Mynderse, Lance A.

369 Background: MRI-guided transurethral ultrasound ablation (TULSA) uses MRI to target, monitor, and control thermal ablation of prostate tissue with high intensity directional ultrasound, demonstrating favorable histologic control and preservation of genitourinary function in single-arm studies [1,2]. CAPTAIN (NCT05027477) is a post-market, multi-center randomized controlled trial (RCT) of TULSA vs RARP for intermediate-risk prostate cancer, and is the first such study to meet its enrolment target. Here we compare baseline patient characteristics, treatment parameters, and periprocedural outcomes. Methods: CAPTAIN enrolled men with treatment-naïve, organ-confined, Grade Group 2 or 3 prostate cancer at 23 centers including academic and private clinics in the USA (20), Canada (2), and Finland (1). Patients were randomized 2:1 to TULSA or RARP, without crossover. Endpoints include pad-free urinary continence (EPIC) and erections sufficient for penetration (IIEF Q2) at 1 year, salvage treatment at 3 years, and survival to 10 years. Periprocedural metrics include length of stay, blood loss, catheter time, and 30-day patient diary (EQ-5D-5L, NRS pain score). Results: 211 patients were treated from Jan 2022 to Aug 2025 (70% TULSA, 30% RARP), surpassing the enrolment target of 201. Arms had similar baseline characteristics: median (IQR) age for TULSA vs. RARP was 63 (58–68) vs 65 (60–69) years (p=0.12), PSA was 6.5 (4.9–9.6) vs 7.2 (5.6–9.7) ng/mL (p=0.63), Grade Group 2/3 proportions were 76%/24% vs 77%/23% (p=0.88). RARP involved bilateral, unilateral, or no nerve sparing in 89%, 5.7%, and 5.7% of cases. TULSA ablation plans included whole-gland (68%) and ≥hemi-ablation (32%). Median (IQR) blood loss was lower during TULSA vs RARP: 0 (0–0) vs 100 (100–200) mL (p<0.001). Hospital stay was shorter for TULSA: 0.29 (0.27–0.32) vs 1.24 (1.12–1.36) days (p<0.001). Catheter duration was longer post-TULSA: 13 (11–15) vs 8 (8–10) days (p<0.001). Patients reported lower NRS pain scores after TULSA to post-operative day 6, and less decline in overall health on the EQ-5D-5L 0-100 visual analog scale over 30 days (p<0.05). Fewer patients reported extreme inability on EQ-5D-5L after TULSA vs RARP over the first month for mobility (0% vs 15%), self-care (1% vs 18%), and usual activities (18% vs 38%) (all p<0.05). Conclusions: CAPTAIN is the first multicenter RCT comparing ablation to radical prostate cancer treatment to meet its enrollment target. Early perioperative results from CAPTAIN demonstrate that TULSA had no blood loss or overnight hospitalization, reduced post-procedural pain, and faster return to baseline activities and overall health. Data collection to 1 and 3 years post-treatment continues to readout of the primary safety and oncological outcomes. [1] Klotz et al 2021, JUrol 205(3):769-779. [2] Eggener et al 2024, UrolOnc 42:S83. Clinical trial information: NCT05027477 .

Importance Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with or without prostate biopsy, has become the standard of care for diagnosing clinically significant prostate cancer. Resource capacity limits widespread adoption. Biparametric MRI, which omits the gadolinium contrast sequence, is a shorter and cheaper alternative offering time-saving capacity gains for health systems globally. Objective To assess whether biparametric MRI is noninferior to multiparametric MRI for diagnosis of clinically significant prostate cancer. Design, Setting, and Participants A prospective, multicenter, within-patient, noninferiority trial of biopsy-naive men from 22 centers (12 countries) with clinical suspicion of prostate cancer (elevated prostate-specific antigen [PSA] level and/or abnormal digital rectal examination findings) from April 2022 to September 2023, with the last follow-up conducted on December 3, 2024. Interventions Participants underwent multiparametric MRI, comprising T2-weighted, diffusion-weighted, and dynamic contrast–enhanced (DCE) sequences. Radiologists reported abbreviated biparametric MRI first (T2-weighted and diffusion-weighted), blinded to the DCE sequence. After unblinding, radiologists reported the full multiparametric MRI. Patients underwent a targeted biopsy with or without systematic biopsy if either biparametric MRI or multiparametric MRI was suggestive of clinically significant prostate cancer. Main outcomes and measures The primary outcome was the proportion of men with clinically significant prostate cancer. Secondary outcomes included the proportion of men with clinically insignificant cancer. The noninferiority margin was 5%. Results Of 555 men recruited, 490 were included for primary outcome analysis. Median age was 65 (IQR, 59-70) years and median PSA level was 5.6 (IQR, 4.4-8.0) ng/mL. The proportion of patients with abnormal digital rectal examination findings was 12.7%. Biparametric MRI was noninferior to multiparametric MRI, detecting clinically significant prostate cancer in 143 of 490 men (29.2%), compared with 145 of 490 men (29.6%) (difference, −0.4 [95% CI, −1.2 to 0.4] percentage points; P = .50). Biparametric MRI detected clinically insignificant cancer in 45 of 490 men (9.2%), compared with 47 of 490 men (9.6%) with the use of multiparametric MRI (difference, −0.4 [95% CI, −1.2 to 0.4] percentage points). Central quality control demonstrated that 99% of scans were of adequate diagnostic quality. Conclusion and relevance In men with suspected prostate cancer, provided image quality is adequate, an abbreviated biparametric MRI scan, with or without targeted biopsy, could become the new standard of care for prostate cancer diagnosis. With approximately 4 million prostate MRIs performed globally annually, adopting biparametric MRI could substantially increase scanner throughput and reduce costs worldwide. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04571840

Introduction: Ureteral stents are widely used in the specialty of urology to preserve renal function and provide ureteral patency in cases of urolithiasis, strictures, malignancy, and trauma. This paper presents a novel application of prophylactic ureteral stents deployed under MRI-guidance for ureteral protection in the setting of in-bore salvage cryoablation therapy for recurrent and metastatic prostate cancer. This is the first known case series of ureteral stent placement using near real-time MRI. Materials and Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed for all patients who underwent MRI-guided ureteral stent placement prior to in-bore cryoablation therapy from 2021 to 2022. Each case was managed by an interdisciplinary team of urologists and interventional radiologists. Preoperative and postoperative data were collected for descriptive analysis. Physics safety testing was conducted on the cystoscope and viewing apparatus prior to its implementation for stent deployment. Results: A total of seven males, mean age 73.4 years (range 65–81), underwent successful prophylactic, cystoscopic MRI-guided ureteral stent placement prior to cryoablation therapy of their prostate cancer. No intraoperative complications occurred. A Grade 2 postoperative complication of pyelonephritis and gross hematuria following stent removal occurred in one case. The majority of patients were discharged the same day as their procedure. Conclusions: This case series demonstrates the feasibility of in-bore cystoscopic aided MRI guidance for ureteral stent placement. Ureteral stents can be used to increase the safety margin of complex cryoablation treatments close to the ureter. Furthermore, by following the meticulous MRI safety protocols established by MRI facility safety design guidelines, MRI conditional tools can aid therapy in the burgeoning interventional MRI space.

Objective To define the natural history, patterns of recurrence and treatment modalities for local prostate cancer (PCa) recurrence following radical prostatectomy (RP) and radiation therapy (RT), and to investigate factors that could predict metastasis‐free survival (MFS) in this unique patient population. Methods We queried a prospectively maintained PCa registry to identify men developing in‐field recurrence (IFR) following RP and RT from 2008 to 2021 at a single institution. IFR was defined as biopsy‐proven recurrent PCa or the presence of persistent positron emission tomography‐avid lesions in the prior radiation field without evidence of metastasis. Cox regression was conducted to determine predictors of MFS. Kaplan–Meier methods were used to calculate MFS, cancer‐specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) for patients in three primary therapy categories: cryoablation, androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) alone, and surveillance. Results Of 4575 patients from our registry, 108 (2.3%) with IFR were identified. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) time to IFR from salvage treatment was 78 (50–126) months. A total of 29 patients (26%) were managed with cryoablation, 23 (21%) with ADT, and 28 (25%) with surveillance. The median (IQR) follow‐up was 76 (48–100) months. There were no statistically significant differences in MFS ( P = 0.67) or OS ( P = 0.07) among the three primary treatment cohorts. Patients treated with ADT or cryoablation had longer CSS compared to patients managed with surveillance ( P = 0.047). Conclusions We found that IFR may present years after completion of primary treatment for PCa. While curative management strategies may be attempted, local and distant metastatic recurrence is common and often requires systemic therapy.

The performance of a deep learning model was not different from that of radiologists in the detection of clinically significant prostate cancer at MRI, and gradient-weighted class activation maps localized the tumor.

Abstract Objective . Detrusor overactivity (DO) is a urodynamic observation characterized by fluctuations in detrusor pressure ( P det ) of the bladder. Although detecting DO is important for the management of bladder symptoms, the invasive nature of urodynamic studies (UDS) makes it a source of discomfort and morbidity for patients. Ultrasound bladder vibrometry (UBV) could provide a direct and noninvasive means of detecting DO, due to its sensitivity to changes in elasticity and load in the bladder wall. In this study, we investigated the feasibility and applying UBV toward detecting DO. Approach . UBV and urodynamic study (UDS) measurements were collected in 76 neurogenic bladder patients (23 with DO). Timestamped group velocity squared ( c g 2 ) data series were collected from UBV measurements. Concurrent P det data series were identically analyzed for comparison and validation. A processing approach is developed to separate transient fluctuations in the data series from the larger trend of the data and a DO index is proposed for characterizing the transient peaks observed in the data. Main Results. Applying the DO index as a classifier for DO produced sensitivities and specificities of 0.70 and 0.75 for c g 2 data series and 0.70 and 0.83 for P det data series respectively. Significance . It was found that DO can be feasibly detected from data series of timestamped UBV measurements. Collectively, these initial results are promising, and further refinement to the UBV measurement process is likely to improve and clarify its capabilities for noninvasive detection of DO.