The incidence of prostate cancer (PCA) was evaluated in 155 patients with isolated Atypical Small Acinar Proliferation (ASAP) found on initial prostate biopsy, after a medium-term follow-up (40 months) with at least one re-biopsy. Clinical and histological data were analysed. Cancer was detected in 81 of 155 (52.3%). The cancer detection rate was 71.6%, 91.3%, 97.5%, 100% at the 1 st re-biopsy, 2 nd , 3 rd , and 4 th rebiopsy respectively. At the uni-and multivariate analyses, prostate volume (≤ 30 cc), transition zone volume (≤ 10 cc), small core length at the initial biopsy (≤ 10 mm) and few number of cores at initial biopsy (≤ 8) are predictive of cancer. Furthermore, tumour characteristics on the whole surgical specimens was assessed in 30 men: 13 of 30 (43 %) had clinically relevant cancer (volume > 0.5 ml or/and Gleason score ≥ 7, or pT3). Most of relevant cancers were detected in the distal apex, anterior gland and midline. These anatomical sites could be under-sampled at the initial biopsy using the transrectal approach. Our data suggest that follow-up biopsy is recommended in all cases of isolated ASAP detected after biopsy using endfire transrectal probe. The re-biopsy strategy should increase the number of cores (or a saturation biopsy), focusing on area of ASAP in the initial biopsy, but also including the under-sampled areas (anterior gland, distal apex and midline) to detect clinically relevant cancers. cases associated with PIN or cancer were excluded. ASAP isolated is found in about the 5% of prostate biopsy in men with long life expectancy (> 20 years) (1-3). Thus isolated ASAP in biopsy is an important clinical dilemma for patients and for physicians in order to identify concurrent relevant cancer. We evaluate retrospectively our experience at medium-term follow-up. Principal aim of our study was to evaluate the prostate cancer after 40 months of follow-up with at least 1 re-biopsy. Secondary aims was to describe tumour characteristics and anatomical location analysing whole surgical specimens in men who underwent surgery for cancer at repeated biopsy.

Cognitive Zonal Saturation Biopsies should be used to reduce operator variability of cognitive fusion biopsy in addition to standard biopsy. Cognitive zonal biopsy based on mpMRI findings identifies clinically relevant prostate in 80%, has larger cancer extension in fusion biopsies than in random biopsies, and reduce the number of cores if compared to saturation biopsy.

Objective of our study was to define a diagnostic-therapeutic pathway for proper treatment of not-palpable testicular masses, that may be benign in 38% of cases. Since the intraoperative diagnosis is difficult to reach in particular in small lesion (< 8 mm) and the risk of tissue loss in frozen section analysis occurs frequently, we propose a diagnostic flow chart for the best management of small testis lesions. This proposed protocol has to be shown in details to physicians and patients, who must understand the clinical implications and the risk to undergo a second radical surgery. CLINICAL PROTOCOL TO NOT-PALPABLE TESTIS LESIONSWe present a diagnostic-therapeutic protocol for patients affected by not-palpable testicular masses, with maximum diameter lower than 15 mm and negative testicular markers. This approach follows our clinical practice. UltrasoundAll men underwent scrotal ultrasound in our hospital to confirm type, dimension and localization of the lesion. Ultrasound characteristics of the lesion were then verified at the confirmatory ultrasound by expert operator and last generation of ultrasound machine. If the lesion was not confirmed by confirmatory ultrasound or it is extra-testicular lesion, the patient was proposed for ultrasound follow-up. Once the small testicular mass was confirmed at our hospital, the therapeutic indication for all cases was testicular exploration with inguinal access. This technique can be associated to intraoperative ultrasound, equipped with linear probe, in order to obtain the relative certainty of the size of the nodule and negative surgical margins, which of course will be subsequently verified by the pathologist. In figures, we report ultrasound images of three cases of our who underwent surgery for epidermoid cyst (Figure 2), Leydig tumor (Figure 3), and seminoma (Figure 4). SurgerySurgical exploration, using intraoperative ultrasound was done without clamping the spermatic cord. The surgical technique involved the removal of the neoplastic nodule and 3 additional biopsies of the surrounding parenchyma (two distant and one next to the mass) sent for definitive histology. Smaller masses (< 8 mm) were usually sent for definitive histology, while larger masses (8-15 mm) were sent to the pathologist for intraoperative frozen sections. Pathologist confirmed size and completeness of surgical margins, by macroscopic view. If the nodule was large enough to be cut for frozen section, then a microscopic description of malignant pattern was reported.

No abstract

Our technique of fiducial gold markers implantation for adaptative IGRT is safe and well-tolerated and it resulted helpful to reduce CTV-PTV margin in all cases; the effects on clinical practice seem significant in terms of late toxicity but further investigations are needed with longer follow-up.