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Montreal--Two newer-generation antimuscarinic agents—solifenacin succinate (VESIcare) and extended-release tolterodine tartrate (Detrol LA)—improve symptoms of overactive bladder, but solifenacin appears to provide superior outcomes, according to a trial conducted in collaboration with the manufacturer of solifenacin. Benefits of solifenacin appear to be due, at least in part, to the availability of two approved doses of the drug, researchers say.

Forl?, Italy--A noninvasive bladder cancer detection test that relies on measuring telomerase activity could offer higher sensitivity and specificity rates than other commonly used noninvasive tests, according to a new study from Italy.

Montreal--Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) can be coaxed into restoring urethral function and even building new bladders in an animal model, UCLA researchers report, providing hope that one day a similar approach can be used for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence and even bladder reconstruction in humans. Human trials, however, are still a long way off.

New Orleans--Hurricane Katrina has come and gone and in its wake we are left with devastation, carnage, and sadness. The region has more than 6,000 displaced physicians, and 156 AUA members have practices in the affected areas, according to AUA.

Montreal--Trans-sacral magnetic stimulation using a portable device appears to yield no discernible benefits over a sham device in patients with overactive bladder, according to results of an Australian study. It remains unclear, said the authors, whether this failure is due to the particular manner in which the device delivered the magnetic field or whether magnetic stimulation in general is simply an ineffective treatment for this condition.

Montreal--Urinary incontinence caused by neurogenic overactive bladder can be successfully treated with a novel system of pudendal nerve stimulation, according to a small Italian study presented at the annual meeting of the International Continence Society here.

Montreal--Among men with BPH, an estimate of bladder weight using ultrasound can help predict both which patients will eventually require a prostatectomy and which ones will have favorable outcomes, according to researchers from the University of Fukui in Japan. Ultrasound-estimated bladder weight (USEBW) may provide a less-invasive alternative to current techniques.

Montreal--Vaginal delivery may cause significant pelvic floor trauma in as many as one-third of first-time deliveries. This trauma appears, upon ultrasound, to primarily affect the levator ani muscle, according to new research from Australia.

Montreal--Women who are choosing to have a Caesarean section instead of a vaginal delivery to avoid incontinence later in life should opt for vaginal delivery and should focus on their lifestyle choices, which can influence the likelihood that they will develop incontinence, according to research presented here at the International Continence Society annual meeting.

Montreal--Pelvic floor muscle (PFM) training can significantly improve the symptoms of stress urinary incontinence. Just 8 weeks of training can provide relief to some patients that lasts for years, results of a Japanese study show.

Montreal--Findings from a large cohort study presented at the International Continence Society annual meeting here have led to reference values for clinicians conducting preoperative urodynamic studies in women with stress urinary incontinence.

Montreal--Procedures using tension-free vaginal tape (TVT, Gynecare/Ethicon, Somerville, NJ) or the recently introduced trans-obturator tape (TOT, Mentor Corp., Santa Barbara, CA) appear to provide equal outcomes in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence. However, TOT may leave a subset of patients more comfortable because it is associated with a lower risk of urgency symptoms, according to a prospective, multicenter, randomized Italian study presented at the International Continence Society here.

Outcomes must be assessed using validated, patient-driven quality-of-life questionnaires.

CME-Supplement-December 2005

New data from The National Birth Defects Prevention Study provide additional evidence that pregnancy-related intake of progestins is associated with increased hypospadias risk.

George F. Ellis, MD, a urologist from Longwood, FL, and founder and chairman of the Primary Care Access Network (PCAN), was a recipient of the 2005 Surgical Volunteerism Awards, presented by the American College of Surgeons and the Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative for selfless efforts as a volunteer surgeon to the medically underserved.

Three separate European studies have documented the success of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) in treating prostate cancer.

An interim analysis of a phase III trial of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma shows an estimated 39% improvement in survival in patients receiving the investigational drug sorafenib tosylate (Nexavar) compared with those receiving placebo (p=.018).

Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia recommend more aggressive treatment in men whose prostate cancers occurred after transurethral resection of the prostate and whose PSA level is considered intermediate.

New data from The National Birth Defects Prevention Study provide additional evidence that pregnancy-related intake of progestins is associated with increased hypospadias risk.

Treating high-risk prostate cancer patients with radiation therapy in conjunction with hormone therapy for more than 1 year allows patients to live longer and to achieve better PSA control, according to a study from the BC Cancer Agency, Victoria, British Columbia.

Leaders from the medical, government, industry, and academic communities, among others, have unveiled a public awareness campaign to help spread the message about imaging technologies that may some day transform early detection and treatment of prostate cancer.

From 2003 to 2004, multispecialty practices overall were squeezed by cost increases that exceeded revenue gains, according to results of a recently released cost survey from the Medical Group Management Association.

A new biomarker identified by researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, may indicate a more aggressive form of prostate cancer.

Mitchell C. Benson, MD, has been appointed chairman of the department of urology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and urologist-in-chief at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia.

Patients with advanced prostate cancer taking sipuleucel-T (Provenge), an investigational active cellular immunotherapy, have shown extended survival versus those receiving placebo in a second phase III study.

Measurement of telomerase activity in urine appears promising for the detection of bladder cancer in men, according to a study published last week in JAMA (2005; 294:2052-6).

New York—Urologists in private practice find balancing time to practice medicine and manage their practice daunting—and they don't expect it to get easier.

Vancouver, British Columbia--It's known that smoking increases the risk of transitional cell carcinoma by approximately two to three times over the baseline rate. Researchers now say that pelvic radiation may further increase the risk of TCC in smokers.

Vancouver, British Columbia--It's known that smoking increases the risk of transitional cell carcinoma by approximately two to three times over the baseline rate. Researchers now say that pelvic radiation may further increase the risk of TCC in smokers.