Year in Review

The treatment paradigm for treatment-naive metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma continued to evolve in 2019 as three phase III randomized controlled trials were reported comparing sunitinib with combination immune checkpoint inhibitors and VEGF-targeted therapy. Pembrolizumab plus axitinib and avelumab plus axitinib became new treatment options for untreated patients, irrespective of risk group or PD-L1 expression.

In 2019, quality improvement has been a central theme throughout leading articles on nephrolithiasis. Real-world outcomes were published on the natural history of stones and residual fragments, patient compliance with medical therapy and treatment-related opioid use. In-depth review of these topics will enhance provider–patient counselling and shape future paradigms in stone disease.

In men with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, enzalutamide and apalutamide improve overall survival compared with androgen deprivation therapy alone. Also, radiotherapy of the primary tumour is beneficial in patients with low tumour burden. In the non-metastatic castration-resistant setting, a positive trial for darolutamide was reported. In the metastatic castration-resistant setting, the role of cabazitaxel in treatment sequencing was clarified.

The role of testosterone in female sexuality is still controversial. In 2019, a meta-analysis and a Position Statement on testosterone therapy for hypoactive sexual desire disorder in menopausal women and a Position Statement on the potential sexual adverse effects of hormonal contraception have begun to close this gender gap.

In 2019, the Bladder Cancer Molecular Taxonomy Group (BCMTG) presented a consensus molecular classification comprising six subtypes of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). The non-luminal subtypes were the most consistent with previous models. Subsequent studies in 2019 have revealed molecular heterogeneity among the luminal subtypes and their possible clinical ramifications.

Many interesting studies on urological infection have been published in the past year including nonantibiotic therapy for acute cystitis, the utility of the Acute Cystitis Symptom Score, specific identification of health-care-associated urinary tract infection and a multidisciplinary approach to prostatitis.

For the management of bladder cancer, 2018 has been characterized by deepened knowledge on the molecular basis of invasive bladder cancer and its potential interaction with existing therapies, optimization of the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors, and emerging early signals on new therapeutic classes for advanced disease.

2018 has been an exciting year for imaging in urology, especially in the field of prostate cancer. In this context, multiparametric MRI and molecular imaging targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen provide practice-changing developments for detection and diagnostic work-up.

The treatment of metastatic kidney cancer is rapidly evolving with the shift from immune checkpoint inhibitor monotherapy to combination therapy. In 2018, the combination of nivolumab–ipilimumab received regulatory approval and multiple positive clinical trials were reported with combinations of PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitors in conjunction with antiangiogenic drugs.

Since the discovery and confirmation of the human urobiome, highly influential studies to characterize this microbial community and understand how it relates to human health and disease have been undertaken. Technological advances will improve information about the status of the urobiome for clinicians.

Immunotherapy and tumour microenvironment modulation are potential new treatment approaches for metastatic prostate cancer, but patient selection might be key to delivering therapeutic benefit. In the past year, four studies have suggested that DNA mismatch repair alterations and CDK12 aberrations are biomarkers of response to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Treatment paradigms for advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) continue to be challenged and refined. Recent studies in metastatic RCC have demonstrated the efficacy of first-line cabozantinib and the safety and efficacy of dual checkpoint blockade; in the adjuvant setting, pazopanib failed to improve progression-free survival in high-risk localized RCC compared with placebo.

Our biological understanding of TGCTs has been improved using sequencing, and molecular profiles associated with the genomic evolution and development of cisplatin resistance have been identified. The genomics of variants underpinning TGCT predisposition is being delineated. Studies of circulating microRNAs have demonstrated their potential for noninvasive diagnosis and disease monitoring.

In the past year, the results of three studies in the field of prostate cancer imaging — the prostate MR imaging study (PROMIS), an analysis of the cost-effectiveness of various diagnostic strategies based on PROMIS data, and a retrospective analysis of a prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-directed PET radiopharmaceutical — have been published that could have lasting effects on clinical practice.

Implementing a successful penile transplantation programme requires a multidisciplinary approach to overcome social, institutional, and patient-related obstacles. The literature in 2017 presents controversial ethical solutions, novel research models to evaluate immunosuppression, and long-term patient reports that help advance the field towards developing successful penile transplantation programmes.

Major advances in the management of all stages of upper tract urothelial carcinoma have been made in 2017. Radical nephroureterectomy can be valuable in patients with metastatic disease and adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy can improve outcomes in those with advanced disease. Kidney-sparing surgery with early follow-up ureterorenoscopy has shown benefit in patients with low-grade tumours. Avoiding unnecessary ureterorenoscopy might decrease intravesical tumour recurrence.

Landmark papers published in 2017 have advanced our understanding of the molecular heterogeneity of urothelial cancer, provided insights into the genomic evolution of the disease in the context of metastasis and therapy, and established new treatment standards for patients with previously limited treatment options.

The discovery and confirmation of the female urinary microbiota in 2012 provided opportunities to improve insight into lower urinary tract disorders in women, including UTI and urgency urinary incontinence. Now, research in 2016 has shown that expanded culture techniques enable improved uropathogen detection and confirm that bacteria detected by culture-independent methods are alive.

2016 has been a good year for research in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Topics to see progress include risk assessment of patients treated with BCG maintenance, the role of repeat transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB), a prospective study of white-light versus narrow-band imaging, a meta-analysis regarding single instillation chemotherapy, and the effect of the use of fluorescence-guided TURB on progression.

2016 was an important year for prostate cancer research. New clinical data highlight the need for personalized treatment across clinical disease states and have changed clinical practice for men with metastatic disease. Molecular studies have characterized tumour heterogeneity and informed biomarker development for advanced disease and research into mechanisms of treatment resistance.