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The role of protein- and cell-based urinary biomarkers for bladder cancer detection and surveillance is controversial, and in 2017 these assays have yet to come into widespread use among urologists. Their uptake is expected to increase, however, considering that the AUA/Society of Urologic Oncology “Guideline on Diagnosis and Treatment of Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer” that was released in 2016 identifies situations for using urinary biomarkers, according to Badrinath R. Konety, MD.

This article highlights the key points of two urologic cancer guidelines (which provide evidence-based guidance) and two consensus statements (which provide consensus recommendations by a multidisciplinary panel of experts) that have been published in the past year.

While no resource is perfect, it is worthwhile to familiarize yourself with some contemporary methodology and predictive tools to help determine life expectancy in localized prostate cancer patients.

Targeted treatment with a small molecule RNA inhibitor demonstrates promising activity for promoting apoptosis of prostate cancer cells in culture, report investigators from Scripps Florida.

“The data from our study show that combination therapy [for metastatic renal cell carcinoma] may offer a much higher response rate with manageable side effects,” says study author Jianjun Gao, MD, PhD.

A recent study found that decreased pelvic floor strength after childbirth is 2.5 times more likely to affect women over age 25 years than younger women.

“The immune system may be an under-recognized contributor to the tumor response to chemotherapy,” said researcher Philip H. Abbosh, MD, PhD.

A recent study found that compared to white light cystoscopy, fluorescent cystoscopy was linked to a 41% decreased risk of bladder cancer recurrence at less than 3 months.

Urologist Henry Rosevear, MD, thinks it may be time to bring patients into the prior authorization process.

Two recent JAMA studies confirm a higher rate of sexual and urinary side effects with radical prostatectomy compared with radiation therapy and surveillance.

The update provides evidence-based recommendations for different patient risk groups and specifies the most effective forms of the treatment for patients with prostate cancer.

In these videos, expert surgeons demonstrate robot-assisted penile inversion vaginoplasty, single-stage metoidioplasty, and simple orchiectomy for transgender patients.

Other pipeline developments include efficacy results for a bladder and prostate cancer drug, an infertility tool to predict sperm quality, the initiation of an immunotherapy combination for mUC, and more.

Among urologists, prior authorization ranks as their second most pressing concern, according to Urology Times’ 2016 State of the Specialty survey. The same survey showed the problem is getting worse, with 86% of respondents reporting that prior authorization demands are increasing.

Two topics of particular relevance at the 2017 Joint Advocacy Conference were IPAB repeal and medical liability reform, both of which have legislative initiatives currently gaining momentum in Congress.

The noninvasive molecular test for detecting recurrent urothelial carcinoma also demonstrates high negative predictive value in a prospective study.

Tom Wooldridge, PsyD, addresses misinformation regarding eating disorders in men.

In the arena of focal therapy for prostate cancer, standardization of management will be a key component of quality data going forward, says Scott Eggener, MD.

Urology Times reached out to four urologists (selected randomly) and asked them each the following question: How concerned are you about radiation exposure?

A 5-year-old girl is evaluated for recurrent urinary tract infections and lower abdomen pain. A kidney, ureter, and bladder x-ray and computed tomography are obtained.

Phase III study results suggest that a hydrogel spacer developed to separate the rectum and prostate during radiotherapy for prostate cancer works to maintain bowel and urinary quality of life and reduces late rectal toxicity by 78% at 3 years post radiotherapy.

Since passage of the Affordable Care Act, the number of testicular cancer patients with insurance has dwindled, while rates of advanced testis cancer have climbed, according to a recent study.

"The nurse practitioner that I work with is not only very knowledgeable in office-based pediatric urology but also, for problems like voiding dysfunction, more available to spend extra time with patients and their families," writes Barry A. Kogan, MD.

As the United States faces a urologist shortage, physician assistants and nurse practitioners will likely play an increasingly important role in the field of urology. Now, a new survey-the first of its kind-suggests that many of those in these positions are performing advanced procedures despite lacking postgraduate urologic training.

Single-stage anterior urethroplasty is feasible and safe when performed as a same-day outpatient procedure, even for men requiring combined substitution repairs, said University of Pittsburgh Medical Center urologists at the 2016 AUA annual meeting in San Diego.

The provision of health care via technology and without direct eye-to-eye and skin-to-skin contact is an area of growing interest in the U.S. It is also an area of great concern. One of the key conundrums surrounding telemedicine is the when, how, and what to pay for the service.

Findings of a retrospective study investigating variability of semen parameters after repeat testing in adolescents with varicocele indicate that a second semen analysis is warranted only when the sperm concentration is initially abnormal.