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Anti-inflammatory drugs, either alone or in combination with an alpha-blocker or 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor, may have an important role in treating or possibly even preventing the progression of BPH.

Orlando, FL--What are the benefits of combining castration with a nonsteroidal antiandrogen in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer? Laurence Klotz, MD, of the University of Toronto, has found a high probability that bicalutamide (Casodex), 50 mg/day, plus castration provides a survival advantage over castration alone.

Orlando, FL--Testosterone's effect on the development and progression of BPH and prostate cancer is well known, but a group of University of Tennessee researchers has been focusing on testosterone's less frequently studied "partner in crime"—estrogen.

Hormone therapy increased the incidence of all types of incontinence at 1 year among women who were continent at baseline.

Orlando, FL--A genetically modified vaccine has demonstrated immunogenicity and clinical activity in hormone-refractory prostate cancer patients with metastatic disease, researchers reported in a poster presentation at the 2005 Multidisciplinary Prostate Cancer Symposium.

There's no better way, after physician referrals, to generate new patients than public speaking.

The average intravaginal ejaculatory latency time of premature ejaculation sufferers is 1.8 minutes, versus 7.3 minutes in men without PE, according to a large epidemiologic study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine (2005; 2:358).

AUA has appointed Kathryn Bell as the scientific education program manager in its Office of Education.

The average intravaginal ejaculatory latency time of premature ejaculation sufferers is 1.8 minutes, versus 7.3 minutes in men without PE, according to a large epidemiologic study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine (2005; 2:358).

The American College of Surgeons has published a new 200-page manual designed to guide surgeons in evolving areas of patient safety.

An agent under investigation for treatment of overactive bladder demonstrated statistically significant improvements over placebo in phase III trials, according to Schwarz Pharma, which is developing the drug, fesoterodine.

The American Foundation of Urologic Disease will be under the ageis of the American Urological Association following an agreement between leaders of the two groups.

Steep Medicare payment cuts to physicians and other health professionals will hurt access to care for America's seniors and disabled, according to a survey of physicians by the American Medical Association.

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Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., merged to form a new corporation named Astellas Pharma, Inc.

The Indian American Urological Association (IAUA) said it will hold its educational program under the auspices of AUA for the first time next month. The program is scheduled for May 21 at the Marriott Riverwalk, San Antonio, TX.

Within 36 hours after ingesting sildenafil citrate (Viagra) for erectile dysfunction, some men have nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), described as "stroke of the eye," according to a report of seven cases published in the Journal of Neuro-ophthalmology (2005; 25:9-13).

Testosterone gel (AndroGel) 1% will be evaluated for its efficacy and safety as an adjunct to oral hypoglycemic therapy in men with type 2 diabetes and hypogonadism, according to its manufacturer, Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

A clinical study evaluating the effect of co-administration of an investigational intranasal agent PT-141 and sildenafil citrate (Viagra) shows positive results in patients with erectile dysfunction, according to researchers from Palatin Technologies Inc. and King Pharmaceuticals Inc.

The FDA has approved triptorelin pamoate for injectable suspension (Trelstar Depot, 3.75 mg, and Trelstar LA 11.25 mg). The sustained-release, 1- and 3-month intramuscular injectable formulations are now available nationwide for the palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer when orchiectomy or estrogen administration are either not indicated or are unacceptable to the patient.

Rectal cancer risk is 70% higher in men who undergo radiation for prostate cancer than those who opt to have surgery to treat the cancer, according to a study to be published in the April issue of Gastroenterology.

Androgen suppression immediately after radiotherapy in high-risk prostate cancer patients reduces the disease progression and significantly improves survival, according to long-term data published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics (2005; 61:1285-90).

San Francisco--Environmental factors have emerged as potential contributors to genetic anomalies affecting male genitalia, according to studies reported at the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Urology annual meeting.

Honolulu--Ureteroscopy may be safe and effective for the diagnosis and treatment of renal colic and urolithiasis during pregnancy, according to research findings presented at the annual Kimbrough Urological Seminar.

Antimuscarinics are recommended as first-line pharmacotherapy for OAB. They act to reduce urgency, stabilize detrusor overactivity, and increase bladder capacity.

Philadelphia--Urologists who manage patients with overactive bladder are challenged not only with choosing from a growing list of pharmacologic treatment options, but also with the prospect that some patients may not respond to oral anticholinergic treatment at all. In these patients with "refractory detrusor overactivity," it is important to realize that a number of factors mitigate against successful therapy, said Roger R. Dmochowski, MD, professor of urology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.

Houston--Nuclear matrix protein 22 (NMP22) is to bladder cancer as PSA is to prostate cancer, perhaps better. That is the implication of a recently published, prospective, multi-institution study showing the point-of-care NMP22 assay (BladderChek, Matritech, Newton, MA) has a sensitivity of 55.7% and a specificity of 85.7%. In contrast, cytology was found to have lower sensitivity (15.8%) but higher specificity (99.2%).

If we do not develop our own performance measures, someone else will do it for us.

Washington--A controversy is brewing over whether Medicare should pay for erectile dysfunction drugs, which boiled over in the midst of heated discussions over the cost of the new Medicare drug benefit. Now estimated at $720 billion, the expected cost of the program is nearly double the government's original 2003 projections.