Bacillus Calmette-Guerin remains the treatment of choice for bladder cancer in the United States, but more than half of patients with nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancers will eventually fail BCG. Several promising alternative treatments are under development, but radical cystectomy remains the optimal choice for patients who fail BCG.
Findings from a study of testicular cancer survivors add to existing evidence that cognitive impairment is a potential long-term risk of cancer chemotherapy.
The bisphosphonate zoledronic acid (Zometa) offers significant benefit in lowering the skeletal-related events rate in patients with bony metastatic bladder cancer, according to results of a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled study.
Studies in the field of sexual dusfunction suggest urologists don't know as much as they think they do about Peyronie's disease and that incidence of erectile dysfunction has other implications.
This clinical trial shows that alkalinization of lidocaine improves absorption into the bladder and that the therapy decreases interstitial cystitis pain.
Christian O. Twiss, MD, has joined The University of Arizona department of surgery as assistant professor of clinical surgery and director of female urology, pelvic medicine, and pelvic reconstructive surgery.
Marc Goldstein, MD, has been named the Matthew P. Hardy Distinguished Professor of Reproductive Medicine and Urology at Weill Cornell Medical College.
A recent review of the literature has found that hormone deprivation therapy may have subtle adverse effects on cognition in patients receiving the treatment for prostate cancer, researchers will report in an upcoming issue of Cancer.
Blockage by the selective inhibitor abiraterone acetate of cytochrome P (CYP) 17 is safe and has significant antitumor activity in castration-resistant prostate cancer, according to a phase I study from the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton, Surrey, United Kingdom. The data confirm that castration-resistant prostate cancer commonly remains dependent on ligand-activated androgen receptor signaling, study authors say.
For the first time, a strategic plan for research into benign prostate disease, based on the latest scientific knowledge, has been published by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Men age 75 years and older should not be screened for prostate cancer, and younger men should discuss the benefits and harms of the PSA test with their clinicians before being tested, according to a new recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force published in the Annals of Internal Medicine (2008; 149:185-91).
A minimally invasive treatment for varicoceles can significantly improve a couple’s chances of achieving pregnancy, according to a study published in Radiology (2008; 248:540-9). The study, conducted at the University of Bonn in Germany, also found that the level of sperm motility prior to treatment is a key predictor of success.
A phase I trial shows that an adenovirus/ PSA vaccine is safe and can induce anti-PSA antibody and T cell responses in a significant number of men with stage D2 or D3 prostate cancer, researchers from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, reported
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Outside of the United States, technology for HIFU is available from two companies. HIFU is being used as primary treatment for men with small prostates and low-stage, low-volume disease, particularly in those who are not good candidates for conventional treatments because of their age or comorbidities. It is also being used as salvage treatment after failure of radiation therapy.
High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), while still a number of years away from clinical use in the United States, shows promise as a first-line treatment for low-risk prostate cancer, Cary N. Robertson, MD, reported at the International Prostate Cancer Update.
In this exclusive article, Urology Times Editorial Consultant Philip M. Hanno, MD, professor of urology at the University of Pennsylvania, asks FDA Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach, MD, about his role at FDA, his priorities and goals, and issues facing the agency and the U.S. health care system.
Urologists continue to face a controversial, challenging question: Which course of treatment is best for low- to intermediate-risk prostate cancer? In recent years, 90% of newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients have this level of disease, so the question is increasingly relevant to clinical practice.
Leading European urologists have reviewed the findings from the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) and have reached consensus supporting the use of finasteride (Proscar) as a chemopreventive agent for the disease. A similar consensus statement in the United States appears to be coming soon.
Research continues to progress in developing promising new oncologic markers for diagnosing prostate cancer. Ultimately, researchers hope to address the challenge of identifying a biomarker that can help physicians differentiate indolent from aggressive prostate cancer to avoid overtreatment of the disease.
New data confirm that excellent clinical outcomes can be achieved when men with node-positive prostate cancer are treated with a multimodal approach combining radical prostatectomy, pelvic lymph node dissection, and adjuvant hormonal treatment, investigators reported.
Salvage cryotherapy for locally recurrent prostate cancer following primary radiotherapy is curative in approximately one-third of men after 10 years of follow-up, according to results from a retrospective chart review investigating long-term treatment outcomes.
This article shows you how to ensure the success of your colleagues, your staff, and ultimately, your practice, by avoiding some common leadership mistakes.
Urologic pelvic pain is a debilitating condition that affects significant numbers of men and women during their lifetime. Diverse disease states, physiologic conditions, and lifestyle factors may cause or exacerbate pain, challenging diagnosis and treatment efforts. We outline the fundamentals of a multimodal approach to managing urologic pelvic pain.
Proper preoperative evaluation, meticulous attention to surgical detail, and an understanding of the variety of cuff placement techniques play a crucial role in minimizing the postoperative morbidity and complications associated with AUS placement.
Mid-urethral slings represent a significant advance in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence, which levies a severe toll on the quality of life of millions of American women. This article examines the expanding family of mid-urethral slings and techniques that have defined the modern approach to anti-incontinence surgery.
Urology service provider HealthTronics Inc. has purchased UroPath LLC, an anatomic pathology laboratory services provider, for $7.5 million.
The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, enacted July 15, prolongs Medicare’s reimbursement safeguards (first enacted in 2003) for brachytherapy seeds given to hospital outpatients through Dec. 31, 2009. The new extension ensures that Medicare will not implement possibly restrictive reimbursement caps during this period.
The first of two phase II clinical trials of sipuleucel-T (Provenge), an investigational active cellular immunotherapy for prostate cancer, has been launched.
