BJU International is available online

December 2004

The Molecular Staging of Prostate Cancer (PDF)
The natural history of prostate cancer is notoriously variable and whilst some tumours remain indolent for many years, others result in rapid progression to metastasis and death.

Prostate Cancers in the Transition Zone: Part 1: Pathological Aspects (PDF)
There are several anatomical models of the prostate but the one currently used by pathologists and clinicians was established by McNeal et al.[1].

Prostate Cancers in the Transition Zone: Part 2: Clinical Aspects (PDF)
Current knowledge about the anatomical architecture of the human prostate gland is largely determined by the studies of McNeal [1].

The Three As of Chronic Prostatitis Therapy: Antibiotics, α-blockers and Anti-inflammatories. What is the Evidence? (PDF)
The three most common medications prescribed by physicians for treating chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) include antibiotics, α-blockers and anti-inflammatories [1].

November 2004

Management of Urethral Stricture Disease: Developing Options For Surgical Intervention (PDF)
Urethral strictures are documented in ancient literature dating from the Greek and Egyptian period.

The Role of the Nonsurgical Oncologist in the Management of Advanced Transitional Cell Cancer. Part I: Locally Advanced Disease (PDF)
TCC may arise at any site in the urinary tract, and when advanced or metastatic can be regarded by the nonsurgical oncologist as a single tumour type.

The Role of the Nonsurgical Oncologist in the Management of Advanced Transitional Cell Cancer. Part II: Metastatic Disease (PDF)
The initial treatment of choice for locally advanced (T4b) or metastatic TCC of the bladder, or metastatic TCC arising at any other site, will be chemotherapy for the great majority of patients.

Prostasomes: a Role in Prostatic Disease? (PDF)
Prostasomes are membrane-bound secretory vesicles, in the nanometre diameter range, secreted by the prostatic ductal epithelium into the lumen, where they form part of the ejaculate.

October 2004

Three-Dimensional Imaging in Urology (PDF)
Bestowed with binocular vision, humans can appreciate the world around them in three dimensions.

The Expanding Indications for Laparoscopic Radical Nephrectomy (PDF)
The first laparoscopic radical nephrectomy (LRN) was performed by Ralph Clayman in 1990 [1]. Since then LRN has gained popularity and is now arguably the treatment of choice for early stage (T1N0M0) RCC unsuitable for nephron-sparing surgery.

Conservative vs Radical Surgery for Renal Cell Carcinoma (PDF)
RCC accounts for ª 3% of all adult malignancies; with the increasing number of incidentally detected kidney tumours there has been a migration to smaller, lower-stage tumours.

Surgical Alternatives for Treating Peyronie’s Disease (PDF)
Peyronie’s disease (PD), characterized by an acquired plaque-inducing penile deformity, is a common cause of sexual dysfunction in middle-aged men.

September 2004

Health-related Quality of Life After Prostate Brachytherapy (PDF)
With the advent of PSA testing prostate cancer is being diagnosed earlier, leading to longer life-expectancies for patients after diagnosis.

Technique and Complications of Transurethral Surgery for Bladder Tumours (PDF)
Bladder cancer is the fourth most common noncutaneous malignancy in men and the incidence of bladder tumours is increasing in industrialized and developed countries.

Mechanisms of Vasculogenic Erectile Dysfunction After Kidney Transplantation (PDF)
Erection is a coordinated physiological process that requires arousal via the CNS, signalling via peripheral nerves, vasodilatation within the corpora cavernosa and trapping of blood within the confines of the tunica albuginea by passive veno-occlusion.

Laparoscopic Radical Cystectomy and Urinary Diversion: Fad or Future? (PDF)
Radical cystectomy is the current ‘reference standard’ for managing muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

August 2004

Laparoscopic Nephroureterectomy for Upper Tract Transitional Cell Carcinoma: a Critical Appraisal (PDF)
As surgical technology and techniques develop a reassessment of treatment strategies is inevitable.

Laparoscopic Pyeloplasty: The First Decade (PDF)
The optimum surgical correction of PUJ obstruction (PUJO) has been a urological challenge for well over a century.

State-of-the-Art Approaches to Detecting Early Bone Metastasis in Prostate Cancer Open (PDF)
Prostate cancer has emerged as the commonest cancer in Europe and the USA, where up to 265 000 men are being diagnosed annually [1].

How is The Lower Urinary Tract Affected by Gynaecological Surgery? (PDF)
Pelvic surgery is common in urology, gynaecology and colorectal surgery; inevitably, procedures by one discipline may give rise to symptoms or consultations in others.

July 2004

Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy: Current Status (PDF)
Cancer cure, normal continence and preserving sexual function are the primary goals of radical prostatectomy (RP).

Small Cell Carcinoma of the Bladder (PDF)
Small cell (neuroendocrine) carcinoma (SCC) most commonly occurs in the lung, and accounts for ª 25% of all pulmonary malignancies [1]; up to 70% of patients have metastases at the time of diagnosis.

Superficial Transitional (Ta/T1/CIS) Cell Carcinoma Of The Bladder (PDF)
Bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer in men in the USA and the eight most common cancer in women, with an estimated 57 400 cases being diagnosed in 2003, resulting in 25 100 deaths [1].

Tissue Microarrays in Urology (PDF)
The Human Genome Project has provided the sequence for almost every gene, thus laying the foundations for a greater understanding of human diseases (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). In parallel, molecular biology techniques have emerged to enhance the understanding of gene function, and for identifying targets for developing novel therapies in oncology [1].

June 2004

A Re-Assessment of the Role of Combined Androgen Blockade for Advanced Prostate Cancer (PDF)
The addition of an antiandrogen to surgical or medical castration, termed combined therapy, was first described in 1979.

Practical Management Issues in Bilateral Testicular Cancer (PDF)
Testicular cancer is the commonest solid tumour among young men and 5% of them develop bilateral disease [1,2].

Male-factor Infertility: Do We Really Need Urologists? A Gynaecological View (PDF)
Since the first published study of the epidemiology of infertility in 1886 by Mathews Duncan (Fecundity, Fertility & Sterility), inconsistencies in the definition of infertility, approach to investigation and diagnostic criteria have led to considerable variation in the published prevalence of infertility and the relative contributions of particular causes.

Buccal Mucosal Urethroplasty: Is It The New Gold Standard? (PDF)
Reconstructing the male urethra poses a continuing urological challenge; the ideal material for substitution urethroplasty remains controversial. Candidate tissues have included split and full-thickness skin grafts derived from the scrotum, penis and extragenital areas, bladder mucosa and buccal mucosa.

May 2004

Diet and Prostate Cancer (PDF)
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy in men in industrialized countries and the second leading cause of male cancer-related death.

The Importance of Autonomic Dysreflexia to the Urologist (PDF)
Autonomic dysreflexia is a life-threatening emergency in which uncontrolled sympathetic activity occurs in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) above the splanchnic outflow, usually at the level of the sixth thoracic vertebrae [1].

Male Genital Injury: Diagnostics and Treatment (PDF)
This article reviews the current status of information on external male genital injuries, focusing on cause, diagnostic and therapeutic management of this uncommon entity.

The Relationship Between Volume and Outcome in Urological Surgery (PDF)
The Department of Health in the UK, through the National Institute of Clinical Excellence, has stipulated that radical urological pelvic cancer surgery in the UK be restricted to centres performing at least 50 procedures per year [1].

April 2004

Decreasing Mortality Rates for Prostate Cancer: Possible Role of Hormonal Therapy? (PDF)
Within the last decade prostate cancer mortality rates have started to decrease in some countries.

Botulinum Toxin and Its Applications in the Lower Urinary Tract (PDF)
Botulinum toxin (BTX) is a neurotoxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum and is one of the most poisonous substances known to man.

Minimally Invasive Ablative Techniques in Renal Cancer (PDF)
Ablative techniques in renal surgery comprise a variety of treatment methods in which tissue is destroyed in situ rather than by surgical extirpation.

Cryosurgery for Prostate Cancer (PDF)
Cryosurgery began in England in the 1840s when James Arnott used iced saline, applied through hollow irrigating tubes, to treat gynaecological tumours [1].

March 2004

Gene Therapy for Prostate Cancer (PDF)
Prostate cancer has recently become the most commonly diagnosed male malignancy in the West and the second leading cause of cancerrelated mortality in men.

Hypospadiology: Science and Surgery (PDF)
Despite the impressive advances in surgical science and technology in recent decades the expertise and dexterity of the operating surgeon remain the decisive determinants of outcome for many surgical procedures. Nowhere is this more true than in hypospadias surgery.

Abdominal Compartment Syndrome: Urological Aspects (PDF)
The term abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) describes the effects of elevated intraabdominal pressure (IAP) on multiple-organ systems.

The Autonomous Bladder: A View of The Origin of Bladder Overactivity and Sensory Urge (PDF)
Incontinence and the generation of excessive sensory urges are common problems that can seriously influence the quality of life of both men and women. The underlying causes have in some instances been associated with uncontrolled bladder activity.

February 2004

Managing Patients After an Ileal Orthotopic Bladder Substitution (PDF)
Bladder substitutions have a cosmetically more appealing result than incontinent diversions, with documented improvements in the patients’ quality of life [1,2].

The Development of Laser Prostatectomy (PDF)
Since their introduction into urology two decades ago, lasers have developed from an idea to practical and remarkable applications.

Intermittent Androgen Suppression (PDF)
Since the innovative work of Huggins and Hodges [1,2] the role of hormone therapy has been well established in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.

January 2004

Cavernosal Nerve Mapping: Current Data and Applications (PDF)
There are four reviews in this month’s section, two relating to the technical aspects of treating prostate cancer, one to genetic instability and bladder cancer, and the final one about continence surgery in urogenital prolapse.

Third-generation Cryosurgery for Primary and Recurrent Prostate Cancer (PDF)
Treatment options for clinically localized prostate cancer include surgical extirpation, radiation therapy (external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), and/or brachytherapy), or watchful waiting.

Genetic Instability and Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Bladder (PDF)
The development of cancer occurs in a stepwise fashion, with each step representing the mutation in one of several key genes. However, the mutation rate of somatic cells is too low to account for the number of mutations required for a cell to undergo carcinogenesis.

The Effect of Continence Surgery on Urogenital Prolapse (PDF)
Urogenital prolapse occurs when there is a weakness in the supporting structures of the pelvic floor, allowing the pelvic viscera to descend and ultimately fall through the anatomical defect