Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer are among the great medical accomplishments of the latter part of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st. Five-year survival rates for newly diagnosed loco-regional cancer advanced from 68% in 1975-’77 to 83% in 1987-’89 to nearly 100% in 2003-’09, according to the American Cancer Society. This victory, however impressive, is incomplete.
The addition of radiation treatment to hormone therapy reduces mortality in older men with locally advanced prostate cancer compared with hormone therapy alone, according to a recently published study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
A genomic test for prostate cancer was able to predict rapid metastatic disease in node-negative, high-risk men managed by radical prostatectomy without adjuvant therapy in a recently published study.
New products and services from Samsung Electronics America, Syneron Medical, American Medical Systems, New Star, Buffalo Filter, Cook Medical, Endo International, Trimel BioPharma Metamark, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
The rate of prostate biopsy declined steadily and significantly over a contemporary 10-year period, results of a retrospective longitudinal review of data from the Veterans Health Administration show.
Our January 2015 installment in the ongoing "New Frontiers in Prostate Cancer" series focuses on the challenges presented by high-risk disease. Here are some video resources on high-risk prostate cancer.
Our January 2015 installment in the ongoing "New Frontiers in Prostate Cancer" series focuses on the challenges presented by high-risk disease. Here are some recommended articles about the diagnosis and treatment of high-risk prostate cancer.
In this interview, Arie Belldegrun, MD, discusses the benefits of cancer immunotherapy, the importance of a multidisciplinary treatment approach, and what the future holds for this treatment.
The 2015 omnibus spending bill canceled a $10 million appropriation for the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). Congress also approved a bill that cuts Medicare funding for vacuum erection systems. Rationing care, whether undertaken by the IPAB or Congress, must be opposed when it arbitrarily selects services based on public perception and not medical necessity, writes Ross E. Weber of the AACU.
Drugs and devices in the pipeline from Actavis, Genomic Health, Lipella Pharmaceuticals, Polaris Group, Innocrin Pharmaceuticals, OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Heat Biologics, Repros Therapeutics, and Sophiris Bio.
Certain private payers are denying codes for prostate and renal biopsy, and strong documentation will be required to ensure you get paid for your services.
Urology Times continues its "Year in Review" series with a look at the most-read men's health articles of 2014.
In this installment of our "Year in Review" series, we look at 2014's malpractice headlines, with commentary from Urology Times Editorial Council member John J. Mulcahy, MD, PhD.
This slideshow offers insight into the type and size of U.S. urologists’ practices, as well as their gender, based on results of the Urology Times 2014 State of the Specialty survey.
Urology Times looks back on the top health policy and practice management stories of 2014, including coverage of the Affordable Care Act and changes in reimbursement.
Ureteroscopy is being increasingly used for surgical management of nephrolithiasis in pediatric patients, and that trend appears to be associated with cost benefits, a recent study indicates.
Flexible ureteroscopy is a safe and highly effective approach for treating proximal ureteral stones measuring
Adding an anticholinergic medication to an alpha-blocker does not appear to improve ureteral stent-related discomfort compared to monotherapy with an alpha-blocker alone, according to research presented by investigators from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
In renal stones smaller than 1.5 cm diameter, ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URS) is associated with superior stone-free rates compared with shock wave lithotripsy (SWL), according to a recent study.
Results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase IV study provide further confirmation that the erectogenic effect of the phosphodiesterase-type-5 inhibitor avanafil (Stendra) has a quick onset.
With emergence of new biomarker and tests, high-profile approvals of treatments for new indication, and the ongoing controversy surrounding PSA screening, prostate cancer remained very much in the urology headlines for 2014. Here are some of the most-read Urology Times articles on the disease.
Streamlined management for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, greater autonomy for residents, and a better understanding of issues facing the VA are among changes urologists hope to see occur in 2015.
There is no specific limit to the number of times you can charge a –59 modifier. However, what and how you charge for multiple stones on the same side of the urinary tract is confusing, say Ray Painter, MD, and Mark Painter in their "Coding Q&A" column.
Olympus has announced the FDA 510(k) clearance of Narrow Band Imaging as enabling effective targeting of biopsies not seen under white light and improved visualization of tumor margins in nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer.
Kidney cancer patients were more likely to undergo partial nephrectomy when treated in hospitals that were early adopters of robotic surgery, according to a recent report that one leading expert calls “some of the best evidence to date of a favorable impact of surgical robots in urologic care.”
If your estate is substantial and you're concerned about the federal estate tax bill your heirs will pay, there's a way you might be able to use your house to remedy the situation. It may be as simple as giving away your home or as complex as knowing the mechanics of an estate-planning tool called a qualified personal residence trust.
In this article, Robert A. Dowling, MD, discusses some of the benefits, challenges, and evidence surrounding the patient portal.
The authors of a recent study should be commended for exploring a large national database in an attempt to understand contemporary prostate cancer screening and treatment practices.
Other products discussed in this article include a prosthesis for underactive bladder, a prostate cancer test, and an erectile dysfunction drug.