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Pat F. Fulgham, MD, has been appointed chief quality officer at Dallas-based Urology Clinics of North Texas (UCNT).

Matritech has launched a series of local programs to screen high-risk individuals for bladder cancer.

Uroplasty, Inc. has received an approvable letter from the FDA relating to its pre-market approval application for Macroplastique implants for the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence.

Kidney cancer patients with two otherwise healthy kidneys who underwent partial nephrectomy to remove a small cancer developed chronic kidney disease at a rate one-third lower than patients who underwent radical nephrectomy, reported researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Men with prostate cancer and their spouses/significant others are being sought for a joint study being conducted by two Los Angeles-area medical centers as part of a collaborative effort to better understand the genetics of the disease.

Location may be everything when it comes to the pain associated with prostate biopsy.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation has launched Athletes for a Cure, a fundraising and awareness program to assist individual athletes in their quest to raise money for better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer.

Rotating-shift workers appear to be at significant risk for prostate cancer compared with fixed-night work, according to Japanese researchers.

A protein in the blood may prove to be a biomarker that is more sensitive and specific than PSA and digital rectal exam, according to scientists at Panacea Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Gaithersburg, MD.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen may prevent or delay BPH, according to a study conducted by researchers at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.

UCLA has launched a new Integrative Urology Program, which combines Western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, and the latest nutritional advice.

Treatment with hyaluronic acid/dextranomer gel (Deflux) showed a cure rate of more than 90% in children with vesicoureteral reflux, with 82.2% showing resolution after just one treatment, according to a study published last month in Pediatrics (2006; 118:698-703).

A daily glass of orange juice may help prevent the recurrence of kidney stones better than other citrus fruit juices such as lemonade, according to a small study from the University of Texas Southwesten Medical Center, Dallas.

GlaxoSmithKline has initiated REDEEM, a multicenter, North American clinical trial designed to determine whether the 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor dutasteride (Avodart) can delay or prevent prostate surgery or radiation, shrink prostate cancer tumors, and lessen severity of tumors in men with low-grade prostate cancer.

AUA, the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology have advised patients taking alpha-blockers for BPH treatment to inform their eye surgeon about the drugs before undergoing eye surgery.

Atlanta-A calculator that can instantly predict short-and long-term risks of recurrence and progression in patients with stage Ta/T1 bladder cancer is a few clicks away.

Atlanta-A trial of drug regimens in hormone-refractory prostate cancer came up with only modest results, but it did take an important first step: It is one of the first prospective trials conducted in taxane-refractory disease.

Spencer, IN-Cook Urological's 1.7F NCompass Nitinol Stone Extractor features a tipless 16-wire dual basket design that securely traps and extracts kidney stones and stone fragments as small as 1.5 mm without impeding irrigation or visibility during the procedure. Made from the shape-memory alloy of titanium and nickel, nitinol, the extractor's design minimizes tissue trauma and provides stability and ease of movement during procedures, according to Cook.

Whenever the needs of the practice change, job descriptions should be redefined to reflect those changes so that you achieve optimal staff productivity.

What you discuss with patients and when you do it can make a difference in how you code

The most instructive HRQoL studies are those that rely on prospective, longitudinal assessments of patients using a validated instrument.

Atlanta-Two recent studies have provided promising outcomes data on sorafenib tosylate (Nexavar), both as a second-line therapy and potentially as first-line treatment in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma, researchers reported at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting here.

Atlanta-Sorafenib tosylate (Nexavar), a newer oral multi-kinase inhibitor that targets tumor growth and vascularization, was generally well tolerated by patients with metastatic clear-cell renal cell carcinoma in a randomized phase II trial that compared the efficacy and tolerability of the drug with that of interferon in first-line therapy. Study results were presented by Bernard Escudier, MD, head of the immunotherapy and innovative therapy unit at Institut Gustave Roussy Villejuif, Cedex, France, at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting here.

Atlanta-Contrary to earlier data from a single-arm study, the addition of erlotinib (Tarceva) to the monoclonal antibody bevacizumab (Avastin) does not significantly delay disease progression in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, according to data presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting. The new findings suggest that bevacizumab is responsible for increasing progression-free survival in this patient population.

Atlanta-Papillary renal cell carcinoma might be called an orphan disease.

Atlanta-Sixty percent of testicular germ cell tumors, such as embryonal cell carcinoma, teratocarcinoma, and teratoma, are nonseminomatous. Stage I nonseminoma patients are usually of young age, the cure rate is high, and most patients have many decades of life ahead after orchidectomy, followed by surveillance. Therefore, long-term investigations of morbidity and treatment are of significant concern.

Atlanta-Patients with refractory metastatic testicular cancer who have not responded to their initial chemotherapy may respond to high-dose chemotherapy given in tandem with blood stem cell transplant, according to a study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting here.

Atlanta-Will patients with stage I nonseminomatous testicular cancer (NSGCT) do better with one course of chemotherapy than with retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND)? That's what the results of a large, long-term German study implied, but some have sounded a note of caution, wanting longer and better follow-up before recommending any first-line therapy other than rigorous surveillance. The answer may depend on the care that will work best in the community, rather than on the care available at specialized centers.