Age-related risks of radical prostatectomy

It will hardly come as a surprise to most prostate cancer support group leaders and other prostate cancer advocates that there is a strong association between patient age and risk for side effects of radical prostatectomy. … READ MORE …

“I’m not having another biopsy after the last one!”

It will come as no particular surprise that men who have had complications after a prior biopsy tend to be less enthusiastic when it is suggested that they need another one. However, … … READ MORE …

Cardiovascular side effects of ADT

A poster presentation given the other day at the annual meeting of the Canadian Urological Association addressed the relative cardiovascular risks of LHRH agonist and antagonist therapies. … READ MORE …

Risk for complications after prostate biopsy — and consequent revisions to best practice

A new article in Urology (the Gold journal) addresses risk for complications after prostate biopsy in a recent series of > 2,500 biopsies conducted by physicians at a large urology practice in southern California — and what they did as a consequence. … READ MORE …

Biopsy rates have fallen; but biopsy complication rates have risen!

A newly published article in European Urology has raised a new issue that should be of significant concern to urologists (and to their patients) in relation to risks associated with the possibility of diagnosis of prostate cancer. … READ MORE …

5-year outcomes from a large cohort of HIFU-treated patients in the UK

For several years now, the Ahmed/Emberton-led research team in the United Kingdom (UK) has published the majority of the detailed outcomes data from treatment of men with localized prostate cancer using high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). This group has now given us 5-year outcomes on a cohort of > 550 patients. … READ MORE …

Yes, you can now check your prostate cancer surgeon’s complication rates, but …

… You are going to need to be cautious in using this new tool, as explained below. … READ MORE …

Learning to live with the “new normal” … or avoid it if you can

Very, very, very slowly it appears that we are starting to see some serious interest in research into the psychosocial impact of prostate cancer and its treatment on men and their close family members and/or intimate partners. … READ MORE …

Xiaflex approved by FDA for treatment of Peyronie’s disease

Last week many media outlets covered the approval of a drug called Xiaflex (collagenase Clostridium histolyticum) for the non-surgical treatment of Peyronie’s disease. … READ MORE …

Risks associated with serial biopsies for men on active surveillance protocols

In a paper to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association,  Ehdaie et al. have shown that, among men with prostate cancer being managed on active surveillance, the number of previous biopsies is associated with significant risk of infectious complications and every previous biopsy increases the risk an infectious complication. … READ MORE …

Medical vs. surgical forms of endocrine therapy and risk for stroke, myocardial infarction

In recent years it has become increasingly evident that medical forms of endocrine therapy (i.e.,  androgen-deprivation therapy  or ADT) continue to be associated with a significant level of risk for cardiovascular diseases, including myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke. … READ MORE …

Feasibility of focal HIFU: a pilot study with 10-year follow-up data

The potential of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) as a form of focal therapy for treatment of cancer isolated to a portion of the prostate as opposed to treatment of the entire prostate has been recognized for a considerable period of time. However, limited data are available so far on the outcomes of men treated with focal HIFU. … READ MORE …

Frequency of PSA testing and immediacy of prostate cancer treatment among men over 70

Two recent publications have offered evidence that, at 10 and 12 years of follow-up, the potential benefits of surgical treatment for low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer did not include any impact on overall survival for men of 65 years of age or more at the time of surgery. … READ MORE …

Inguinal hernia after open radical retropubic prostatectomy

A review article published on-line in Nature Reviews Urology has suggested that over the past decade some 15 to 20 percent of men undergoing open radical retropublic prostatectomy (RRP) as first-line treatment for prostate cancer have an inguinal hernia as a complication of their treatment. … READ MORE …