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New urology products and services from Symtelligence Medical Informatics, LABORIE, Metamark Genetics, the MediSafe Project, and Olympus

Although the AUA has increased its lobbying efforts, it needs the broad support of individual members to bring about change, says newly elected AUA President William W. Bohnert, MD, in this Q&A interview.

A recent large study has found no increased risk of heart attack in men undergoing testosterone replacement therapy.

Robot-assisted radical prostatectomy may be associated with improved surgical margin status compared to open radical prostatectomy for men with intermediate-risk and high-risk prostate cancer, according to a study presented at the AUA annual meeting in Orlando, FL.

Two recently published Mayo Clinic studies provide genetic clues to clear cell renal cell carcinoma that may have important therapeutic implications, researchers say.

The use of robot-assisted radical nephrectomy increased by 6% over a recent 3-year period, and high-volume robotic centers for partial nephrectomy were found more likely to perform robotic radical nephrectomy despite its increased cost and similar complications to laparoscopic radical nephrectomy, according to a recent study.

Earlier this spring, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review the case of North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners v. Federal Trade Commission, a case arising out of the North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners’ (NC Dentistry Board) attempt to enforce the state’s scope of practice laws against a group of non-dentists. While this case arises out of a dispute between North Carolina dentists and non-dentists, its outcome is being watched by state dental and medical boards throughout the country for its impact on their ability to regulate the practice of dentistry and medicine within their own states, particularly with respect to scope of practice.

Men with prostate cancer who are treated with external beam radiation therapy are at an increased risk for cancer of the bladder and rectum 10 years or more after their prostate cancer diagnosis, according to an analysis using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program.

The majority of urologists and radiation oncologists feel active surveillance is an effective and underused modality for managing low-risk prostate cancer; however, few of these specialists would recommend this strategy to patients, according to recent survey results.

Salvage extended pelvic lymph node dissection (ePLND) may be highly beneficial for selected prostate cancer patients with biochemical recurrence and clinically recurrent nodal disease, say German researchers.

Shared decision making occurs in only one-third of men who have made a decision about prostate cancer screening, according to findings from a new study that one leading prostate cancer expert said were not at all surprising.

Testosterone replacement therapy is in the news again, for reasons both good and bad.

As the capital markets have improved, more investors have shifted their concern from weathering the financial crisis to anticipating the possible inflationary effects of rising federal spending and debt. This thinking has led many to reassess their bond portfolios and even look at commodity futures as a potential inflation hedge.

The changes in health care are fast and furious. Remember that in any massive change there is opportunity. For the office that is willing to make the changes, the silver lining is that health care is moving to a more retail environment. When the dust settles, the opportunity for your office to regain control of how your patients are treated is right in front of you.

In this column, Robert A. Dowling, MD, explores bundled payments and describes a method for calculating “costs” that a practice could use to determine profit/loss projections and negotiate fee schedules using relative value units.

The future of independent urology groups hinges on a resolute leadership balancing act. Urologists must not only persevere with tenacious strategic planning efforts but also encourage and mentor younger colleagues to lead the specialty into the unforeseeable future.

The significant variation in reporting of voiding cystourethrogram between free-standing pediatric and non-pediatric institutions unveiled in a recent study is “embarrassing,” according to one leading pediatric urologist.

Results of a validation study confirm that cell cycle progression score provided by a commercially available genomic test (Prolaris) is a strong and independent outcome predictor in men with conservatively managed, clinically localized prostate cancer.

Two years ago in May, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended against PSA-based screening for prostate cancer, asserting that “many men are harmed as a result of prostate cancer screening and few, if any, benefit.”

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Inappropriate use of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist for androgen deprivation therapy of localized prostate cancer fell dramatically following implementation of reimbursement cuts mandated by the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, but overuse remains problematic, according to research presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago.

The FDA has approved a new testosterone gel formulation, marking the agency’s second approval of a testosterone replacement therapy in the course of a week.

Professional organizations including the AACU empower individual urologists with resources that support grassroots engagement in vital campaigns to re-assert the physician's role in health reform.

The FDA has approved a nasal gel for men with hypogonadism and has granted clearance to a treatment for urinary incontinence in men. Separately, two drug makers are approaching the agency about regulatory approval for an over-the-counter version of a phosphodiesterase-type-5 inhibitor.

Results from the phase III PREVAIL trial of the oral androgen receptor inhibitor enzalutamide (XTANDI) have been published online in the New England Journal of Medicine (June 1, 2014).

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 the study’s first author as a “new standard” of treatment for certain men with metastatic, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.

Dr. Henry Rosevear’s blog post about my recently published book, “The Great Prostate Hoax: How big medicine hijacked the PSA test and caused a public health disaster,” does a disservice to the readership of the Urology Times by mischaracterizing the book’s central message.

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