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It is incredibly tempting for readers to immediately look at the results of a study and determine the conclusions; however, the evidence-based mindset requires a more rational approach that questions the validity of the results, followed by a close inspection of them.

Since the introduction of PSA screening, prostate cancer-specific deaths have declined by 35%, but the number could be lowered even further.

The modern 10- to 12-core biopsy scheme has a higher diagnostic yield than the conventional sextant biopsy scheme does, especially on second biopsy.

Robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy may have made its way into the clinical arena under heavy marketing, but its value has now become clear.

The looming shortage of U.S. physicians is a complex, multifaceted problem-and one that faces urology as much, if not more than, other specialties.

Autologous muscle progenitor cells are able to restore otherwise irreversibly damaged sphincter function.

For very elderly patients with bladder cancer, good outcomes with radical cystectomy are possible primarily through appropriate patient selection, timely surgical management, and meticulous postoperative care.

Research led by Anthony Atala, MD, has shown that non-embryonic sources of stem cells may lead to safer, more effective clinical use.

Men with a history of infertility have a markedly increased risk of subsequently developing testicular cancer.

Traditional immunotherapy for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is being supplanted by new medications that target the biology of kidney cancer. Based on demonstrated efficacy, 3 of these novel agents have now been approved for advanced disease.

About 10% of needle biopsy reports will be returned with a diagnosis of prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) or of "atypical" cells that are possibly indicative of carcinoma. Armed with knowledge of the likelihood of each of these diagnoses developing into cancer over time, urologists can avoid subjecting patients to unnecessary repeat biopsies.

Pelvic floor muscle training plus bladder training appear to resolve urinary incontinence, according to a new systematic review of published studies on non-surgical management of urinary incontinence in women.

FDA has received reports of systemic adverse reactions, including respiratory compromise and death following the use of botulinum toxins types A (Botox) and B (BotoMyobloc) for FDA-approved and unapproved uses. The reactions reported are suggestive of botulism, the agency said.

Prostate cancers that are resistant to androgen deprivation therapy are more invasive and are more likely to spread to other organs than are androgen-dependent prostate cancers, according to UCLA researchers. The findings could change the way some prostate cancers are treated, spurring earlier use of hormone therapy to prevent the cancer’s spread, said senior author Robert Reiter, MD.

A single PSA test taken before the age 50 years can be used to predict advanced prostate cancer in men up to 25 years in advance of a diagnosis, according to a study by researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and Lund University in Sweden. The findings, published in the online journal BMC Medicine, should help physicians identify men who would benefit from intensive prostate cancer screenings over their lifetime.

An independent panel convened by the National Institutes of Health found that fewer than half of those experiencing urinary or fecal incontinence report their symptoms to health care providers without prompting, impairing their quality of life and hindering development of prevention and treatment strategies.

A diet low in fat and red meat but high in vegetables and lean protein may significantly decrease the risk of symptomatic BPH, according to researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

The American College of Preventive Medicine has found there is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against routine population prostate cancer screening with digital rectal examination or PSA. The college has issued a practice policy statement advising clinicians caring for men, particularly African-American men and those with a family history of prostate cancer, to provide them with information about the potential benefits and harms of screening and the limits of current evidence to allow these patients to make an informed decision about screening (Am J Prev Med 2008; 34:164-70).

Two novel, investigational forms of immunotherapy showed positive outcomes in separate studies reported at the recent Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in San Francisco.

Inderbir Gill, MD, has been appointed chairman of the department of urology at the Cleveland Clinic. The department of urology is one of three departments within the new Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute, along with the department of regional urology and the department of nephrology and hypertension.

Two newer drugs used for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma may be associated with an elevated risk of hypertension and other cardiovascular side effects, according to results of two separate studies.

Researchers at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, have developed a prostate cancer vaccine that prevented the development of cancer in 90% of young mice genetically predestined to develop the disease, and suggest the same strategy might work for men with rising levels of PSA (Cancer Res 2008; 68:861-9).

Men with prostate cancer who undergo prostatectomy cite sexual dysfunction as the most common side effect after surgery, but urinary dysfunction troubles these patients most, a study from the University of Florida College of Nursing, Gainesville, has found. What’s more, many are not emotionally prepared to face these complications, according to the study, reported in Urologic Nursing (2007; 27:527-33).

Hormonal components in over-the-counter dietary supplements may promote the progression of prostate cancer and decrease the effectiveness of anti-cancer drugs, report researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. The findings, which appear in Clinical Cancer Research (2008; 14:607-11), reaffirm that patients should inform their doctors about any herbal or hormonal dietary supplements they are taking or are considering taking.

Assessing the comparative effectiveness and harms of various treatments for localized prostate cancer treatments is difficult because of limitations in evidence, according to a study to be published in the March 18, 2008, edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Researchers analyzing prostate tumors have identified differences in gene expression between African-American and Caucasian men that show the existence of distinct tumor microenvironments in these two patient groups. The study, conducted by investigators at the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, appears in Cancer Research (2008; 68:927-36).

Sex hormones circulating in the blood do not appear to be associated with prostate cancer risk, according to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2008; 100:170-83).

Urologists and other physicians who treat Medicare patients have been given a short reprieve from the across-the-board 10.1% reimbursement cut that was scheduled for Jan. 1, and have even received a little bit of a raise.