News in Brief

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Short Takes

Subcutaneous Fat Affects mCRPC Therapy Response

Greater subcutaneous fat is associated with improved response to chemotherapy combined with maximal androgen ablation among men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), according to data presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Virtual Congress 2020.

In a study of 58 men with mCRPC, Andrew E. Hahn, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and colleagues found that patients who had an objective response to chemotherapy plus maximal androgen ablation had a significantly higher subcutaneous adipose tissue index than those who had no response (87.9 vs 62.7 cm2/m2).

New Study Characterizes Incidental Urinary Stones

Computed tomography (CT) revealed incidental urinary stones in 2.8% of patients in a Pakistani study, according to a report in Cureus (2020;12:e1037).

Sajeel Saeed, MD, and colleagues at Rawalpindi Medical University in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, retrospectively reviewed findings from 721 consecutive patients who underwent abdominopelvic CT scans. The study excluded patients younger than 10 years and older than 90 years, as well as patients undergoing kidney, ureter, and bladder scans for urolithiasis-associated symptoms and those with already known urolithiasis. Incidental stones were found in 20 patients: 11 male and 9 female. Of the 20 stones, 18 were in the kidneys and 2 were in the ureters.

CKD Worsens Prognoses in Patients With VTE

Patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) and concomitant moderate to severe chronic kidney disease (CKD) have worse prognoses compared with those who have VTE but no or mild CKD, data suggest.

In a cohort study of 8979 adult patients with VTE, patients with moderate to severe CKD had a 1.4-fold increased risk of all-cause mortality, major bleeding, and recurrent VTE within 12 months of VTE diagnosis compared with patients with no or mild CKD, in adjusted analyses, Shinya Goto MD, PhD, of Tokai University School of Medicine in Kanagawa, Japan, and colleagues reported in JAMA Network Open.

SBRT Outcomes Durable

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for localized prostate cancer offers high rates of long-term oncologic control with mild toxicity, according to study results presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology 2020 virtual annual meeting. Shown here are the 12-year rates of biochemical disease-free survival (bDFS) stratified by risk category.

BDFS 12-YEAR

Low risk:

92%

Intermediate risk:

79.1%

High risk:

64%

Shortened Course of PTNS Effective in OAB, Data Show

Ashortened 6-week protocol of percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) can effectively treat refractory nonneurogenic overactive bladder (OAB), according to data presented at the European Association of Urology 2020 virtual congress.

Ahmed M. Lashin, MD, and colleagues of Mansoura University in Mansoura, Egypt, randomly assigned 50 patients to receive 6 weekly PTNS treatments or sham therapy. Fifty-two percent of the PTNS group reported significant, moderately improved symptom scores after week 7 and months 3 and 6, compared with no patients in the sham therapy group. According to voiding diaries at 6 weeks, PTNS patients had significant improvements in frequency, voided volume, and urge incontinence episodes compared with sham therapy. No serious device-related adverse events or malfunctions were reported.

“The duration of treatment with PTNS can be halved compared to the conventional 12 weeks, which would make it more acceptable and cost effective for patients,” Dr Lashin’s team concluded in a study abstract.

Pulse Pressure Prior to HD May Predict Mortality Risk

Patients’ pulse pressure (PP) prior to hemodialysis (HD) sessions may predict mortality, investigators reported at the American Society of Nephrology’s Kidney Week 2020 Reimagined virtual conference. The finding may aid in HD patient risk stratification.

Consistently high PP values are associated with arterial stiffness, whereas low PP values may be associated with congestive heart failure, the investigators explained. The association between pre-HD PP with mortality among HD patients is not well understood. Based on an analysis of data from 152,625 patients receiving HD at Fresenius Medical Care facilities, Hanjie Zhang, PhD, and colleagues at the Renal Research Institute in New York, found that the association of pre-HD PP with mortality is nonlinear: pre-HD PP less than 49.2 mm Hg and higher than 74.7 mm Hg were associated with higher mortality compared with a PP range of 49.2 to 74.7 mm Hg.

Race Disparity in Survival Absent in Metastatic PCa

No racial differences exist in survival outcomes of men with metastatic prostate cancer (PCa), but the mortality risk among men with nonmetastatic PCa is higher for Blacks than Whites, according to study findings presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology 2020 virtual annual meeting.

The study, by Toms Vengaloor Thomas, MD, and colleagues at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, was a retrospective review of data from 26,639 patients with bone metastases, 952 with metastases at locations other than bone, such as the liver, lung, and brain, and 579,202 without metastases.

The investigators found no significant difference in survival between Black and White PCa patients with bone metastases or with metastases at other sites. Among men with nonmetastatic PCa, however, Blacks had a significant 17% increased risk of death compared with Whites.