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Focal Laser Ablation

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Posted 5/4/2024 12:07 AM (GMT 0)
Has anyone used focal laser ablation for prostate cancer.
Posted 5/14/2024 9:20 PM (GMT 0)
I just got diagnosed. I certainly plan to pursue this route. I'm disappointed no one else has replied to your question since I have the same!
Posted 5/15/2024 12:24 AM (GMT 0)
Why? It hasn’t proven to be as effective as the numerous well proven radiation therapies. It has some significant treatment negative side effects. It isn’t covered by Medicare or most major insurance carriers.

Please provide the specifics of your diagnosis so the members here can be more effective in providing information and experience.
Posted 5/15/2024 12:52 AM (GMT 0)

Dallasr said...
I just got diagnosed. I certainly plan to pursue this route. I'm disappointed no one else has replied to your question since I have the same!

Dallasr, welcome to the forum. There is lots of experience her, tons, in fact. I don't recall said treatment being mentioned here or used by any of our members, which is probably the reason there was no response to the original question.

If you are interested in taking advantage of the knowledge a lot of our guys have attained over the years, consider creating a signature with your details, by going to your profile. You can look at my sig as a guide, or many of the others who've done so. If you'd rather not, thats fine too.

Best,
Ken AKA Pratoman
Posted 5/15/2024 11:03 AM (GMT 0)
Hello Dallas and welcome. We have a member here, Ziggy9, who used TFT to treat his cancer. Ziggy doesn't post much here anymore so it's unlikely he will see your post. His treatment was about 15 years ago and quite successful. I will email him and ask him to check in and respond to your post.

As others have said, this treatment is not used widely so it may be difficult to find an experienced doc if this is the treatment you desire. However, there are many other possibilities for treatment that are likely to successfully treat you. If you'll give us a little more info about your case I'm sure you will get lots of suggestions and thoughts.

Jim
Posted 5/15/2024 5:21 PM (GMT 0)
I had HIFU procedure 12/2021
I did not ask enough or the right questions of the oncologist surgeon
Ablation basically destroyed 2/3 of my prostate and apparently did not eradicate all of the Pca
Last biopsy scored G8
I am scheduled for Salvage Prostatectomy end of May
Realize that the imaging is getting considerably better than in 2021
Always ask the oncologist for a patient advocate, someone who has had the procedure from that surgeon at that hospital
Always choose someone who has done hundreds of that procedure, not several
Posted 5/15/2024 8:01 PM (GMT 0)
@tudpock18. Thank you! I would love to talk with Ziggy9 about his experience. And anyone else that has tried TFT in the last couple of years. I'm in Wilmington, NC, so I know I will have to travel.

@pratoman. and @jnf Thank you for the suggestion. I added my stats to my signature.

@McAttack - I am sorry HIFU did not work as you hoped. I'm not sure what type of TFT I will pursue or what will be recommended, but I want to pursue that route before a radical prostatectomy. From what I've read, if TFT does not work, there is still the option to do a radical prostatectomy. Radiation would be a last-case resort for me considering my age.

Seems like TFT such as Focal Laser Ablation has come a long way. There are multiple clinical trials. A recent study showed promising results: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8503805/#:~:text=In%20this%20cohort%20of%20men,or%20site%20of%20prior%20ablation.

I hope to qualify for a clinical trial since TFT does not seem to be covered by insurance.

My Stats:
Dx Age 52 May 2024, PSA range 4.9 - 5.6
Prostate gland measures 5.3 x 4.2 x 4.8 cm for a volume of 70. Most recent test shows a PSA density of .08
BX 1 of 15 cores positive original pathology G7 (4+3); Prostate, right anterior
PIRADS Score: 3 (2 Lesions, 2.2 x 1.7 cm left posterolateral peripheral zone of the mid gland & 1.3 x 1.2 cm right posterolateral/anterior peripheral zone of the mid gland)
Posted 5/15/2024 8:43 PM (GMT 0)
Dallas, I reached out to Ziggy with the hope that he will check in on your thread and share his knowledge. Even if he doesn't, may I suggest you go to our search function and type in Ziggy9. That will bring up a number of threads from the past wherein Ziggy commented about his procedure.

Jim
Posted 5/16/2024 12:05 AM (GMT 0)
One big reason for not finding much on the forum about focal therapies is that they were generally (!) not recommended by authoritative bodies like the American Urological Association. I believe that they currently recommend that focal therapies be conducted only in clinical trials. The fact that these procedures were not covered by insurance and are quite expensive are other reasons for the lack of info on this forum.

There are several 'flavors' in the focal therapy field and it would be interesting to have a discussion about that. Not at all sure that focal laser ablation is the 'best' one for your case. I do concur that if focal ablation doesn't 'work', alternatives are available. But why go that route?
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