Men's Health

As it becomes apparent that more prostate cancers are clinically insignificant than previously believed, the role of active surveillance in the management of men with low-risk prostate cancer merits expansion.

Steven A. Kaplan, MD, introduces #LetsTalkMensHealth, a novel new section in Urology Times focused on men’s health.

Other products featured include a testosterone gel, exercise program to strengthen male pelvic muscles, and a book about prostate cancer diagnosis and management.

Transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy is associated with a rising rate of hospitalization for urinary tract infection, new study results indicate.

Presentations of phase III data at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago further support the conclusion that the oral androgen receptor inhibitor enzalutamide (XTANDI) addresses an unmet therapeutic need for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer in the pre-chemotherapy setting.

A recent study confirms that treatment choices for localized prostate cancer are not stagnant but continue to evolve, writes Leonard G. Gomella, MD.

A retrospective evaluation to determine adherence to the AUA clinical practice guideline for the management of lower urinary tract symptoms/BPH among urologists practicing in an academic setting found generally positive results, but with room for improvement, researchers reported at the AUA annual meeting in Orlando, FL.

The question of what role urologists should play in managing hormone-resistant prostate cancer is "controversial," says Kenneth Jacobsohn, MD.

Sexual function in men with lower urinary tract symptoms/BPH generally declines over time whether or not they are treated with medication. However, the magnitude of worsening differs depending on the treatment received, according to findings from the Medical Therapy of Prostatic Symptoms study.

Photoselective vaporization of the prostate is non-inferior to transurethral resection of the prostate in men with benign prostatic obstruction, researchers reported at the European Association of Urology annual congress in Stockholm, Sweden.

Use of surgery has increased steadily among all men with clinically localized prostate cancer, and in those with low-risk disease, brachytherapy utilization has declined.

A significant number of older men with limited life expectancy continue to undergo routine prostate cancer screening, researchers say.

The Androgen Study Group has called upon the Journal Oversight Committee to investigate what it deemed violations of “accepted standards of medical journal ethics and editorial integrity” by JAMA.

Data from 2 years of prospective follow-up in a multinational study show that the prostatic urethral lift (PUL [UroLift System, Neotract, Inc., Pleasanton, CA]) is a safe procedure that provides durable, clinically meaningful improvement of lower urinary tract symptoms due to BPH, reported Claus G. Roehrborn, MD, at the AUA annual meeting in Orlando, FL.

Drugs and devices in the pipeline form Clarus Therapeutics, Nymox Pharmaceutical, Bioniche Life Sciences, Repros Therapeutics, BioLight Life Sciences Investments/Micromedic Technologies, Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Takeda Pharmaceutical, H. Lundbeck A/S, Transplant Genomics, Orion, Bayer, and Roche.

Recently published data from the European Randomised Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) indicate that screening for prostate cancer could reduce deaths from the disease by about one-fifth.

Two independent published trials have validated the performance of an epigenetic test that could provide physicians with a better tool to help eliminate unnecessary repeat prostate biopsies.

To gain an endocrinologist’s perspective on current issues in testosterone therapy and hypogonadism, Urology Times interviewed Rebecca Z. Sokol MD, MPH, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

All treatments entail some risk, including T therapy. At this point, there are no compelling data to support the notion that T therapy is associated with CV risks, and there is suggestive evidence it may even be helpful.

The FDA has rejected Public Citizen’s petition to have a black box warning placed on the labels of testosterone-containing drugs available in the United States.

A genomic tool for prostate cancer appears to provide physicians and patients with improved decision making about the use of radiation therapy after radical prostatectomy.

A new study showing a survival benefit of more than 1 year with a chemotherapy-hormonal therapy combination given prior to castration resistance is being hailed by a leading prostate cancer expert as possibly representing a “new standard” in care.

Prospective, long-term follow-up in a large cohort of hypogonadal men treated with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) provides no evidence that TRT increases the risk for prostate cancer.

Symptomatic hypogonadal men treated with clomiphene citrate (Clomid) or testosterone gels report similar satisfaction levels as age-matched men treated with testosterone injections, despite having significantly lower serum total testosterone levels, according to the findings of a recent retrospective study from Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.

Testosterone replacement therapy has been much debated in recent months, in light of two studies linking the treatment to increased risk of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, and stroke, prompting an FDA investigation into TRT’s safety and widespread criticism from members of the urologic community. In this article, Ajay Nehra, MD, discusses those studies, evolving attitudes toward “low T,” and the importance of individualizing treatment.