The fine art of the circular argument applied to management of prostate cancer

It will likely be evident to most well-informed prostate cancer patients, support group leaders, and advocates that a man with low-risk, early stage prostate cancer (“favorable histology”) is potentially a good candidate for prostate cancer surgery.

Experience certainly improves technical skill at RALP

There has been a lot of media noise about a poster presented at the Genitourinary Cancer Symposium. The poster supposedly suggests that it takes 1,600 robot-assisted procedures (RALP) to be really good at this form of surgery.

RALP as a treatment for prostate cancer in HIV-positive patients

A report from the University of California San Diego says that robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) appears to be a safe and effective treatment for localized prostate cancer in men who are HIV-positive but are taking highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and have undetectable viral loads (< 50).

5-year outcomes of patients treated with RALP at a high-volume, specialty center

There has been much discussion of whether surgical outcomes following robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) are comparable to those observed after open surgery. The 5-year outcome data from the Vattikuti Urology Institute at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit may help us to make such a determination.

Rapid increase in number of radical prostatectomies in the USA

Another article in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine addresses the rapid increase in the number of robot-assisted surgical procedures carried out in the US between 2005 and 2008.

Prostate cancer news reports: Thursday, February 18, 2010

Today’s news reports include commentary on studies dealing with: Whether RALP outcomes are really comparable to those from RRP Surgical expertise, surgical caseload, and pelvic lymphadenectomy in treatment of intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer Sexual function after first-line treatment with SBRT (CyberKnife) Distinguishing true biochemical recurrence from a PSA “bounce” after 125I-based prostate brachytherapy

The marketing of RALP: 2002 to 2010

Many readers may be interested in an article by Gina Kolata in Saturday’s New York Times on the rapid uptake of robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) for the first-line treatment prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer news reports: Wednesday, February 3, 2010

In today’s (slightly belated) news reports, we comment on studies dealing with: A possible association between hypertension and later diagnosis of prostate cancer Appropriate selection of high-risk patients for RALP Optimization of the appropriate use of docetaxel + prednisone in  treatment of CRPC

Prostate cancer news reports: Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Today’s news reports address: Daily fat intake and risk for prostate cancer Salvage RALP as a treatment for patients in biochemical relapse after first-line EBRT Phase II data on fenretinide as a possible treatment for HRPC

Prostate cancer news update: Tuesday, December 22, 2009

There are three fairly significant news reports today dealing with the following issues: The relationship between a family history of prostate cancer and age at diagnosis The impact of RALP on selection of surgery as a first-line treatment option The management of ADT-related hot flashes

The current data on RALP for localized prostate cancer

A new review in BJU International — available in full on the Web through the UroToday web site — provides a detailed review of the currently available data on the use of robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) for the treatment of localized prostate cancer.

Positive surgical margins and robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy

There has long been discussion over whether a lack of tactile sensation affects the likelihood of positive surgical margins (PSMs) in patients undergoing robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP). A new single-institution cohort offers data on PSM rates in that institution’s most current 500 cases — with a specific emphasis on patients with clinically high-risk disease.

Prostate cancer news reports: August 13, 2009

In today’s prostate cancer news reports we address: The role of RALP in men ≥ 70 years of age The development of the COMPARE prostate cancer registry The risk for mortality within 30 days of a TURP for men with a history of ADT for prostate cancer Micro-RNA 221 levels as a marker for metastatic [...]

The news report: Friday, April 10, 2009

Today’s news reports deal with: A comparative, single institution study of RALP vs RRP Bone mineral density and osteoporosis in men treated with intermittent hormone therapy Transdermal testosterone therapy in men with castration-resistant prostate cancer In a separate report we have discussed the development of a pre-biopsy risk assessment nomogram that incorporates results from PCA3 [...]

The RALP learning curve — a case example

We have regularly addressed the  “learning curve” for surgeons who adopt new methods to carry our radical prostatectomies. A recent publication from an Australian group provides specific and useful insight into “early” use of the da Vinci system to carry out robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP).

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