Giuseppe Simone

Neuroendocrine prostate carcinoma (NE-PCa) is a heterogeneous disease. Due to a high prevalence of NE (neuroendocrine) differentiation in patients who receive prolonged androgen deprivation treatment, the real incidence of NE-PCa remains unknown. Similarly, the biological steps from prostate carcinoma (PCa) toward NE differentiation are far less than definitive and, consequently, there is a lack of evidence to support any of the treatments as the "gold standard". A systematic literature search was conducted using the PubMed, Scopus, and Embase databases to identify original articles and review articles regarding NE-PCa . Keywords were "prostate cancer" and "neuroendocrine". Articles published between 1995 and 2013, were reviewed and selected with the consensus of all of the authors. Fifty-one articles were selected by the authors for the purpose of this review. The principle findings were reported into some subsections: Epidemiology, Biological steps of NE differentiation (with some principle articles on animal and in vitro, since there is very little in the literature on human studies); for the treatment options, we had to expand the search on PubMed to a larger timeframe and selection since very little was specifically found in the first criteria: surgery, radiotherapy, ablative techniques, immunomodulation and epigenetic therapy were then reviewed. A multidisciplinary approach, advocated by many authors, although promising, has failed to demonstrate increased survival rates. Limitations of this review include the lack of a clear definition of NE-PCa and consequently, the lack of strong evidence provided by a large series with long-term follow-up. Supported from this extensive review, we propose it is worthwhile to investigate a new multimodal therapeutic approach to address advanced NE-PCa starting from a debulking (with radical intent) of the disease plus epigenetic therapy with stem cell differentiation stage factors (SCDSFs). In addition immunotherapy can be used to treat the cancer presenting phenotype in association with chemomodulation plus ablative therapies, in case of advanced or recurrent diseases. SCDSFs may be utilized to regulate cancer stem cells and possible new phenotypes could also be associated with ablative therapies. Hormonal deprivation, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, ex vivo vaccines and targeted therapies could also be used and reserved in case of failure.

Robotic level III inferior vena cava (IVC) tumor thrombectomy was described recently. We present ongoing robotic advances in this arena in a case series of six patients with Mayo level II-III thrombi who underwent robotic caval thrombectomy, radical nephrectomy, and retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy. In four patients, proximal intra- or retrohepatic IVC control was obtained solely with an intracaval Fogarty balloon catheter; in one patient, robot-guided flexible cystoscopy of the IVC lumen was performed to rule out any residual or secondary skip thrombi. In one patient, the caval wall defect after thrombus excision was reconstructed robotically using a bovine pericardial patch. Finally, a patient with concomitant renal and adrenal tumors had two distinct thrombi of levels I and III; a robotic double thrombectomy was performed. Mean renal tumor size was 8.4cm (±1.6). Four thrombi (66%) were level III. Mean operative time was 6.4h (±1.7); IVC clamp time, 53.5min (±29.8); blood loss, 668...

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common non-skin cancer in USA and the second leading cause of cancer death in Western Countries. Despite the high mortality associated with PCa, the only established risk factors are age, race and family history. A possible association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and PCa was firstly described in 2004 and several subsequent studies in biopsy cohorts have shown conflicting results. Aim of our multicentre prospective study was to investigate the association between MetS and PCa in men undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP). From January 2012 to June 2015, 349 consecutive men undergoing RP for PCa at three centres in Italy were enrolled into a prospective database. Body Mass Index (BMI) as well as waist circumference was measured before RP. Blood samples were also collected and tested for total PSA, fasting glucose, triglycerides and HDLs. Blood pressure was also recorded. We evaluated the association between MetS, defined according to Adult Treatm...

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy is accepted by many as the standard of care for the majority of adrenal masses less than 8 cm. The question exists whether laparoscopic removal of metastatic lesions to the adrenal is more difficult than laparoscopic removal of primary adrenal lesions. We performed a retrospective analysis of all laparoscopic adrenalectomies performed at a single institution from 1998 to 2001, comparing laparoscopic adrenalectomies for primary lesions of the adrenal gland versus isolated metastatic lesions to the adrenal gland. Fourteen laparoscopic adrenalectomies were attempted, 10 for primary disease and 4 for metastatic disease. All 10 laparoscopic procedures were completed successfully for primary disease (average operative time=218 minutes, average tumor size=4 cm, median hospital stay=2 days). Only one of the 4 laparoscopic adrenalectomies for metastatic disease was completed successfully (average operative time=332 minutes, average tumor size=7.3 cm, median hospital stay=2 days). No major complications occurred in either group. We feel laparoscopic adrenalectomy is the preferred approach for primary adrenal masses less than 8 cm. Based on our experience and a review of the literature, isolated metastatic lesions to the adrenal gland appear less amenable to laparoscopic removal than do primary lesions of the same size.

Assessing construct, face and content validity of the camera handling trainer (CHT), a novel low-fidelity training device for 30° laparoscope navigation skills. We developed a custom-designed box trainer with clinically based graphic targets. A total of 117 participants, stratified according to their previous experience (novice, competent, expert), took part to a CHT session and subsequently were asked to fill out a survey to assess the impact of the CHT on their 30° laparoscope navigation skills. Sixty of them were also studied for task performance during a 1-h session, with multiple time measurements. All participants, regardless of the previous experience, significantly improved their performance after the CHT session. Regarding construct validity, the mean task performance on the last measurement for novice group was found to be comparable to the mean first attempt of both competent (p = 0.12) and expert (p = 0.24) participants. All participants agreed that "the CHT is a va...

On-clamp partial nephrectomy (PN) has been considered the standard approach to minimize intraoperative bleeding and thus achieve adequate control of tumor margins. The potential negative impact of ischemia on renal function (RF) led to the development of techniques to minimize or avoid renal ischemia, such as off-clamp PN and minimally ischemic PN techniques. To review current evidence on the indications and techniques for and outcomes of minimally ischemic and off-clamp PN. A systematic review of English-language publications on PN without a main renal artery clamp from January 2005 to July 2014 was performed using the Medline, Embase, and Web of Science databases. The searches retrieved 52 papers. Off-clamp PN has been more commonly applied to small and peripheral renal tumors, while minimally ischemic PN is best suited for hilar and medially located renal tumors. These approaches are associated with increased intraoperative blood loss and perioperative transfusion rates compared ...

To report feasibility, safety and effectiveness of "zero-ischemia" laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) following preoperative superselective transarterial embolization (STE) for clinical T1 renal tumors. We retrospectively reviewed perioperative data of 23 consecutive patients, who underwent STE prior LPN between March 2010 and November 2012 for incidental clinical T1 renal mass. STE was performed by two experienced radiologists the day before surgery. Surgical procedures were performed in extended flank position, transperitoneally, by a single surgeon. Mean patients age was 68 years (range 56-74), mean tumor size was 3.5 cm (range 2.2-6.3 cm). STE was successfully completed in 16 patients 12-15 h before surgery. In 4 cases STE failed to provide a complete occlusion of all feeding arteries, while in 3 cases the ischemic area was larger than expected. LPN was successfully completed in all patients but one where open conversion was necessary; a "zero-ischemia" a...

To evaluate whether DW-MRI improves the detection of pelvic lymph nodes metastates in patients with bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy. 36 patients with CT scan negative for nodal metastates underwent DW-MRI before surgery. Diagnostic accuracy of DW-MRI was compared with histopathological findings. Mean ADC value was 0.85 × 10(-3) mm(3)/s in the nodal metastatic group and 1 × 10(-3) mm(3)/s in the nodal non-metastatic group (P = 0.02). The ADC cut-off value, obtained by the ROC curve was 0.86 × 10(-3) mm(3)/s. Patient-based sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values were 76.4%, 89.4%, 26.6%, and 71.4%, respectively. DW-MRI may be used to differentiate metastatic from non-metastatic lymph nodes in patients with high-grade bladder cancer.