Substantial variation in the prescribed and delivered doses of intensity-modulated radiation therapy for prostate and other cancers exists among medical institutions, raising concerns about the validity of comparing clinical outcomes, according to a University of Pennsylvania study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2008; 100:300-7).
Men with prostate cancer and their partners face difficult decisions regarding treatment, and outcomes depend on some unexpected factors, according to results of a multicenter study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2008; 358:1250-61).
The department of urology at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC, has added three new urologic oncologists to its faculty: Ashok K. Hemal, MD, A. Karim Kader, MD, PhD, and Joseph A. Pettus IV, MD.
The FDA has indicated that a new therapy for first-line nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer meets the criteria for fast track designation.
Ferring Pharmaceuticals has submitted applications in the United States and Europe for the marketing authorization of its prostate cancer treatment, degarelix, a new gonadotrophin-releasing hormone receptor blocker intended for patients in whom androgen deprivation is warranted.
Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute, Portland, researchers have found that even men with advanced prostate cancer can take a safe and much-needed break from chemotherapy.
Treatment with toremifene citrate (Acapodene) appeared to reduce hot flashes in men with prostate cancer receiving androgen deprivation therapy, according to a phase III clinical trial.
An independent data monitoring committee stopped a major phase III clinical trial of the investigational drug everolimus (RAD001) after interim results showed significantly better progression-free survival in patients with advanced kidney cancer who received everolimus compared with placebo.
One-third of women appear to suffer from one or more pelvic floor disorders, researchers from Kaiser Permanente reported in Obstetrics & Gynecology (2008; 111:678-85).
The FDA has approved an expanded clearance for the CellSearch System to be used as an aid in monitoring patients with metastatic prostate cancer. The system currently is cleared for monitoring metastatic breast and colorectal cancer patients.
A new blood test that measures levels of endoglin appears to accurately predict 98% of prostate cancers that will spread to regional lymph nodes, according to a study published in Clinical Cancer Research (2008; 14:1418-22). Endoglin is a plasma biomarker that has been previously shown to predict the spread of colon and breast cancer.
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission is expected to recommend to Congress this month that it increase average Medicare physician fees by 1.1% for 2009, rather than allowing a scheduled 5% reduction to take effect.
With all the changes you face, it's easy to forget that focusing on the basics just might provide the results you want.
Poor communication skills are a frequently cited factor in a patient's decision to leave a practice or even pursue a malpractice claim against a physician.
There is no specific code for the intravesical use of botulinum toxin A as a treatment of urgency and frequency of urination.
It is incredibly tempting for readers to immediately look at the results of a study and determine the conclusions; however, the evidence-based mindset requires a more rational approach that questions the validity of the results, followed by a close inspection of them.
Since the introduction of PSA screening, prostate cancer-specific deaths have declined by 35%, but the number could be lowered even further.
The modern 10- to 12-core biopsy scheme has a higher diagnostic yield than the conventional sextant biopsy scheme does, especially on second biopsy.
Robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy may have made its way into the clinical arena under heavy marketing, but its value has now become clear.
The looming shortage of U.S. physicians is a complex, multifaceted problem-and one that faces urology as much, if not more than, other specialties.
Autologous muscle progenitor cells are able to restore otherwise irreversibly damaged sphincter function.
For very elderly patients with bladder cancer, good outcomes with radical cystectomy are possible primarily through appropriate patient selection, timely surgical management, and meticulous postoperative care.
Research led by Anthony Atala, MD, has shown that non-embryonic sources of stem cells may lead to safer, more effective clinical use.
Men with a history of infertility have a markedly increased risk of subsequently developing testicular cancer.
Traditional immunotherapy for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is being supplanted by new medications that target the biology of kidney cancer. Based on demonstrated efficacy, 3 of these novel agents have now been approved for advanced disease.
About 10% of needle biopsy reports will be returned with a diagnosis of prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) or of "atypical" cells that are possibly indicative of carcinoma. Armed with knowledge of the likelihood of each of these diagnoses developing into cancer over time, urologists can avoid subjecting patients to unnecessary repeat biopsies.
Pelvic floor muscle training plus bladder training appear to resolve urinary incontinence, according to a new systematic review of published studies on non-surgical management of urinary incontinence in women.
FDA has received reports of systemic adverse reactions, including respiratory compromise and death following the use of botulinum toxins types A (Botox) and B (BotoMyobloc) for FDA-approved and unapproved uses. The reactions reported are suggestive of botulism, the agency said.