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Ikonisys Inc. has received FDA approval to market the oncoFISH bladder diagnostic application in the United States. In conjunction with the company’s proprietary Ikoniscope robotic digital microscopy platform, oncoFISH bladder enables automated testing of cells found in urine specimens to aid in the detection of bladder cancer.

A course of the investigational drug silodosin, 8 mg once daily for 12 weeks, was superior to placebo for the relief of both obstructive and irritative symptoms in men with BPH, two phase III studies showed. Secondary endpoints included improvement in maximum urine flow.

Researchers working with breast cancer stem cells have found 186 genes that together can predict the risk of recurrence in breast cancer patients.

Early detection and treatment of prostate cancer apparently have lived up to their potential. The annual statistical report of the American Cancer Society reports that deaths in the United States from the four leading types of cancer-including prostate cancer-have decreased for the second consecutive year.

The Urology Center, located in New Haven, CT, has added a new associate, M. Grey Maher, MD, who returns after completing a fellowship in female urology, reconstructive surgery, and urodynamics at UCLA Medical Center.

The TwinCrest Group has signed a national agreement with International Physician Networks to provide in-office pathology laboratories to its urology, gastroenterology, and dermatology member physicians.

The recently discovered infectious virus XMRV was found in two patients with prostate cancer, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The cost burden of prostate cancer is high, but it varies by treatment type, even when controlling for disease, age, and stage, according to a study by Peter Carroll, MD, and colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco.

Three-fourths of men treated with a combination of radiation seed implants and external beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer are cured of their disease 15 years following their treatment, according to a study published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics (2007; 67:57-64).

Two new drugs for advanced renal cell carcinoma effectively increase progression-free survival in patients with the disease, according to separate studies published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine (2007; 356:125-34; and 115-24).

Repeated doses of the targeted radiopharmaceutical samarium Sm-153 lexidronam injection (Quadramet) are a safe and effective treatment option in patients with painful bone metastases secondary to prostate cancer, according to a multicenter, phase IV study published recently in the online edition of Cancer.

AUA has announced that Heddy Hubbard, PhD, MPH, RN will be the association's new director of guidelines.

Definitive therapy appears to improve survival in men with early-stage prostate cancer, researchers from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, reported.

Two new methods for evaluating prostate cancer risk following primary treatment have shown promise in separate studies.

Repeated doses of the targeted radiopharmaceutical samarium Sm-153 lexidronam injection (Quadramet) are a safe and effective treatment option in patients with painful bone metastases secondary to prostate cancer, according to a multicenter, phase IV study published recently in the online edition of Cancer.

Increased water intake may improve some aspects of bladder function in older men, but the effects are too small to be clinically relevant, according to a study by Dutch researchers.

Bevacizumab (Avastin) in combination with interferon alfa-2a (Roferon-A) therapy in patients with first-line metastatic renal cell carcinoma appears to significantly improve progression-free survival compared with interferon alfa-2a therapy alone, according to recent findings from an unpublished interim analysis of phase III data.

Men taking statins to lower their cholesterol are not at increased risk for developing prostate cancer, according to an ongoing multicenter, prospective cohort study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2006; 98:1819-25).

Chicago-Saturation prostate biopsy (SPB) may offer an effective follow-up tool for diagnosing prostate cancer in men with a prior negative biopsy, persistently elevated PSA, and a prostate gland volume less than 37 cc, according to researchers from the Medical College of Georgia and Augusta Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Chicago-Findings from systematic research being conducted by researchers at the University of California, Davis suggest that arginine deprivation may be a novel treatment in some prostate cancers.

Boston-Researchers at the Harvard Medical School, the Broad Institute, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute appear to be closing in on one or more of the genes that elevate the risk of prostate cancer in African-American men. They have narrowed the search to a 3.8 million nucleo-tide stretch DNA on the long arm of chromosome 8.

New York-Men bothered by overactive bladder and prostate enlargement symptoms who are treated simultaneously with the anticholinergic drug tolterodine tartrate extended-release capsules (Detrol LA) and the alpha-blocker tamsulosin (Flomax) report better symptom control and quality of life than do men treated with either one of the medications or placebo, according to a recently published study (JAMA 2006; 296:2319-28).

The following tables outline the components of maintenance of certification and timelines for implementation.

Chicago-In patients with a contrast-enhancing renal mass, delayed intervention after watchful waiting does not adversely affect pathologic outcomes, results of a retrospective study designed to gain insight into the natural history of "incidentalomas" indicate. This holds true even for some lesions that are relatively large at diagnosis or found on follow-up to be rapidly growing, researchers from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reported at the American College of Surgeons clinical congress.

Washington-The results of the November congressional elections, which caused a dramatic shift of power on Capitol Hill from Republicans to Democrats, will have significant implications for urologists and other physicians as they seek to build their practices and serve their patients in the years ahead.

Control of postoperative pain is usually considered follow-up care similar to wound care, removal of sutures, and other related services.

PVP can be performed in inpatient and outpatient hospital settings, as well as in a well-equipped urology office in select patients.

Chicago-Sextant biopsy with a transition zone or a laterally directed template loses efficacy in prostate cancer diagnosis with repeat testing, but only after four negative biopsies have been taken, researchers from Harvard Medical School reported at the American College of Surgeons clinical congress here.