Penn Medicine at the 2025 American Urological Association Annual Meeting

Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania will be presenting to fellow clinicians and scientists at the American Urological Association Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada April 26-29, 2025. Penn faculty will present their own research, discuss updates to clinical guidelines, and explore advancements in urological care.

Topics will include:

• New sexual medicine guidelines
• The future of male infertility care
• New diagnostics to determine prostate cancer risk
• The emotional toll on surgeons when things go wrong
• Incontinence from stress

Expert interviews

Experts from Penn are available to comment on their presentations, other presentations/research from the meeting, and a wide range of urological topics. To arrange interviews on site, by phone call, video call, or email, please contact Alex Gardner at Alex.Gardner@pennmedicine.upenn.edu or 215-873-3870.

Key presentations

Comparative outcomes for intervention and surveillance of kidney tumors

Khalid Alkhatib, MD, a postdoctoral researcher in the division of Urology, and colleagues will present their new research showing individuals who immediately underwent surgery or cancer therapy for small, slow growing renal tumors had the same rate of mortality from cancer as did those who delayed treatment in favor of monitoring the growth for progression or changes. Older studies that had the same findings used fewer study participants, so confidence in the conclusion was low. Active surveillance of small and slow renal tumors may be a good option for some patients to postpone or avoid side effects of treatment or surgery.

Controlled Comparative Outcomes of Active Surveillance and Primary Intervention for Clinical T1a Kidney Tumors: A contemporary propensity score and competing risks analysis from the DISSRM Prospective Study: Monday, April 28, 2025 9:38 a.m. to 9:46 a.m.

Sexual medicine guidelines and therapies for bladder cancer

Trinity Bivalacqua, MD, PhD, the director or Urologic Oncology and a professor of Urology, will give a variety of presentations from breaking down the new sexual medicine guidelines from the AUA to therapies for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). He’ll also discuss findings from his phase two study of one specific therapy for NMIBC where a drug called Cetostimogene Grenadenorepvec was injected directly into the bladder of patients with NMIBC that has a high risk of progressing quickly or recurring.

Most Impactful Sexual Basic Science Manuscripts in the Past 2 Years: Saturday, April 26, 2025 9:40 a.m. to 9:55 a.m.

Case-Based Approach to Understanding the AUA Sexual Medicine Guidelines: Saturday, April 26, 2025 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Novel Intravesical Therapies for NMIBC: Sunday, April 27, 2025 9:00 a.m. to 9:10 a.m.

A Phase 2 Multi-Arm, Multi-Cohort Study to Evaluate Intravesical Cetostimogene Grenadenorepvec in Patients with High-Risk Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer: Monday, April 28, 2025 9:56 a.m. to 10:04 a.m.

Overactive bladder guidelines and bladder cancer that does not respond to immunotherapy

Adele Caruso, DNP, a clinical nurse practitioner in Urology, will give presentations focused on the bladder, the first on new AUA and the Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine & Urogenital Reconstruction (SUFU) guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of idiopathic overactive bladder. Guidelines will address recommendations like utilizing telemedicine and foregoing step therapy (slowly progressing medication) to find the best treatment option for patients as quickly as possible. Her second presentation will focus on bladder cancer. While there have been 84,800 new cases of bladder cancer in the United States so far this year, immunotherapy remains the gold standard for treatment. Caruso will discuss recent research advances designed to treat bladder cancer that doesn’t respond to the immunotherapy drugs.

Case Discussion: AUA/SUFU Guideline on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Idiopathic OAB (overactive bladder): Saturday, April 26, 2025 11:50 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.

The Rapidly Evolving Landscape for the Treatment of High Risk NMIBC (non-muscle invasive bladder cancer): Sunday, April 27, 2025 8:45 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

The future of male infertility care and the role of sperm morphology in fertility

For the meeting’s Innovations in Men’s Health Symposium, Kat Hwang, MD, director of the Penn Men’s Health Center and a professor of Surgery and Obstetrics and Gynecologywill highlight the future of male infertility care including some of her own revolutionary research using stem cells and testicular injections. The approach may one day enable men who had pediatric cancer treatments and experience infertility as adults to have children.

Hwang will also talk about the role morphology, or the shape of sperm, plays in fertility. Current evidence, she says, shows morphology is less significant than historically believed. She will explain best practice in 2025 and how to use semen analysis and other testing available to best counsel patients.

From Cells to Sperm: Sunday, April 27, 2025 3:15 p.m.- 3:30 p.m.

What is Single Low Morphology Good for and How do we use it, if at all? Monday, April 28, 2025 2:25 p.m. to 2:35 p.m.

Access to robotic surgery

While traditional surgery may be the best option for certain patients, robotic surgery often has better and faster recovery times, less risk of infection, and less pain. Margaux Johnson, MD, a Urology resident, and her colleagues found no difference in access to pyeloplasty, a surgery to repair a blockage between the kidney and ureter, among pediatric patients based on race, sex, or where a person lives.

Are there disparities in access to a robotic approach for correction of ureteropelvic junction: a PHIS database analysis: Tuesday, April 29, 2025 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Kidney-sparing treatments and well-being for surgeons

Phil Pierorazio, MD, the section chief of Urology at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and a professor of Urology, will discuss the focus on kidney-sparing treatments for certain patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma, a very rare cancer (9,000 cases per year in the United States). He’ll also host a discussion of how surgeons can cope with adverse events and work stress.

Real Life Kidney UTUC (upper tract urothelial carcinoma) Cases #1: What’s Best? Sunday, April 27, 2025 9:55 a.m. to 10:10 a.m.

The Emotional Toll of Surgical Complications: Strategies to Take Care of Ourselves: Tuesday, April 29, 2025 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Determining risk of prostate cancer with PSA scores, MRIs, and genomic testing

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) scores have been FDA approved to use to screen for prostate cancer since the 90s, but their accuracy in successfully highlighting prostate cancer is far from perfect. Presentations from Ben Schurharmer, MD, an assistant professor of Urology, will cover using PSA scores in combination with MRIs and genomic testing to detect cancer and using MRIs and genomic testing to determine risk of prostate cancer, especially among Black men.

Does PSA Predict Prostate Cancer Risk in the Age of MRI and Genomics? Saturday, April 26, 2025, 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

The Penn Cohort: Can MRI 'Decipher' your prostate risk? Sunday, April 27, 2025, 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

MRI as risk stratification in African American Men for high-risk prostate cancer: The Penn Cohort: Monday, April 28, 2025, 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Pelvic slings and antimuscarinic drugs

Stress urinary incontinence, affecting one in three women and one in 10 men, occurs in people with weakened pelvic muscles. One option for more severe cases is the surgical placement of a pelvic sling. Ariana Smith, MD, the Penn director of Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery and the Alan J. Wein Professor in Urology, will discuss the best slings on the market from a surgeon’s perspective.

Additionally, many drugs and drug combinations can be used to treat men with both non-cancerous enlarged prostates and overactive bladders, but antimuscarinic drugs, a type of medication that block effects of a particular neurotransmitter and that can relieve symptoms, have been linked with troubling side effects among the elderly, like cognitive impairment. Smith will present best practices and the best approaches, especially for elderly patients.

Debate: Which is the Best First Line Mesh Sling for SUI in 2025? Saturday, April 26, 2025 1:05 p.m. to 1:25 p.m.

Contemporary Oral Pharmacotherapy for Overactive Bladder (OAB) 2025: Mono- and Combined Drug Therapy to Optimize Treatment Results, Including Those in Men with BPH and OAB: Monday, April 28, 2025 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Trimodal therapy for bladder cancer

Neha Vapiwala, MD, the Eli Glatstein Professor in Radiation Oncology, will moderate a debate on whether trimodal therapy (TMT), consisting of the combination of bladder resection, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, is the most effective approach for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. This path, rather than removing the bladder, promises a better quality of life and potentially fewer complications.

Is TMT Really a Valid Option for All My Patients with MIBC? Monday, April 28, 2025 3:50 p.m. to 4:10 p.m.