AUA, LUGPA back USPSTF reform legislation
March 9th 2015The AUA, Large Urology Group Practice Association (LUGPA), and American Association of Clinical Urologists (AACU) would like to see the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) revamp the methods it uses to develop recommendations on prostate cancer screening and other preventive care, and the three associations are now backing legislation that would do just that.
Coverage for OAB nerve stim device expands
March 2nd 2015Uroplasty, Inc. announced that Cigna has written a positive coverage policy for percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation delivered via Uroplasty's Urgent PC neuromodulation system for treatment of overactive bladder and associated symptoms of urinary urgency, urinary frequency, and urge incontinence.
MRI may add value in monitoring men on surveillance
March 1st 2015Multiparametric MRI of the prostate with subsequent targeted biopsy shows promise for improving the identification of men on active surveillance for low-risk prostate cancer who require definitive treatment, according to researchers from the Vancouver Prostate Centre, Vancouver, BC.
Men's health: How urology and primary care can work together
March 1st 2015In the experience of Martin Miner, MD, and Joel Heidelbaugh, MD, men’s health is far more than the working relationship between urology and primary care centered around male-specific medical concerns, and includes several different and significant subspecialties.
Narrow networks expand, raising concern
March 1st 2015Narrow provider networks are gaining ground among insurers and could impact patient access to urologists. While insurers tout the approach to care as a way to control costs and preserve quality, urologists and others question whether the payment model is all about cost.
Targeted prostate biopsy: Momentum grows, but questions remain
March 1st 2015Use of targeted magnetic resonance/ultrasound fusion biopsy (“targeted biopsy”) resulted in the diagnosis of significantly more high-risk prostate cancers and significantly fewer low-risk cancers compared with a standardized systematic biopsy technique, reported the authors of a new study from the National Cancer Institute.
New hope for treating deep renal tumors?
March 1st 2015If further work with irreversible electroporation refines its capacity for discrete tissue ablation deep within the kidney and adjacent to large blood vessels, and especially if larger tumors can be addressed, then this would be a major step forward in the minimally invasive treatment of localized renal cancer.
Nonthermal technique promising for small renal tumors
March 1st 2015Percutaneous irreversible electroporation is showing promise as a novel minimally invasive approach for treating small renal tumors, according to the experience of urologists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas.
Race a factor in prostate cancer risk reclassification
March 1st 2015African-American men with very low-risk prostate cancer being followed on active surveillance are at significantly higher risk for disease upgrading on subsequent biopsy compared to Caucasian men, according to analyses of prospectively collected data from the Johns Hopkins Active Surveillance registry.