Men's Health

The development of a model for identifying prostate cancer patients who may be appropriate candidates for hemi-ablative focal therapy remains a work in progress for researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

The following letter was sent to Urology Times in response to a previously published letter to the editor, "Dear USPSTF: Don't discount value of PSA in men 70+."

Other pipeline developments include an agent to control pain in IC/BPS patients, an antibody to treat prostate and bladder cancer, an injectable OAB treatment, and more.

Authors of a recent study say that long-term therapy with a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor was associated with increased glucose, increased glycated hemoglobin, and altered lipid profiles.

Despite technological advances in treatment for localized prostate cancer, men continue to experience clinically meaningful side effects that affect quality of life, according to an examination of data from a prospective population-based cohort study.

These videos each represent a different approach to this complex microsurgical procedure.

"Urology providers and caregivers can serve as the primary venue for positively impacting both the psychological and physical components of men’s health as men trust us with their most intimate and personal issues of life," writes SUNA President Gwendolyn Hooper, PhD, APRN.

Other products discussed include cancer tests, an app to connect patients with specialists, a revenue management system, and more

Studies of bipolar plasma vaporization of the prostate and thulium vapoenucleation were among the other noteworthy research in BPH/LUTS presented at the AUA annual meeting in Boston.

Transrectal saturation biopsy resulted in higher rates of disease reclassification compared with magnetic resonance (MR) fusion biopsy plus extended sextant prostate biopsy in patients with low-risk prostate cancer on active surveillance.

Maternal postpartum depression (PPD) is a widely studied and discussed phenomenon, whereas much less is known about the concept of paternal PPD. Nonetheless, recent studies have indicated that depression in new fathers is a significant public health concern.

Other pipeline developments include a new company formed to develop OAB treatments, a phase III urothelial cancer study meeting its primary endpoint, the formation of a partnership to study RCC treatment, and more.

Findings from a recent study also suggest that obesity may be a factor to consider for men with prostate cancer deciding between active surveillance and definitive treatment.

Men who experience a prostate biopsy-related complication are more likely to seek active treatment for clinically localized prostate cancer than those who do not experience a complication, according to findings from a review of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Medicare linked database.

Results of a retrospective case-cohort study show no significant differences in surgical outcomes among men who did and did not have preoperative magnetic resonance imaging of the prostate prior to radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer.

Continuing its participation in the Choosing Wisely campaign, the AUA has added five new recommendations about tests and treatments that physicians and patients should question.

“We strongly believe that PSA-based prostate cancer screening should be made available, especially to men 70 years and older to decrease the morbidity and mortality of prostate cancer,” write Navin Shah, MD, and Vladimir Ioffe, MD.

“Abiraterone should change the treatment paradigm for patients with newly diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer and largely displaces chemotherapy from the current paradigm,” said Sumanta Kumar Pal, MD.

Administering bone supportive therapy within 1 month prior to starting radium Ra 223 dichloride (Xofigo) may increase the likelihood of achieving pain palliation with the radionuclide therapy and reduce the chance of pain flare, according to the findings of a retrospective study.

Findings of a meta-analysis show that phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor use is associated with a statistically significant increased risk of melanoma, but they do not support a causal relationship.

Urologist Henry Rosevear, MD, reviews his personal highlights from AUA 2017, along with a few bumps in the road.

Although theory and preliminary clinical data indicated that intraoperative regional hypothermia could improve the return to potency and continence after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy, the intervention did not have any significant benefits when put to the more rigorous test of a randomized controlled trial.

The use of robot-assisted simple prostatectomy is increasing for the management of BPH in the United States. Patients were nearly seven times more likely to undergo RASP in 2011-2015 compared to 2003-2006, after adjusting for confounders.

Analyses of data from 5 years of prospective follow-up in the pivotal trial supporting regulatory approval of the prostatic urethral lift ([PUL] UroLift System, NeoTract) show that the minimally invasive procedure remains safe and provides rapid and durable benefits for men with symptomatic BPH.

"For low-grade disease, it’s certainly worth a try because nothing is really lost. For high-grade disease, I don’t know that it’s appropriate-we don’t have the data," says one urologist.