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Objectives To evaluate the serologic response to the BNT162b2 messenger ribonucleic acid vaccine in patients with urothelial carcinoma and renal cell carcinoma. Methods Between June 2021 and November 2021, we retrospectively evaluated blood samples from 60 healthy controls (control group), 57 patients with urothelial carcinoma, and 28 patients with renal cell carcinoma who had received two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine at Hirosaki University Hospital. We determined the immunoglobulin G antibody titers against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spike receptor‐binding domain. Seropositivity was defined as ≥15 U/mL. We investigate factors associated with antibody titers and seropositivity in the patients with urothelial carcinoma and renal cell carcinoma. Results Antibody titers in the control, urothelial carcinoma, and renal cell carcinoma groups were 813, 431, and 500 U/mL, respectively. Seropositivity was 100%, 90%, and 96% in the control, urothelial carcinoma, and renal cell carcinoma groups, respectively. Of the 85 patients, 37 of 57 (65%) and 21 of 28 (75%) were actively undergoing anticancer treatment for urothelial carcinoma and renal cell carcinoma, respectively. Anti‐severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spike immunoglobulin G antibody titers and seropositivity was not significantly different between the patients with urothelial carcinoma and renal cell carcinoma. Anti‐severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spike immunoglobulin G antibody titers were not significantly associated with active anticancer therapy or steroid treatment for immune‐related adverse events. Univariable logistic regression analysis revealed that older age and metastatic disease were significantly and negatively associated with seropositivity. Conclusions Patients with urothelial carcinoma or renal cell carcinoma exhibited an adequate antibody response to the BNT162b2 vaccine. Active anticancer therapy was not significantly associated with seropositivity following vaccination with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 BNT162b2 in patients with urothelial carcinoma and renal cell carcinoma.

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of overactive bladder (OAB) and frailty on indoor fall events in community-dwelling adults aged 50 or older. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 723 adults between 2016 and 2017 in Hirosaki, Japan. OAB symptoms and sleep disturbance were assessed using the Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Indoor fall events (falls or near-falls) within 1 year were evaluated. Frailty was evaluated by the frailty discriminant score. We investigated the association of OAB symptoms with sleep disturbance, frailty, and indoor fall events. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the effect of OAB symptoms on fall events controlling for confounding factors such as age, gender, comorbidity, frailty, and sleep disturbance. Results: The median age was 64. We observed OABSS ≥6 in 98 participants (14%), nocturia ≥2 in 445 (62%), urgency score ≥3 in 80 (11%), urge incontinence score ≥3 in 36 (5.0%), PSQI ≥6 in 153 (21%), frailty in 169 (23%), and indoor fall events in 251 (35%). Older age, diabetes, OABSS, nocturia, urgency, urge incontinence, and the PSQI were significantly associated with indoor fall events. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that OAB symptoms and sleep disturbance were significantly associated with fall events. Conclusions: The effect of OAB symptoms and sleep disturbance on indoor fall events was significant. The causal relationship between OAB and falls needs further study.

To evaluate temporal trends in neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) utilisation and outcomes in patients with locally advanced upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). Patients and MethodsWe included 289 patients from seven hospitals who underwent radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for locally advanced UTUC (≥cT3 or cN+) between 2000 and 2020. These patients received RNU alone or two to four courses of NAC with either a cisplatin-or carboplatin-based regimen. We evaluated the temporal changes in NAC use and compared the visceral recurrence-free, cancer-specific, and overall survival rates. The effect of NAC on oncological outcomes was examined using multivariate Cox regression analysis with inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) models. ResultsOf 289 patients, 144 underwent NAC followed by RNU (NAC group) and 145 underwent RNU alone (Control [Ctrl] group). NAC use increased significantly from 19% (2006-2010), 58% (2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015), to 79% (2016-2020). Pathological downstaging was significantly higher in the NAC group than in the Ctrl group. The IPTW-adjusted multivariable analyses showed that NAC significantly improved the oncological outcomes in the NAC group compared with the Ctrl group. Moreover, carboplatin-based NAC significantly improved the oncological outcomes in the NAC group compared with the Ctrl group among patients with chronic kidney disease Stage ≥3. There were no significant differences in oncological outcomes between the cisplatin-and carboplatin-based regimens. ConclusionsThe use of NAC for high-risk UTUC increased significantly after 2010. Platinum-based short-term NAC followed by immediate RNU may not impede and potentially improves oncological outcomes.

Objective To investigate the association of pain with frailty in patients with localized prostate cancer (PC) who underwent robot‐assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RARP). Materials and Methods Between January 2017 and June 2019, we prospectively evaluated the geriatric 8 (G8) score, simplified frailty index (sFI), and numerical rating scale (NRS) of 154 patients with localized PC who underwent RARP at our institution. NRS was measured on preoperative day 0, postoperative days 1, 2, 3, and at discharge. Moderate to severe pain was defined as NRS ≥ 5, whereas frailty was defined as G8 ≤ 14. The primary objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of moderate to severe pain (NRS ≥ 5) on frailty, postoperative complications, and the use of analgesics after RARP. Our secondary objectives were the effect of frailty on postoperative complications and the use of analgesics. Results The median age of participants was 69 years. Of 154 patients, 37 (24%) and 61 (40%) were classified to have NRS ≥ 5 and G8 ≤ 14, respectively. Patients with NRS > 5 presented significantly association with G8 < 14, whereas they did not show the association with sFI, complication, or analgesics. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that G8 ≤ 14 was significantly associated with NRS ≥ 5. Frailty was not significantly associated with postoperative complications and analgesics. Conclusions Frailty was significantly associated with moderate to severe pain after RARP, and might be a potential predictor of postoperative pain. Frail patients require individual care to avoid painful experiences.