The incidence of small renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is increasing and cases are frequently often detected incidentally due to the widespread use of abdominal imaging technologies [1]. For small local cortical renal masses, partial nephrectomy (PN) is the preferred surgical treatment, as it provides an equivalent oncological outcome and superior renal function preservation compared to radical nephrectomy (RN) [2,3].

Innervation of prostate cancer (CaP) tissue favors tumor progression and metastasis but the regulation of innervation in CaP is unclear. The oncogenic transcription factor ERG is commonly induced by a typical TMPRSS2-ERG (TE) gene fusion in CaP and may affect innervation. Here, we analyzed whether nerve density of CaP tissue is related to TE status or perineural infiltration status of CaP tissue. In parallel, we measured several members of the neuropilin/plexin/semaphorin family (NRP, PLXN, and SEMA) as possible targets mediating innervation.

Screening practices in primary care environments have changed dramatically in the past 5 decades. Currently, primary care providers (PCPs) are advised by various regulatory and specialty groups to screen for patient issues from colon cancer to smoking status to safety in the home [1–5] with discordance between specialty advisory groups on many issues. The most recent summary of preventative screening recommendations from the American Academy of Family Physicians advised on screening practices for 134 different diseases and adverse social situations [5].