All News

Patients on intermittent catheterization are now allowed up to 200 single-use, disposable catheters per month, thanks to a change in policy by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The decision provides improved access to single-use catheters in patients with multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, and spina bifida.

In an attempt to remedy the pressures associated with insurance claims reimbursement for physician services, the American Medical Association has launched the Cure for Claims campaign simultaneously with its first National Health Insurer Report Card on claims processing.

A panel of seven biomarkers can predict with 86% accuracy which prostate cancer patients will experience recurrence and progression of prostate cancer, researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas reported in Clinical Cancer Research (2008; 14:3785-91).

The risk of developing prostate cancer among older men who receive testosterone replacement therapy for low testosterone is no greater than it is for similarly aged men not treated with testosterone, according to a study presented at The Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco.

FDA has approved the 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor dutasteride (Avodart) in combination with the alpha-blocker tamsulosin (Flomax) for treatment of symptomatic enlarged prostate. Both drugs had previously been approved individually for treatment of enlarged prostate.

A federal court judge has upheld an effort by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to prevent physicians from administering anatomic pathology diagnostic testing services performed in “pod labs,” rejecting a challenge by Uropath, LLC and several urology groups.

Chances of surviving prostate cancer in men whose tumors recur after prostatectomy are threefold higher for those who undergo radiotherapy within 2 years after recurrence, according to new research findings from the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore. In men whose new tumors grew fastest, prolonged survival chances were greatest, researchers reported last week in JAMA (2008; 299:2760-9).

The Sexual Medicine Society of North America has announced a public education program commemorating a decade of treatment for erectile dysfunction: The first tablet to treat ED was introduced 10 years ago.

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has announced initiation of the INTORACT (INvestigation of Torisel and Avastin Combination Therapy) study, a randomized, open-label phase III study comparing temsirolimus (Torisel) plus bevacizumab (Avastin) versus bevacizumab plus interferon-alfa for first-line treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Modern 3-D computed tomography is effective for locating the prostatic apex for radiation therapy treatment planning in prostate cancer patients because it eliminates the need for an invasive procedure and related side effects, according to a study in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics (2008; 71:51-7).

Researchers at the University of California Davis Children’s Hospital have identified the potential stem cells that become the bladder, adding to the body of research that already has identified stem cells that can regenerate many of the body’s other organs.

The form of tomato product one eats could be the key to unlocking its prostate cancer-fighting potential, researchers from the University of Missouri, Columbia, recently reported in Cancer Research (2008; 68:4384-91).

Older nursing home residents who take cholinesterase inhibitors for dementia and older anticholinergic agents for incontinence concurrently have a 50% faster decline in function than those who are being treated only for dementia, according to a study led by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC.

A new nomogram predicts the probability of a patient being cancer-free 12 years after initial surgical treatment for renal cell carcinoma, according to researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. The nomogram uses tumor and patient characteristics to maximize predictive accuracy.

A new drug application for a topical gel formulation of oxybutynin chloride in the treatment of overactive bladder has been accepted for filing by the FDA, according to Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the manufacturer.

Individuals with kidney cancer in the United States now are more likely to have their tumor diagnosed in the most treatable stage than they were a decade ago, leading to a slightly higher survival rate, according to a study published in the May 19 online edition of Cancer.

New data show that RAD001 (everolimus) may provide a new treatment option for patients with advanced kidney cancer who have failed standard therapies.

Estrogen-linked signaling helps drive a discrete and aggressive form of prostate cancer caused by a chromosomal translocation, which, in turn, results in the fusion of two genes, researchers report.

The International Society for Sexual Medicine has developed an evidence-based definition of premature ejaculation that its authors say will aid future diagnosis, treatment, and research.

An extensive re-analysis of the drug finasteride (Proscar) shows that it reduced the risk of developing prostate cancer by about 30% compared with the initial finding of a 25% reduction in risk.

The Joint Advocacy Conference allowed AUA members to meet with lawmakers and their staffs to educate them about the importance of their decisions on physicians' practices and patients. But there is more to be done.

A trial without catheter (TWOC) following an average of 3 days of catheterization has become standard practice in men with acute urinary retention (AUR) associated with BPH. Now, the results of a recent study have shown that the administration of an alpha-blocker prior to a TWOC can significantly increase the chances of the success of TWOC.

By simply placing grooves at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions down part of the length of a semi-rigid ureteroscope, urologists were able to decrease luminal pressures by nearly 40% in an in vitro model.

About one-quarter of men who fail to respond to phosphodiesterase type-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors for treatment of erectile dysfunction will respond to the drug on rechallenge if they are first exposed to a short-term course of intracavernosal injection (ICI) therapy.

Dapoxetine, a drug currently under investigation for the treatment of premature ejaculation, provides significant improvement in the sexual function of men and their sexual partners, according to the results of a recent multinational study.

Results of a recent study have shown that female partners of men suffering from premature ejaculation (PE) confirm the lack of ejaculatory control of their partners. Significantly lower sexual satisfaction as well as higher ejaculation-related distress and interpersonal difficulties in the relationship were also seen in both male and female participants, compared to relationships in which PE was not an issue.

The combination of dutasteride (Avodart) and tamsulosin (Flomax) provides significantly greater improvement in International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and patient-reported quality of life than either therapy alone in men with BPH who are at increased risk of progression.