Source: Thailand Medical News Dec 03, 2019 5 years, 2 weeks, 6 days, 17 hours, 10 minutes ago
A new
MRI-guided procedure that uses therapeutic
ultrasound effectively treats
prostate cancer with minimal side effects, according to a new study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
This diagram shows controlled and precise ablation using TULSA-PRO. Credit: UCLA
Researchers said the incision-free technique could also be used to treat benign enlargement of the prostate gland.
Presently,
prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of
cancer death in men after lung cancer. Treating disease in the small gland that surrounds the urethra just outside the bladder is challenging. Surgery and radiation are not always effective and can result in incontinence, impotence and bowel dysfunction. Other currently available techniques lack sophisticated imaging guidance and temperature monitoring.
Recently, a minimally invasive method called
MRI-guided transurethral
ultrasound ablation (TULSA) has emerged as a promising treatment option. TULSA works by delivering precise doses of sound waves to diseased prostate tissue while sparing the healthy nerve tissue surrounding the prostate.
MRI-guided transurethral
ultrasound ablation or TULSA relies on a rod-shaped device that is inserted into the urethra. The novel device has 10 ultrasound-generating elements that can cover the entire prostate gland. One or more of the elements are used to send out sound waves that heat and destroy the target prostate tissue. The elements are controlled automatically by a software algorithm that can adjust the shape, direction and strength of the therapeutic ultrasound beam. The entire procedure takes place in an
MRI scanner so that doctors can closely monitor treatment and assess the degree and location of heating.
Dr Steven S. Raman, M.D., 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) and study co-author told
Thailand Medical News, "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."
During the recent multicenter study, researchers reported on the 12-month outcomes from the TULSA-PRO ablation clinical trial (TACT). The trial enrolled 115 men, median age 65, with localized low or intermediate risk, gland-confined prostate cancer. Clinicians delivered TULSA treatment to the entire gland. Treatment time averaged 51 minutes.
It was seen that prostate volume in the study group decreased on average from 39 cubic centimeters pre-treatment to 3.8 cubic centimeters a year after treatment. Overall, clinically significant cancer was eliminated in 80% of the study participants. Seventy-two out of 111 men, or 65%, had no ev
idence of any cancer at biopsy after one year. Blood levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a marker of
prostate cancer, fell by a median of 95%. There were low rates of severe toxicity and no bowel complications.
Dr. Raman added,"We saw very good results in the patients, with a dramatic reduction of over 90 percent in prostate volume and low rates of impotence with almost no incontinence."
Already approved for clinical use in Europe, TULSA has just received FDA 510(k) clearance for prostate tissue ablation in the United States. Assuming follow-up studies support the preliminary results, the technique could develop into an important tool for treating both
prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia, or enlargement of the prostate.
Dr. 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 new protocol, TULSA also has the benefit of allowing further treatment if needed, Dr. Raman said. If it fails, then the procedure can be repeated, and more aggressive invasive approaches like surgery and radiation therapy can still be used. Alternatively, TULSA may enable noninvasive treatment for localized radiation failure.
The research study also supports the use of MRI for post-treatment monitoring of patients who undergo TULSA.
MRI at one year after treatment had a negative predictive value of 93 to 96% for detecting residual cancer, meaning it was very accurate for ruling out disease recurrence in patients.
