COVID-19 is the pandemic that hit the world starting December 2019. Recent studies and international statistics have shown an increased prevalence, morbidity as well as mortality of this disease in male patients compared to female patients. The aim of this brief communication is to describe the pathophysiology of this sex-discrepancy, based on the infectivity mechanism of the coronavirus including the Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2), the Type II transmembrane Serine Protease (TMPRSS2), and the androgen receptor. This could help understand the susceptibility of urological patients, especially those receiving androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer, and testosterone replacement therapy.

Our preliminary experience suggests that performing Ga-PSMA PET/CT in patients with prostate cancer with rising PSA after treatment with curative intent can be clinically useful as it changes the treatment strategy in a significant proportion of patients. However, larger prospective trials are needed to validate our present findings.

PurposeTo review the currently available literature reporting the patterns of recurrence and their predictive factors after open radical cystectomy (RC) for bladder cancer.MethodsA review of the literature was performed using the MEDLINE, Scopus and Web of Sciences databases from January 1997 to May 2017. The PRISMA guidelines were followed for the conduct of the study.ResultsLocal recurrence rate ranges between 30 and 54%. Distant recurrence is not often standardized and is reported in up to 50% of cases. The overall 5-year recurrence-free survival rates from 58 to 81%. The mean follow-up of studies included in the analysis ranged from 18 to 350 months. Details on the most important demographic and epidemiological, clinical, histologic and pathologic predictors of recurrence after radical cystectomy are provided through an evidence-based approach. The impact of the extension of lymph node dissection on recurrence after RC is investigated.ConclusionsA correct prognostic assessment is essential for patients undergoing radical cystectomy for bladder cancer, thereby potentially improving their oncologic outcomes.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s00345-017-2115-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.