Urology News

Short of a cure, the Holy Grail in prostate-cancer treatment is determining the cancer's aggressiveness from the start, and such a test is what a research team at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine has developed.

In a clinical trial whose results are published online today in the American Journal of Pathology, the Pitt team found that analysis of genetic abnormalities not only in prostate-cancer cells but also in benign tissue adjacent to the tumor and even the patient's blood accurately can predict clinical outcomes of the cancer.

Genetic abnormalities signal whether the cancer is aggressive or indolent (relatively inactive). They also can predict relapse.

Surgery to remove only the tumor preferable to removing entire kidney

Kidney cancer patients who had only their tumor removed had better survival than patients who had their entire kidney removed, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The diagnosis of localized bladder cancer carries an 80 percent five-year survival rate, but once the cancer spreads, the survival rate at even three years is only 20 percent. A major study published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation not only shows how bladder cancer metastasizes to the lungs but pinpoints a method for stopping this spread.

When it comes to treating early stage prostate cancer, a newer radiation treatment does not appear to give men the best bang for their buck.

Researchers from the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center in Chapel Hill say localized prostate cancer radiation known as intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) outperforms a newer, increasingly popular technique called proton therapy.

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045%2812%2970121-3/fulltext

Kidney stones are a growing problem in the United States, new data suggest.

Researchers who analyzed data from 12,110 participants in the 2007-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) found that 8.8% of respondents reported a history of kidney stones, up from 5.2% reported by 1994 NHANES respondents, according to an online report in European Urology. According to the investigators, “the increase is likely related to dietary and lifestyle factors.

Robotic surgery resulted in fewer deaths and in-patient complications than open surgery for bladder cancer, but it was costlier, U.S. researchers say.

Dr. Jim Hu of the David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, said previous research involving robotic-assisted surgery has come from single medical centers and did not include direct comparisons with traditional surgery.

"While we expected to see greater expenses associated with the robotic procedure for bladder cancer, we were surprised to see the significant reduction in deaths and complications, particularly this early in its adoption," Hu said in a statement. "This is one of the first national population-based studies comparing robotic and traditional surgery outcomes for bladder cancer."

Study employs mouse models, genomic analysis of human tumors, to identify genetic changes

 * Ki67 is a protein that indicates cancer cell growth.