Category: Focal Treatment & Laser Ablation
Let’s Talk About Preserving Sexual Function
I came across a very illuminating study titled “Physician Recommendations Trump Patient Preferences in Prostate Cancer Decisions.”[i] The researchers polled 257 newly diagnosed low-to-intermediate risk PCa patients after diagnosis but before their next urology consultation. The patients answered questions about their preferences in the following areas: Treatment preference Interest in sex Cancer-related anxiety. The study’s keep readingNew Image-Based Analysis Predicts Focal Laser Ablation Outcomes
I’m excited to announce news about a new way to quantify the effects of focal laser ablation (FLA) in a way that may allow us to predict long term treatment success. I was a member of a research team out of Case Western Reserve University that developed an innovative way to use MRI before, during keep readingThe Time For Focal Laser Ablation Is Here
Until about 10 years ago, conventional prostate cancer treatments were based on the assumption that prostate cancer is a multifocal disease. All conventional treatment modalities (surgery, radiotherapy, and thermal ablation) were “radical” because they were directed at the removal or destruction of the whole gland. Such treatments, however, put urinary and sexual function at risk, keep readingProstate Cancer: Family History and Focal Laser Ablation
At the Sperling Prostate Center, we believe family history matters, and patients who have a hereditary history of any kind of cancer, especially first degree relatives deserve special counseling. keep reading
International Experts Give Focal Therapy a Green Light
One of the oldest and most respected urologic professional associations is the Société Internationale d’Urologie (SIU), headquartered in Montreal. It was founded in 1907 during a period when national and local urologic societies were getting off the ground. As part of their membership, urologists are subscribed to the World Journal of Urology. According to the keep readingDesigning Clinical Trials for Focal Salvage Ablation
Treating prostate cancer by thermal ablation uses extreme heat or cold to destroy the tissue. Prostate ablation was originally performed as a radical (total gland) treatment because prostate cancer was considered a multifocal disease. In other words, ablation was used as a substitute for surgical removal (prostatectomy) or radiation of the whole gland. It wasn’t keep readingFLA vs. Green Light Laser: What’s the Difference?
Today’s focal laser ablation (FLA) is accomplished by using MRI guidance to insert optical fibers directly into the tumor. Sometimes patients get confused about the difference between this type of therapy and something called Green Light Laser, a treatment to correct the constriction of the urethral passage caused by benign (noncancerous) prostate enlargement called benign keep reading
Hemiablation vs. Focal Laser Ablation
When is a little treatment too much treatment? That curiosity was the foundation of a new study out of McGill University Health Center in Montreal.[i] The research team followed 157 patients who had been diagnosed with unilateral prostate cancer (cancer on one side of the gland only) and followed by repeat biopsy for a median keep reading
The Perfect Prostate Cancer Treatment
Is there a perfect prostate cancer treatment? All of us—doctors and patients—wish it were so, but since all treatments (including focal laser ablation) have some risk, however small, there is a better question to ask. What is the perfect treatment for YOU? Which leads to another question: How can you be sure? I have seen keep reading
