The Article of the Month in July’s issue used cancer registries from across France. The corresponding author is based in Strasbourg so this issue’s cover shows The Palais Rohan seen from Strasbourg Cathedral.
©istock.com/railelectropower
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BJUI’s Impact Factor has once again increased, with a steep rise this year to 4.387! The journal has also climbed in to the top 10 for Nephrology and Urology journals.
Editor-in-Chief Prokar Dasgupta and the BJUI Editorial Team would like to thank our readers, authors and reviewers for their dedication and hard work in helping to make this happen.
Congratulations to all those involved.
The International Society of Urologic Pathology (ISUP) has endorsed modifications to the Gleason grading system for prostate cancer [1]. Five Grade Groups have been defined with tumors of Grade Group 1 being the least aggressive and having the lowest likelihood of progression, whereas those of Grade Group 5 have the highest likelihood of early systemic spread. This new system provides clearer guidance for pathologists to classify cancers on the basis of gland morphology, and it aligns better with contemporary management including active surveillance.
The editors of the major uro-oncology journals believe this is a helpful change for clinicians, researchers, and patients alike and are eager to help this system establish itself in the reporting of pathologic grade. To that end we are now asking investigators to use the new system in the reporting of prostate cancers in their publications. As the Grade Groups correspond to current Gleason scores 6, 3+4, 4+3, 8, 9 and 10, the translation should be relatively simple. Over the next one to two years, side-by-side reporting of old and new histology may temporarily be necessary. We do recognize that some institutional and national databases are not set up to make the translation and exceptions will be granted in these cases.
Reference
The Article of the Month this issue comes from Copenhagen; the cover image shows the waterfront at Nyhavn, lined by brightly coloured 17th and early 18th century townhouses.
Image ©istock.com/scanrail
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By Ben Challacombe (@benchallacombe) and Jonathan Makanjuola (@jonmakurology)
The AUA meeting was starting to hot up with the anticipation of the Crossfire sessions, PSA screening and the MET debate that appeared to rumble on. We attended the MUSIC (Michigan Urological Surgery Improvement Collaborative) session. It is a fantastic physician led program including >200 urologists, which aims to improve the quality of care for men with urological diseases. It is a forum for urologists across Michigan, USA to come together to collect clinical data, share best practices and implement evidence based quality improvement activities. One of their projects is crowd reviewing of RALP by international experts for quality of the nerve spare in order to improve surgical outcomes.
The MET debate continues to cause controversy. In the UK there has been almost uniform abandonment of the use of tamsulosin for ureteric stones following The Lancet SUSPEND RCT.
The MET crossfire debate was eagerly awaited. The debate was led by James N’Dow (@NDowJames) arguing against and Philipp Dahm (@EBMUrology) in favour of MET. Many have criticised the SUSPEND paper for lack of CT confirmation of stone passage. Dr Matlaga (@BrianMatlaga) stated that comparing previous studies of MET to SUSPEND is like comparing apples to oranges due to different outcome measures. He recommended urologists continue MET until more data is published. More conflicting statements were made suggesting that MET is effective in all patients especially for large stones in the ureter. The AUA guidelines update was released and stated that MET can be offered for distal ureteric stones less than 10mm.
In a packed Endourology video session there were many high quality video presentations. One such video was a demonstration of the robotic management for a missed JJ ureteric stent. Khurshid Ghani (@peepeeDoctor) presented a video demonstrating the pop-corning and pop-dusting technique with a 100w laser machine.
One of the highlights of the Sunday was the panel discussion plenary session, Screening for Prostate Cancer: Past, Present and Future. In a packed auditorium Stacy Loeb (@LoebStacy), gave an excellent overview of PSA screening with present techniques including phi, 4K and targeted biopsies. Freddie Hamdy looked into the crystal ball and gave a talk on future directions of PSA testing and three important research questions that still needed to be answered. Dr. Catalona presented the data on PSA screening and the impact of the PLCO trial. He argued that due to inaccurate reporting, national organisations should restore PSA screening as he felt it saved lives.
There was a twitter competition for residents and fellows requiring participants to tweet an answer to a previously tweeted question including the hashtag #scopesmart and #aua16. The prize was Apple Watch. Some of the questions asked included; who performed the 1st fURS? And what is the depth of penetration of the Holmium laser?
UK trainees picked up the prizes on the first two days.
The British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) / BJU International (BJUI) / Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand (USANZ) session was a real highlight of day three of the AUA meeting. There were high quality talks from opinion leaders in their sub specialities. Freddie Hamdy from Oxford University outlined early thoughts from the protecT study and the likely direction of travel for management of clinically localised prostate cancer. Prof Emberton (@EmbertonMark) summarised the current evidence for the role of MRI in prostate cancer diagnosis including his thoughts on the on going PROMIS trial. Hashim Ahmed was asked if HIFU was ready for the primetime and bought us up to speed with the latest evidence.
The eagerly awaited RCT comparing open prostatectomy vs RALP by the Brisbane group was summarised with regards to study design and inclusion criteria. It is due for publication on the 18th May 2016 so there was a restriction of presenting results. Dr Coughlin left the audience wanting more despite Prof. Dasgupta’s best effort to get a sneak preview of the results! We learnt from BAUS president Mark Speakman (@Parabolics) about the UK effort to improve the quality of national outcomes database for a number of index urological procedures.
Oliver Wiseman (@OJWiseman) gave us a flavour of outcomes from the BAUS national PCNL database and how they are trying drive up standards to improve patient care. A paediatric surgery update was given by Dr Gundeti. The outcomes of another trial comparing open vs laparoscopic vs RALP was presented. There was no difference in outcomes between the treatment modalities but Prof. Fydenburg summarised by saying that the surgeon was more important determinant of outcome than the tool. Stacy Loeb closed the meeting with an excellent overview of the use of twitter in Urology, followed by a drinks reception.
It was not all about stones and robots. The results of the Refractory Overactive Bladder: Sacral NEuromodulation vs. BoTulinum Toxin Assessment (ROSETTA) trial results were presented. Botox came out on top against neuromodulation in urgency urinary incontinence episodes over 6 months, as well as other lower urinary tract symptoms.
The late breaking abstract session presented by Stacy Loeb highlighted a paper suggesting a 56% reduction in high-grade prostate cancer for men on long term testosterone. This was a controversial abstract and generated a lot of discussion on social media.
It has been an excellent meeting in San Diego and we caught up with old and met new friends. It was nice to meet urologists from across the globe with differing priorities and pressures. There was a good British, Irish and Australian contingent flying the flag for their respective countries. It was another record-breaking year for the #AUA16 on twitter. It surpassed the stats for #AUA15 with over 30M impressions, 16,659 tweets 2,377 participants. See you all in Boston for AUA 2017.
By Ben Challacombe (@benchallacombe) and Jonathan Makanjuola (@jonmakurology)
The 2016 AUA returned to the beautiful city of San Diego set on the shores of the Pacific in an excellent conference centre located in the centre of the town adjacent to the Gaslamp district. For a change the wifi was excellent and allowed enhanced levels of social media interaction and urological discussion. Opening these interactions were 2 key sessions which provoked much debate. Firstly the announcement that after over 10 years of trying the FDA has approved HIFU treatment although it seemed to get there through a slightly “de novo” pathway. Apparently the FDA approved it as an ablation tools but not for prostate cancer.
Although not directly approved for use in prostate cancer, that is exactly what it is going to be used for. A packed house saw a debate with evidence from both sides. Dr Nathan Lawrentschuk promoted the 4 Ds of HIFU. His key point was that 56/101 had a post treatment biopsy of which 51 where biopsy positive!
The second big session focussed on the AUA/SAR consensus statement document on prostate cancer diagnostics. This recommended a “High Quality” MRI should be strongly considered if patient has a rising PSA with a previous negative biopsy, has persistent clinical suspicion for prostate cancer or is undergoing a repeat biopsy. There was no mention of MRI for all at the pre-biopsy stage which many had hoped for and only 2 lines on trans-perineal biopsy as an option. This is of course related to health resources and the outpatient office-based nature of most USA urologists.
A welcome innovation was the Crossfire Sessions which pitted 2 well known advocates of one treatment against 2 with the opposite views. It was hardly debating of the Oxbridge variety but none the less did provoke some useful discussions. Topics included radical prostatectomy vs radiotherapy, endoscopic vs nephro-ureterectomy management of upper tract TCC, and enucleation at partial nephrectomy vs formal resection. Standing room only at the back of the halls but no real audience interaction or voting which was a shame.
The session which really woke everyone up was Rene Sotalo’s wonderful complication horror show. Bleeding, bleeding and more bleeding in a variety of ways. How would you handle this he asked? Pray I thought! But this and similar sessions clearly show the benefits of recording all cases and reviewing these DVDs if something goes wrong. The cause of some complications were only identified by review of the intra-operative tapes. Some clinical titbits learn’t included using only a horizontal incision for the camera port at RARP to reduce hernias and turning off pneumocompression stockings if there is a major venous injury to prevent excessive venous bleeding.
From a SoME perspective there was both good and bad. One poster showed that 40% of graduating US residents had publicly accessible unprofessional content on social media. Food for thought at the consultant interview no doubt, but on the other side SoMe ranks third in the acquisition of urological knowledge (and climbing…). One hack produced this tweeting guideline for all to reflect on.
Prof Prokar Dasgupta had the honour of presenting the widely anticipated session on emerging robotic technology . At last there appears to be some real competition to Intuitive’s dominance on the way. There are at least 3 credible robotic systems on the way. He finished with an intriguing slide on Dr Google being the most powerful doctor in the world!
Despite Europe and Asia moving towards the use of PMSA PET , the USA is not moving in this direction due to reimbursement issues if the PMSA molecule.
There was a lot of interest in a packed auditorium to see live surgery for a single use disposable fURS “Lithovue” with some reporting superior vision , optics and deflection.
There were some sceptics amongst the stone community with the environmental impact and cost effectiveness a concern.
With the popular Gaslamp district a stones throw away many delegates went after the conference for a meal and drinks. The local baseball team San Diego Padres was a popular destination with may watching baseball for the 1st time whist others had gone for a run along the harbour and even caught a sighting of some seals!
The Article of the Month for May 2016 is from Tehran, Iran. The cover shows the Azadi Tower, which marks the western entrance to Tehran City.
© istock.com/knet2d
Click here for this issue’s Table of Contents
The 69th Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) of the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand (USANZ) took place at a venue, well-known for its sun and surf – Gold Coast, Queensland. With some of Australia’s best beaches and coast line, the theme of the meeting was fitting: “Bringing out the Best”. Prem Rashid (@premrashid) and Peter Chin (@docpete888) convened a meeting boasting an impressive international and local faculty. Attendees were provided with a healthy balance of scientific update and social interaction to truly ‘bring out the best’ in each of us.
The meeting got off to a flying start with Dr. Mukesh Haikerwal AO (@DrMukeshH) delivering the Harry Harris Oration. His words were a timely reminder that the healthcare team has only one purpose: to care for the patient in need. The inspiring narrative of his time as a patient following a violent assault was told with humour and humility. The vastly underestimated issue of mental health was also brought to the fore. Despite a few technical malfunctions (Apple and Android!), the tone of the meeting was well and truly set. Attendees were then led out of the auditorium by a vibrant, rhythmic ensemble – a USANZ ASM first! Delegates at the welcome reception were joined by the SandMan, who created an artistic sand sculpture of the conference surfboard logo whilst delegates greeted one another over drinks and canapés.
A drumming ensemble lead delegates to the Welcome Reception
The plenary sessions were varied and engaging. Mornings were filled with world-class presentations by local and international faculty. Michael Cookson (@uromc) discussed management of advanced prostate cancer, Margit Fisch discussed urinary diversion options, and Armando Lorenzo discussed issues in transitional care, an area very dear to his heart. James N’Dow (@NDowJames) was especially engaging. He spoke on the importance of the EAU Guidelines and the recent ratification of the same by USANZ. The cross-continental collaborative spirit was further demonstrated by an announcement from Christopher Chapple that USANZ had been accepted as a member of the EAU. On a softer note, James N’Dow captured listeners’ hearts with tales of his philanthropic work in Sub-Saharan Africa and Scotland. His starkly honest account challenged all present to consider engaging in charitable works for those in need both local and abroad.
James N’Dow was particularly engaging, telling of his philanthropic work
Australia’s own Jeremy Grummet (@JGrummet) presented latest data on transperineal biopsy for the detection of prostate cancer. It was hard to argue with such impressive statistics: zero incidence of sepsis after more than 1000 biopsies and counting. He also reported early experiences with the Biobot Mona Lisa – a robotic technology for obtaining transperineal biopsies. Jeremy is to be congratulated for being recently appointed as an associate to the EAU Guidelines Committee.
Prokar Dasgupta @prokarurol presented the BJUI Global Prize to @maheshatw and Sean Huang.
The @BJUIjournal global prize winners, @maheshatw and Sean Huang! #usanz16 pic.twitter.com/61K272Eaki
— USANZ (@USANZUrology) April 18, 2016
Live debates provided robust discussion regarding hot topics. Kathleen Kobashi (@KKseattle) (described by the conference convenor as “the definition of intellectual elegance”!) and Kurt McCammon (@mccammonka) provided very topical debate regarding the merits and outcomes of native tissue versus synthetic slings. Focal therapy for prostate cancer was debated between our local expert Phil Stricker and international guest Jonathan Epstein, both of whom had very compelling arguments.
All this was conducted by the plenary session chairs, who looked particularly dapper behind the surf board faculty table! Only in Australia.
@DrRLC: “Only in Australia would a urological discussion around a surfboard be considered quite normal…”
Concurrent sessions were well attended throughout the meeting. Highlights include Thomas Knoll’s (@rockknoll) update on stone disease including his approach to difficult stones. He managed to enlighten and entertain even with topics such as “Metabolic Evaluation of Stones”! Mini-PCNL was in the spotlight with David Webb deserving of special mention. Run Wang discussed a practical approach to management of Peyronie’s disease, and Christian Gratzke (@cgratzke) discussed management of male LUTS and presented outcomes of prostatic urethral lift.
The program included non-scientific sessions titled “Getting My Message Across” (Henry Woo [@DrHWoo] & Declan Murphy [@declangmurphy]) and a fantastic education session (Stuart Philip & Melvyn Kuan [@MelvynKuan]). Trainees and consultants were updated on controlling their online presence in the internet age, publishing tips and pitfalls to avoid, and professionalism. Claus Roehrborn (@clausroehrborn) was especially illuminating on how to read a journal article. Equally, David Hillis (@dhillis1957) and Stephen Tobin (@deansurg) shared thoughts on professionalism that all surgeons would do well to heed. Speakers at the global health session inspired many to consider making an impact abroad.
The customary trainee breakfast grilling session was chaired by Nathan Lawrentschuk (@lawrentschuk) and his partner in crime, Louis Kovoussi (@DrKavoussi). Trainees were interrogated on all topics and benefited immensely from Louis’ expertise. Kurt McCammon (@mccammonka) taught the trainees on posterior urethral reconstruction, but also inspired their minds with career and life advice – a charge to be happy, do what you love, and prioritise family. His parting words “Don’t leave any potential on the table”, certainly urged trainees to, Bring out the Best from within.
Socially, the meeting was an absolute delight. Faculty dinners, industry dinners, dinners between friends and colleagues, were dotted around various restaurants all over the Gold Coast. The social highlight of the Meeting was the annual Gala Dinner, held at Australia’s Movie World, hosted by Batman and Marilyn Monroe! Alfresco style, the night was fresh and lively, with food, chatter, singing and dancing. The convenors @premrashid and @docpete888 were congratulated for a successful meeting. Prize winners were announced and congratulated: Ahmed Saeed Goolam (@asgoolam) for the BAUS Trophy, Matthew Winter (@matthewwinter01) for the Keith Kirkland prize, David Wetherell (@DrDRW) for the Villis Marshall prize, and Ailsa Wilson (@Willyedwards) for the inaugural Low-Arnold Prize in Female and Functional Urology.
Guests siphoning into Australia’s Movie World for the Gala Dinner
The Gala Dinner – the social highlight of the USANZ ASM
The Meeting flew by at phenomenal pace and soon it was time to pack our bags and say goodbye (or go for another surf!). Time sure flies when you’re having fun, and learning constantly! The 69th USANZ ASM surely brought out the best.
We’d like to extend our gratitude to the international and local experts who attended the meeting and generously shared of their expertise and collegiality. International guests include: Christopher Chapple, Michael Cookson, Jonathan Epstein, Prokar Dasgupta @prokarurol, Shin Egawa, Margit Fisch, Pat Fulgham (@patfulgham), Mantu Gupta, Christian Gratzke (@cgratzke), Louis Kavoussi, Thomas Knoll, Kathleen Kobashi (@kkseattle), Daniel Lin (@DanLinMD), Armando Lorenzo, Kurt McCammon, James N’Dow, Claus Roehrborn, Mark Speakman (@Parabolics), Anil Varshney and Run Wang. On behalf of ANZ Urologists and Trainees (@USANZurology), we thank you for your time, expertise, and friendship. We hope you are either enjoying some much deserved recreational time Down Under, or else have arrived safely home.
We would also like to thank the Meeting’s sponsors, in particular, platinum sponsor Abbvie for supporting the Meeting.
We are also grateful to everyone who participated in #usanz16 on social media, making #usanz16 the most active USANZ ASM on Twitter ever! With over 5 million impressions, the conference fun and science was more far-reaching than we could ever know. Thank you for helping to Bring out the Best.
A special mention for Ruth Collins (@DrRLC) for her witty tweets and Photoshop talent throughout the meeting.
@DrRLC: “Henry Woo & David Winkle ponder the risks of hanging out on a surf board all morning #usanz16”
We look forward to the 70th USANZ ASM which will be held in Canberra, the nation’s capital (24-27th February 2017). Although the 69th USANZ ASM will be a hard act to follow, no doubt, convenors Nathan Lawrentschuk @lawrentschuk and Shomik Sengupta @shomik_s, will have some great tricks up their sleeves and we look forward to the program they have compiled. Till next time!
Somebody had to do it.#usanz16 pic.twitter.com/xZ7bDTrb3K
— Henry Woo (@DrHWoo) April 18, 2016
Amanda Chung is a Urological Surgeon and PhD candidate in Sydney, NSW and Isaac Thangasamy @USANZUrology trainee in Queensland, Australia
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| 2.00 pm – 2.05 pm |
Welcome Remarks |
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| 2.05 pm – 2.25 pm |  Freddie C. Hamdy, MD
Treatment Effectiveness in Prostate Cancer -Early Thoughts from the Protect Study |
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| 2.25 pm – 2.45 pm |  Mark Emberton, MD
What We Know and What We Don’t Know About the Role of MRI in the Prostate Cancer Diagnostic Pathway |
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| 2.45 pm – 3.05 pm |  Hashim U. Ahmed, MD
Focal Therapy – Ready for Prime Time? |
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| 3.05 pm – 3.20 pm |  Geoff Coughlin, MD
A Randomised Controlled Trial of Robotic vs. Open Radical Prostatectomy |
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| 3.20 pm – 3.40 pm |  Mark Frydenberg, MD
Prospective Non –randomised Longitudinal Comparative Study of Outcomes After Primary Surgical Treatment for Localized Prostate Cancer |
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| 3.40 pm – 3.50 pm |
Tea Break[divider scroll] |
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| 3.50 pm – 4.10 pm |  Mohan Gundeti, MD
Recent Advances in Pediatric Robotic Surgery |
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| 4.10 pm – 4:30 pm |  Mark J. Speakman, MD
The Publication of Urologist identifiable surgical outcome data – an English Experience |
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| 4.30 pm – 4.50 pm |  Oliver Wiseman, MD
How Might the BAUS National PCNL Database Improve Outcomes? |
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| 4.50 pm – 5.10 pm |  Speaker: Stacy Loeb, MD
Social Media in Urology
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For some time, the challenge represented by managing the overactive bladder (OAB) has been dominant in functional urology research. The introduction of new therapies has galvanised the area, with mirabegron showing strong promise for many patients as a monotherapy. In addition, the potential for combined therapy using mirabegron with established antimuscarinics has recently been reported for urgency urinary incontinence [1]. Now that the place of onabotulinum-A injections in refractory cases is firmly established, management options have clearly taken a step forward in recent years. However, there remain people for whom even the more comprehensive current options are inadequate or intolerable. The need for basic science research remains a priority, in the hope of translation into clinical options. In this month’s BJUI, Aizawa et al. [2] report responses in an animal model to an inhibitor of fatty acid amide hydrolase, showing how exploiting the endocannabinoid pathway might be a translational focus for entirely new approaches in OAB. They consider an issue that is very important in developing clinical options, which is that the systems regulating bladder function are also fundamental in other organs, such as the CNS. As the compound they studied does not cross the blood–brain barrier, the potential generation of CNS adverse effects is reduced, which would be important for its potential as a new therapy.
OAB is a symptom syndrome based on storage-type LUTS [3]. Increasingly the field of functional urology is recognising the large number of people who present with voiding and post-micturition LUTS yet do not have BOO. Currently, there are no satisfactory treatment options for affected people and the symptoms can have considerable impact. Frustratingly, current diagnostic methods rely on urodynamic testing to establish whether the presence of detrusor underactivity explains voiding LUTS in an individual patient. Recently, the profession has established a move towards using symptoms to categorise the clinical need in patients [4]. Accordingly, the International Continence Society has established a working group to generate terminology for underactive bladder (UAB), which will report this year, including a symptom-based definition. A symptomatic diagnosis would be very helpful to enable therapy development to proceed without the need for urodynamic testing. Also, in this month’s BJUI, Kajbafzadeh et al. [5] report a clinical trial in UAB using transcutaneous interferential electrical stimulation in children. The treatment was delivered in the context of the rather laborious process currently required for managing this difficult problem, namely diet and fluid manipulation, scheduled voiding, toilet training, and pelvic floor and abdominal muscles relaxation training. The electrical stimulation was demonstrably beneficial, and included responses for the highly troublesome symptom of nocturnal enuresis. The comparatively straightforward nature of this therapeutic approach potentially makes it a valuable tool for dealing with a notoriously difficult problem.