This Month in Clinical Urology

UNCERTAINTY OF RADIO FREQUENCY TREATMENT OF RENAL CELLCARCINOMA

Histological examination of 11 small renal carcinomas after 2 treatments with radio frequency heating showedviable cancer in 4 of 5 tumors in the acute group and 3 of 6 in the 7-day delayed group in a study by Rendon etal (page 1587) of Toronto, Canada. (CME credit article)

ABARELIX VERSUS LEUPROLIDE PLUS ANTIANDROGEN FOR PROSTATECANCER

Abarelix, a gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist, was compared to leuprolide acetate, a luteinizinghormone releasing hormone agonist, plus bicalutamide in 255 patients in a multicenter study. Trachtenberg etal (page 1670) from Toronto, Canada reported that abarelix was more effective in avoidance of testosterone surgeand rapidity of reduction of testosterone to castrate levels on day 8 than the combination therapy. Bothtreatments were equally effective in reducing serum prostate specific antigen, and achieving and maintainingcastrate levels of testosterone.

SURGERY FOR LOCAL RECURRENCE AFTER RADICAL NEPHRECTOMYSurgical treatment of isolated local recurrence after radical nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma was

evaluated in 13 patients by Schrodter et al (page 1630) from Dresden, Germany. The average size of therecurrence was 5 cm. Of the patients 7 died of metastatic disease with a mean survival of 23 months and 6 werealive without recurrence at 53 months.

GLEASON SCORE 8 OR HIGHER PROSTATE CANCER AFTER PROSTATECTOMYMian et al (page 1675) from Houston, Texas reported a favorable outcome in patients with Gleason score 8 or

higher prostate cancer whose disease was confined to the prostate and/or the surgical specimen following radicalprostatectomy alone.

PREDICTORS OF CLINICAL GRADE OF EARLY ONSET PROSTATE CANCERIn patients with early onset prostate cancer (age 55 years or younger) a family history appears to predict

independently the development of well differentiated tumors in a study by Kotsis et al (page 1659) from AnnArbor, Michigan. (CME credit article)

ETIOLOGY OF SPONTANEOUS RENAL HEMORRHAGEMeta-analysis of the literature revealed that the most common cause of spontaneous renal hemorrhage is renal

neoplasm, with 50% being malignant. According to a study by Zhang et al (page 1593) from Boston, Massachu-setts, computerized tomography (CT) is the method of choice for evaluation of renal hemorrhage.

CONTEMPORARY MORBIDITY FROM LYMPHADENECTOMY FOR PENILECARCINOMA

Contemporary morbidity from lymphadenectomy for penile squamous cell carcinoma was evaluated by Bevan-Thomas et al (page 1638) from Houston, Texas. They found an acceptable morbidity in patients with microscopicmetastases and in those treated with therapeutic lymphadenectomy. However, patients treated with palliativegroin dissection had significant complications, including death. (CME credit article)

UNENHANCED HELICAL CT VERSUS DIURETIC SCINTIRENOGRAPHYA comparison of unenhanced helical CT findings and renal obstruction determined by diuretic scintigraphy in

77 patients with acute renal colic by Bird et al (page 1597) from Miami, Florida revealed that unenhanced helicalCT was useful in identifying patients with any degree of obstruction but did not differentiate between those withhigh grade and partial obstruction. (CME credit article)

0022-5347/02/1674-1569/0THE JOURNAL OF UROLOGY® Vol. 167, 1569–1570, April 2002Copyright © 2002 by AMERICAN UROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, INC.® Printed in U.S.A.

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RE-TREATMENT OF LOWER URINARY TRACT SYMPTOMS WITH �-BLOCKERSFor 3 years De La Rosette et al (page 1734) from Nijmegen, The Netherlands followed 316 patients with benign

prostatic hyperplasia and lower urinary tract symptoms treated with �-blockers. In patients who stopped thedrug a history of severe symptoms, poor urine flow, enlarged prostate and urodynamically proven bladder outletobstruction increased the re-treatment percentages. (CME credit article)

NEOINFUNDIBULOTOMY FOR CALICEAL DIVERTICULAPercutaneous neoinfundibulotomy for the management of symptomatic caliceal diverticula was successful in

18 patients with stenotic infundibulum, as reported by Auge et al (page 1616) from Durham, North Carolina.

BOOK REVIEWSOn pages 1939 to 1941 Thrasher reviews the 16th edition of Sabiston Textbook of Surgery: The Biological Basis

of Modern Surgical Practice, Curry reviews the 3rd edition of Textbook of Uroradiology and Grossfeld reviews the3rd edition of Clinical Manual of Urology.

Jay Y. GillenwaterEditor

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