Advanced Research on Genitourinary Cancer

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular and Translational Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 1323

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Internal Medicine, Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5303 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
Interests: molecular mechanisms; genitourinary cancer; cancer treatments; cancer prevention; reduce treatment-related toxicity
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to a Special Issue focused on advanced research on genitourinary (GU) cancer, a field experiencing significant breakthroughs in basic and clinical science. This issue aims to showcase innovative research and comprehensive reviews that address the complexities and recent advances in GU oncology, including prostate, bladder, kidney, penile, and testicular cancers.

We seek submissions that explore novel therapeutic targets, genetic and epigenetic insights, and cutting-edge diagnostics, as well as translational studies that bridge bench-to-bedside discoveries. Articles may include work on molecular mechanisms, biomarker identification, genomic profiling, and preclinical models that elucidate GU cancer pathogenesis and progression. Additionally, we encourage clinical and real-world studies highlighting immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and precision medicine approaches that advance individualized patient care.

This Special Issue provides an opportunity to disseminate impactful findings that foster collaboration across oncology, pathology, genomics, and related fields, with the aim of shaping future GU cancer research and improving patient outcomes. We look forward to your valuable contributions.

Prof. Dr. Jue Wang
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • genitourinary (GU) cancer
  • prostate, bladder, kidney, and testicular cancer
  • diagnosis
  • treatment
  • pathogenesis
  • precision medicine
  • biomarker discovery
  • genomic profiling

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 563 KiB  
Article
Temporal Trends and Differences in Inpatient Palliative Care Use in Metastatic Penile Cancer Patients
by Carolin Siech, Lukas Scheipner, Andrea Baudo, Mario de Angelis, Letizia Maria Ippolita Jannello, Francesco Di Bello, Fred Saad, Shahrokh F. Shariat, Nicola Longo, Luca Carmignani, Ottavio de Cobelli, Sascha Ahyai, Alberto Briganti, Séverine Banek, Luis A. Kluth, Felix K. H. Chun and Pierre I. Karakiewicz
Biomedicines 2025, 13(7), 1756; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13071756 - 18 Jul 2025
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Abstract
Objectives: To quantify inpatient palliative care use over time and to test whether patient or hospital characteristics represent determinants of inpatient palliative care use in patients with metastatic penile cancer. Methods: Relying on the National Inpatient Sample database (2006–2019), we identified [...] Read more.
Objectives: To quantify inpatient palliative care use over time and to test whether patient or hospital characteristics represent determinants of inpatient palliative care use in patients with metastatic penile cancer. Methods: Relying on the National Inpatient Sample database (2006–2019), we identified 1017 metastatic penile cancer patients. Estimated annual percentage change analyses and multivariable logistic regression models addressing inpatient palliative care use were fitted. Results: Of 1017 metastatic penile cancer patients, 139 (13.7%) received inpatient palliative care. Over time, the proportion of inpatient palliative care use per year increased from 6.5% in 2006 to 17.8% in 2019 (estimated annual percentage change +6.7%; p = 0.001). In the multivariable logistic regression models, contemporary study years (odds ratio [OR] 1.80; p = 0.003), the presence of bone metastases (OR 1.90; p = 0.002) and the presence of brain metastases (OR 2.60; p = 0.013) independently predicted higher inpatient palliative care use. Conversely, distant lymph node metastases independently predicted lower inpatient palliative care use (OR 0.58; p = 0.022). Finally, hospital admission in the South (OR 2.42; p = 0.007) and in the Northeast (OR 2.34; p = 0.015) was associated with higher inpatient palliative care use than hospital admission in the Midwest. Conclusions: In metastatic penile cancer patients, the proportions of inpatient palliative care use were low but have increased over time. Unfortunately, some geographical regions are more refractory to inpatient palliative care use than others. Finally, specific patient characteristics such as bone metastases and brain metastases represent independent predictors of higher inpatient palliative care use. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Genitourinary Cancer)
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16 pages, 1850 KiB  
Article
Immune System Alterations in the Development of Three Urological Cancers: Insights from Large-Sample Mendelian Randomization
by Zhijian Chen, Ye Xie, Xiong Chen, Guibin Hong, Runnan Shen, Haishan Lin, Fan Jiang, Yun Wang, Mengyi Zhu, Yixuan Liu, Haoxuan Wang, Hongkun Yang, Tianxin Lin and Shaoxu Wu
Biomedicines 2025, 13(6), 1480; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13061480 - 16 Jun 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 573
Abstract
Background: Urological cancers (UCs) greatly impact global public health. While immunity plays an important role, the contribution of specific immune cell traits to the development of UCs remains unclear. In our study, we employed Mendelian randomization (MR) to elucidate the causal relationship between [...] Read more.
Background: Urological cancers (UCs) greatly impact global public health. While immunity plays an important role, the contribution of specific immune cell traits to the development of UCs remains unclear. In our study, we employed Mendelian randomization (MR) to elucidate the causal relationship between 731 immune cell traits and three common UCs, namely kidney cancer (KC), bladder cancer (BC), and prostate cancer (PC). Methods: In our research, we adopted and preprocessed the statistics of 731 immune cell types from the GWAS Catalog. The data of three common UCs were acquired from two databases, FinnGen and IEU. Five MR analysis models, including random-effect inverse-variance weighted, weighted median, MR Egger, weighted mode, and simple mode, were used to assess the association between 731 immune cell traits and UCs. Subsequently, a meta-analysis of the IVW method was performed, and the significant results were analyzed using the reverse MR method. Sensitivity analyses, including leave-one-out analysis, were also performed. Results: When analyzing the two datasets separately, 25, 41, and 23 immune phenotypes were found to be significantly associated with BC, PC, and KC, respectively. When applying meta-analysis, the combined results showed that a total of 18 immune cell types manifested the significant association, including 4 and 14 immune cell traits regarding BC and PC, respectively. Utilizing reverse MR analysis on the combined results, we found that two immune cell traits, namely lymphocyte absolute cell counts and CX3CR1 on CD14+ CD16- monocytes, showed a reverse causal relationship with PC. Conclusions: Our research depicts the immune landscape for these three common UCs, highlighting their strong genetic associations with immune cells. It provides valuable insights for identifying the systemic immunological context of cancer susceptibility and the development of blood-based immunological biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Genitourinary Cancer)
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Review

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26 pages, 2998 KiB  
Review
PSMA-Directed Theranostics in Prostate Cancer
by Salman Ayub Jajja, Nandini Sodhi, Ephraim E. Parent and Parminder Singh
Biomedicines 2025, 13(8), 1837; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13081837 - 28 Jul 2025
Abstract
Following lung cancer, prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in men. High-risk localized tumor burden or metastatic disease often progresses, refractory to initial treatment regimens. There is ongoing development of technology to appropriately identify high-risk patients, stage them correctly, and [...] Read more.
Following lung cancer, prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in men. High-risk localized tumor burden or metastatic disease often progresses, refractory to initial treatment regimens. There is ongoing development of technology to appropriately identify high-risk patients, stage them correctly, and offer appropriate treatments to obtain the best clinical outcomes. Prostate cancer-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a transmembrane glutamate carboxypeptidase, which helps regulate folate absorption, and its overexpression is pathologically directly proportional and associated with prostate cancer. Increased PSMA expression is a known independent risk factor for poorer survival, and most metastatic lesions in CRPC are PSMA positive. Over the last decade, several PSMA-based PET radiopharmaceuticals have demonstrated superior sensitivities and specificities compared to traditional imaging methods. These outcomes have been demonstrated by several large clinical trials. As the data emerges, these diagnostics are being integrated into standard of care protocol to facilitate nuanced identification of malignant lesions. PSMA is also being targeted through several therapeutics, including radioligands and immunotherapies such as CAR-T, BiTEs, and ADCs. This review will discuss the landscape of PSMA-based theranostics in the context of prostate cancer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Genitourinary Cancer)
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