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New androgen-receptor-targeting drugs, such as enzalutamide, provide a substantial survival benefit for patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer, but treatment resistance has been reported. In this Perspectives article, Claessens and colleagues describe the mechanisms underlying the development of such resistance and discuss their clinical relevance.
Song et al. describe the evidence connecting neurotrophins and lower urinary tract function, with particular regard to brain-derived neurotrophic factor, stress urinary incontinence and bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis, and discuss the potential for future therapies based on modulation of neurotrophin levels in the urinary tract and its innervating nerves.
Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) were first described in the gastrointestinal tract, however ICC-like cells (ICC-LC) can also be found in the lower urinary tract (LUT), where they act as electrical pacemakers and as intermediary cells involved in the modulation of neurotransmission to adjacent smooth muscle cells. In this Review, Drumm et al. discuss the physiological functions of ICC-LC, focussing on their role as pacemakers, and consider how the study of their intracellular Ca2+dynamics will provide a better understanding of the role of ICC-LC in LUT excitability.
The international and African urology communities lost a great academic leader and mentor when Professor Chris Heyns died suddenly on 2nd August 2014. He chaired a meeting as President of the South African Urology Association (SAUA) just hours before his death, making the shock of losing him even more intense.
In this Review, Fatton and colleagues examine the effects of lower urinary tract symptoms, particularly stress urinary incontinence, on female sexual function. They discuss the clinical tools used to assess sexual dysfunction, and describe sexual function outcomes after surgery for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence.
The past decade has seen many notable contributions to bladder cancer research. Here, we highlight the international efforts in the field, with findings from Europe, USA and China, as well as papers resulting from international cooperation. We anticipate the next 10 years will see even greater collaborative and international efforts.
Lee et al. have highlighted the influence of surgical wait time on oncologic outcomes after surgery for upper-tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). The length of surgical wait time in UTUC should be <1 month for nephroureterectomy. Despite some limitations of the study, this message is important for clinicians in their daily practice.