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Washington-Although urologists were victorious in a recent courtdecision excluding lithotripsy from the Stark II rule, the U.S. Departmentof Health and Human Services said it will appeal the ruling.

Orlando, FL-The use of radiopharmaceutical carbon-11 acetate in positron emission tomography (PET) appears to be more sensitive in picking up recurrent prostate cancer than standard imaging techniques, according to preliminary imaging studies presented at the AUA annual meeting.

Orlando, FL-Currently established T- and Z- bone mineral density scores may require revision in order to accurately assess changes in men receiving androgen deprivation therapy, suggests an Austrian study presented at the AUA annual meeting.

Orlando, FL-Intermittent androgen deprivation appears to be as effectiveas continuous androgen deprivation in the treatment of advanced prostatecancer, say researchers from the University of Liege, Belgium.

Orlando, FL-Among patients who undergo radiation treatment forprostate cancer following biochemical failure post-prostatectomy, use ofthe ProstaScint immunoscintigraphy scan appears to fail at reliably locatingdisease, researchers reported at the AUA annual meeting.

An astounding article in this issue of Urology Times details how oneurologist quit all commercial insurance participation, then "optedout" of Medicare-and is not only surviving, but thriving. Mike Harris, MD, a well-trained, board-certified, respected urologistin Traverse City, MI, said "Enough is enough!" and did somethingabout it. He no longer exists in any private insurance carrier databaseand likewise does not appear anywhere on the Medicare radar screen.

Paris-An international consensus committee has recommended that men withintermediate-risk prostate cancer be treated with high-dose 3D conformalradiotherapy-with or without hormonal therapy-rather than with combinedexternal-beam radiation and brachytherapy.

HHS report says healthcare litigation is threatening patient safety and quality of careWashington-The high cost of medical malpractice insurance, both for patientsand physicians, is gaining renewed attention in Washington, with PresidentBush calling for reform and a new report by the Department of Health andHuman Services (HHS) urging legislative action.

Unknown deductibles, correction of human error, and value reassessmentcan all add upNow might be a good time for every urologist to take a look at the often-neglectedproperty or real estate tax on all the property owned by your practice.

Develop guidelines, patient-selection criteria, and methods to protectpatient privacyIn 2002 and beyond, we can expect to change the way we communicate withpatients. A few decades ago, a patient who was sent for blood tests or x-rayswas contacted if the tests were abnormal and asked to call the office in10 to 14 days to review the results with the doctor. This technique wastime consuming, and phone tag was an expensive game for both the pa-tientand the physician.

Internet Service Providers such as AOL provide connection numbers inmost major citiesThose of us who travel even occasionally find a laptop computer essential,both to work during hours that might otherwise be wasted and to keep intouch with friends, family, and business associates. A common question is,"Which Internet Service Provider (ISP) can give me access in a widevariety of places?"

Orlando, FL-The 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor finasteride (Proscar)is associated with symptom improvement in men with category IIIA chronicpelvic pain syndrome, say leading prostatitis researchers.

Orlando, FL-Treatment with an alpha blocker used commonly in men withBPH is associated with improvement of symptoms in men with moderate to severechronic non-bacterial prostatitis, said Perinchery Narayan, MD.

Orlando, FL-A newer, novel 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor offersBPH symptom relief and improvements in urinary flow rates, according tofindings from three 2-year, multicenter, phase III trials.

Orlando, FL-The relative efficacy of radical prostatectomy andexternal beam radiation therapy for treating clinically localized prostatecancer diagnosed during the PSA era appears to depend on patient risk, accordingto the results of a retrospective study.

Orlando, FL-In men with screen-detected, clinically localizedprostate cancer, radical prostatectomy appears to provide a higher 7-yearPSA progression-free rate than either radiotherapy, hormonal therapy, orobservation, according to results of a prospective follow-up study fromWashington University, St. Louis.

Orlando, FL-Patients with a common autoimmune disease are 15 timesmore likely to suffer from urinary symptoms associated with interstitialcystitis than age-matched controls, according to the results of a population-basedstudy undertaken by a multi-institutional group of Finnish researchers.

Q Can you characterize the patient who uses complementary and alternativemedicine?Virtually everybody uses complementary medicine. When you ask patientsabout the medications they are taking, they may tell you they are on oneor two drugs. But if you don't ask them, they will never tell you aboutall the vitamins and supplements they take. When you specifically ask themabout vitamins and supplements, you end up getting laundry lists. What Ifind is that many men, in particular, will say they take whatever theirwife gives them.

Newton, MA-Matritech Inc. has received FDA clearance to market the NMP22 BladderChek bladder cancer test for use in conjunction with cystoscopy. The test works like a home pregnancy test and returns results while the patient is in the physician's office, the company says.

Seattle-Despite the way it was portrayed in some of the lay media, the authors of a recent study on the "overdiagnosis" of prostate cancer insist their work should not be construed as hostile to the practice of PSA screening. In fact, says one investigator, results of the study paint an overall favorable picture of screening.

Orlando, FL-In patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, adjuvant interleukin-2 (IL-2) after cytoreductive nephrectomy appears to offer a superior survival benefit over nephrectomy followed by interferon alpha-2b, according to a report presented here at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting.

Traverse City, MI-In the watchful eyes of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, urologist Michael Harris, MD, does not exist. Dr. Harris-a successful, board-certified urologist in private practice-would not have it any other way.

Urodynamic tests should be tailored to an individual patient's suspected dysfunction

Orlando, FL-In a finding that will likely change the way physicianstreat patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia, the combination of twocommonly used drugs was shown to slow progression of the disease significantlybetter than placebo or either drug alone. In fact, treatment with the combinationof finasteride (Proscar) and doxazosin (Cardura) lowers the risk of BPHprogression by as much as 67% and the risk of urinary retention by as muchas 79%.

Ex-urologists say they wanted to escape reimbursement woes, pursue morefulfilling careersMedicine is a commitment. Pre-med, medical school, internship, residency,and building a reputation in academia or in community practice adds up toa self-imposed promissory note that can take a decade, perhaps two, to payoff. This is why it is unusual when an established physician opts to changecareers.

The most preferred benefit program may be the least expensive for yourpracticeThe difficulty in recent years of attracting and retaining employeeshas eased somewhat, largely because of the state of the economy. Many ofthe problems faced by urologists in finding and keeping good, qualifiedworkers remain, however, especially for many small, understaffed, or financiallytroubled practices.

New technologies, procedures, and human-interest stories appeal to audiencesIn Hollywood, you may hear that "there's no such thing as bad publicity."That theory certainly does not apply to the field of medicine, but thereis an upside to gaining the attention of the media. Appear on local or networktelevision, and you will instantly enhance your image.

Orlando, FL-Hydrodistention has little therapeutic value in the managementof interstitial cystitis, according to the results of a retrospective investigationpresented at the AUA annual meeting. Researchers from Stanford University, CA, reported the outcomes froma chart review study identifying 63 patients in whom they had performedcystoscopy/hydrodistention since January 2000.

Orlando, FL-Conformal radiotherapy to the prostate with isocenterdoses of 78 Gy lowers biochemical failure by at least 6% at 6 years, andby as much as 19% for men at higher risk of cancer relapse. But the costis a 14% increase in mild to moderate risk of rectal toxicity, accordingto two reports presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annualmeeting.

Orlando, FL-Most long-term survivors of metastatic renal cellcarcinoma do not achieve a response to cytokine treatment, according toresults of a pooled analysis by French researchers. Their findings suggesta lack of association between initial tumor regression on cytokine treatmentand long-term survival, except for the few patients who achieve completeregression.