Telomerase inhibition may suggest new treatment for prostate cancer
April 1st 2010Research characterizing the features of putative prostate cancer stem cells and their susceptibility to telomerase inhibition has important implications for understanding the biology of prostate cancer and for suggesting a new approach to treatment of advanced disease.
Bulking agent for female SUI offers durability at 2 years
March 25th 2010A 2-year assessment of patients implanted with the urethral bulking agent Macroplastique (Uroplasty, Minnetonka, MN) for the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence showed that 84% of patients maintained significant improvement from their 12-month assessment.
Phase III results confirm survival improvement with PCa immunotherapy
March 25th 2010Sipuleucel-T (Provenge) extends overall survival in men with metastatic, castrate-resistant prostate cancer, investigators in Dendreon Corp.?s phase III IMPACT (IMmunotherapy for Prostate AdenoCarcinoma Treatment) study recently announced at the 2010 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in San Francisco.
Advanced PCa treatment increases progression-free survival in phase III study
March 25th 2010Results from a phase III trial have shown that cabazitaxel, an investigational compound, plus prednisone/prednisolone significantly improved overall survival and progression-free survival in patients with metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer whose disease progressed following treatment with docetaxel (Taxotere)-based chemotherapy.
Cancer Society prostate Ca screening guidelines stress informed decision making
March 25th 2010Men should discuss the uncertainties, risks, and potential benefits of screening for prostate cancer before deciding whether to be tested, according to newly updated prostate cancer screening guidelines from the American Cancer Society.
Tracking technology reduces side effects from radiation
March 11th 2010The Calypso System (Calypso Medical Technologies, Inc., Seattle) offers a significant reduction in rectal and urinary treatment-related side effects during high-dose external beam radiation for prostate cancer, recent study findings show.
Investment volatility forces physicians to reexamine future plans
March 1st 2010Physicians are evaluating what the stock market nosedive has done to their portfolios and plans. Physicians who are at or near retirement have been forced to reconsider whether to retire, keep working, or go back to work if they are already retired.
Journal Club: Does antibiotic prophylaxis prevent recurrent urinary tract infections?
March 1st 2010A recent study demonstrated that long-term, low-dose trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) was associated with a modest decrease in urinary tract infections (UTIs) in children who had had at least 1 such symptomatic infection in the past.
Inflatable penile prosthesis coatings show minimal effect on bacterial growth
March 1st 2010Infection-retardant coatings on penile prostheses, which have been shown to reduce primary implantation infection rates by more than half, appear to have minimal effect on bacterial growth based on culture data as found at the time of revision surgery
Implantable testosterone pellets show advantages in men with low testosterone
March 1st 2010A form of testosterone replacement therapy that uses implantable testosterone pellets (Testopel) is a viable alternative to existing treatments for hypogonadism, with a number of practical advantages for patients.
Imaging ureteral stones with ultra low-dose CT protocol reduces exposure by 95%
March 1st 2010Ultra low-dose CT imaging (7.5 mA seconds) offers equivalent sensitivity and specificity for detecting ureteral stones compared with a standard CT scanning protocol (140 mA seconds) while reducing radiation exposure by 95%.
Analgesic spray offers clinical benefits in pediatric patients, cost efficiency
March 1st 2010An analgesic spray was used in 60 children scheduled to undergo lysis of glanular adhesions, lysis of labial adhesions, or excision of glanular skin bridges, and worked about 30 minutes faster than analgesic cream.
Androgen deprivation therapy and cardiac risk: Guidelines are needed, experts say
March 1st 2010Publication of a major observational study from Harvard Medical School, Boston, followed within weeks by a science advisory from AUA and other professional organizations, adds further evidence of a link between androgen deprivation therapy and elevated risks of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, although this relationship has not been definitively established.
Updated prostate cancer guidelines stress low-risk surveillance
March 1st 2010Recent updates to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology-Prostate Cancer include new recommendations on active surveillance, a new requirement for external beam radiation therapy, and revisions to the entire section on chemotherapy.