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FDA has accepted a new drug application for a topically applied alprostadil cream for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, according to NexMed, Inc., the drug’s developer.

Patients who undergo cryoablation to treat cancerous kidney tumors are cancer free for up to 2.5 years after having the procedure, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.

University of California, Davis researchers have identified a microRNA that helps jump-start prostate cancer cell growth midway through the disease process, eventually causing it to become fatal. The discovery is an important link to finding new treatments targeting this cellular function and reducing cancer deaths among American men, researchers say.

An investigational therapy for BPH known as NX-1207 has shown positive results in a long-term outcome study, according to its manufacturer, Nymox Pharmaceutical Corp.

More than one-third of men with early prostate cancer who participated in a study analyzing treatment choice received therapies that might not be appropriate, based on pre-existing problems with urinary, bowel, or sexual function. The prevalence of these treatment "mismatches" could reflect patient unwillingness to discuss such problems with their physicians, according to the authors of the study, which will appear in the Jan. 1, 2008, issue of Cancer.

The extra blood volume produced in obese patients may so dilute levels of PSA that the PSA test may be significantly less effective for diagnosing prostate cancer in men carrying extra pounds, suggests a recent study in JAMA (2007; 298:2275-80).

AUA has announced the release of new guidelines on the management of two common urologic conditions: nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer and ureteral calculi.

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Urology Times randomly contacted urologists across the United States about how they respond to their patients' complaints and concerns about side effects from urologic medications, as well as the types of problems those side effects may create for the physician and the patient.

Retention of staff in the medical office is emerging as a difficult challenge, and urology practices are no exception.

Safety is an unspoken yet fundamental expectation of almost all personal and business relationships.

Nephron-sparing procedures now have clear advantages over radical nephrectomy for most small renal masses.

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Agents in the pipeline but not yet approved are expected to expand the range of OAB treatment choices.

There is growing evidence that finasteride (Proscar) can prevent the clinical manifestation of prostate cancer and increase the diagnostic accuracy of PSA testing.

The regulations guiding the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the establishment of the 2008 physician fee schedule remain unchanged for the most part.

For the first time in years, patients with interstitial cystitis, especially those with the worst cases, may have an effective new treatment.

Interstitial cystitis biomarkers didn't change with long-term neuromodulation in a surprising study.

Clinicians confronting acute urinary retention (AUR) would do well to not only resolve the retention, but to also look for and treat comorbid disease, which amplifies the risk of death in a disease state already associated with a high incidence of mortality.

They are signs of the times for today's practicing urologist: declining reimbursement, increasing overhead, an increasingly stringent regulatory environment, and rising malpractice premiums. Urologists ranked these issues as their most pressing concerns in the 2007 State of the Specialty survey, an exclusive study developed by the editors of Urology Times and Contemporary Urology.

Physicians who hesitate to prescribe testosterone replacement therapy for fear of promoting prostate cancer should re-examine the evidence.

In this interview, Anthony J. Schaeffer, MD, who serves as chair of the AUA Research Council and urology representative to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Advisory Council, discusses what the future holds for urology research.

Surgeons at the Cleveland Clinic’s Glickman Urological & Kidney Institute have taken laparoscopic surgery to the next level by performing a series of surgeries requiring only a single abdominal incision. Using a device newly listed by the FDA, Jihad H. Kaouk, MD, and colleagues say the single-port procedures leave little to no scarring and reduce postoperative complications.

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Medtronic, Inc. has initiated the InSite Trial, a post-market study of its sacral nerve stimulation therapy (InterStim) for the treatment of overactive bladder and urinary retention. The FDA has approved this efficacy study, which aims to enroll more than 450 patients. Those who qualify will be randomized to receive either InterStim therapy or standard medical treatment, including oral medications, as determined by their physician.

The FDA has accepted Indevus Pharmaceuticals’ new drug application for its long-acting depot preparation of testosterone undecanoate (Nebido) for the treatment of male hypogonadism. The NDA is predicated on data from six clinical studies in which more than 400 patients received at least one dose of the drug, more than 300 of whom were treated for more than 1 year.

The American College of Surgeons has named Jack W. McAninch, MD, as first vice president-elect. Separately, the ACS Board of Governors has elected Howard M. Snyder III, MD, as a regent.

Two tiny genetic variations may provide the best clues yet for finding more precise ways to estimate prostate cancer risk and improve screening and early detection for men of African descent, report researchers from the University of Chicago and the Translational Genomics Research Institute in Phoenix.