The FDA recently issued a complete response letter for Amgen Inc.'s supplemental Biologics License Application for the RANK ligand inhibitor denosumab (XGEVA) to treat men with castration-resistant prostate cancer at high risk of developing bone metastases.
Uroplasty, Inc., has announced that Novitas Solutions (formerly Highmark Medicare Services) informed the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that it has retired the non-coverage provisions concerning posterior tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) from its local coverage determination effective for services incurred on or after April 9, 2012.
Urologists tied for fourth in salary in a recent survey of physician specialists.
The FDA recently approved new treatments for erectile dysfunction and renal angiomyolipomas, and a previously approved agent for overactive bladder has been launched.
Curious about how the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's recently drafted recommendation against routine PSA screening for prostate cancer at any age would affect clinical practice, investigators at the University of Chicago Medical Center and UCLA studied the effect of a 2008 task force recommendation against screening in men aged 75 years or older and found there was none.
Excess body weight may be associated with an increased risk for cancer recurrence in men with clinically localized prostate cancer, according to a study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting in Chicago.
A recently announced joint strategic partnership between the American College of Surgeons and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention aims to combine expertise and resources to track, report, and prevent surgical-site infections (SSIs) and other adverse outcomes among surgical patients.
Bladder cancer patients receiving low doses of chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy were nearly 50% less likely to relapse with muscle-invasive disease compared with patients given radiotherapy alone, a recent study found.
Kidney cancer patients who underwent partial nephrectomy experienced better survival than patients who underwent radical nephrectomy, report researchers from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor.
High-intensity focused ultrasound offers significantly fewer side effects in treating prostate cancer than traditional treatments, according to a recent study.
Nearly half of radical prostatectomies now involve a minimally invasive approach, according to a large study comparing minimally invasive radical prostatectomy (MIRP) with open retropubic radical prostatectomy from 2003 to 2007.
On March 22, the GOP-controlled U.S. House of Representatives voted to repeal the controversial Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), established by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) now being challenged in the U.S. Supreme Court, and intended to provide a mechanism to control increasing Medicare costs.
The number of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) who are ineligible for clinical trials is high, and their clinical outcomes are inferior to those who are trial eligible.
If you're like many urologists, managing collections is becoming an increasingly important-and none-too-pleasant- aspect of running your practice's business.
Many urologists are embarking on practice-changing moves, including forming new alliances with area hospitals or other practices and gearing up for participation in accountable care organizations (ACOs).
A prospective multicenter trial in Canada has shown positive results with hypofractionated image-guided radiotherapy (H-IGRT) using widely available standard linear accelerators.
The autologous cellular immunotherapy sipuleucel-T (Provenge) can be safely given prior to radical prostatectomy, and in the neoadjuvant setting, the vaccine exerts a favorable effect on immune cells in prostate cancer tissue, specifically at the interface between the benign and malignant glands.
This article features products and services from manufacturers that are exhibiting at the American Urological Association annual meeting in Atlanta. Exhibit hall booth numbers have been included so that you can search for product demonstrations and exhibits that are of particular interest to you.
There is certainly a perception that urologists are consolidating into larger and larger organizations, as well as an implication that the small practice model is no longer economically viable. Yet urologist John E. Bertini, Jr, MD, has been able to start, grow, and maintain a small, successful independent practice in downtown Houston for 25 years.
The authors of a study reported cancer-specific and overall survival rates of 96% and 94%, respectively, at 5 years in men with high-risk prostate cancer who underwent radical prostatectomy.
The investigational oral androgen receptor signaling inhibitor MDV3100 significantly extended survival by about 5 months versus placebo in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) who received prior treatment with docetaxel (Taxotere).
Atlanta can basically be divided among five neighborhoods: Buckhead, Downtown, Llittle Five Points, Midtown, and Virginia-Highland, each with its own distinctive highlights.
Many physicians may be joining other high-income taxpayers subject to an upcoming potentially large tax hike they may not even be aware of.
To meet the challenges of a changing specialty, urologists across the country have organized into large, comprehensive integrated practices, often including physicians from other specialties, to deliver the highest quality care and service to patients with urologic diseases and conditions.
It is always recommended that, in addition to the clinical circumstances that caused the increased work, you include a relative time reference to justify the additional fee.
PSA kinetics can be used to identify patients with nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) who are at enhanced risk for bone metastases or death.
Recent studies from around the world provide encouraging evidence of the safety of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) as a minimally invasive treatment for localized prostate cancer.
A retrospective long-term comparison of three prostate cancer treatment strategies revealed that treatment with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) resulted in more long-term toxicities and higher treatment-related costs than prostatectomy and brachytherapy.
HIFU continues to represent a promising minimally invasive approach for many men with prostate cancer. What its exact role will become remains unclear.
Active surveillance appears to be a safe option for carefully selected patients diagnosed with prostate cancer. However, changes in biopsy scheduling and technique may be needed to detect high-grade cases.