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New research has identified a number of independent predictors of overall survival in men with metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer, and those findings have been used to generate a simple nomogram for predicting survival probability to 5 years.

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of men with early recurrent androgen-dependent prostate cancer, active cellular immunotherapy with sipuleucel-T (Provenge) failed to meet its primary endpoint for delaying time to biochemical failure.

Tumor volume changes measured by endorectal magnetic resonance imaging (eMRI) independently predict PSA recurrence in men with intermediate or high-risk prostate cancer being treated with radiotherapy plus 6 months of androgen suppression therapy.

Combined positron emission tomography and computed tomography imaging using [11C]choline as a tracer may be useful in detecting prostate cancer recurrence and, more important, may help clinicians to determine whether the recurrence is local or metastatic.

Primary care physicians show large deficits in familiarity with and knowledge of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome along with significant variability in their approaches to diagnosis and treatment.

Of all the measurable factors a urologist must weigh when developing a prognosis for the patient with BPH, only health-related quality of life as assessed by the Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Impact Index significantly raises the potential for surgical intervention.

Hyaluronic acid/dextranomer gel (Deflux) reduced by 62% the incidence of recurrent urinary tract infections in children with vesicoureteral reflux, according to a study published in the Journal of Laparoendoscopic & Advanced Surgical Techniques (2007; 17:353-9). The therapy also eliminated the need for prophylactic antibiotics in 87% of patients.

Cook Urology, a division of Cook Medical, and Convergent Laser Technologies have entered into a worldwide agreement that enables Cook to market and distribute Convergent’s Odyssey lasers and laser fibers for the treatment of kidney stones.

Computed tomography-guided radiofrequency ablation was nearly 100% successful in eradicating small, malignant kidney tumors in a study of more than 100 patients, according to researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC.

While men using statins experienced lower blood levels of androgens, those levels were more likely attributable to poor health than to the use of statins, according to a study that appears to refute previous findings that statins might cut a man’s risk of developing prostate cancer.

A combination of interferon alfa-2b and sorafenib (Nexavar) works better than does either drug alone in improving response in patients with renal cell carcinoma, according to a pilot study led by researchers from the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, Durham, NC.

Urology ranks fifth among specialties in terms of salary, with an average annual salary of $380,000 and a median of $325,520, according to a new survey from Martin, Fletcher, a national health care recruiting and consultancy firm.

While urologists continue to search for the most effective means of treating BPH and lower urinary tract symptoms, research presented at the 2007 AUA annual meeting suggests that drugs they may already be prescribing for other conditions could provide a novel solution.