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Atlanta-Researchers from the University of Michigan have developed and validated a new questionnaire to assess health-related quality-of-life outcomes among patients treated for bladder cancer.

Atlanta-Combining an alpha-blocker with a phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitor appears to produce a greater therapeutic benefit in men with lower urinary tract symptoms than either drug alone, according to a study from Weill Cornell Medical College, New York.

It's clear that a two-track system of urology is already in place.

Atlanta-In a recent study of nearly 6,500 men treated for localized pros-tate cancer, researchers found that being obese did not significantly affect the need for secondary treatment, nor did it result in decreased overall or disease-specific survival.

Chicago-A widely studied protein can help urologists find sperm to be used for in vitro fertilization and may even indicate another future pharmaceutical application of the substance, according to research presented here at the American Society of Andrology annual meeting here.

Atlanta-Chronic prostatic inflammation may increase the chance that a man will develop prostate cancer, suggesting that men with inflammation on biopsy may need to be followed more closely and perhaps even be re-biopsied more aggressively, even if there is no evidence of cancer.

Among the more than 1,700 scientific papers presented at the 2006 AUA annual meeting, the focus was less on new medical or procedural innovations than on the benefits and risks of current tests and therapies.

Russell Scott, Jr, MD, a pioneer in the field of urology and a philanthropist, died on May 24 in Houston. He was 80 years old.

American Medical Systems Holdings Inc. and Laserscope, two companies with a significant presence in the urology market, have entered into a definitive merger agreement providing for the acquisition of Laserscope by AMS.

Congressional leaders and their staffs kicked off National Men's Health Week this week with screenings June 13 to 15 on Capitol Hill.

John Niederhuber, MD, has been designated to serve as acting director of the National Cancer Institute. Andrew von Eschenbach, MD, formally submitted his resignation as NCI director and will continue to serve as acting FDA commissioner.

The Department of Health and Human Services has posted information on what Medicare pays for 30 common elective procedures and other hospital admissions.

Sunitinib malate (Sutent) appears to be a promising treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma, according to a preliminary study published last week in JAMA (2006; 295:2516-24).

A combination of sipuleucel-T (Provenge) active cellular immunotherapy for prostate cancer and bevacizumab (Avastin) significantly increased the PSA doubling time in patients with prostate cancer who had relapsed after prior surgical and radiation therapy, according to recently published data from the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center and the University of California, San Francisco.

Three or four no-shows per day add up to as much as $1,000 per month, with no resulting revenue to the practice.

Brisbane, Australia-Decisions about when and how to perform prostate biopsy have become more complex in recent years, said Michael Jewett, MD, professor of surgery (urology), University of Toronto, in an address at the Urological Society of Australasia annual meeting here. The objective of biopsy should be to detect prostate cancer in men who will benefit from the information they yield.

Paris-Once-daily administration of a newer alpha-blocker appears to have a positive effect in the treatment of patients suffering from lower urinary tract symptoms and BPH compared with placebo, but comes up short in preventing acute urinary retention occurrence, according to Claus G. Roehrborn, MD, professor and chairman of the department of urology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. Dr. Roehrborn presented the results of a 2-year study at the European Association of Urology annual congress here.

Paris-In patients with lower urinary tract symptoms due to bladder outlet obstruction, targeted high-energy transurethral microwave thermotherapy (TUMT) provides a suitable option for improvement of their condition, according to Bob Djavan, MD, who presented the results of an 8-year, multicenter, European study at the European Association of Urology annual congress here.

Atlanta-The debate over the most appropriate surgical approach for placement of an artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) may be coming to a resolution. In the largest retrospective trial reported to date, Gerard D. Henry, MD, a urologist with Regional Urology, Shreveport, LA, found that the traditional perineal approach offers significantly better urinary control than the newer penoscrotal insertion approach.

Body mass index does not appear to independently predict long-term prostate cancer survival after radical prostatectomy

Atlanta-Intravesical administration of an agent that is chemically related to cannabis produces a positive response in laboratory rats and may be useful in patients with painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis, investigators from the University of Pittsburgh reported at the AUA annual meeting.

Five states failed the first-ever prostate cancer state-by-statereport card issued by the National Prostate Cancer Coalition.Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Mississippi, and Wisconsin did not makethe grade while California, Connecticut, Kansas, and New York allearned As.

The urology community is mourning the death of Joseph W. Segura,MD, who died Tuesday, May 23 after a battle with mesothelioma.

You do not have to write a check for the drug, nor do you have to collect for it, but you are still involved in the process.

Washington-A recent report by Medicare trustees warning that the program will run out of money by 2018, 2 years earlier than previously predicted, can be expected to make it more difficult for Medicare physicians to avoid payment reductions and could expedite implementation of the controversial pay for performance (P4P) reforms.

Cell Genesys Inc.'s GVAX immunotherapy for prostate cancer has been granted fast-track status from the FDA. The product is involved in two phase III trials, which are designed to show survival benefit with GVAX versus docetaxel (Taxotere) plus prednisone (Deltasone, Meticorten, Orasone, et al). The studies involve 1,200 men with metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer. Both have received special protocol assessments from FDA.

New blister packaging offered for once-daily UTI drug

You might be surprised how close you actually are to retirement.

People who pay more of their own costs up front... make choices based on cost as well as quality.

A video format seems to be an acceptable means to respond to patients' dissatisfaction with available information and eagerness for further information.