM), muscle-invasive urothelial bladder cancer (MIBC), head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), and pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Neoadjuvant developments in CM are nothing short of trailblazing. Read More

J Cell Biochem 2021 Jun 9. Epub 2021 Jun 9.

Retraction: "LncRNA AWPPH inhibits SMAD4 via EZH2 to regulate bladder cancer progression," by Feng Zhu, Xinjun Zhang, Qinnan Yu, Guangye Han, Fengxia Diao, Chunlei Wu, Yan Zhang, J Cell Biochem. 2018; 4496-4505: The above article, published online on 12 December 2017 in Wiley Online Library (https://onlinelibrary.wiley. Read More

J Immunoassay Immunochem 2021 Jun 9:1-17. Epub 2021 Jun 9.

Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebein Elkom, Egypt.

Bladder urothelial carcinoma (BUC) has two pathways with distinct molecular features and prognosis, non-muscle invasive (NMI) and muscle invasive (MI) tumors. The aim is to investigate the expression of GATA3 and CK5/6 in BUC with correlation to clinicopathologic parameters, including their impact on survival beside their potential use to stratify cases into prognostic subgroups. This study included 80 cases of BUC stained immunohistochemically by GATA3 and CK5/6. Read More

Cancer Med 2021 Jun 8. Epub 2021 Jun 8.

Deportment of urology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.

Bladder cancer is a menace to global health worldwide due to its high recurrence rate and its progression to invasive muscular complications. Cell adhesion molecules play an intricate role in cancer migration, growth, and invasion. Therefore, through bioinformatics analysis, it was found that the higher cerebral endothelial cell adhesion molecule (CERCAM) predicted lower chance in bladder cancer patient survival; subsequently, in vitro and in vivo investigations were performed to evaluate the specific effects of CERCAM on bladder cancer cell phenotypes and tumor growth in mice model. Read More

J Cell Physiol 2021 Jun 8. Epub 2021 Jun 8.

Retraction: "Long noncoding RNA PEG10 facilitates bladder cancer cells proliferation, migration, and invasion via repressing microRNA-29b," by Tingting Liang, Yongkun Wang, Yonggang Wang, Yao Wang, J Cell Physiol. 2019; 19740-19749: The above article, published online on 02 April 2019 in Wiley Online Library (https://onlinelibrary.wiley. Read More