The penis project: what's considered normal?

Scimex: UK researchers have set out to create a graphical diagram to provide insight into what's considered normal for penis length and circumference in men. The authors analysed over 15,000 penis size measurements to develop the diagram, which they say may be helpful when counselling men who are worried about their size, or when investigating the relationship between condom failure and penile dimensions.

Close Monitoring of Renal Tumors May Provide Alternative to Surgery

Mount Sinai. US: In patients with small renal tumors confined to the kidneys, close, active monitoring, as opposed to immediate surgery, is associated with low rates of tumor growth or death, according to a study by a researcher at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai published in the September issue of the Journal of Urology.

Conservative management for men with urinary incontinence after prostate surgery

Cochrane: The prostate is a male sex gland that surrounds the outlet of the bladder. Two main diseases of the prostate (cancer of the prostate, and benign (non-cancerous) prostatic enlargement) can be treated by surgery but some men suffer leakage of urine (urinary incontinence) afterwards.

Benign enlarged prostate

IQWIG. Germany: Urinating frequently, getting up in the night to go to the toilet, and the feeling that your bladder is never really empty are all typical signs of a benign enlarged prostate. This condition affects 1 in 5 men between the ages of 50 and 60, and is even more common in older men.

‘Bipolar’ therapy: Treating advanced prostate cancer with high-dose testosterone

Fred Hutch. US: Men with a certain type of aggressive prostate cancer may benefit from therapy that cycles hormones through high peaks and low valleys, small study finds.

Congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens

Orphanet: Congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD) is a condition leading to male infertility. It accounts for 6% to 8% of cases of obstructive azoospermia and affects about 1/1,000 males. It is also found in 98% of males with cystic fibrosis.

Study looks at effect of diet on prostate cancer progression

Baylor. US: Recent studies suggest that nutrients found primarily in vegetables and fruits can help lower the risk of prostate cancer and possibly slow its development, and those diets higher in these foods and lower in fat and meat may provide some protective benefit against the disease or its progression.

HIV Drug Blocks Bone Metastases in Prostate Cancer

Jefferson University. US: The receptor CCR5, targeted by HIV drugs, is also key in driving prostate cancer metastases, suggesting that blocking this molecule could slow prostate cancer spread.

Physical Activity Improves Survival for Men With Localized Prostate Cancer

AACR. US: Among a large group of men with localized prostate cancer, those who engaged in higher levels of physical activity had lower rates of overall mortality and lower rates of prostate cancer-specific mortality, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Radiation Plus Hormone Therapy Prolongs Survival for Older Men with Prostate Cancer

University of Pennsylvania. US: Many men with prostate cancer in United States not receiving life-saving radiation treatment. Adding radiation treatment to hormone therapy saves more lives among older men with locally advanced prostate therapy than hormone therapy alone, according to a new study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology this week from Penn Medicine researchers.

A yardstick to measure the malignancy of prostate cancer

German Cancer Research Center: A protein that influences the epigenetic characteristics of tumor cells is directly linked to the grade of malignancy of prostate cancer. This key discovery has been made by a team of scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the University of Zurich, Hamburg-Eppendorf University Hospital, Heidelberg University, and other institutes in a study of 7,700 samples of tumor tissue. The detection of this biomarker may serve as an indicator of the likelihood that the disease may take an aggressive course, and may thus be helpful in choosing an appropriate treatment. The study was part of the “Early Onset Prostate Cancer” project, supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC).

Novel Imaging Technique Improves Prostate Cancer Detection

UCSD. US: More accurate diagnoses could mean less invasive interventions, more surveillance In 2014, prostate cancer was the leading cause of newly diagnosed cancers in men and the second leading cause of cancer death in men. Writing in the January 6, 2015 issue of the journal Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Disease, a team of scientists and physicians from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, with counterparts at University of California, Los Angeles, describe a novel imaging technique that measurably improves upon current prostate imaging – and may have significant implications for how patients with prostate cancer are ultimately treated.

Chronic urinary retention

Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US)
Persistent partial retention of urine or chronic urinary retention (CUR) is a common problem for which we have little understanding in terms of frequency, natural history, prognosis, or efficacy and comparative effectiveness of treatments. Also unclear are whether and when to suspect, screen, or treat patients for CUR. Standard diagnostic criteria (including the duration and volume of post-void residual [PVR] urine i.e amount of leftover residual urine) have not been established for chronic urinary retention.^{1, 2} Researchers often define CUR as PVR urine volume greater than 300 ml; however, some studies define it as 100 ml, 400 ml, or 500 ml.¹

Bladder Pain Syndrome

Source: Pr Christian SAUSSINE.MD Orphanet

Bladder Pain Syndrome (BPS), also known is interstitial cystitis (IC) and painful bladder syndrome, is characterised by pelvic pain associated with bladder filling, pollakiuria (abnormally frequent urination) with a voiding frequency of more than eight urinations per day and more than two urinations per night, cystoscopic lesions (petechiae i.e a reddish spot containing blood that appears in inner membrane of the bladder as a result of localized hemorrhage, Hunner's ulcers i.e areas of inflammation on the bladder wall) revealed by a bladder hydrodistention test, and/or histological anomalies such as inflammatory mononuclear cell infiltrates and tissue granulation, in the absence of infection or any other pathology.

Hunner's ulcers

Hunner's ulcers, also called "Hunner’s lesions" or "Hunner's patches," are areas of inflammation on the bladder wall that characterize the “classic” form of Intersticial Cystitis, that is a bladder pain syndrome.
More about intersticial cystitis

Prostate cancer and overtreatment: check life expectancy

Prostate Specific Antigen

The generalised use of the PSA test for prostate cancer treatment has led to earlier diagnosis of the condition. This development is an advance in itself, since the early stages are less serious and thus easier to cure. But not all prostate cancers are equally aggressive; like many diagnostic tests, the administration of PSA detects tumours more easily, including those that grow at a slower rate. Consequently, a considerable number of tumours diagnosed from a PSA test develop very slowly, thus exposing patients to the risks of over-diagnosis or over-treatment(over-treatment can be associated with undesirable side effects such as impotence or incontinence).

Prostate Cancer

Author: Dr Charles J. Ryan University of California San Francisco 2008-07-28

Introduction

Approximately 230,000 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed in the United States annually, making it the most common cancer affecting American men besides superficial skin cancers.  Although it is a highly curable malignancy when treated in its early stages, approximately 50-60,000 men experience a relapse of the disease annually, and approximately 5-10% harbor advanced disease at the time of diagnosis, and are thus considered unable to be cured with surgery or radiation. Approximately 30,000 American men die of the disease every year. Death rates from prostate cancer have been steadily declining since the 1990s, a result of the combination of early detection and improved treatment of localized disease as well as improved therapies for men with advanced disease.

Urinary Tract Infection – Recurrent and Complicated

Author: Dr Anthony J. Schaeffer University of Chicago 2008-07-28

Recurrent and complicated urinary tract infections occur in both men and women, are a common cause of morbidity, and can lead to significant mortality. Management of these infections requires careful assessment of past history, risk factors, and a thorough evaluation of the urinary tract. This Knol discusses these urinary tract infections, how they occur, common misconceptions about them, and strategies for prevention and treatment.

Urinary Tract Infection in Women- Uncomplicated

Author: Dr Anthony J. Schaeffer University of Chicago 2008-07-28
Urinary tract infection in women is a common disorder that can be diagnosed and treated with simple and reliable techniques. The majority of these infections occur in a healthy woman with a normal urinary tract, and this article addresses the occurrence, misconceptions, and strategies for its prevention and treatment.

Prostatitis

Author: Dr Anthony J. Schaeffer University of Chicago 2008-07-28

Introduction

 Prostatitis is a common, frequently inflammatory disorder of the prostate, affecting approximately 5% of men in the United States and associated with considerable quality of life and financial impact. This term is used to describe three distinct clinical conditions (Table 1):

1. An acute or chronic bacterial infectious disease
2. A non-infectious pain syndrome (known as Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome or CPPS) 
3. An asymptomatic inflammatory disease