Prostate cancer, like every other kind of cancer, has its own set of problems that puts a patient through hell. Treating the cancer-affected gland near the urethra, just outside the bladder is a challenging affair with its sensitive nature.?
Surgery or radiation therapy here isnĄ¯t helpful all the time as it can result in incontinence, impotence as well as irregularity in bowel functioning. However, now an Indian-origin researcher in the United States has created a new therapy method that can help combat Prostate cancer without the aforementioned issues.
The therapy is called TULSA which stands for transurethral ultrasound ablation. This is a? minimally-invasive, which means it doesnĄ¯t require complex cuts or stitches. Basically in this therapy, a rod-shaped device is inserted into the urethra which emits controlled doses of soundwaves to the affected prostate tissue without impacting the healthy nerve that surrounds it.
The device has 10 ultrasound-generating zones that end up covering the entire prostate. The sound waves generate heat and destroy the prostate tissue thatĄ¯s causing trouble. A software takes care of the intensity, shape and strength of the sound beam to deliver optimal results. The whole process is conducted with the patient in an MRI scanner. This way the doctor can monitor the healing process in real-time.
Steven S. Raman, M.D., the study co-author,? professor of radiology and urology, and director of Prostate MR Imaging and Interventions and Prostate MR Imaging Research at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) said in a statement, "Unlike with other ultrasound systems on the market, you can monitor the ultrasound ablation process in real-time and get immediate MRI feedback of the thermal dose and efficacy.It's an outpatient procedure with minimal recovery time."?
Researchers conducted a 12-month clinical trial where they enrolled 11 men with an average age of 65 years affected with localised low or intermediate risk, gland-confined prostate cancer. The overall treatment lasted only 51 minutes. The results revealed that before treatment, the average volume of prostate of the study group was 39 cubic centimetres. That after a year of treatment came all the way down to 3.8 cubic centimetres.
Seventy-two out of 111 men, had no proof of any cancer at biopsy, a year after the therapy. Blood levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA)? which is an indicator of prostate cancer, dropped an average of 95 percent. The blood also revealed low levels of severe toxicity and the patients had no bowel complications whatsoever.
Raman further added, "There are two very unique things about this system. First, you can control with much more finesse where you're going to treat, preserving continence and sexual function. Second, you can do this for both diffuse and localized prostate cancer and benign diseases, including benign hyperplasia."
The treatment has gotten approval not just in Europe but also the United States.