Multiple stones: Watch for –59 modifier replacements
September 23rd 2014In this "Coding Q&A" column, Ray Painter, MD, and Mark Painter answer several reader questions involving billing for multiple stones, including replacements for the –59 modifier, use of CPT code 50590, and NCCI guidelines and multiple stones.
Low-risk PCa: Patients can make an informed decision
September 23rd 2014In this interview, Ian Thompson, MD, answers questions about the downside of diagnosing low-risk prostate cancer, the burdens of active surveillance and how to minimize them, and how his own approach to screening and biopsy have changed.
PCa test predicts aggressiveness, influences treatment
September 22nd 2014The Decipher Prostate Cancer Classifier test predicts disease aggressiveness, influences treatment decisions, and predicts which patients may benefit from post-prostatectomy radiation therapy, according to findings from three studies presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology annual meeting in San Francisco.
FDA panel’s vote on TRT draws reaction from urologists
September 22nd 2014An FDA advisory committee has voted to restrict indications for testosterone replacement therapy and require additional clinical trials to test the safety of the drugs, decisions that have drawn mixed reactions from urologists.
Oncofertility: Current practice and vision for the future
September 19th 2014In this article, Ahmed A. Hussein, MD, and James F. Smith, MD, MS, examine the effect of malignancy and anti-cancer treatment on fertility, review current fertility preservation methods, and offer a preview of fertility preservation techniques that hold future promise.
Approval of enzalutamide pre-chemo a ‘game changer’
September 16th 2014The FDA’s approval of enzalutamide (XTANDI) to treat metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) in the pre-chemotherapy setting is a potential game changer for both patients and treating physicians, especially urologists, according to leaders in the prostate cancer field.
Lessons learned after a year in urology’s ‘real world’
September 11th 2014I was driving home from the office last week and realized that I have now been in the "real world" for over a year. As I looked back on the last year, I thought I would share a few of the lessons I've learned as I am curious if others have had a similar experience during their transition from residency to private practice.
AR splice variant predicts resistance to PCa treatments
September 8th 2014Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients whose tumors contain the androgen receptor (AR)-V7 splice variant are less likely to respond to enzalutamide (XTANDI) and abiraterone acetate (ZYTIGA), recent study results indicate.
Low Estrogen could mean low Testosterone (VIDEO)
September 5th 2014Low testosterone is often blamed for a lower sex drive and potentially dangerous fat accumulation in men, however researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital report that a lack of estrogen is also to blame. Video provided by Renal & Urology News.
‘Open Payments’ moves forward despite snags
September 5th 2014Physicians, including urologists, now have another headache to deal with-making certain information about them published on the Internet by as part of the National Physician Payment Transparency Program (Open Payments) is accurate and not misleading to patients who want to know about the financial benefits their doctors receive from manufacturers of drugs, devices, and biologic and medical supplies.
High-volume surgeons show multiple options for IPP placement
September 2nd 2014In this first installment of UrologyTimes.com's new video section, called ‘Y’tube, we present videos from high-volume prosthetic surgeons performing inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) placement and discussing diagnosis and management of ED. William O. Brant, MD, offers the following general commentary about these procedures, as well as specific comments in the text accompanying each individual video.
Robotic radical nephrectomy: There is a rationale
September 1st 2014This letter to the editor is in response to an editorial by J. Stuart Wolf, Jr., MD (“Robotic radical nephrectomy: Really?,” July 2014, page 6). The editorial concerned the article, “Use of robotic RN rising, despite unclear advantages” (July 2014, page 9).
Genomic variation in IC/BPS based on bladder capacity
August 25th 2014Patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome who have low bladder capacity have a significantly different gene expression profile than both IC/BPS patients with normal bladder capacity and those without the condition, researchers reported in a recently published pilot study.
Study: Androgen inhibitor reduces death risk by 27%
August 25th 2014Presentations of phase III data at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago further support the conclusion that the oral androgen receptor inhibitor enzalutamide (XTANDI) addresses an unmet therapeutic need for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer in the pre-chemotherapy setting.