Focal Laser Ablation getting Good Results

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190320132051.htm

So it seems that the rate of recurrence after Focal ablation is simiar to surgery or radiation with potentially less side effects.

In 120 men with low- to intermediate-risk prostate cancer treated with FLA, 17 percent needed additional cancer treatment after one year with no noticeable change in quality of life or urinary function.

In a small group of men who underwent a more aggressive FLA, only 6 percent had evidence of cancer one year later. However, these men all noticed a significant drop in sperm count.

Other studies have shown that after completely removing the prostate, 15 to 30 percent of patients have a cancer recurrence within 5 to 10 years of surgery," Walser said. "Although FLA doesn't yet have such long-term data, this technique may ultimately provide similar cancer control while better preserving quality of life."

Interesting indeed. Let's hope more studies are done!

bbqdude said...
Things like this make me even more thankful to be able to so AS for a while! No telling what may be around in a few year or hopefully many more than that.

When I first met my RO for a consult (pre surgery) he said "Don't die, there could be a vaccine in 10 years or less..." and went on to talk about all the advances he's witnessed in his 30 years as a MD

These are impressive results, but I expect HIFU to be leapfrogged by TULSA-PRO, which was just FDA approved last month.

HIFU has not been offered by many centers. But, TULSA-PRO has been endorsed by its clinical trial centers, which include Johns Hopkins, UCLA, Sunnybrook, and U of Chicago.

Both therapies use ultrasound for killing PCa, and both are repeatable. TULSA-PRO was approved for whole gland and focal application.

All good, all progress.

https://fusfoundation.org/news/new-focused-ultrasound-device-to-treat-the-prostate-receives-fda-approval