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The past year has yielded multiple key studies on the underpinnings of, and optimal treatment of kidney stones. As our understanding of the pathophysiology of stones, and the optimal medical and surgical treatments improves, we will be able to optimize the quality and cost-effectiveness of care available to patients.
In this Review, Lange et al. give an overview of the main complications associated with commonly used ureteral stents and discuss novel stent designs based on metal or biodegradable materials that could help ameliorate patient discomfort and overcome current problems, such as encrustation and stenosis.
The use of robot-assisted surgery for treatment of genitourinary malignancies is increasing dramatically. Kaye and colleagues argue that consumerism, rather than surgical outcomes, drives the adoption of this expensive technology. Robotics use should be targeted to surgical situations where clinical benefit or cost-effectiveness can be demonstrated.
Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are involved in regulation of androgen receptor function, making them targets for therapeutic modulation in the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). In this Review, Azad and colleagues discuss HSPs, their roles in CRPC, and the state of current clinical research into HSP blockade.
The antiandrogen bicalutamide is commonly used in combination with medical or surgical castration in men with prostate cancer. With combined androgen blockade, the usual dose of bicalutamide is 50 mg per day, but evidence suggests that higher doses might be beneficial.
The presence of urolithiasis has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of bone fracture in men and women, particularly in adolescent males and females aged 30–39 years and 70–79 years. This increased risk of fracture in patients with urolithiasis may have important implications for public health.