Thymoma is a unique neoplasm of the anterior mediastinum that is frequently associated with indolent growth and a variety of paraneoplastic syndromes. One third of cases are detected during the evaluation of myasthenia gravis. Classification systems of thymoma have limited ability in accurately predicting prognosis and course of disease. Thus, staging is the only way to predict clinical behavior. Encapsulated tumors that are surgically resected carry the best prognosis. Adjuvant radiotherapy is recommended for incompletely excised and most invasive thymomas. Chemotherapy in anthracycline-based chemotherapy remains the most effective chemotherapy for neoadjuvant, adjuvant or palliative treatment.

Treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) has evolved with the development of a variety of systemic agents; however, these therapies alone rarely lead to a complete response. Complete consolidative surgery with surgical metastasectomy has been associated with improved survival outcomes in well-selected patients in previous reports. No randomized control trial exists to determine the effectiveness of metastasectomy. Therefore, reviewing observational studies is important to best determine which patients are most appropriate for metastasectomy for mRCC and if such treatment continues to be effective with the development of new systemic therapies such as immunotherapy. In this narrative review, we discuss the indications for metastasectomies, outcomes, factors associated with improved survival, and special considerations such as location of metastasis, number of metastases, synchronous metastases, and use of systemic therapy. Additionally, alternative treatment options and trials involving metastasectomy will be reviewed.

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Purpose:The American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting serves as the premier platform for presenting unpublished research in urology. Among selected abstracts, podium presentations represent the most impactful submissions. While podium presentations receive a large audience through conference attendance and social media posts, it is unclear how often they manifest as publications in peer-reviewed journals.Materials and Methods:Podium presentations from the 2017 AUA Annual Meeting were reviewed. Abstracts were assessed for publication between January 1, 2015 and May 31, 2020 allowing for a 3-year window of publication and accounting for publications prior to the submission deadline. Abstract authors were individually searched with key terms being added sequentially until <30 results were generated in PubMed®. Abstracts were deemed published if at least 1 author and 1 conclusion matched a manuscript. Publication rate, time to publication, and 2019 journal impact factor were collected. Statistical analysis was performed by linear and logistic regression.Results:Of 872 podium presentations, 453 (51.9%) were published within 3 years. Median time from submission to publication was 12.5 months (IQR: 7.5–20.5). The number of articles published at 1, 2 and 3 years from submission was 203, 368 and 430, respectively. The median journal impact factor of publications was 3.2 (IQR: 2.0–5.8). Oncology studies (OR=1.21 [95% CI: 0.91–1.60], p=0.186) had similar rates of publication compared to non-oncology studies.Conclusions:While AUA podium presentations disseminate valuable data, approximately half were not published in peer-reviewed journals within 3 years. Therefore, care must be taken when promoting findings or adopting new practices based on these presentations alone.

Female urethral strictures are rare, but underdiagnosed pathologies that can cause voiding dysfunction. These strictures are best managed with open reconstruction, as endoscopic treatments have high rates of failure. A flap urethroplasty can be performed with vaginal, labial or bladder tissue. Meanwhile, graft urethroplasties can utilize vaginal, labial, buccal or lingual tissue. It is important to consider the etiology and type of stricture, local vascularity, and prior attempts at repair when selecting the type of repair. Multiple different techniques have been described with theoretical advantages to each one. While some studies have reviewed a few of the reconstructive techniques to treat female urethral strictures, no single study has accounted for each individual technique. In this review, we discuss techniques captured by a number of systematic reviews and other articles. We will herein focus on reviewing and describing each unique technique of reconstruction in the setting of female urethral stricture.