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Dendreon Corp. has reached an agreement with the FDA under the Special Protocol Assessment procedure to amend the design of its ongoing phase III (D9902B) clinical trial of sipuleucel-T (Provenge), the company?s investigational active cellular immunotherapy for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.

Smaller ambulatory surgery centers continue to report better net incomes per case than their larger counterparts, while larger ASCs report lower operating costs, according to a newly released report from the Medical Group Management Association.

Washington--Counterfeit prescription drugs pose a "potentially serious health threat" in the United States, one that can result in serious or deadly consequences for patients because of unscrupulous acts of profiteers who take advantage of a lack of uniform regulation and enforcement.

Nerve stim device provides office-based OAB treatment

Business interruption insurance compensates you for lost income if you have to vacate the premises due to disaster-related damage.

As the only nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching urology in developing countries, International Volunteers in Urology (IVU) provides a number of opportunities for residents and practicing urologists alike. Volunteers offer their teaching and clinical skills and learn about resourcefulness and compassion in return, IVU President Catherine deVries, MD, says in this exclusive interview. She was interviewed by UT Editorial Consultant Richard D. Williams, MD, professor and chairman of the department of urology at the University of Iowa, Iowa City. Dr. Williams also leads a volunteer surgical team that travels to Haiti each year.

Patients need to understand that, based on their age, prevalence of prostate cancer can be predicted.

St. Louis--In the opinion of many, the work emanating from Scott Hultgren, PhD's laboratory in the molecular microbiology and microbial pathogenesis program at Washington University School of Medicine will revolutionize the treatment of urinary tract infections, a particularly vexing clinical challenge.

Rochester, MN--Gleason scores are not what they used to be. Low-grade cancers, as described by Gleason scores 2 to 5, have virtually disappeared, while higher-grade cancers, particularly those identified as Gleason 6, have surged upward, according to a study performed at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.

Farmington, CT--Before epidemiologists and urologists pat themselves on the back for the improvements seen in outcomes following definitive treatment for prostate cancer, they may want to consider data assimilated by Peter C. Albertsen, MD, professor and chief of the division of urology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington.

Montreal--Putting to rest a long-standing debate about the number of elements that the external anal sphincter (EAS) contains, magnetic resonance imaging and three-dimensional modeling here at the annual meeting of the International Continence Socity shows the EAS has three components, according to researchers from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Montreal--While long-term studies on vaginal meshes used in pelvic organ prolapse surgery are lacking, several meshes are being studied in experimental settings and are being found effective and safe at providing anatomical correction.

Montreal--Botulinum toxin type B appears to be efficacious for the treatment of overactive bladder, although the agent has a short duration of action, according to British researchers. While their small, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover-design study specifically examined serotype B, the researchers said botulinum toxin A is likely the preferred agent because of its greater durability.

Montreal--Two newer-generation antimuscarinic agents—solifenacin succinate (VESIcare) and extended-release tolterodine tartrate (Detrol LA)—improve symptoms of overactive bladder, but solifenacin appears to provide superior outcomes, according to a trial conducted in collaboration with the manufacturer of solifenacin. Benefits of solifenacin appear to be due, at least in part, to the availability of two approved doses of the drug, researchers say.

Forl?, Italy--A noninvasive bladder cancer detection test that relies on measuring telomerase activity could offer higher sensitivity and specificity rates than other commonly used noninvasive tests, according to a new study from Italy.

Montreal--Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) can be coaxed into restoring urethral function and even building new bladders in an animal model, UCLA researchers report, providing hope that one day a similar approach can be used for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence and even bladder reconstruction in humans. Human trials, however, are still a long way off.

New Orleans--Hurricane Katrina has come and gone and in its wake we are left with devastation, carnage, and sadness. The region has more than 6,000 displaced physicians, and 156 AUA members have practices in the affected areas, according to AUA.

Montreal--Trans-sacral magnetic stimulation using a portable device appears to yield no discernible benefits over a sham device in patients with overactive bladder, according to results of an Australian study. It remains unclear, said the authors, whether this failure is due to the particular manner in which the device delivered the magnetic field or whether magnetic stimulation in general is simply an ineffective treatment for this condition.

Montreal--Urinary incontinence caused by neurogenic overactive bladder can be successfully treated with a novel system of pudendal nerve stimulation, according to a small Italian study presented at the annual meeting of the International Continence Society here.

Montreal--Among men with BPH, an estimate of bladder weight using ultrasound can help predict both which patients will eventually require a prostatectomy and which ones will have favorable outcomes, according to researchers from the University of Fukui in Japan. Ultrasound-estimated bladder weight (USEBW) may provide a less-invasive alternative to current techniques.

Montreal--Vaginal delivery may cause significant pelvic floor trauma in as many as one-third of first-time deliveries. This trauma appears, upon ultrasound, to primarily affect the levator ani muscle, according to new research from Australia.

Montreal--Women who are choosing to have a Caesarean section instead of a vaginal delivery to avoid incontinence later in life should opt for vaginal delivery and should focus on their lifestyle choices, which can influence the likelihood that they will develop incontinence, according to research presented here at the International Continence Society annual meeting.

Montreal--Pelvic floor muscle (PFM) training can significantly improve the symptoms of stress urinary incontinence. Just 8 weeks of training can provide relief to some patients that lasts for years, results of a Japanese study show.

Montreal--Findings from a large cohort study presented at the International Continence Society annual meeting here have led to reference values for clinicians conducting preoperative urodynamic studies in women with stress urinary incontinence.

Montreal--Procedures using tension-free vaginal tape (TVT, Gynecare/Ethicon, Somerville, NJ) or the recently introduced trans-obturator tape (TOT, Mentor Corp., Santa Barbara, CA) appear to provide equal outcomes in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence. However, TOT may leave a subset of patients more comfortable because it is associated with a lower risk of urgency symptoms, according to a prospective, multicenter, randomized Italian study presented at the International Continence Society here.

Outcomes must be assessed using validated, patient-driven quality-of-life questionnaires.

CME-Supplement-December 2005

New data from The National Birth Defects Prevention Study provide additional evidence that pregnancy-related intake of progestins is associated with increased hypospadias risk.

George F. Ellis, MD, a urologist from Longwood, FL, and founder and chairman of the Primary Care Access Network (PCAN), was a recipient of the 2005 Surgical Volunteerism Awards, presented by the American College of Surgeons and the Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative for selfless efforts as a volunteer surgeon to the medically underserved.

Three separate European studies have documented the success of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) in treating prostate cancer.