Posted on 12/04/2019 2:11:10 PM PST by Red Badger
Scientists are reporting promising results from a year-long study where soundwaves were used to heat and destroy prostate cancers decade3d/Depositphotos View 2 Images
Treating prostate cancer through traditional means such as surgery or radiotherapy carries certain risks, with some patients experiencing impotence, urinary problems and bowel trouble, among other unwanted side effects. Safer and less invasive treatment options could soon be on the table, however, including a novel MRI-guided ultrasound technique that eliminated significant cancers in 80 percent of subjects in a year-long study.
The new technique is called MRI-guided transurethral ultrasound ablation (TULSA) and has been under development for a number of years. The minimally invasive technology involves a rod that enters the prostate gland via the urethra and emits highly controlled sound waves in order to heat and destroy diseased tissue, while leaving healthy tissue unharmed.
These waves come from 10 heating elements built into the length of the rod to treat the entire prostate gland. An algorithm controls which of these elements emit the sound waves at any one time, along with their shape, direction and strength. All of this takes place within an MRI scanner, allowing doctors to keep a close eye on which tissues are being heated and by how much.
TULSA uses a rod inserted into the prostate to target diseased tissue with soundwavesRadiological Society of North America
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"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," says study co-auhor Steven S. Raman, M.D., professor of radiology and urology at the University of California at Los Angeles. "It's an outpatient procedure with minimal recovery time."
Raman and his team recently put TULSA to the test in a study involving 115 men with low- or intermediate-risk prostate cancer that was confined to the gland. The TULSA treatment was administered to the whole gland for an average time of 51 minutes, with the cancers then reassessed 12 months later.
These follow-up observations revealed some hugely promising results. “Clinically significant cancer” was totally eliminated in 80 percent of the subjects a year after the TULSA treatment. Sixty-five percent of the subjects exhibited no evidence of cancer at all in their biopsies, while prostate-specific antigen (PSA), the key biomarker for prostate cancer, was reduced by a median of 95 percent.
No bowel complications were reported, while the group reported low rates of severe toxicity, low rates of impotence and close to no incontinence (involuntary urine loss from the bladder). Additionally, the technique can be used to treat other benign conditions, such as prostate enlargement. On average, prostate volume among the study subjects decreased from 39 cubic centimeters beforehand, to 3.8 cubic centimeters following the treatment.
"There are two very unique things about this system," says Raman. "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 scientists are now working towards further studies to support these exciting results. With TULSA already approved for clinical use in Europe, and having recently received FDA pre-market clearance as safe and effective for prostate treatment in the US, the hope is that it could reach clinical use stateside in the near future.
The scientists presented the research results at this week’s annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. An abstract is available online here, while the animation below offers a look at TULSA in action.
Fentanyl and something else out me out cold = Fentanyl and something else put me out cold
So, putting a rod in your prostate heals you?
I once worked for a urologist who used a similar system to treat enlarged prostates. A probe was inserted through the urethra that contained a microwave generator. The microwaves would “cook” the prostate. What happens to meat after it is cooked? It shrinks. Unfortunately a few days later the prostate would have an inflammatory response and swell up and I’d have to prescribe steroids for a few days to get rid of the swelling. After that they were fine.
Sounds like using ultrasound instead of microwaves is a much better idea.
Yeah, I was thinking about the biopsy. No F’ing way
Colonoscopy = No F’ing way
“probe was inserted through the urethra” = No F’ing way
I worked in health care...major hospital...for 25 years. I've seen every form of cancer known to medicine. Colon cancer is one of the very ugliest.
And I repeat...I'm the biggest coward on the planet!
Just sayin'...
HIFU ? What is that. The reason I have been diagnosed with low grade Prostate cancer and the Dr. and I are watching it right now.
I literally just got home from the Urlologist 90 minutes ago. Stuck his finger up me bum, he did, and I sang out a few verses of Moon River. But, the ‘ol prostate is all good, thank God.
I wouldn’t stick around for the really bad part.
bkmk
Ultrasound is not radiation; it is not electromagnetic, not ionizing electromagnetic or non-ionizing electromagnetic, no matter how the sound is produced. It is sound waves, not electromagnetic waves or particles. I repeat, it is not radiation.
You’re sure it was his finger? ;<)
I’ve been told old doctors still use the finger. Might be because he likes it!
Well....now that you mention it, I do remember both hands on my shou... Yea, it was enough to make me stay straight, it was probably only 2 seconds but yeck, not my idea of fun. Hope my primary doesn’t make this an annual thing.
I have wondered if the cure to cancer might come not from chemicals or radiation, but from some sort of sound/vibratory therapy. My reasons for thinking this? Almost new-agey, in that “vibrations” constitute music and harmony (if done properly), and harmony implies order and healing. Blast away, I don’t care.
“probe was inserted through the urethra” = No F’ing way
Been there, done that. Pretty damn unpleasant. The colonoscopy and prostate biopsy weren’t too bad (relatively speaking).
(No exclusion for sound energy)
Tulsa Time is one of my favorite songs.
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