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Cancers
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Minimally Invasive Therapies in Urologic Cancers
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Minimally Invasive Therapies in Urologic Cancers

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Methods and Technologies Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 1697

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Eric M. Walser

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Radiology and Imaging, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Blvd., Galveston, TX 77555, USA
Interests: interventional radiology; MRI-guided laser ablation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Guglielmo Manenti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
Interests: imaging; ablation; prostate cancer; kidney cancer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Surgery and radiation therapy are the traditional treatments for urologic cancers. However, recent technological and procedural advances promote minimally invasive techniques that can focally ablate a subset of organ-confined cancers, offering control similar to that of traditional, more invasive methods. Percutaneous or endoscopic techniques are increasing in variety as modern imaging enables the diagnosis of smaller and less aggressive urologic tumors. These lesions are often best treated with focal therapy, which offers fewer side effects and complications, along with excellent technical success and cancer control. Urologic cancers that are best treated with such techniques originate in the urothelium, adrenal gland, kidney and prostate. Additionally, recent advances in targeted PET scanning allow for new possibilities for percutaneous treatment in highly selected patients with oligometastatic disease.

This Special Issue focuses on interventional and imaging innovations that support minimally invasive techniques in the management of urologic cancers.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Eric M. Walser
Dr. Guglielmo Manenti
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • laparoscopic surgery
  • robotic-assisted surgery
  • ablation
  • high-intensity focused ultrasound
  • partial nephrectomy
  • minimally invasive procedures
  • urologic cancers

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 2131 KB  
Article
Deferred Versus Upfront Cytoreductive Nephrectomy in MetaStatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: Comparative Survival Analysis in the Immunotherapy Era
by Tao Xu, Paerhati Tuerxun, Ning Liu, Chencheng Ji, Kunlun Zhao, Yiguan Qian, Abudukelimu Abudushataer, Yang Li, Xiaotian Jiang, Zhongli Xiong, Min Wang, Ruipeng Jia and Yu-Zheng Ge
Cancers 2025, 17(19), 3136; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17193136 - 26 Sep 2025
Viewed by 364
Abstract
Background: The optimal timing of cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN) in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) remains a subject of debate, particularly in the immunotherapy era. This study compares survival outcomes between deferred CN (dCN) and upfront CN (uCN) in mRCC patients receiving modern immunotherapy [...] Read more.
Background: The optimal timing of cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN) in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) remains a subject of debate, particularly in the immunotherapy era. This study compares survival outcomes between deferred CN (dCN) and upfront CN (uCN) in mRCC patients receiving modern immunotherapy regimens in the real-world setting. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the SEER database for mRCC patients diagnosed between 2016 and 2021 who underwent dCN or uCN. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS), while the secondary endpoints were disease-specific survival (DSS) and other-cause specific survival (OCSS). Statistical analyses included propensity score matching (PSM), Kaplan–Meier survival curves, Cox proportional hazards modeling, as well as sensitivity, subgroup, and landmark analyses. Results: A total of 1892 mRCC patients were included, with 346 patients (18.3%) undergoing dCN and 1546 patients (81.7%) receiving uCN. Patients in the uCN group were characterized with lower T stage (p < 0.001), while those in the dCN group exhibited a higher incidence of lymph node involvement (p = 0.02) and sarcomatoid dedifferentiation (p = 0.002). Following 1:2 PSM, dCN demonstrated significantly better OS and DSS, but comparable OCSS to uCN. The sensitivity and subgroup analyses suggested that dCN may substantially improve the prognosis of mRCC patients across conditions. The landmark analysis showed that the survival advantage of dCN diminished after two years of follow-up. Conclusions: dCN may be associated with improved survival outcomes compared to uCN in selected mRCC patients receiving immunotherapy, and careful patient selection for dCN or uCN is essential. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Minimally Invasive Therapies in Urologic Cancers)
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15 pages, 1085 KB  
Article
Echolaser Focal Treatment for Prostate Cancer Guided by Fiducial Marker Placement
by Timoleon Granitsas, Ioannis Anastassakis, Stamatios Brempos and Kyriakos Brempos
Cancers 2025, 17(10), 1707; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17101707 - 20 May 2025
Viewed by 1112
Abstract
Background: Focal therapy has emerged as a viable alternative to radical prostate cancer treatment, offering oncologic control while minimizing morbidity. EchoLaser focal laser ablation (FLA) is a minimally invasive technique that utilizes high-precision laser energy for tumor destruction. This study evaluated the [...] Read more.
Background: Focal therapy has emerged as a viable alternative to radical prostate cancer treatment, offering oncologic control while minimizing morbidity. EchoLaser focal laser ablation (FLA) is a minimally invasive technique that utilizes high-precision laser energy for tumor destruction. This study evaluated the oncologic outcomes, procedural efficiency, and safety of EchoLaser focal therapy, comparing fiducial-assisted (FM+) and non-fiducial (FM−) approaches. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at Athens Medical Center, Greece, including 50 patients with localized prostate cancer treated with EchoLaser therapy. Patients were categorized into FM+ (n = 31) and FM− (n = 19) groups. Oncologic control (MRI and PSA levels at six months), procedural efficiency (operative time), and safety (adverse events) were assessed. Results: At six months, 80% of patients (n = 40) had no residual disease on MRI, while 20% (n = 10) showed persistent or recurrent tumor activity. PSA levels declined from 10.26 ± 14.99 ng/mL to 2.70 ± 2.67 ng/mL, reflecting a 74% median reduction. Procedure time was shorter in FM+ patients (33.48 ± 2.41 min vs. 45.79 ± 2.92 min, p < 0.01). Adverse events occurred only in the FM− group, including one case of urinary retention. Conclusions: FLA with EchoLaser using fiducial marker enhances procedural efficiency and could have a positive impact on oncologic control. These findings suggest that fiducial markers should be integrated into focal therapy protocols. Longer follow-up studies are needed to confirm the long-term outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Minimally Invasive Therapies in Urologic Cancers)
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