(ConservativeJournal.org) – The Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) will soon be revealing a new and effective treatment for prostate cancer. It is a minimally-invasive treatment that combines MRI and transurethral ultrasound. This new method makes it easier for the cancer to be treated directly instead of targeting only the general area of the tumors.
Traditional treatments like surgery or radiation often lead to side effects such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction. Unfortunately, these can heavily affect the quality of life of cancer patients. The new treatment shows that MRI-guided transurethral ultrasound ablation (TULSA) offers an alternative for treatment while keeping side effects minimal.
During the TULSA procedure, a small device is inserted through the urethra into the prostate. The device is guided by MRI, and the treatment can be precisely positioned within the gland, heating the tissue while sparing nearby nerves. The outpatient or in-patient procedure takes two to three hours and can be performed under most types of anesthesia.
Lead author Dr. Steven Raman of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA hailed TULSA as a breakthrough and potentially capable of changing the standard of care for thousands of men diagnosed with prostate cancer. He emphasized the precision of image-guided therapy, which kills cancer cells while keeping all functions of the area intact.
The study showed significant improvements in cancer reduction, and prostate size from the participants. Notably, one year after the new treatment, cancer was undetectable in 76% of patients.
Compared to alternative therapies, TULSA also had barely any negative side effects, with a high percentage of patients recovering fully with no issues after their treatment.
This research underlines the important role of interventional radiologists in prostate cancer care, as procedures involving imaging now seem to be a very effective treatment. The effectiveness of TULSA will be further observed and investigated in upcoming trials.
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