Volume 13 Issue 1, January 2016

Effectiveness of an innovative online psychological intervention and forum was investigated in a three-arm randomized controlled trial. Improvements in several elements of psychological distress were observed in men with prostate cancer who had access to both the intervention and the forum over a 10-week period.

Elective pelvic nodal irradiation (EPNI) remains a controversial area in prostate cancer management. Two articles published in the International Journal of Radiation, Oncology, Biology and Physics present additional data regarding the benefits of EPNI for patients with high-risk prostate cancer, suggesting that EPNI confers no benefit in overall survival or biochemical-progression-free survival.

Although rare, ejaculatory duct obstruction (EDO) is a surgically correctable cause of male sexual dysfunction and male infertility due to obstructive azoospermia, and should be considered within the list of differential diagnoses for men undergoing infertility investigations. In this article, the authors discuss the anatomy, embryology and pathophysiology of EDO, and consider the current optimal diagnostic and treatment options.

Kisspeptin, peptide hormone that signals via the G protein-coupled kisspeptin receptor (KISS1R), has been implicated in various physiological and pathophysiological processes in the urogenital system, including roles in oocyte development, spermatogenesis and sperm capacitation, as well as in kidney physiology. In this Review, Wahab et al. discuss the urogenital roles of kisspeptin signalling, and consider the potential for kisspeptin to be used as a biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of urogenital carcinomas.

Penile prostheses have remained the gold-standard therapy for medically refractory erectile dysfunction (ED) since their popularization. Here, Trost and colleagues discuss the considerations for penile prosthesis placement with regard to operative techniques, adjunctive procedures, and complications, as well as device design and operative technique.

The development of novel antiandrogens and androgen synthesis inhibitors has improved the outcomes of patients with prostate cancer; however, the issue of resistance to these therapies has also emerged. In light of these developments, unexpected interactions between these novel therapies and glucocorticoid signalling have been observed. Here, authors describe current knowledge of androgen–glucocorticoid signalling as a cause of drug resistance and disease progression in patients with prostate cancer.