Medical therapy may be better option after PNL
June 1st 2004San Francisco--Second-look nephroscopy following percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) could be supplanted by metabolic evaluation and aggressive medical therapy, said researchers from the Duke University Medical Center. Second-look nephroscopy is currently the gold standard for assessing and achieving stone-free status, but the Duke researchers sought to determine whether this additional procedure was necessary.
Chemo studies mark new era in prostate Ca care
June 1st 2004Studies of the effect of chemotherapy in men with metastatic prostatecancer have been enticing and, at the same time, disappointing. While showingPSA response in some cases, these studies have previously failed to demonstrateimproved survival. This is all about to change, and for the better. We areentering an exciting new era in the management of this patient population.
Neoadjuvant chemo shows mixed results in PCa
June 1st 2004San Francisco--Continuing a trend of mixed results seen in previousstudies, neoadjuvant chemotherapy with docetaxel (Taxotere) resulted ina significant PSA response but failed to induce any histologic changes inlocally advanced prostate cancer, Cleveland Clinic investigators reportedat the AUA annual meeting.
Three modalities show equal outcomes in localized PCa
June 1st 2004Oceanside, NY--In men with clinically localized prostate cancer,monotherapy with radical prostatectomy, external beam radiation therapy,or permanent prostate brachytherapy offer the same excellent chance of biochemicalsuccess, according to the results of a large, retrospective study.
AUA: Post-marketing studies of ED therapies are under review
May 27th 2004The latest update of AUA guidelines for management of organic erectile dysfunction will focus on novel treatment recommendations and suggestions for study designs that minimize conflicts of interest in post-marketing comparisons of oral drug therapies.
Study results fuel interest in use of alpha-blockers for stone management
May 25th 2004Results from an ex vivo study demonstrating effects of the nonselective alpha-1 receptor antagonist doxazosin (Cardura) on ureteral contractility raises questions about the role of alpha-blocker treatment in the management of ureteral stone disease, say urologists from the University of Wisconsin.
Annual meeting shows spike in attendance over 2003
May 13th 2004Total attendance at this year's AUA annual meeting in San Francisco increasedby about 1,500 over last year's meeting in Chicago, according to unauditedstatistics released on Monday. As of Monday, total professional attendanceat the meeting was 11,538, compared with 10,031 at the 2003 meeting.
CAPU targets Congress for implant reimbursements
May 13th 2004The Coalition for the Advancement of Prosthetic Urology has taken a significantstep in what is likely to be a long march toward securing equitable paymentfor urologic prostheses, said John Mulcahy, MD, chairman of CAPU's boardof directors, during a briefing held during the AUA annual meeting Tuesday.
Chromophobe TCCs have better prognosis than clear-cell, papillary tumors
May 13th 2004A large, international, multicenter study has shattered one common assumptionabout renal cell carcinoma. The overall prognosis for chromophobe carcinomasis better than for clear-cell or papillary tumors, rather than the opposite.However, all three tumor types have equivalent survival when adjusted forstage and grade.
Ureteroscopy may not be best option in larger lower-pole stones
May 13th 2004Contrary to previous retrospective studies, the use of ureteroscopy maynot be the best option for larger lower-pole stones, according to findingsfrom a prospective, randomized study presented here yesterday. Results fromthe multicenter study suggest that other treatment modalities, such as percutaneousnephrolithotomy, may offer greater efficacy in stones >10 mm.
Fresh and frozen sperm found equally efficacious for IVF
May 13th 2004It appears to make little difference whether freshor frozen sperm is used for in vitro fertilization, as both have equivalentoutcomes in terms of fertilization rates, embryo quality, and the chanceof having at least one live birth event, according to a Mayo Clinic study.