Movember Hits Town
November sees the yearly highlight of Movember, where mens' health and cancer support is highlighted. Urologists have a particular interest in this area. Rajiv Singal, a Toronto Urological Surgeon, gives us a rundown of what Movember is all about. Last year, his fund raising team ranked in the worldwide top 7 for money raised for Movember.
AUA guidelines for PSA testing
The American Urological Association have published their new guidelines for PSA testing, and released them at the AUA meeting in San Diego, May 2013.
Please take a look at the link for more information. These are only guidelines, but are carefully constructed by a group of expert urologists in the US, and provide a framework for a sensible approach to PSA testing in men of different ages.
Ketamine and chronic physical damage to the urinary tract
This week’s Guest Post is by David Gillatt, Professor of Urology and Medical Director of the Bristol Urological Institute in the UK. David has considerable experience in the management of pelvic cancer, including prostate and bladder cancer, and is a world expert in the relatively recently discovered effects of ketamine on the urinary tract. In this article, Prof. Gillatt outlines current understanding of this increasing problem.
Women can take simple steps to reduce kidney stone risk
A large study of over 80,000 women has demonstrated that simple steps, such as reducing calorie-intake, and taking physical exercise, can reduce the chance of forming kidney stones. This study was presented at the American Urological Association Annual Meeting in San Diego in May.
Focal Therapy for Prostate Cancer
Focal therapy, or treatment of just one area of the prostate, has received a lot of attention recently. Although this form of treatment may hold some promise, at the present time there is insufficient information about outcomes to recommend this treatment as a standard.
Blue September in Australia
Continuing the series of Guest Posts by highly regarded Urologists, Brian Stork discusses Blue September
Australia has the highest rate of prostate cancer in the developed world. Fortunately, there are a number of ways individuals can raise awareness and funds for prostate cancer research. This month marks the beginning of “Blue September” in Australia and around the world.
Operating session with Professor Anthony Stone
Nick Brook recently hosted an operating session at the Royal Adelaide Hospital by international expert in urethral, reconstructive and prosthetic surgery, Professor Anthony Stone.
Survival advantage for partial nephrectomy questioned by new study
Small renal tumours can be treated by either complete (radical) or partial nephrectomy. Over the past few years, there has been a trend to use partial nephrectomy where possible, despite the higher complication rate from this surgery. This trend has been driven by evidence that overall survival is better in patients treated by partial nephrectomy, perhaps because kidney function is preserved, which in turn may have beneficial effects on overall health.
Smoking and Bladder Cancer - Gene Vasconi Writes
“How’d The Smoke Get Down There?” by Gene Vasconi, author of “For Bladder or Worse”
Starting
Now, no one ever told me when I was a kid and embarking on a then well accepted habit of smoking that the smoke was going to sink into my bladder. All I ever heard was, “Smoking Can Cause Lung Cancer” which was stamped on the side of a pack of cigarettes and aired on TV and radio when they didn’t have any revenue ads to play. The symptoms of that were commonly thought to be shortness of breath and a cough. I figured I could handle that and, should these symptoms develop, I’d just stop. Then again, I was 18 years old. So, smoke I did but not puff those nasty, unfiltered things – I smoked only filtered cigarettes recommended by the cowboy who had replaced all of the doctors that had recommended them in the 50s (I guess most of them died from lung cancer). My father smoked, my friends smoked, movie stars smoked, it was a great time to be a smoker because no one complained when you lit up anywhere except a movie theater. It was the good old days.
Genetic testing – the future for preventing overtreatment of prostate cancer?
PSA testing has been shown in some studies to reduce population death rates from prostate cancer. The problem is that many men are ‘overtreated’, meaning they have treatment for a low-grade cancer that is not necessary, as it may never cause problems. This can be avoided by ‘active surveillance’ in such men, rather than opting for treatment.
Selecting men suitable for active surveillance for prostate cancer can be difficult. Typically, low-grade prostate cancer may be suitable for active surveillance rather than treatment if there is only a small amount on prostate biopsy and the PSA is low. Nonetheless, there is a small risk of progression.
Urology Cancer Surgery - Present and Future
Continuing the series of Guest Posts by highly regarded Urologists, Benjamin Davies from UPMC answers questions on Urologic Cancer Surgery
Dr. Benjamin Davies is a Urological Surgeon specialising in cancer management. He is an Assistant Professor in Urology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre and the Director of the Urologic Oncology Fellowship. He is a respected clinician scientist and is considered a pioneer for urologists in social media, particularly Twitter.
In this post, Ben Davies answers questions on the current practice and future development of urological cancer surgery
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