BPH in the next millennium: a glimpse to the future

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a highly prevalent, age-related disea se. As the world population continues to grow and life expectancy increases , the population of men suffering from BPH will expand. A greater emphasis will be placed on quality of life. The BPH patient of the future will also have greater expectations regarding therapy, which will need to be effectiv e in a shorter period of time. New technologies for the treatment of BPH ar e anticipated. Already, robot-operated vaporisation of the prostate is bein g undertaken. With regard to medical therapy, more selective and hence, mor e effective drugs are under development. With the identification of new alp ha(1)-adrenoceptor subtypes, alpha-blocker therapy should target the prosta te more accurately. Gene-based therapies will have an important role in the future. It is envisaged that technology will exist whereby defective genes can be replaced and gene expression controlled to overcome the disease pro cess. Through pharmacogenomics, drugs will be tailored to the individual, w hich will, in turn, result in more economical use of medical therapy. Simil arly, the development of nanotechnology will allow site-specific delivery o f drugs. Together, these advances will make the treatment of BPH even more effective in the new millennium.