Cheryl Guttman Krader, BS, Pharm

Researchers developing a degradable ureteral stent report progress with their project that supports moving forward into clinical trials.

Stone burden, a non-modifiable factor, was the only independent predictor associated with cost for PCNL.

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy, with or without a tube, offers a high success rate in treating small or asymptomatic lower-pole stones.

Results of a prospective study in which urologic surgeons at Columbia University Medical Center, New York, compared flexible fiber optic and digital cystoscopes show that with proper care, both types are durable for in-office applications.

Researchers are further exploring the diagnostic and prognostic utility of PCA3, and data showed that combining PCA3 with free PSA and other risk factors significantly improves the accuracy for predicting biopsy outcomes.

Use of magnetic anchoring guidance systems to facilitate single-port and natural orifice surgery yielded success in human subjects.

Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy has a definite learning curve, but it is slower than the learning curve for open surgery and is worsened in surgeons with prior open training.

Incidentally detected small renal masses (SRMs) are not always cancer, and even those that are biopsy-proven renal cell carcinoma tend to grow slowly initially and have a low risk of metastasis, according to analyses of data.

In patients with primary T1G3 bladder cancer who undergo initial treatment with endovesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG [TheraCys, TICE BCG]), development of high-grade disease recurrence after 3 months is a prognostic factor for progression.

In select patients with renal cortical tumors up to 7 cm in size, partial nephrectomy appears to be a reasonable option that doesn't compromise overall or cancer-specific survival.

A standardized scoring system for grading the anatomy of renal masses enables meaningful comparisons of outcomes and provides a clinical tool for guiding tumor management decisions.

Sexual function improves in women after successful surgery for stress urinary incontinence whether they undergo a sling procedure or Burch colpopsuspension.

A wide range of anticholinergic medications used by women for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms are associated with high discontinuation rates, according to research presented at the American Urogynecologic Society annual scientific meeting.

When considered over a treatment period of 2 years, botulinum toxin A injection (Botox) is a cost-effective strategy for the management of idiopathic urge incontinence compared with anticholinergic medication, according to data presented by Duke University researchers.

Although overall complication rates are similar after traditional surgery, sacral colpopexy, or vaginal mesh kit repair for apical vaginal prolapse, the mesh kit procedures are associated with higher total reoperation rates due to a higher rate of surgical intervention for managing complications.

Use of hemostatic hydrodissection and bipolar vessel coagulation appears to be a viable method for avoiding vascular clamping and subsequent renal ischemia while performing laparoscopic or robotic partial nephrectomy.

Men undergoing laparoscopic nephrectomy should be warned that they might develop testicular pain postoperatively.

New York-Management of metastatic, clear-cell renal cell carcinoma has been significantly advanced by the development of the oral small-molecule kinase inhibitors sunitinib malate (Sutent) and sorafenib (Nexavar), recent results from two large, international, randomized, double-blind, phase III trials indicate. Both studies appeared in the Jan. 11, 2007 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (2007; 356:115-24 and 125-34).

Baltimore-PSA velocity measured 10 to 15 years prior to prostate cancer diagnosis is a significant predictor of cancer-specific survival 2 to 3 decades later, according to the results of a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2006; 98:1521-7).

Rochester, MN-Men who take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) daily have a decreased risk for developing BPH and associated lower urinary tract symptoms, according to analyses of data collected in a longitudinal population-based cohort study of aging men.

Chicago-In patients with a contrast-enhancing renal mass, delayed intervention after watchful waiting does not adversely affect pathologic outcomes, results of a retrospective study designed to gain insight into the natural history of "incidentalomas" indicate. This holds true even for some lesions that are relatively large at diagnosis or found on follow-up to be rapidly growing, researchers from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reported at the American College of Surgeons clinical congress.

Chicago-Sextant biopsy with a transition zone or a laterally directed template loses efficacy in prostate cancer diagnosis with repeat testing, but only after four negative biopsies have been taken, researchers from Harvard Medical School reported at the American College of Surgeons clinical congress here.

Chicago-Initial analyses from a retrospective study involving almost 600 men undergoing prostate needle biopsy show no association between inflammation on initial or subsequent biopsy and prostate cancer. However, the investigators from Harvard Medical School are withholding any conclusions while they continue their research.

Chicago-In 2000, the American Board of Medical Specialties assembly voted to commit member boards to Maintenance of Certification for their diplomates holding time-limited certificates. The American Board of Urology will introduce its MOC program in 2007, but during its development, the ABU has received a number of complaints and questions about MOC from urologists.

Chicago-Volumetric three-dimensional magnetic resonance urography (MRU) is a new imaging modality that is already proving to be a valuable tool for enhancing the diagnosis of various urologic conditions in pediatric patients. In addition, with a potential for use in functional and dynamic imaging, it may ultimately take on a greater role and enable streamlining of the algorithm for diagnostic evaluation, said urologists from Children's Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA) and the University of Southern California.

Boston-A study investigating a treatment sample of men diagnosed with sexual compulsivity suggests that prescription and non-prescription use of phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors is common in that population. This finding should alert physicians who prescribe medications for erectile dysfunction to maintain an index of patients with a suspected sexual compulsivity problem and to be attentive to clues of potential drug misuse, according to the researchers.

Ann Arbor, MI-Results of a study from the University of Michigan here provide further evidence that the incidence of kidney cancer and the rate of surgical treatment are both on the rise. However, those trends are primarily accounted for by the identification and management of small, presumably curable renal masses (?4 cm). Meanwhile, mortality rates in kidney cancer patients have also been increasing, driven by worsening outcomes of patients with the largest tumors (>7 cm).

San Diego, CA-Exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation through natural sunlight and dietary intake of fatty fish are independent predictors of renal cancer risk, according to the findings of two recently published studies.

Boston-Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist therapy for locoregional prostate cancer is associated with significantly increased risks of diabetes as well as cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality, according to the results of a population-based, observational cohort study.

Miami-Expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in radical prostatectomy specimens is an independent predictor of prostate cancer recurrence, according to a study reported by researchers from the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine.