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Guide to gaining approval for a clinical study

This article focuses on gaining approval for clinical research involving NHS patients, although the principles can be applied to other types of research. It can be quite a daunting process for the uninitiated applicant. Often it can be made less...

Onco-fertility: a review

Subfertility or infertility is a major problem affecting men diagnosed with testicular cancer (TC) either due to the disease itself [1], or as a result of management [2]. TC is the most prevalent cancer affecting men of reproductive age [3]....

Prostate cancer nurse specialist shortage: a view from the coal face

Prostate Cancer UK recently reported that there is an impending crisis for men with prostate cancer, simply because the number of nurse specialists available is insufficient for their needs [1]. Background As has been widely reported, the incidence of prostate...

Mesh in urological surgery in the UK – background, reviews and current status

All UK urologists, unless they have been on a 10-year silent retreat, are by now aware of the controversy surrounding surgical use of mesh in general and urological / urogynaecological use of mesh for the surgical treatment of stress urinary...

An inconvenient truth: reflections on the NHS

“What gets us into trouble is not what we don’t know. It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.” The above is a quote attributed to Mark Twain from the 2006 documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, which follows Al...

Potassium citrate in urolithiasis

Kidney stone disease (KSD) is increasing in prevalence globally, with those affected often requiring hospitalisation, diagnostic imaging and intervention [1,2]. The incidences of KSD varies according to several factors including genetics, geographical location, climate, diet and ethnicity [3]. Stone recurrence...

Prostate artery embolisation

Introduction Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a common condition associated with ageing, affects 50% of those between the ages of 50 and 60 years, and as many as 90% of those older than 80 years. BPH is characterised by unregulated, benign...

Nurse practitioner TRUS biopsy: training and preparation

As prostate cancer rates increase, many urology departments rely on multi-professional teams to diagnose and manage patients with prostate cancer. The aim of this article is to highlight the skills, training and preparation required for nurse practitioners to undertake trans-rectal...

Renal oncocytoma: Diagnosis and surveillance strategy

Renal oncocytoma is one of the most common benign renal neoplasms, accounting for around 3–7% of all renal tumours, and up to 18% of all small renal masses (SRMs) measuring less than 4cm [1, 2]. Most oncocytomas are asymptomatic and...