Common Male Genitourinary Issues

Lower urinary tract symptoms that significantly impair quality of life in men may result from benign prostatic hyperplasia, overactive bladder, or a combination of both conditions. The diagnosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia, a voiding dysfunction due to outlet obstruction, can be made with a thorough history and physical examination. A validated questionnaire should be used to make an accurate initial diagnosis and to monitor treatment effect over time. Selective alpha-1 blockers are an appropriate first-line drug choice for most patients; however, 5-alpha reductase inhibitors and phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors may also be used, alone or in combination with each other, depending on symptom severity and if alternative treatment options are needed. If medical therapy is ineffective, surgical and interventional procedures aimed at opening the prostatic urethra are available to ameliorate symptoms. Overactive bladder manifests with urinary urgency, frequency, and nocturia with or without incontinence. The diagnosis of this storage dysfunction due to detrusor overactivity can be made with a thorough history, physical examination, urinalysis, and assessment of the residual volume of urine in the bladder after voiding. Firstline treatment for overactive bladder includes beta-3 agonists as well as pelvic floor physical therapy and behavioral interventions. If left untreated, benign prostatic hyperplasia and overactive bladder can result in significant social isolation and relationship strain.

Male fertility concerns include prevention of pregnancy and planning for conception, including management of infertility. Male-directed contraception is currently limited to condom use or vasectomy. Vasectomy is a safe, office-based procedure that reliably results in sterility. Several options for reversible male contraception are currently under investigation. Use of high-dose testosterone with or without progestin and use of new androgens provide several potential pathways for reversible male contraception. Reversible occlusion of the vas deferens may provide a nonhormonal option for male contraception. Whereas some men seek contraception, other men experience infertility. Semen analysis is a key study to diagnose male infertility. Specific assisted reproduction technologies such as intrauterine insemination, in vitro fertilization, or intracytoplasmic sperm injection can prove useful in addressing male infertility. An important consideration for men who may be embarking on cancer treatment that could result in infertility is the use of sperm cryopreservation.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in US men. Guidelines for screening vary, underscoring the need to engage patients in shared decision-making and counsel them about potential benefits and harms. When screening is undertaken, it is based on the prostate-specific antigen test, with digital rectal examination used selectively as an adjunct. Men with an abnormal prostate-specific antigen level should have a repeat test within a few months, before proceeding to biomarker testing, referral to urology, biopsy, and potentially imaging. Patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer should be risk-stratified using clinical tumor (T) stage as determined by digital rectal examination, International Society of Urological Pathology grade group (Gleason score), prostate-specific antigen level, and tumor volume on biopsy. Treatment options vary by risk. Active surveillance is recommended for patients with low-risk disease, typically those with grade group 1/Gleason score of 6 (3 + 3). For patients with favorable intermediate-risk prostate cancer, treatment options are active surveillance, radiation therapy, or radical prostatectomy. For patients with unfavorable intermediate- or high-risk prostate cancer and estimated life expectancy greater than 10 years, options are radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy plus androgen deprivation therapy. For patients with prostate-specific antigen levels greater than 40 ng/dL, a Gleason score of 9 or higher, or locally advanced prostate cancer, treatment with radiation therapy and androgen deprivation therapy can additionally include concurrent abiraterone plus prednisone for 2 years. Focal ablation is also an option for some patients. Prognosis varies by disease features; men with low-risk prostate cancer are much more likely to die from other causes, whereas those with distant metastases have a 5-year relative survival rate of 38.3%.