Experimental Prostate Cancer Treatment
Shows Promise
An experimental treatment for prostate cancer tumors
using high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) shows promise as an effective
treatment with fewer side effects than existing therapies.
The idea behind the new procedure is
similar to lumpectomy in breast cancer patients, in which doctors remove only
the tumors instead of the entire breast. Using HIFU, doctors can focus on
treating only the cancer cells on the prostate while causing minimal damage to
the surrounding tissue. Unlike more common and invasive treatments such as
radiotherapy and surgical removal of the prostate gland, HIFU may be able to avoid side effects like urine leakage
and impotence.
The new study, designed as a proof-of-concept study, involved
just 41 men. Doctors used MRI and mapping biopsies to locate the cancerous
tissues. They then focused
high-energy sound waves on the affected area, causing the cancer cells to heat
up to around 80°C, which kills the cells. None of the patients reported
urinary incontinence a year after treatment, and only 1 in 10 suffered from
poor erections. Overall, about 95% of
the men were cancer-free after a full year following the trial.
“The signal from this study is quite strong,” study
author Hashim Ahmed, a urologist at the University College London, told Bloomberg. “When you look at the current standard of
care, there’s a 1-in-3, or 1-in-2 chance of having the perfect outcome. In this
study, after 12 months, it’s a 9-in-10 chance.”
The men in the study were aged 45 to 80 with medium- to
high-risk cancer, and would likely have undergone surgery or radiotherapy down
the line. Men who had already received chemotherapy, hormone treatment or
radiation therapy were excluded from the study. The procedure was carried out
under general anesthesia and most of the patients had hospital stays of less
than 24 hours after the treatment.
“Focal therapy of individual
prostate-cancer lesions, regardless of whether they are multifocal or unifocal,
leads to a low rate of genitourinary side-effects and an encouraging rate of
early freedom from clinically significant prostate cancer,” the authors concluded in the study.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men. The
National Cancer Institute estimates 241,740 new cases of prostate cancer this
year in the U.S. and 28,170 deaths.
Ahmed told Bloomberg that HIFU may also be cheaper than
other standard treatments, noting that the cost of the MRI and mapping was
an estimated $2,400, plus about $1,600 for HIFU; in comparison, removing the
prostate costs about $7,100. Fewer side effects would also lower other health
care costs, he said.
The researchers are now recruiting more patients and
seeking funding for larger studies. While the initial results were promising,
they need to be replicated; HIFU also needs to be studied long-term and
compared with other therapies. If the technology holds up, it could also work
for other cell-based cancers like breast, thyroid, pancreas and liver, Ahmed
said.
The study was published Tuesday in the
journal The Lancet Oncology
Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2012/04/17/experimental-prostate-cancer-treatment-shows-promise/#ixzz1sQrNpSYi
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