The Chapter "Radical prostatectomy" has been completely update in the 2020 EAU prostate cancer guideline. Recommendation level of "No surgical approach has shown superiority in terms of functional or oncological results" and "Nerve-sparing surgery is not recommended when there is a risk of ipsilateral extracapsular extension" has been adjusted to "weak" . Various surgical techniques could further improve functional outcomes when performed appropriately based on the updated guideline.

The 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium (ASCO-GU) reported several advancements in the field of urothelial carcinoma. Multiple new treatment options for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) were introduced, providing more choices for bladder preservation in BCG-resistant/failed NMIBC cases. In muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) perioperative treatment, the updated 3-year follow-up data from the CheckMate 274 study demonstrated a clear advantage in disease-free survival for the nivolumab monotherapy adjuvant treatment group. For metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC), the final overall survival (OS) report from the IMvigor130 study was published, prompting further considerations for future first-line treatment options in mUC. Additionally, the conference highlighted research progress in upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC).

Objective:To explore the risk factors for stone recurrence after laparoscopic common bile duct exploration (LCBDE) combined with laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) and to develop a risk prediction model.Methods:Clinical data of 344 patients with bile duct stones who underwent LCBDE combined with LC at Hebei General Hospital from January 2016 to March 2022 were retrospectively analyzed, including 165 males and 179 females, aged (62.72±13.56) years old. Patients were divided into two groups based on whether stones recurred during the follow-up period: recurrence group ( n=37) and non-recurrence group ( n=307). Clinical data such as common bile duct diameter, stone size, number of stones and duration of T-tube drainage were collected from the patients. Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors for postoperative stone recurrence, and then developed a logistic regression model. The predictive efficacy of the model was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test. Results:The results of multifactorial logistic regression analysis showed that patients with ≥2 choledochal stones had a high risk of stone recurrence after LCBDE combined with LC ( OR=3.094, 95% CI: 1.069-8.954, P=0.037). In contrast, regular postoperative oral choleretic medication was a protective factor for stone recurrence after LCBDE combined with LC ( OR=0.160, 95% CI: 0.072-0.354, P=0.001). A logistic regression model, based on the number of common bile duct stones and regular postoperative oral choleretic medication, was developed to predict the recurrence of bile duct stones in patients who underwent LCBDE combined with LC. The area under the ROC curve for this model was found to be 0.821 (95% CI: 0.758-0.885). The Hosmer-Lemeshow test, χ 2=7.26, P=0.509, suggested that there is good agreement between the model's predicted probabilities and ideal probabilities. Conclusions:The number of stones (≥2) is an independent risk factor for stone recurrence after LCBDE combined with LC in patients with bile duct stones. Regular postoperative oral choleretic medication is a protective factor for stone recurrence after LCBDE combined with LC. Predictive models based on the number of choledochal stones and regular postoperative oral choleretic medication have better efficacy in predicting postoperative stone recurrence.

Objective To investigate the effect of pelvic floor stabilized structure preservation (PPSS) during robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RARP)on postoperative continence recovery.Methods From October 2017 to April 2018,86 patients with prostatic cancer who underwent traditional RARP and RARP plus PPSS were included.There were 31 patients in non-PPSS group and 55 patients in PPSS group.In non-PPSS group,patients age was (68.48 ± 7.79) years old,BMI was (24.79 ± 3.05) kg/m2,median prostate volume was 63.54 (53.00-99.36) cm3,clinic T-stage T1-T2,T3,T4 accounted for 49.39％,22.58％,6.45％ and ISUP grade 1,2,3,4,5 accounted for 22.58％,22.81％,12.90％,12.90％,19.35％ respectively.In PPSS group,patients age was (69.53 ± 6.81)years old,BMI was (23.95 ± 3.03) kg/m2,median prostate volume was 73.39 (54.88-94.23) cm3,clinic T-stage T1-T2,T3,T4 accounted for 72.73％,7.27％,3.64％ and ISUP grade 1,2,3,4,5 accounted for 21.82％,18.18％,23.64％,18.18％,10.91％ respectively.The preoperative PSA,BMI,clinical T-stage,ISUP grade,and postoperative hospital days had no significant differences (P ＞ 0.05)between the two groups.Both groups were operated via transperitoneal approach.In the non PPSS group,endo-pelvic fascia and pubic prostate ligament was cut,and dorsal vessel complex was ligated.In PPSS group,the partial endo-pelvic fascia was bluntly pushed to the pelvic wall to preserve tendon arch,and pubic prostate ligament also was preserved without suturing and ligating dorsal vascular complex.The catheter was removed 7 d after RARP.The continence recovery were compared between the two groups,including pad number on the day of I,7,14,30,90 and ICI-Q-SF scores on the day of 30 and 90 after catheter removal.Results There was no significant difference in pad numbers used between the two groups on the day of 1,7,14,30 after catheter removal.On the 90th day,the proportions of using pad ≥4 in PPSS group were significantly lower than those in non-PPSS group (1.89％ vs.20.69％,P =0.004).No significant difference was found in ICI-Q-SF scores on the 30th and 90th day between the two groups.Univariate analysis showed that PPSS group used less pads than non-PPSS group on the 90th day [OR =0.07(95％ CI 0.01-0.65),P =0.019];T3 patients used more pads than T1-T2 patients [OR =9.19 (95％ CI 1.32-63.87),P =0.025].After adjusting for age,ISUP grading,T staging,and PSA,multivariate regression analysis showed that the risk of using pad ≥ 4 in PPSS group compared with non-PPSS group was 0.46,0.34,0.27,0.25,and 0.03 on the day of 1,7,14,30 and 90 after catheter removal,respectively.The PPSS approach didn't increase the risk of positive surgical margin.Conclusions Preservation of pelvic stabilized structure in RARP is very efficient in term of continence rate after RARP,and it does not increase the risk of positive surgical margin.

We present a summary of important research in the field of urothelial carcinoma presented at the 2023 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) conference. A total of 53 studies related to urothelial carcinoma were reported, including 6 late-breaking abstract, 7 oral presentations, and 40 poster presentations. Several new treatment options were reported in the non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) field, providing more choices for bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) failing patients. For perioperative systemic treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), studies further explored various adaptation of neoadjuvant therapy strategies. For metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC), the data on CheckMate-901 and EV-302 studies provided thoughts on first-line treatment options. These studies provide important guidance for clinical practice in the field of urothelial carcinoma.

The surgical outcomes of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy have shown remarkable improvement over the last two decades since its advent, due to advances in surgical concepts, techniques, and equipment. Today, ongoing research aims to compare the benefits and drawbacks of various surgical approaches, such as anterior, posterior, lateral, transvesical, and transperineal approaches, in terms of tumor control, functional recovery, and complication reduction in order to achieve the goal of pentafecta (no postoperative complications and negative surgical margins in addition to trifecta) to the maximum extent. It is imperative to explore and integrate novel technologies such as 5G remote surgery and artificial intelligence into the clinical practice of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy while ensuring patient safety, which has immense potential for substantial benefits to patients with prostate cancer.

Objectives:To examine the functional outcomes of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) with preservation of pelvic floor stabilized structure and early elevated retrograde liberation of the neurovascular bundle (PEEL).Methods:This study was a retrospective cohort study. Between June 1, 2022, and March 20, 2023, 27 cases of RARP with PEEL and 153 cases of RARP with preservation of pelvic floor stabilized structure (PPSS) were included in this study. All patients were males, aged (62.5±5.2) years (range: 50 to 73 years). There were 18 cases of ≤T2b stage and 9 cases of T2c stage. After 1∶1 propensity score matching, the postoperative functional outcomes of 27 cases of RARP with PEEL and 27 cases of RARP with PPSS were compared. All surgeries were performed by a single surgeon and included patients were clinically staged as cT1-2N0M0 without preoperative urinary incontinence or erectile dysfunction. In RARP with PEEL, the prostate was cut near the midline at the front when dissecting the neurovascular bundle, dissection was performed between the visceral layer of the pelvic fascia and the prostatic fascia, preserving the parietal layer and the visceral layer of the pelvic fascia, and the neurovascular bundle was retrogradely released from the apex. The cumulative probability curve was plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method and the Log-rank test was used to compare the differences in functional outcomes between the two groups. Univariate and multivariate analysis with the Cox proportional hazards model was used to compare postoperative urinary continence and sexual function.Results:The recovery time of continence and potency was significantly longer in the PPSS group than in the PEEL group (all P<0.05). The continence rate of the PEEL group was significantly higher than that of the PPSS group (92.59% vs. 68.10%, P=0.026) at 3 months after surgery. The potency rate of the PEEL group was also significantly higher than that of the PPSS group (40.70% vs. 15.10%, P=0.037) at 3 months after surgery. In the univariate analysis, compared to the PPSS technique, the PEEL technique was associated with a shorter recovery time of continence ( HR=1.94, 95% CI: 1.08 to 3.48, P=0.027) and a shorter recovery time of potency ( HR=2.06, 95% CI: 1.03 to 4.13, P=0.042). In the multivariate analysis, the PEEL technique was an independent prognosis factor for postoperative recovery of continence ( HR=2.05, 95% CI: 1.01 to 4.17, P=0.047) and potency ( HR=3.57, 95% CI: 1.43 to 8.92, P=0.007). All the cases of the PPSS group and the PEEL group were performed successfully with negative surgical margins. Conclusion:Compared with PPSS, PEEL may be more conducive to the recovery of urinary continence and sexual function after RARP.

The surgical outcomes of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy have shown remarkable improvement over the last two decades since its advent, due to advances in surgical concepts, techniques, and equipment. Today, ongoing research aims to compare the benefits and drawbacks of various surgical approaches, such as anterior, posterior, lateral, transvesical, and transperineal approaches, in terms of tumor control, functional recovery, and complication reduction in order to achieve the goal of pentafecta (no postoperative complications and negative surgical margins in addition to trifecta) to the maximum extent. It is imperative to explore and integrate novel technologies such as 5G remote surgery and artificial intelligence into the clinical practice of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy while ensuring patient safety, which has immense potential for substantial benefits to patients with prostate cancer.

Objectives:To examine the functional outcomes of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) with preservation of pelvic floor stabilized structure and early elevated retrograde liberation of the neurovascular bundle (PEEL).Methods:This study was a retrospective cohort study. Between June 1, 2022, and March 20, 2023, 27 cases of RARP with PEEL and 153 cases of RARP with preservation of pelvic floor stabilized structure (PPSS) were included in this study. All patients were males, aged (62.5±5.2) years (range: 50 to 73 years). There were 18 cases of ≤T2b stage and 9 cases of T2c stage. After 1∶1 propensity score matching, the postoperative functional outcomes of 27 cases of RARP with PEEL and 27 cases of RARP with PPSS were compared. All surgeries were performed by a single surgeon and included patients were clinically staged as cT1-2N0M0 without preoperative urinary incontinence or erectile dysfunction. In RARP with PEEL, the prostate was cut near the midline at the front when dissecting the neurovascular bundle, dissection was performed between the visceral layer of the pelvic fascia and the prostatic fascia, preserving the parietal layer and the visceral layer of the pelvic fascia, and the neurovascular bundle was retrogradely released from the apex. The cumulative probability curve was plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method and the Log-rank test was used to compare the differences in functional outcomes between the two groups. Univariate and multivariate analysis with the Cox proportional hazards model was used to compare postoperative urinary continence and sexual function.Results:The recovery time of continence and potency was significantly longer in the PPSS group than in the PEEL group (all P<0.05). The continence rate of the PEEL group was significantly higher than that of the PPSS group (92.59% vs. 68.10%, P=0.026) at 3 months after surgery. The potency rate of the PEEL group was also significantly higher than that of the PPSS group (40.70% vs. 15.10%, P=0.037) at 3 months after surgery. In the univariate analysis, compared to the PPSS technique, the PEEL technique was associated with a shorter recovery time of continence ( HR=1.94, 95% CI: 1.08 to 3.48, P=0.027) and a shorter recovery time of potency ( HR=2.06, 95% CI: 1.03 to 4.13, P=0.042). In the multivariate analysis, the PEEL technique was an independent prognosis factor for postoperative recovery of continence ( HR=2.05, 95% CI: 1.01 to 4.17, P=0.047) and potency ( HR=3.57, 95% CI: 1.43 to 8.92, P=0.007). All the cases of the PPSS group and the PEEL group were performed successfully with negative surgical margins. Conclusion:Compared with PPSS, PEEL may be more conducive to the recovery of urinary continence and sexual function after RARP.

This article reviews the latest research on urothelial carcinoma presented at the 2024 ASCO-GU conference, focusing primarily on the treatment strategies for node-positive muscle-invasive bladder cancer (N + MIBC) and adjuvant therapy post-surgery for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Patients with N + MIBC are at a higher risk of recurrence and require a comprehensive treatment approach. The combination of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and immunotherapy has demonstrated significant efficacy. Additionally, bladder-sparing treatment and immuno-maintenance therapy show promise in improving disease-free survival. The results from the AMBASSADOR and CheckMate-274 studies indicate that postoperative immuno-adjuvant therapy for high-risk MIBC is beneficial in delaying disease recurrence. These advancements offer new hope for the treatment of patients with high-risk MIBC and may potentially improve patient outcomes.