Urology News

A new screening method for prostate cancer

A new study by NYU Langone Medical Center and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine shows novel PSA velocity (PSAV) risk count testing may provide a more effective way for physicians to screen men for clinically significant prostate cancer. The new study, published online by the British Journal of Urology International on February 1, 2012, shows the benefits of tracking a man's PSA levels over time to help doctors more accurately assess his risk of life-threatening prostate cancer.

Drug companies have scored a string of recent successes against advanced prostate cancer, ending a long drought during which there seemed to be few weapons to combat the disease.

 Vigorous exercise linked to gene activity in prostate

Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have identified nearly 200 genes in the healthy prostate tissue of men with low-grade prostate cancer that may help explain how physical activity improves survival from the disease.

Exercise has been touted as a good way to help prevent certain diseases and conditions, but can it be useful after the fact? Yes, says a study, which suggests that a fitness regimen can enhance the health of patients following treatment.

The paper analyzed 34 studies that looked at the effect of exercise on patients who had breast cancer, as well as other types of cancer, such as prostate and lung. The various studies included aerobic, resistance and strength workouts, the average length was 13 weeks and the average number of people in each trial was 93. Most of the control groups consisted of people who were sedentary or told to do no exercise.

A drug that is commonly used to treat men with enlarged prostates may also delay the growth of prostate cancer, according to a new study.

The drug, dutasteride, works by blocking the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, the male sex hormone implicated in the development of prostate cancer.

After a 20-year quest to find a genetic driver for prostate cancer that strikes men at younger ages and runs in families, researchers have identified a rare, inherited mutation linked to a significantly higher risk of the disease.

Increased mortality in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients can be partly attributed to an accompanying increase in cardiovascular risk. On account of the increased cardiovascular risks and chronic inflammation, patients with RA may be more likely to contract other conditions with shared risk factors, such as erectile dysfunction (ED). However, although previous studies have reported sexual dysfunction among RA patients,1,–,4 no study has explored the possible association between ED and RA to date. This study set out to investigate this putative association by using a population-based dataset and case–control design.                            

Factors associated with erectile dysfunction in men on haemodialysis are incompletely identified due to suboptimal existing studies. We determined the prevalence and correlates of erectile dysfunction and identified combinations of clinical characteristics associated with a higher risk of erectile dysfunction using recursive partitioning and amalgamation (REPCAM) analysis

Men who experience a sudden inability to pass urine because of a non-cancerous enlarged prostate are hospitalised and treated differently depending on where they live, according to an international study published online by the urology journal BJUI.