Cystoscopy

• On Sunday, May 5th, Dr. Sanjay Das presented the study, "Use of Blue Light Cystoscopy Among Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer Patients and Outcomes in an Equal Access setting: A Propensity Scored Matched Analysis."
• The study addresses a lack of practical real-world data comparing the impact of BLC versus WLC, specifically for recurrence, progression, and survival.
• The results of this study confirm that BLC use is associated with positive and statistically significant impacts on these outcomes.
• A total of 177 patients were enrolled, 128 patients underwent blue light cystoscopy (BLC) with Cysview (HAL) and were included in the full analysis set.

• View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240422820209/en/
  ImmunityBio’s ANKTIVA is approved for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (Photo: Business Wire)
  “The FDA’s approval of ANKTIVA marks our launch of a next-generation immunotherapy beyond checkpoint inhibitors,” said Patrick Soon-Shiong, M.D., Executive Chairman and Global Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at ImmunityBio.
• This novel mechanism of action, which mimics the biology of the dendritic cell, begins the evolution of immunotherapy beyond T cells alone.
• The combination of the proliferation of key cancer-killing immune cells, together with the activation of T cells with memory, results in durable complete responses.
• The 77 evaluable patients in this single-arm, multicenter trial received ANKTIVA with BCG maintenance therapy for up to 37 months.

• In case you’re wondering, the human urethra is a tube that carries urine from the bladder to outside the body.
• Some people find it sexually pleasurable to insert objects – known as sounds, which are typically small glass or metal rods – or even fluid into the urethra.
• Many objects have been used for sounding, however, and that’s one of the reasons the practice is so hazardous.
• The urethra is a narrow outflow tube, usually less than 9mm wide, so squeezing objects into it isn’t usually recommended.
• Megalouretha can lead to retention of objects in the urethra or bladder from clinical examinations such as cervical screening.

Risky business

• It takes several turns to pass through the pelvic floor muscles, prostate and then, if inserted far enough, the bladder.
• Urethral damage exposes the underlying connective tissues which can cause blood in the urine, as well as erectile dysfunction and even bladder rupture.
• Trauma and damage may lead to further narrowing of the urethra in later life which may require medical intervention.

Sounds painful

• But sounding can be highly sexually gratifying for some people.
• The arousal and subsequent stimulation of the erectile tissue of the penis and clitoris usually occurs through one of two mechanisms: psychogenic (images or thoughts) or reflexogenic (touching).
• The reflexogenic pathway is served by nerves which also innervate the lining of the urethra – the dorsal nerve(s) of the penis or clitoris.

Adam Taylor does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• Total revenues increased 37% in the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to Q4 2022, including a milestone payment from Asieris related to the license agreement for Cevira®.
• "Hexvix/Cysview revenue increased 20% year-over-year in the fourth quarter, and we delivered EBITDA of NOK 29.9 million.
• Photocure reported total group revenues of NOK 142.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2023 (NOK 104.2 million), and EBITDA* of NOK 29.9 million (NOK -16.9 million), driven by a combination of unit volume growth, price increases and a benefit from foreign exchange.
• At the end of the fourth quarter of 2023, the installed base of rigid blue light cystoscopy (BLC®) systems in the U.S. was 352, an increase of 17% or 51 towers since the fourth quarter of 2022.