From the Desk of the Editor: Volume 5, Issue 1
Welcome back to another issue of Everyday Urology - Oncology Insights, the first issue of 2020 brought to you by UroToday. In the featured articles of this issue, we highlight the work of Edward Schaeffer, MD, PhD, and Ashley Baker, MD, presentations as well as work from Noah Hahn, MD, in a presentation I stepped in and gave at the 2019 Large Urology Group Practice Association (LUGPA) Continued Medical Education (CME) Program. This meeting’s agenda collectively focused on Leveraging Disruptive Technology: Pragmatic and Productive Advances for your Practice, which included a variety of presentations in prostate, bladder, and renal cancers as well as bladder health, minimally invasive procedures and preparing your clinics for the evolving future.
At the 2019 LUGPA CME, Dr. Edward Schaeffer presented on the relevancy of traditional culture testing in urinary tract infections (UTIs). Given the varying degree of complication associated with UTIs, Dr. Schaeffer highlights the available options for testing and treatment. He concludes by dissecting the benefits and pitfalls of a few of his most recommended tests and points out that clinical outcomes will ultimately depend on the nuances of symptoms that result from a host’s response to bacteria.
During the Outpatient Renal Procedures presentation, Dr. Ashley Baker shares her research on percutaneous renal biopsies, specifically concentrating on how the procedure can be adapted in the ambulatory surgery center setting. In discussing its financial costs and equipment needs, Dr. Baker points out the underlying complications associated with percutaneous renal biopsies. While the importance of patient selection and factors considered as contraindications are highlighted, she also leaves readers with an overall understanding of the safety and effectiveness of the treatment.
In the third featured article, I was thrilled to step in and present The Advanced Bladder Clinic: Are You Ready? presentation, excellent work from Noah Hahn, MD, covering immune checkpoint inhibitors, patient selection, and beyond checkpoint inhibition: other therapies in muscle-invasive and non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.
To wrap up this issue, in our Spotlight section we highlight coverage of this year’s ASCO GU Genitourinary Cancers Symposium focusing on the pursuit of patient-centered care. Held this winter in San Francisco, it welcomed world-renowned genitourinary oncology specialists to present on the most clinically relevant topics in GU malignancies in a multidisciplinary symposium format. This meeting was geared around the latest science, the latest findings, and clinical advancements to anticipate in 2020.
Topics included financial toxicities of a cancer diagnosis, patient-reported outcome measures, clinical management of the world-wide BCG shortage, the effectiveness of emerging agents in the field, as well as provided updated results from several ongoing clinical trials. UroToday.com was in attendance, producing exclusive interview coverage with many of this year’s featured speakers. These interviews can be found on the UroToday website under the “Videos” tab.
This month has been chock-full of new and exciting information in the genitourinary field. We hope this issue of Everyday Urology brings forth new insights and awareness of recent advancements to you and your clinic. Thank you for your readership.
Sincerely,
Neal Shore, MD, FACS
Related Content:
UTI – Is Traditional Culture Testing Obsolete? - Edward Schaeffer, MD, PhD
Percutaneous Renal Biopsy in the Ambulatory Surgery Center: A Primer - Ashley Baker, MD
The Advanced Bladder Clinic: Are You Ready? - Neal Shore, MD, FACS
Download: Everyday Urology: Volume 5, Issue 1