All News

Overactive bladder patients respond favorably to botulinum injectionsin small studies

Portland, OR-Weekly preoperative chemotherapy with docetaxel (Taxotere)and mitoxantrone (Novantrone) reduced PSA levels and was associated witha high rate of negative surgical margins in a small preliminary clinicaltrial involving high-risk localized prostate cancer patients.

Report calls for more study of testosterone replacement; urologists saybenefits are knownWashington-Clinical studies on the use of testosterone replacementtherapy (TRT) in men over age 65 years should move forward to determinethe efficacy of testosterone therapy in older men and the nature and extentof the potential benefits, according to a report released last month byan expert committee of the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Initially, studiesshould include a limited number of participants and proceed in a stepwisefashion, the report said.

Jackson, MS-Magnetic resonance imaging offers a far better picture of both tumors and a growing ice ball, and these factors may contribute to the success seen in the University of Mississippi's percutaneous cryoablation procedure in treating renal cell carcinoma, according to W. Bruce Shingleton, MD, formerly at the University of Mississippi and currently associate professor of surgery and radiology, division of urologic surgery, University of Louisville (KY) School of Medicine.

New Products & Services

In the modern era of safe and effective oral treatment of male erectile dysfunction, urologists may overlook the importance of a thorough patient evaluation.

Cleveland-Immunoscintigraphy scanning, criticized in the past for poor performance in imaging metastatic disease, may have found a reliable niche in the treatment of prostate cancer.

Chicago-Although laparoscopic nephron-sparing surgery is a firmly established procedure, its full potential has not yet been reached, according to a host of studies intended to demonstrate the expanding range of the procedure's applications.

Prostate cancer patients who receive hormone treatments before undergoing three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) do not have increased side effects compared with those not receiving hormone therapy before radiation, according to a new study in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology Physics (2003; 57: 614-20).

A treatment approach that uses a donor's immune cells appears to provide anti-cancer activity in some patients with recurrent or refractory renal cell carcinoma, according to research published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (2003; 21: 3785-91).

A novel approach that combines gene therapy and radiation therapy for treating prostate cancer has shown promising safety and efficacy results, according to a small study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

The percentage of American men with early prostate cancer who were treated with brachytherapy increased from less than 5% in 1994 to 36% in 1999, according to a report published in Cancer (2003; 98: 1987-94).

African-American men tend to have poorer overall survival rates than Caucasian men after being treated for localized prostate cancer, a new study shows.

The FDA has approved tadalafil (Cialis), a new oral PDE-5 inhibitor, for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

Santa Monica, CA?Patients aged 65 years and older with urinary incontinence and other health problems affecting their independence fail to receive recommended medical care for these conditions about two-thirds of the time, according to a study by RAND Corp. and UCLA.

Chicago?The American Medical Association?s House of Delegates has adopted new guidelines for prescribing medications via the Internet.

New York?John L. Phillips, MD, is the new physician-in-charge of urologic oncology at Beth Israel Medical Center, New York.

Athens, Greece?Early response to treatment with an investigational anticholinergic agent for overactive bladder appears to be an accurate predictor of long-term therapeutic success, according to data recently presented at the AUA New York Section meeting.

San Jose, CA?The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has approved an application for assigning a new technology Ambulatory Payment Classification for photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) to treat BPH.

Washington?Clinical studies on the use of testosterone replacement therapy in older men should move forward but only with a limited group of participants, according to a report released this week by an expert committee of the Institute of Medicine.

Chicago-Large-scale telephone-based management of eligible women withpresumed cystitis is associated with low clinical recurrence rates and avery low incidence of other gynecourologic diagnoses, according to a studyfrom a large California health maintenance organization.

Paris-Basic research in erectile dysfunction therapy is being hamperedby the attitude of some funding bodies that phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitorsalone have solved all problems, according to a special committee convenedat the 2nd International Consultation on Erectile and Sexual Dysfunctionshere.

Now more than ever before, men suffering from erectile dysfunction havea high likelihood that their condition will be successfully managed. Withtwo efficacious, safe, and easily administered oral medications on the marketand a third coming soon, men with ED are far better off than they were just6 years ago.

Chicago-Treating localized prostate cancer with high-intensityfocused ultrasound (HIFU) appears to be safe, efficacious, and well tolerated,according to data presented by several European research groups at the AUAannual meeting in Chicago.

Rotterdam, Netherlands-Four years is a reasonable interval for prostatecancer screening, concluded investigators from the European Randomized Studyof Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC).

The NIDDK-funded 'Urologic Diseases in America' is a broad-based, $6.9million project that will quantify the economic and human burden of urologicdiseases on the American population. In this exclusive Urology Times interview,Mark S. Litwin, MD, MPH, the study's principal investigator, outlines thescope of the project, its goals and objectives, and its relevance to practicingurologists. Dr. Litwin is professor of urology and public health at theDavid Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the UCLA School of Public Health.He is also a researcher at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. Theinterview was conducted by UT Editorial Consultant Richard D. Williams,MD, professor and chairman of the department of urology at the Universityof Iowa, Iowa City.

Employee theft is more common than most of us want to admit. Many ofus are trusting and assume that our employees are honest and caring andwould not ever consider taking something from the practice that doesn'tbelong to them. I think, for the most part, health care does attract honest,caring, and compassionate employees, but that doesn't relieve us from practicingpreventive financial controls and creating an environment that avoids theftand embezzlement.

Washington-Congress has been told by its chief investigative agency thatincreasing medical liability awards, indeed, are contributing to skyrocketingpremium costs for many physicians, but that fact is not having a widespreadimpact on patients' access to health care.

Needle guide designed for transvaginal procedures: Kalona, IA-CIVCO Medical Instruments introduces a reusable endocavity needle guide for the EV9-4 transducer available on Siemens' new ultrasound systems, the G60 S and G50.

Instructions for coding for all Evaluation and Management (E&M) services have several elements in common. One should always base documentation and coding on the amount of work required to provide good patient care.